NOTES for Ti1 6:11-12

The apostle Paul instructs his disciple, calling him at the same time a "man of God." But does a person of God need instructions? He does. Our belonging to God begins with a small seed and grows. This growth is nourished by grace sent from God, and this is how righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and meekness enter and increase in our life. But all this is like what happens in our schooling: knowledge is given to us by teachers, but we must make progress so that knowledge becomes ours. So Paul speaks about making progress, about receiving, about being directed toward gracious gifts, about the heartfelt labor, the spiritual struggle, of faith, and about the constant awareness of this life here and now as the beginning of eternal life.