The Pastoral Epistles

What are they?

These are letter that were prepared either by the Apostle Paul or on his behalf during the last few years of his life. These were personal letters intended to help his young acolytes navigate the challenges of shepherding the churches that had been left in their charge.

Unlike general treatises to whole churches like Ephesians or Corinthians, these are much more personal letters from one church leader to another. They could almost as easily been emails or letters from the post office.

In these letters, significant theological truths are expounded upon but in many ways there is a feel of a coach giving guidance to his star quarterback about how best to get out of a jam he has found himself in.

In this particular aspect there is much that can be learned about how best to take a young Christian under your wing and get them pointed past challenges that spring up in life.

Much can be gleaned about leading a church along the right path and correcting course when things occasionally get bumpy.

A careful reading of these letters will be helpful to many who find themselves on either side of a mentoring relationship.

Authorship and Date

It has always been church tradition from the earliest years to attribute the authorship of Timothy 1/2 and Titus to the Apostle Paul. This arose from commonly agreed upon knowledge within the early church as well as the greeting at the opening of each letter.

This being the case, it should be mentioned that of all the Pauline corpus, these are the most contested writings. Many argue that the style and grammar are so different from the general epistles he wrote to the individual churches that there must have been a different author.

Supporters of a Pauline authorship argue that these were personal letters and not large theological teachings and that this audience change warranted a different style.

Others mention that Paul was at a different stage in his life having completed his mission trip and church planting years and was now contending with Roman imprisonment.

Still others argue that a simple switch in who Paul may have been using as a scribe could result in many style and grammar changes.

The books were clearly written after the establishment of churches at Ephesus around 52 AD and the church on the Isle of Crete around 57 AD. Further evidence suggests that the letters were prepared after Paul’s first imprisonment in Rome from 61-63 AD and some suggest 2 Timothy was prepared as he was again taken into custody by Rome and was approaching his martyrdom (near 64 AD).

Circumstance of the Letters

Timothy was a third Christian who Paul met when he journeyed to Lystra. He was so impressed with the young man that he decided to take him on his second missionary journey. He became one of Paul’s most trusted companions and he is mentio

ned in 2 Corinthians, Philippians, Colossians, Thessalonians, Phile

When Paul and Timothy visited the church at Ephesus they found a problem with false teaching amongst the leadership. Paul was compelled to head on to Macedonia so he asked Timothy to stay in Ephesus and get the problems sorted out. 1 and 2 Timothy are both letters which Paul later wrote to Timothy to instruct him, guide him and encourage him in solving the challenges at Ephesus.

Titus was also a companion of Paul. He accompanied Paul on trips to both Corinth and Jerusalem. When Paul and Titus visited the church on Crete, they found a problem with false teachings and a disorganized fledgling church. Titus was tasked with staying behind and getting things in order as Paul moved on.

e had great confidence in and he placed them in influential positions in hopes of righting the church’s courses. He continued to provide counsel and encouragement to his proteges as is evidenced in the epistles we now possess.

So in both cases, Paul had planted churches on missionary trips only to find out later that they had wandered away from true Christian orthodoxy. In these instances he took young men from his inner circle of fellow missionaries, men that he himself had invested heavily in their maturation as Christians. These were leaders that he had great confidence in and he placed them in influential positions in hopes of righting the church’s courses. He continued to provide counsel and encouragement to his proteges as is evidenced in the epistles we now possess.

The First Letter of Paul to Timothy

At the time of this letters composition Paul was either still in prison in Rome awaiting his trial or he was released and making his travels towards Spain. Timothy was still where Paul had left him, attempting to sort out the church laboring under heretical leadership in Ephesus.

All letters generally open with a greeting that declares the sender and the recipient as well as the purpose of writing. It is always enlightening to see how people identify themselves.

Paul makes emphasis that he is Christ’s ambassador as a matter royal decree of God himself. An ambassador is a liaison. He facilitates the relationship between one party and another. He is their go between. Moreover, one appointed by royal decree had no choice but to accept the appointment.

Paul also emphasizes that they share a common hope Jesus Christ. Despite their frequently discouraging circumstances of imprisonment and persecution, they remain hopeful of the Kingdom to come in Jesus.

Paul describes a close familial intimacy with Timothy. The description of Timothy as his child is reflective of the fact that Paul took on a substantial part of Timothy’s upbringing and training in the faith. He did not convert Timothy as both his mother and his Grandmother were professing Christians when Paul met him in the city of Lystra.

Paul makes it clear that he is writing to encourage Timothy to continue to do his work in Ephesus battling heretical doctrines being put forth by other church leaders. It is direction Timothy has already been made well aware of. However Paul recognizes the magnitude of the challenge and wishes to encourage and strengthen him.

It is suspected that the speculation happening in Ephesus may have been the first stirrings of heresy of gnosticism. I gnosticism it was believed that the God of The OT and of the NT were two different emanations of God that were actively hostile towards one another. Things of matter such as the body were from the OT God and things of the spirit were from the NT God. Therefore man having both was a battle ground and the goal was for spiritual man to defeat physical man. This was a growing problem. Paul did not want his baby Christians dwelling on the speculations of man when they had the promises of God to direct their lives.

Paul contrasts people who choose to live in their sin with himself as an example of someone who turned from sin and chose to serve. He is emphasizing the difference between living a life of faith in Christ as he has revealed himself to us, versus living a life devoted to the conceited speculation of the human mind and the service of those worldly thoughts.

Paul then remind Timothy that he has been divinely appointed (much as Paul and Barnabas were in ) He further reassures him that God gives no man in his service a task to accomplish without also empowering the man to accomplish that task.

Paul shows Timothy that those who persist in aligning themselves with false teachings have in fact separated themselves from Christ’s church and by doing so, they have in fact aligned themselves with Satan. Paul offers Alexander and Hymenaeus correction but when they refuse it they in fact refuse Christ who sent him. This leaves them as nothing more than pawns of Satan until they repent of their obstinance.