1 Timothy: Introduction

Introduction

The letters of 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus make up the “Pastoral Epistles” of the New Testament. Along with Philemon, they are unique in that Paul is writing these letters to individuals rather than churches.

Our focus in this series will be on 1 Timothy. It is a very personal letter from Paul to his “son in the faith” Timothy.

Paul had put Timothy in charge of the church in Ephesus. But Timothy was young, and might have been struggling in his leadership. Paul writes to encourage him among other things.

The church in Ephesus was a little bit of a mess (as we can see from Ephesians). Paul had to correct their worship (bringing order to it), and also encourage correct doctrine.

The church evidently struggled with many false teachers, and so Paul encouraged Timothy to fight back against them and bring order to the church. More than anything he wanted Timothy to “fight the good fight of the faith.” (6:12)

It’s hard to tell what exactly the false teachings taking place in the Ephesian church were, but it’s safe to say it was a form of Gnosticism. In particular there were apparently some who loved to brag and argue about their knowledge (even if it wasn’t correct), and make themselves look superior in their knowledge.

This also let to them either encouraging the church towards self-denialism, or immorality.

For us, this first letter to Timothy is applicable to us today in several ways:

Wisdom in church structure

Warning against hallow and useless arguments

Knowing how we ought to behave in the Church: 1 Timothy 3:14–15 “I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth.”

Paul provides very practical instructions for how each member of the church should behave.

Standing up for the faith against those who go against sound doctrine.

1 Timothy 1:1-2: My job and my kids

The introduction to this letter by Paul is kind of mild compared to some of his other introductions (see Titus). He is very direct and to the point, but the introduction is nonetheless important.

Paul calls himself an apostle of Christ Jesus. An apostle was someone who was “sent out” or an envoy/ambassador. Paul makes it clear that he was “sent out” by the command of God and Christ.

The word for “command” has royal connotations in the Greek language. Paul is making it clear that his commission is a royal one, and he must obey the king. This is probably how all Christians should view the great commission. The Lord Jesus says jump, and we say, “How high?”

Paul calls God our Savior, which would have resonated with both Jewish Christians (who knew the term from the OT) but also Gentile Christians because in those days the title of “savior” was applied to some Greek gods, generals, and at the time even the emperor. To take a title like that and apply it to Jesus would have raised some eyebrows.

But he also calls Christ Jesus “our hope”. The Lord was born into a world that was hopeless. And even after 2000 years most of the world is still hopeless. But for Christians, our hope is in Jesus. No more do we waste away in darkness. No more are we tied down by our sins. No more does the world seem so dreadful. Why? Because Jesus Christ has “overcome the world”. But more than anything, Jesus gives us hope for life everlasting in the resurrection. Death no longer has sting. This is why Peter encourages us to “always be prepared to give a defense for the hope that you have”. Life is worth the living, because Jesus lives. He is our great hope!

A True Son

After introducing himself, Paul then addresses the recipient of the letter - Timothy.

Paul calls Timothy “my true child in the faith” (he uses the same description for Titus.)

This title reflects the nature of relationships within the church. As Christians, we are brothers, sisters, fathers, and mothers (Jesus established this himself). It could be argued that our spiritual bonds are stronger than our blood bonds with our earthly families.

I sometimes wonder if in Matthew 19:29 “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.” Jesus is referring to how we may lose our earthly families for him, but we will gain a “hundredfold” in family through the Church.

For Timothy this was especially true, and why I think Paul calling him his “son in the faith” probably meant more than we realize.

We learn that Timothy became a Christian because of his mother and grandmother. In Acts we learn that his mother was Jewish and his father was Greek. This likely means that his father did not become a Christian (if he was even still alive).

Every son needs a father, and whether dead or alive, Timothy certainly didn’t have a father he could rely on in matters of faith (not to discount his mother and grandmother).

So for Paul to come alongside him and say, “I will be your father.” probably meant a lot to Timothy. For Paul to call him his “child” probably gave Timothy a lot of comfort in the midst of a challenging church situation.

Paul ends his introduction with a blessing: grace, mercy, and peace from God and Christ. To a young man dealing with a church and trying to lead it - to have those three words bestowed upon him, I can almost hear Timothy taking a deep sigh of relief. God is in control.

1 Timothy 1:3-7: The first signs of trouble

After his brief introduction, Paul immediately dives headfirst into the problems he knows are happening in Ephesus. There were false teachers afoot, and Paul specifically had Timothy stay there to root them out.

These false teachers were teaching a “different doctrine”

One that emphasized knowledge

They were preoccupied with myths and endless genealogies

They cared more about arguing and speculating than actually living a godly life

These were characteristics of early signs of gnosticism (a focus, among other things, on knowledge). They were popular in both Jewish and Gentile circles.

The ancient world loved myths and genealogies. We see this in the OT where there are lots of lists and names. But it wasn’t unique to the Jewish people.

However, Jewish scholars loved to speculate on the people found in those lists, as well as other stories in the OT, and create their own stories around them! “What if Samson’s long hair was blonde....”

For the Greeks (and Romans), the temptation was also there. Just think of all the Greek and Roman myths and stories that we still have to this day!

These may be fun thought exercises (for some), but ultimately it’s just useless knowledge that doesn’t lead to anything - and it takes the focus away living a godly life.

It might have even been distracting the church as a whole, which is why Paul contrasts it with “the stewardship (or management) from God that is by faith”. The Church wasn’t worshipping, they were debating!

Even worse it can create arrogance among those who think they “know” more than others. This was even more dangerous considering these false teachers were wanting to become teachers…even though according to Paul they were “without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.”

Seeing the “law” here from a Jewish perspective, this must have been frustrating for someone like Paul, who as a pharisee had been formally trained in the the law! Not only were they wasting everyone’s time by arguing over stupid stuff…they weren’t even right!

Whatever laws they were wanting to teach, Jewish or otherwise, they clearly didn’t know what they were even talking about.

Verse 5 is the heart of what Paul wants Timothy, the church, and us to remember: 1 Timothy 1:5 “The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.”

The Christian life isn’t just about knowledge, it’s about love! We can sit around and debate our faith, doctrines, Scriptures, theology and more all day long - and it all means nothing if we aren’t putting it into practice: loving God and loving others.

1 Timothy 1:8-11: But to be clear...

Even though these particular false teachers were wrong, Paul clarifies to Timothy that the subject itself isn’t wrong. If used correctly, the law (OT or otherwise) is a good thing. In fact, the law is meant to control and condemn sin.

Paul then proceeds to list out a pretty nasty list of “sins” against which law is needed. This list was very reflective of the culture in which the church was living. Every single one of these was common in Ephesus (and the ancient world).

Lawless - people who knew the laws of right & wrong and broke them anyway.

Disobedient - those who are unruly and insubordinate, refusing to obey authority. Think soldiers who mutiny and disobey their commanding officer.

Irreverent - This Greek word ‘positive and active irreligion’. It descries human nature ‘in direct conflict with God’.

Sinners - A person who has no moral standards left.

Unholy - also ‘impious’. It’s a person who breaks even the most “sacred” rules of the universe (think incest, or bestiality)

Profane - also ‘polluted’. Someone who desecrates sacred things and the things of God. Whatever they touch becomes polluted.

Those who strike their fathers and mothers - or even kill their parents. A person who has no sense of gratitude, respect or shame (if this is how they treat their parents)

Murderers - Self-explanatory, but keep in mind that Jesus expanded this to even include anger against a brother or sister from the heart

Sexually immoral and men who practice homosexuality - In the ancient world, as it is today, there was a great deal of promiscuity. Sexual immorality - homosexual, prostitution or otherwise - was rampant, legal, and often tied to religious worship.

Enslavers - Either slave traders, or those who stole slaves

Liars and perjurers - Those who do no not hesitate to twist the truth to achieve dishonourable ends.

It was against that background that the Church was born and lived. The church was an island of holiness living in a sea of sin. And it was this sea of sin that was starting to creep in through these false teachers.

It’s why Paul contrasts this list of wickedness with “sound doctrine in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted”.

Sound doctrine - literally means ‘health-giving’. Christianity is not merely rituals, it is living a good life. When our faith is practiced genuinely it leads to life. It is a moral antiseptic.

Glorious gospel - literally the glorious good news. Forgiveness of past sins and the power to conquer future sins. It is the good news of God’s mercy, God’s cleansing and God’s grace.

Which comes from God - The Christian gospel is not merely a human invention. It is completely revealed from God himself. We did not simply “discover” it. Nor is it just a “good teaching” like other worldly philosophies, it is the very power of God.

Comes through men and women - Paul says it was entrusted to him, and he was entrusting it to Timothy. He also entrusted it to countless others, who in turn entrusted it to their disciples. And right down to this day, every Christian has been entrusted with sharing this good news with those who so desperately need it.

With that last part in mind, it’s important to see the big picture of what Paul is getting at in this passage:

People can sit around and debate the intricacies of morality (the law), what’s right and wrong all day. Just like those teachers were doing. But if we’re not careful it can kind of be a waste of time because the law isn’t really for us - that is, Christians who are “just” and who are living out their faith by “issuing love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith”.

If the law is for anybody, it’s actually for the unbelieving world around us - those who are drowning in the ocean of sin that Paul listed off - and who so desperately need more than “law”. They need “the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which we have been entrusted.”

Conclusion

This opening portion of Paul’s first letter to Timothy establishes several things:

Who Paul is

What his mission is

Who Timothy is

What his mission is

What the problem is

What the antidote is

Those last two are probably the most applicable for us today. The problem is the danger of falling into a faith that is merely a religion of speculation, debate, and argumentation. Knowledge of Christ is infinite and something we should always be pursuing, but it shouldn’t just stay as head knowledge.

Which is where the antidote comes in: putting the gospel into practice and living godly and holy lives. It’s never going to be about how much we know, because ultimately all we need to know is Christ. No matter what degree of knowledge we have, it simply matters that it’s genuine, and out of that genuine and sincere faith we produce love.