Paul had left Timothy in Ephesus to deal with people who were teaching false doctrines (1 Tim. 1:3-4). Much of this letter to Timothy addresses this problem, encouraging and instructing Timothy on how to best deal with false doctrine and those who teach it.
Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing have departed from the faith.
1 Timothy 6:20-21 NIV
Grace be with you all.
Paul encouraged Timothy to guard what had been entrusted to him. This is the type of language you would use in guarding a treasure. And that is indeed what Paul was telling him. But the treasure was not gold, jewels, or precious works of art. Instead, it was the truth of the gospel. Truth that he was, in turn, to entrust to reliable men (2 Tim. 2:2). God has entrusted each of us with the precious treasure of spiritual truths contained in the Bible.
The false doctrine that Timothy was dealing with, and the false doctrine that is so prevalent today, will corrupt the treasure entrusted to us if we let it. So guard the truth entrusted to us. Hold firmly to God’s word. Turn away from godless chatter and what is falsely called knowledge. And be careful of those with secret knowledge that has been lost or hidden from the church and revealed to them.
Sadly, some have failed to do that and have departed from the faith. Don’t follow their example. Instead, guard the treasure entrusted to you. Hold tightly to the revealed word of God. Keep its truths safe in your heart and mind (Ps. 119:11). And be ready to pass it on to others.
