1 Timothy 6:12
“Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Context
Paul closes his charge to Timothy with a stirring summons to persevere in faith, recalling the public confession Timothy made when he was called.
What Does 1 Timothy 6:12 Mean?
Paul commands Timothy to wage the good contest of faith, to take firm hold of eternal life, and to live up to the public confession he has already made.
The language is athletic and military at once. "Fight the good fight" pictures a contest worth all one's strength -- not a meaningless struggle but a noble one, the kind that ennobles the one who enters it. "Of faith" identifies both the field and the weapon: this is the struggle to keep believing and stay faithful. Next, "lay hold on eternal life" uses a word for seizing something firmly, urging Timothy to grasp the life God has promised, not as a vague hope but as something to take active hold of. Paul then anchors the charge in two facts. Timothy was "called" to this life, so it is God's invitation, and he had "professed a good profession before many witnesses," likely a confession of faith made publicly. Those witnesses make the commitment binding; turning back would betray it. The verse rallies every believer to a worthy, ongoing struggle, reminding us that the faith we publicly confessed calls for a life that backs it up to the end.
In the Original Language
"Fight the good fight" renders agōnizou ton kalon agōna, a contest image, and "lay hold" is epilambanou, to seize or grasp firmly.
Cross References
“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.”
- 2 Timothy 4:7
“Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.”
- 1 Corinthians 9:24
“I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
- Philippians 3:14
Application
Treat your faith as a worthy contest to be fought daily, and live in a way that honors the commitment you made before others.