The First Letter to Timothy
Written by the apostle Paul
Written possibly in Macedonia (1:3)
Written to Timothy, Paul's fellow missionary and his "son in the faith" about A.D. 65
Written to provide Timothy with working principles for the establishment of order and the preservation of sound teaching in the churches
STAY AT YOUR POST Read 1 Timothy 1:1-4
Paul's first letter to Timothy begins with an affectionate greeting to his own son in the faith. He follows it with an urgent request that Timothy stay on in Ephesus to counter heretical teachers and to check the preoccupation of some church members with endless and useless genealogies.
THE LAW OF GOD IS GOOD Read 1:5-11
In the divine economy [says Paul] it takes faith, heart and conscience to produce love. Some misunderstand God's commandment at this point. They fail to see that God's law is good, because it applies precisely to the lawless and to those who resist the healthy teaching of the glorious gospel.
CHRIST CAME TO SAVE SINNERS Read 1:12-17
I thank Christ Jesus our Lord that he showed grace and mercy, and made me his servant, even though I, in the ignorance of unbelief,
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had been an insolent blasphemer and persecutor of his church. It is absolutely true that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am first and foremost. Thus God outlined his eternal plan of compassion and mercy to all who believe. May honor and glory forever be his!
YOU HAVE YOUR BATTLE ORDERS Read 1:18-20
So, Timothy, you have your battle orders. Keep your conscience clear and don't let your faith be shipwrecked in the manner of Hymenaeus and Alexander. Those two I delivered up to Satan that they may be disciplined not to blaspheme.
PEACE IS PLEASING TO GOD Read 2:1-7
Let me encourage you to pray for all people, including kings and men of eminence, that we may live quiet and reverent lives of peace. Such peace is pleasing to God our Saviour, who desires all men to be saved and to come to know the truth.
Just as there is one God, so there is one arbitrator or interposer between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave himself a ransom for all. I, Paul, am a herald of this testimony to the nations.
A WORD TO THE LADIES Read 2:8-15
Not only are faithful men to pray, but Christian ladies are to show good taste and discretion in their appearance, as becomes those who fear and serve God. My policy is not to entrust the administrative or teaching functions to women, since Adam was formed first, then Eve; and woman rather than man was deceived [Genesis 3:6]. This does not, of course, affect her salvation, which depends upon faith, issuing in love, holiness and self-discipline.
THE QUALIFICATIONS OF LEADERSHIP Read 3:1-13
Do any of you aspire to be overseers in the church? Such a man must be above reproach, temperate, hospitable, trustworthy with funds, experienced, and a good husband and father who has his children under control. He should enjoy the respect of men outside the church as well as believers.
Likewise those who serve with them [deacons] should be proved and tested men with high qualifications, who hold the faith with a clear conscience and whose wives are of equally good character.
I MAY BE SOMEWHAT DELAYED Read 3:14-16
At this writing I hope to see you shortly, but since I may be delayed, it seemed wise to send along these instructions regarding conduct within the church. For this is the church of the living God who was
Manifest in the flesh,
Vindicated in the Spirit,
Seen by angels,
Proclaimed among the nations,
Believed on in the world,
Taken up into glory.
WHAT GOD CREATES IS GOOD Read 4:1-9
Now, the Spirit of God specifically tells us that apostasy will mark the last days, when some will brand their consciences by listening to demonic doctrines, such as required celibacy or forbidding certain foods. They do not realize that everything from the hand of our Creator God is good, and should be received with thanksgiving.
Remind the brethren of these things and avoid the myths of old women. Move into a spiritual fitness program. It will prove even more useful to you than physical fitness, since it affects life that now is and is to come.
KEEP ON ENCOURAGING OTHERS READ 4:10-16
Because we believe in a living God, we work hard and take all kinds of reproach. But don't let anyone belittle you because of your youth; just set a good example of consistent Christian living. Keep up your reading, teaching and encouraging of others, thereby proving that you really are saved, and then teaching others to follow Christ too. And don't neglect the special endowment given you through prophecy at the time of your ordination.
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PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR THE WIDOWS Read 5:1-16
In dealing with an elder, encourage rather than rebuke; and treat all Christians with the same affection you show to your own family. Distinguish between those widows who fix their hopes on God, and those who seek to gratify themselves. Generally speaking, widows should be provided for by their relatives. Let the church support only those widows in need who are over sixty years old, and who evidence the highest kind of character. As for the younger widows, experience shows that for their own sakes they might better remarry.
HOW TO INSTRUCT THE ELDERS Read 5:17-25
See that teaching elders are honored and properly supported. Refuse to hear any accusation against an elder unless it is supported by two or three witnesses. Rebuke those who sin, that others also may fear, but avoid all partiality.
Don't choose your church leaders too hastily. Live a clean life and take care of yourself. You know that men's sins, like their goodness, can be either open or hidden.
WATCH THAT PROFIT MOTIVE Read 6:1-11
Bondsmen are not to be disrespectful to their masters just because they are now brothers in Christ. Rather, as fellow believers, they should serve their masters all the better.
If a man is spreading heresy rather than healthy Christian doctrine, it is obvious that he is interested in an unhealthy controversy over words. Such a man usually holds that gain is godliness, and my answer to him is just the reverse: godliness with contentment is great gain. You know that we brought nothing into the world and can take nothing out, and our basic requirements are simple.
The profit-seeker, on the other hand, is ruined by his materialistic appetites. The love of money is a root of all evils. So you, Timothy, are to flee from these things and pursue the things of God.
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FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT Read 6:12-16
Fight the good fight of faith and claim the eternal life into which you were called. I charge you, before the life-giving God and the Christ who witnessed before Pilate, that you observe God's commandments with honor and without stain. This is your commission until Christ appears, which will be in his own time, and in which he shall reveal himself as King of kings, and Lord of lords.
GRACE BE WITH YOU Read 6:17-21
Counsel those who are rich to put their confidence in God, not in gold, and to be rich in good works for Christ's sake. Guard your trust, Timothy, and avoid the empty talk and contradictions of "knowledge," falsely so called, which causes some to miss the mark of faith. Grace be with you.
Paul wrote this letter to his young traveling companion and fellow missionary, Timothy, but the Christian church has always sensed that it was directed to every individual believer. This is the genius of Scripture and the evidence of the instrumentality of the Holy Spirit.
The way to approach First Timothy, therefore, is not merely to ask, "What were the conditions under which it was written?" This academic approach will ultimately prove sterile. What we should be inquiring is, "What is Paul saying to me through this letter to Timothy?" Such is the authentic Biblical approach. We are not authorities on the Bible so much as the Bible is an authority on us.
It is possible that First Timothy was written by Paul after being released from his imprisonment in Rome, mentioned in Acts 28. We are provided with a pattern for choosing and appointing church officers, which has been used as the basis of church government for two thousand years.
Some of Paul's greatest utterances are contained in this letter and have been memorized in every generation. Note particularly 1:15, 2:4, 3:5, 4:4, 4:12, 6:6 and 6:12. The distilled wisdom of the seasoned missionary-statesman speaks in every chapter.
