Chapter
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Verse
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1 Timothy 6:13
ESV I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession,
NIV In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you
NASB I direct you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate,
CSB In the presence of God, who gives life to all, and of Christ Jesus, who gave a good confession before Pontius Pilate, I charge you
NLT And I charge you before God, who gives life to all, and before Christ Jesus, who gave a good testimony before Pontius Pilate,
KJV I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession;
NKJV I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate,

What does 1 Timothy 6:13 mean?

Paul's words here are serious. In prior verses, he has commanded Timothy to "flee" from sin and temptation, to pursue righteous behavior, and to live out the faith he has professed to others. Here, Paul applies all of his spiritual authority over Timothy, similar to his tone in 1 Timothy 5:21 and 2 Timothy 4:1. Paul further emphasizes this charge by making an allusion to God's creation in Genesis 1—2.

In parallel with God the Father, Paul mentions Christ Jesus as the one who gave His "testimony before Pontius Pilate." This letter to Timothy was written a mere 30 years after that event, making it another important example of early written records of Jesus' ministry. This comment about Pontius Pilate would even become part of the early Christian creeds.

Interestingly, the phrase "good confession" is used both here and in the previous verse, marking a parallel between the confession Timothy gave as a believer in Christ and Christ Jesus giving His testimony, confessing Himself as the Messiah and King before Pilate.
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