<p>2:22 <em>Enthuse about righteousness, faith, love and peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart</em>- Some manuscripts, followed by the AV, add: &quot;Flee youthful lusts&quot;. It is possible that Timothy went through a mid-life crisis, as Hezekiah did. Paul's warning to middle aged Timothy to &quot;flee youthful lusts&quot; was a sure reference back to Joseph fleeing from the advances of Potiphar's wife. If indeed Timothy was now middle aged, Paul would be reasoning that his sexual crushes were the immaturity of youth which by this stage he ought to have left behind. I noted on 1 Tim. 3 that Timothy was the bishop at Ephesus, and the commands concerning bishops and their relationships with their wives were therefore being spoken directly to Timothy. We can assume he was therefore married. And yet Paul sensed Timothy needed exhortation about &quot;youthful lusts&quot;. The antidote to these lusts was positive- the energy should instead go into enthusing about spiritual things, not consorting with women in questionable relationships, but taking strength instead from others who &quot;call on the Lord out of a pure sexually pure? heart&quot;. This rechannelling of energy from sin to righteousness is a common Biblical theme (e.g. &quot;Not coarse joking but rather giving of thanks&quot;, Eph. 5:4); and Paul's redirection from persecutor of Christ to ambassador for Him would be the parade example. And so here,<em> pheugo</em> &quot;flee&quot; lusts, and instead <em>dioko</em> &quot;enthuse about&quot; righteousness. <em>Dioko</em> is the standard term for persecution, used about Paul's persecution of the Christians. His energy for persecution was redirected into a chasing after of righteousness.</p><p>Those with a pure or purified heart / mind are those who have allowed the sanctifying / purifying of the Spirit to cleanse their minds, conscience and thinking (1 Pet. 1:22; Heb. 10:22). We must be <em>made</em> clean by the Lord Jesus, it is not of ourselves (Jn. 15:3; 13:10,11). Paul recognizes that not all in the church will have allowed this purifying work of the Spirit, even though all believers have potentially been given the Spirit gift at baptism. But he urges Timothy to associate with those who have.</p>