Discovery Box1 Timothy 1:5 
Context1:5 But the aim of our instruction 1 is love that comes from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith. 2
1 Timothy 1:19
Context1:19 To do this 3 you must hold firmly to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck in regard to the faith.
1 Timothy 3:13
Context3:13 For those who have served well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves 4 and great boldness in the faith that is in Christ Jesus. 5
1 Timothy 6:12-13
Context6:12 Compete well 6 for the faith and lay hold of that eternal life you were called for and made your good confession 7 for 8 in the presence of many witnesses. 6:13 I charge you 9 before God who gives life to all things and Christ Jesus who made his good confession 10 before Pontius Pilate,
1 tn Grk “the instruction,” referring to orthodox Christian teaching and ministry in general, in contrast to that of the false teachers mentioned in 1:3-4.
2 tn Grk “love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.”
3 tn In Greek this continues the same sentence from v. 18, a participle showing the means by which Timothy will accomplish his task: Grk “fight the good fight, holding firmly…”
4 sn The statement those who have served well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves is reminiscent of Jesus’ teaching (Matt 20:26-28; Mark 10:43-45) that the one who wishes to be great must be a servant (διάκονος [diakonos], used here of deacons) of all, just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve (διακονέω [diakonew], as in 1 Tim 3:10, 13).
5 sn In the phrase the faith that is in Christ Jesus, the term faith seems to mean “what Christians believe, Christian truth,” rather than personal trust in Christ. So the whole phrase could mean that others will come to place greater confidence in them regarding Christian truth; but the word “confidence” is much more likely to refer to their own boldness to act on the truth of their convictions.
6 tn This phrase literally means “compete in the good competition of the faith,” using words that may refer to a race or to a boxing or wrestling match: “run the good race” or “fight the good fight.” The similar phrase in 1 Tim 1:18 uses a military picture and is more literally “war the good warfare.”
7 sn At some point in Timothy’s life, he publicly acknowledged Jesus as the resurrected Lord, perhaps either at his baptism or his ordination as a minister of the gospel. With this reminder of the historical moment of his good confession, Timothy is encouraged to remain steadfast in his faith and to finish his life as a minister in the same way it began (see G. W. Knight, Pastoral Epistles [NIGTC], 264-65).
8 tn Grk “confessed the good confession.”
9 tc ‡ Most witnesses, some of them important (א2 A D H 1881 Ï lat sy bo), have σοι (soi, “you”) after παραγγέλλω (parangellw, “I charge [you]”), a predictable variant because the personal pronoun is demanded by the sense of the passage (and was added in the translation because of English requirements). Hence, the omission is the harder reading, and the addition of σοι is one of clarification. Further, the shorter reading is found in several important witnesses, such as א* F G Ψ 6 33 1739 pc. Thus, both internally and externally the shorter reading is preferred. NA 27 places σοι in brackets, indicating some doubts as to its authenticity.
tn Grk “I charge.”
10 tn Grk “testified the good confession.”
sn Jesus’ good confession was his affirmative answer to Pilate’s question “Are you the king of the Jews?” (see Matt 27:11, Mark 15:2, Luke 23:3, John 18:33-37).
