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1 Timothy
The “pastoral epistles” start here and include both letters to Timothy and the letter to Titus. They are called “pastorals” because they are addressed to individuals rather than churches, and to individuals, moreover, who are pastors of local churches. Timothy was a young pastor, Paul’s protégé in pastoral ministry. Paul writes as an older, experienced missionary, church planter, and apostle; he is Timothy’s mentor, instructing him in what to say and do as he confronts doctrinal deviation and other difficulties in a relatively new church at Ephesus. Although the letter is addressed to Timothy, Paul assumes that the church in Ephesus will also hear the letter and benefit from its instruction, and beyond that, what this letter says about church life is normative for the Christian church in all ages. Paul’s own purpose statement is that he has written in order that Christians “may know how . . . to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God”.
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
The “pastoral epistles” start here and include both letters to Timothy and the letter to Titus. They are called “pastorals” because they are addressed to individuals rather than churches, and to individuals, moreover, who are pastors of local churches. Timothy was a young pastor, Paul’s protégé in pastoral ministry. Paul writes as an older, experienced missionary, church planter, and apostle; he is Timothy’s mentor, instructing him in what to say and do as he confronts doctrinal deviation and other difficulties in a relatively new church at Ephesus. Although the letter is addressed to Timothy, Paul assumes that the church in Ephesus will also hear the letter and benefit from its instruction, and beyond that, what this letter says about church life is normative for the Christian church in all ages. Paul’s own purpose statement is that he has written in order that Christians “may know how . . . to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God”.
Chapter 1
- 1:3: One of the strong emphases of the book Timothy is the importance of right doctrine were teaching.
- 1.6-7: In keeping with his concern for true doctrine Paul speaks of people who are not rightly trained to teach and yet try to. It is a disaster for them and for the church.
- 1:10: “enslavers” or “kidnappers”––this refers to those who would kidnap in order to sell people as slaves. Paul takes a strong stand against slavery with these words.
- 1:16: Paul’s rescue by God is good news for all who wonder if God can rescue them. The idea here is: if God can rescue Paul, he can rescue anyone.
Chapter 2
- 2:5: This is the only place in the Bible that Christ is referred to as mediator. The picture flows from a powerful passage in the book of Job where Job longs for a mediator to stand between him and God so that Job can make his case to God.
- 2:15: This verse has been given many different meanings over the years. Some read it so that means women will be safe as a blessing from God when they deliver children if they live godly lives. Others, see the verses having something to do with living a faithful wife before God which in that culture included childbearing for women. In reality, we simply are not sure what Paul means.
Chapter 3
- 3:7: Here is a requirement that we don’t often think about for elders. They must have a good reputation with those outside the church. That reputation is essential because it gives testimony to the truth and importance of the Gospel.
- 3.8: Paul’s first requirement for deacons reflects the last requirement for elders. Deacons must be people of dignity and respect, they must be people of good character that seemed both inside and outside the church.
Chapter 4
- 4:1-5: We do not know how the Spirit expressly brought this to Paul’s attention. What is surprising to some of us is that those who are departing from the faith are not doing things they shouldn’t do, but failing to enjoy the fullness of God’s creation.
- 4:7–10: “This is a trustworthy saying deserving of full acceptance.” The trustworthy saying is that training in godliness is useful for all things. Paul’s comparison between physical training and training for godliness is especially important in our day where we believe just the opposite. Or we may say training for godliness is more important but how we conduct our lives reveals something radically different.
- 4:13-16: Paul’s concern for good teaching is revealed in the priorities for Timothy’s ministry.
Chapter 5
- 5:9-10: Reading which widows could be enrolled makes one wonder if anyone made the cut.
Chapter 6
- 6:1: Paul’s dislike for the slave trade is secondary to his desire for God’s name in the teaching of the Gospel to be held high. Therefore, he encourages slaves to serve well.
- 6.6: Godliness (a right awe and reverence for God that leads to doing life his way) along with contentment is a life with great gain. Contentment means being happy with food and clothing (the basic physical needs).
- 6:10: One of the more famous passages about money and its dangers.
- 6:13: Timothy is to see Christ as his example.
- 6.20: “guard the deposit entrusted to you” esv Paul ends his letter to Timothy where he began: with a concern for true doctrine/teaching. This final call of Paul confuses us a bit since we live in a culture where doctrine is boring, true teaching is what we decide is true. Paul’s declaration that there is firm truth to be held to and that we have to believe seems out of sync with our lives.
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