What does 1 Timothy 1:19 mean?

This verse continues Paul's charge to Timothy from the previous verse. The phrase "holding faith and a good conscience" includes the idea of clinging to and not letting go of his faith. Timothy was to do so with a "good conscience." The pairing of faith and conscience is also seen in 1 Timothy 1:5 and 3:9. A person's faith and their thoughts are closely connected.

Faith begins and ends this verse. The second half warns about the danger of turning from a good conscience. Paul uses the Greek word apōsamenoi, which implies a strong, personal, deliberate refusal. This is not a casual or accidental error—Paul is referring to those who purposefully reject keeping a clear conscience. Paul himself survived a serious shipwreck on his way to Rome, so he knew intimately what a danger it could be. Paul uses this analogy to highlight the deadly nature of rejecting a good conscience. Since Ephesus was also a location where many ships stopped, the idea of a shipwreck was likely very personal to Timothy.

In the next verse, Paul offers two specific examples of men who ruined their faith by turning up their noses at a clear conscience.