1Ti 1:1 | KingComments | STEP | Up till now we have dealt with letters that were addressed to churches. The first letter to Timothy is addressed to one single person. That means that you, even more than in other letters, will find directions for your personal life of faith. You will, with few exceptions, be able to identify yourself with Timothy,. At least, that’s the purpose. If you notice that you deviate in certain things from what God’s Word says, you can correct them. In this letter you have a model that helps you to live to God’s honor. We will first look at the person to whom Paul addresses this letter. (I advise you also to read also ; ; ). By examining the ‘personalia’ of Timothy – his name means ‘the fear of God’ or ‘honored by God’ – we get a picture of this young believer. Relatives: Father: Greek ( ) Mother: a believing Jewish woman with a “sincere faith” ( ; ) Grandmother: had a sincere faith ( ) Brought up in the faith: Grandmother – mother – Timothy ( ). He knows the Holy Scriptures from his earliest childhood ( ). Compare: Jochebed – Moses ( ) and Hannah – Samuel ( ). Conversion: Timothy became a ‘child’ of Paul in a spiritual sense possibly during Paul’s first visit to Lystra ( ) on his first mission journey. On his second mission journey Paul comes there again and takes Timothy, who is then a follower of the Lord Jesus, with him ( ). Aspects of his call: 1. He has a good testimony ( ) 2. Paul wants him to go with him ( ) 3. There were prophecies made concerning him ( ) 4. Paul has laid hands on him ( ) 5. The eldership laid hands on him ( ) Personal identity: 1. He is young ( ) 2. He is shy, timid ( ; ) 3. He has a good mind ( ) Now you have some idea of who he is. You can identify a little more with the addressee. Paul clearly indicates his motivation to write this letter: “I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long; but in case I am delayed, [I write] so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth” ( ). I quote these verses in full, because here you find the key to understand this letter. Paul writes the letter so that Timothy can give the right teaching on the conduct of the believers in God’s house. Of course this house of God is not a stone building. The house of God consists of all believers who live at this moment on earth. You have already received teaching on the building of God’s house, for example in the letter to the Ephesians ( ) and in the first letter to the Corinthians ( ). That teaching certainly contains important aspects already for the way you’re supposed to behave yourself, but this first letter to Timothy is specifically focused on it. There is another important topic you should know. Timothy is addressed as “man of God” ( ). I will comment later on this beautiful expression when we are there. Here it is already a good thing to remark that it is a title of honor that is not used for every believer just like that. The Holy Spirit uses this title only for a believer who shows Who God is in a time that the mass of professing Christianity is unfaithful to Him. In a time of general deviation it is important that the individual is faithful. Timothy was such an individual. You also can be such an individual. Paul is demonstrating to Timothy which line of conduct he has to teach the believers. To Timothy, as a relatively young believer, that is not an easy job to do. Therefore this letter to his young fellow servant also has an encouraging character. Therefore the contents of the letter is also applicable to us, because the line of conduct Timothy has to teach, must always be followed by believers. To obey those rules of conduct is not an easy task even today. The resistance to obey is growing. But if you are willing to listen you will particularly be encouraged by this letter. In this context it is important to notice the distinction between what is addressed to Timothy personally and what is addressed to believers in general. As it is said, the first letter to Timothy is addressed to one person, just like the second letter to him and also the one to Titus. (These letters are also called the ‘pastoral letters’.) You cannot identify yourself with them in everything that is said to them, for they are persons who are sent by the apostle to act in his name or to take care of the churches during his absence. If we carefully pay further attention to the letter, the distinction will become clear. The letter contains teaching for those who belong to the church. The church is presented here in the order according to God’s thoughts and not to what people have made of it. This order is important concerning the conduct of the church members in the world, where they represent God as Savior ( ). Your conduct in God’s house is being observed by people of the world around you. The man of the world increasingly abandons God as Creator. Consider the evolution theory for example. When God is being put aside as Creator it is of great importance that you represent God as Savior. This letter hands you the instructions for it. When you take these instructions at heart, your life will be a reference to “God, our Savior”. Then this letter will achieve its goal in your life. In your walk in the world, in your relation to the people around you it will become visible that you represent a God of love “Who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” ( ). I would like to close this introduction by pointing to the word “godliness”. This word characterizes this letter; it runs like a common thread through it ( ). You haven’t come across this word yet in the letters of Paul. Here he uses it for the first time. Godliness means pious and indicates an attitude that is focused on God and therefore pleasing to God. When the spiritual life is generally decreasing, this Godliness will be of greater need and appreciated to God. Read again ; ; Reflection: In what way would you be more like Timothy? . Paul is the sender. He points at his apostleship. “Apostle” means one who is sent. He is sent by “Christ Jesus”. The name of his Sender makes clear Who the Lord Jesus is as He is now in heaven, “Christ”, and as He once was in humiliation on earth, “Jesus”. The Lord Jesus is made ‘Christ’ by God, after He had been despised as ‘Jesus’ by men, and accomplished the work on the cross ( ). What surely will happen someday, is that every being in the universe will bow his knee to Jesus and confess that He is Lord ( ). Paul has already bowed his knees. He subjected himself to the Lord Jesus. Paul’s apostleship is not something he himself has chosen. He didn’t apply for it. He is an apostle because he received a “commandment”, an order for it from authoritative Persons. It is not possible to evade it. He neither desires to do that (cf. ). He performs his task with the use of all his strength (cf. ). His Commanders are two Divine Persons. The names of these Persons are most telling. They indicate that God’s people are in decay. God called Himself “Savior” in Isaiah 45 ( ) when the end of Israel is near. A Savior or Redeemer is needed when the end of the existence of a nation or a man has come into view. How great is God that He right then is also willing to present Himself like that ( ; ; ; ). Paul also draws Timothy’s attention to “Christ Jesus, [who is] our hope”. When all hope seems to be gone for God’s people in general that everything will turn out well, you may know that for you personally the situation is really not hopeless. If the Person of Christ Jesus is your only hope in this time of decay, you will surely be able to walk a path in a special way that is to the glory of God and the Lord Jesus in the midst of decay. Summarizing you could say that if everything has failed, the faithful believers will not put their trust in churches, elders or whosoever, but will be occupied with God their Savior and with Christ Jesus their Hope. Such faithful believers you come across for example in the book of Malachi ( ) and in Luke 1 and 2 ( ). There you find a situation that God’s people do not think of God anymore, but only of themselves. There are just a few who take account of God and expect their redemption from Him and who put their hope on Him. . The letter is addressed to Timothy. I already said some things about him in the introduction. Paul calls him his “true child in [the] faith”. Timothy is his spiritual child. He has conceived him through the gospel (cf. ; ). But also in his life as a believer Timothy is his child. Timothy has seen and learnt so much of ‘father’ Paul ( ) that Paul sees a lot of himself in Timothy. He has the same mind ( ) and his ministry is fully in line with the ministry of Paul ( ; ). Then the blessing follows. In the salutation of all the letters to the churches it is always ‘grace and peace’, but here the blessing is “grace, mercy [and] peace”. “Mercy” is added to the common blessing. That’s characteristic for a letter to a person. You also see that in the second letter to Timothy, in the letter to Titus and in the second letter of John, which are all addressed to a person. ‘Grace’ makes clear that you are totally dependent on God to live to His glory. There is nothing present in you that could be pleasing to God. It is important to be aware of that, for only then you are in the right attitude to make use of the grace that God wants to give you abundantly. You can expect ‘mercy’ from God in view of the miserable situation you are in. He wants to help you when you are in need and to get up when you have stumbled. ‘Peace’ is the inner rest you have if you trust in God ( ). For receiving these three blessings Paul draws Timothy’s attention to the source of them. They come “from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord”. In God is presented as Savior. Now you hear about God the Father. This is to encourage you while you have to fight against so many things around you. You can always go to your Father to tell Him about your difficulties, worries, struggles and desires. In you read about Christ Jesus as your Hope. Now you hear that He is ‘Lord’. He has authority over your life. If you want to live up to that you go to Him for grace, mercy and peace. . Timothy receives from Paul the order to remain on at Ephesus, while he himself travels further to Macedonia. The way Paul is saying this to Timothy makes clear that he has to insist softly to keep him there. The order was not quite that simple after all for a timid young man like Timothy. The reason for this order is that the enemy is trying to introduce several forms of evil in the church of Ephesus. And let me warn you that the enemy knows how to use cunning speakers, people who are not easily brought to order. Against those speakers Timothy must take action. You might think: ‘Ephesus was such a great church where nothing was wrong, wasn’t it? They knew the teachings, didn’t they? Had not Paul taught the highest truths of Christendom there?’ Nevertheless, you see here that having the knowledge of the highest truths is no guarantee to be kept from strange, false doctrines. If you don’t remain in the grace of God, you will go astray. Only by being aware that only by the grace of God you know what you know you will be preserved from that. Therefore Timothy has to stop the strange doctrines that “certain men” are teaching in Ephesus. He was not to ask those ‘certain men’ kindly to stop their unedifying occupations. There should absolutely be no tolerance toward another doctrine that is contrary “to sound teaching” ( ). People who are guilty of such things are to be ordered “not to teach strange doctrines”. . You can see the effects of those ‘strange doctrines’ in several ways. The ways these effects appear are described in . In all cases it is about doctrines that are contrary the teachings of the Scripture (cf. ; ). There is mention of “myths”, “endless genealogies” and “the law”. The teachings that are related to these topics subsequently have their origins in human fantasy, human curiosity and human religiosity. They all are opposite the truth that has only one purpose: to present Christ to us. In Paul first deals with the myths and genealogies. ‘Myths’ come forth from the corrupted spirit of man. They are products from human fantasy ( ). They are ideas from the world of pagans, although they may contain nice theories from Greek philosophy schools. There should absolutely be no room for that in the church. The command sounds simply: ‘Do not pay attention heed to it.’ The ‘endless genealogies’ is another product of the corrupt spirit of man. Regarding this the command is also: not to pay attention to it. It are teachings of Jews about the descendants of different powers and idols. They serve to make man great and to exclude God. The man who pays attention to it, arrogates himself to be able to explain that all blessing we have received is the result of a process. In the evolutionary theory you have something like that. By the way, you should not confuse this kind of genealogies with the genealogies you find in the Word of God, for example in 1Chronicles 1-9 and in Matthew 1 ( ). Those are inspired by God’s Spirit and serve God’s purpose. You are to judge a doctrine by its result, the fruits it produces. If disputes are the result the doctrine is corrupt ( ). The religious arena is full of doubters and it echoes with empty drivel. Sound teachings do not cause disputes, but sound spiritual growth. Disputes leave the soul in darkness and doubt. They do not give security to the seeking soul. Disputes stand against “the administration of God”. This means: tasks and responsibilities given by God that must be fulfilled ( ; ; ; ; ; ). Each child of God, so you too, has a task and is responsible to carry that out. And that should happen “by faith”, which means in complete trust in Him. Now read 1 Timothy 1:1-4 again. Reflection: Do you know your commandment?

‏ 1 Timothy 1:1

Introduction

Up till now we have dealt with letters that were addressed to churches. The first letter to Timothy is addressed to one single person. That means that you, even more than in other letters, will find directions for your personal life of faith. You will, with few exceptions, be able to identify yourself with Timothy,. At least, that’s the purpose. If you notice that you deviate in certain things from what God’s Word says, you can correct them. In this letter you have a model that helps you to live to God’s honor.

We will first look at the person to whom Paul addresses this letter. (I advise you also to read also Acts 16:1-3; Phil 2:19-23; 2Tim 1:5). By examining the ‘personalia’ of Timothy – his name means ‘the fear of God’ or ‘honored by God’ – we get a picture of this young believer.

Relatives:

Father: Greek (Acts 16:1)

Mother: a believing Jewish woman with a “sincere faith” (Acts 16:1; 2Tim 1:5)

Grandmother: had a sincere faith (2Tim 1:5)

Brought up in the faith:

Grandmother – mother – Timothy (2Tim 1:5).

He knows the Holy Scriptures from his earliest childhood (2Tim 1:5). Compare: Jochebed – Moses (Exo 2:1-10) and Hannah – Samuel (1Sam 1:21-28).

Conversion:

Timothy became a ‘child’ of Paul in a spiritual sense possibly during Paul’s first visit to Lystra (Acts 14:6-20) on his first mission journey. On his second mission journey Paul comes there again and takes Timothy, who is then a follower of the Lord Jesus, with him (Acts 16:1-3).

Aspects of his call:

1. He has a good testimony (Acts 16:2)

2. Paul wants him to go with him (Acts 16:3)

3. There were prophecies made concerning him (1Tim 1:18)

4. Paul has laid hands on him (2Tim 1:6)

5. The eldership laid hands on him (1Tim 4:14)

Personal identity:

1. He is young (1Tim 4:12)

2. He is shy, timid (1Cor 16:10; 2Tim 1:6-8)

3. He has a good mind (Phil 2:20)

Now you have some idea of who he is. You can identify a little more with the addressee.

Paul clearly indicates his motivation to write this letter: “I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long; but in case I am delayed, [I write] so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth” (1Tim 3:14-15). I quote these verses in full, because here you find the key to understand this letter. Paul writes the letter so that Timothy can give the right teaching on the conduct of the believers in God’s house.

Of course this house of God is not a stone building. The house of God consists of all believers who live at this moment on earth. You have already received teaching on the building of God’s house, for example in the letter to the Ephesians (Eph 2:19-22) and in the first letter to the Corinthians (1Cor 3:9-17). That teaching certainly contains important aspects already for the way you’re supposed to behave yourself, but this first letter to Timothy is specifically focused on it.

There is another important topic you should know. Timothy is addressed as “man of God” (1Tim 6:11). I will comment later on this beautiful expression when we are there. Here it is already a good thing to remark that it is a title of honor that is not used for every believer just like that. The Holy Spirit uses this title only for a believer who shows Who God is in a time that the mass of professing Christianity is unfaithful to Him. In a time of general deviation it is important that the individual is faithful. Timothy was such an individual. You also can be such an individual.

Paul is demonstrating to Timothy which line of conduct he has to teach the believers. To Timothy, as a relatively young believer, that is not an easy job to do. Therefore this letter to his young fellow servant also has an encouraging character. Therefore the contents of the letter is also applicable to us, because the line of conduct Timothy has to teach, must always be followed by believers. To obey those rules of conduct is not an easy task even today. The resistance to obey is growing. But if you are willing to listen you will particularly be encouraged by this letter.

In this context it is important to notice the distinction between what is addressed to Timothy personally and what is addressed to believers in general. As it is said, the first letter to Timothy is addressed to one person, just like the second letter to him and also the one to Titus. (These letters are also called the ‘pastoral letters’.) You cannot identify yourself with them in everything that is said to them, for they are persons who are sent by the apostle to act in his name or to take care of the churches during his absence. If we carefully pay further attention to the letter, the distinction will become clear.

The letter contains teaching for those who belong to the church. The church is presented here in the order according to God’s thoughts and not to what people have made of it. This order is important concerning the conduct of the church members in the world, where they represent God as Savior (1Tim 1:1). Your conduct in God’s house is being observed by people of the world around you. The man of the world increasingly abandons God as Creator. Consider the evolution theory for example. When God is being put aside as Creator it is of great importance that you represent God as Savior. This letter hands you the instructions for it.

When you take these instructions at heart, your life will be a reference to “God, our Savior”. Then this letter will achieve its goal in your life. In your walk in the world, in your relation to the people around you it will become visible that you represent a God of love “Who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1Tim 2:3-4).

I would like to close this introduction by pointing to the word “godliness”. This word characterizes this letter; it runs like a common thread through it (1Tim 2:2 ; 1Tim 3:16 ; 1Tim 4:7-8 ; 1Tim 6:3 ; 5-6 ; 11). You haven’t come across this word yet in the letters of Paul. Here he uses it for the first time. Godliness means pious and indicates an attitude that is focused on God and therefore pleasing to God. When the spiritual life is generally decreasing, this Godliness will be of greater need and appreciated to God.

Read again Acts 16:1-3; Phil 2:19-23; 2Tim 1:5

Reflection: In what way would you be more like Timothy?

Blessing and Exhortation

1Tim 1:1. Paul is the sender. He points at his apostleship. “Apostle” means one who is sent. He is sent by “Christ Jesus”. The name of his Sender makes clear Who the Lord Jesus is as He is now in heaven, “Christ”, and as He once was in humiliation on earth, “Jesus”. The Lord Jesus is made ‘Christ’ by God, after He had been despised as ‘Jesus’ by men, and accomplished the work on the cross (Acts 2:36). What surely will happen someday, is that every being in the universe will bow his knee to Jesus and confess that He is Lord (Phil 2:10-11).

Paul has already bowed his knees. He subjected himself to the Lord Jesus. Paul’s apostleship is not something he himself has chosen. He didn’t apply for it. He is an apostle because he received a “commandment”, an order for it from authoritative Persons. It is not possible to evade it. He neither desires to do that (cf. 1Cor 9:17b). He performs his task with the use of all his strength (cf. 1Cor 9:19-21).

His Commanders are two Divine Persons. The names of these Persons are most telling. They indicate that God’s people are in decay. God called Himself “Savior” in Isaiah 45 (Isa 45:15) when the end of Israel is near. A Savior or Redeemer is needed when the end of the existence of a nation or a man has come into view. How great is God that He right then is also willing to present Himself like that (Lk 1:47; 1Tim 2:3 ; 1Tim 4:10; Tit 1:3 ; Tit 2:10 ; Tit 3:4; Jude 1:25).

Paul also draws Timothy’s attention to “Christ Jesus, [who is] our hope”. When all hope seems to be gone for God’s people in general that everything will turn out well, you may know that for you personally the situation is really not hopeless. If the Person of Christ Jesus is your only hope in this time of decay, you will surely be able to walk a path in a special way that is to the glory of God and the Lord Jesus in the midst of decay.

Summarizing you could say that if everything has failed, the faithful believers will not put their trust in churches, elders or whosoever, but will be occupied with God their Savior and with Christ Jesus their Hope. Such faithful believers you come across for example in the book of Malachi (Mal 3:16) and in Luke 1 and 2 (Lk 1:5-6 ; 26-28 ; Lk 2:8-12 ; 25 ; 36-38). There you find a situation that God’s people do not think of God anymore, but only of themselves. There are just a few who take account of God and expect their redemption from Him and who put their hope on Him.

1Tim 1:2. The letter is addressed to Timothy. I already said some things about him in the introduction. Paul calls him his “true child in [the] faith”. Timothy is his spiritual child. He has conceived him through the gospel (cf. 1Cor 4:15; Gal 4:19). But also in his life as a believer Timothy is his child. Timothy has seen and learnt so much of ‘father’ Paul (2Tim 3:10) that Paul sees a lot of himself in Timothy. He has the same mind (Phil 2:20) and his ministry is fully in line with the ministry of Paul (1Cor 4:17; Phil 2:19-22).

Then the blessing follows. In the salutation of all the letters to the churches it is always ‘grace and peace’, but here the blessing is “grace, mercy [and] peace”. “Mercy” is added to the common blessing. That’s characteristic for a letter to a person. You also see that in the second letter to Timothy, in the letter to Titus and in the second letter of John, which are all addressed to a person.

‘Grace’ makes clear that you are totally dependent on God to live to His glory. There is nothing present in you that could be pleasing to God. It is important to be aware of that, for only then you are in the right attitude to make use of the grace that God wants to give you abundantly.

You can expect ‘mercy’ from God in view of the miserable situation you are in. He wants to help you when you are in need and to get up when you have stumbled.

‘Peace’ is the inner rest you have if you trust in God (Isa 26:3-4).

For receiving these three blessings Paul draws Timothy’s attention to the source of them. They come “from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord”. In 1Tim 1:1 God is presented as Savior. Now you hear about God the Father. This is to encourage you while you have to fight against so many things around you. You can always go to your Father to tell Him about your difficulties, worries, struggles and desires.

In 1Tim 1:1 you read about Christ Jesus as your Hope. Now you hear that He is ‘Lord’. He has authority over your life. If you want to live up to that you go to Him for grace, mercy and peace.

1Tim 1:3. Timothy receives from Paul the order to remain on at Ephesus, while he himself travels further to Macedonia. The way Paul is saying this to Timothy makes clear that he has to insist softly to keep him there. The order was not quite that simple after all for a timid young man like Timothy. The reason for this order is that the enemy is trying to introduce several forms of evil in the church of Ephesus. And let me warn you that the enemy knows how to use cunning speakers, people who are not easily brought to order. Against those speakers Timothy must take action.

You might think: ‘Ephesus was such a great church where nothing was wrong, wasn’t it? They knew the teachings, didn’t they? Had not Paul taught the highest truths of Christendom there?’ Nevertheless, you see here that having the knowledge of the highest truths is no guarantee to be kept from strange, false doctrines. If you don’t remain in the grace of God, you will go astray. Only by being aware that only by the grace of God you know what you know you will be preserved from that.

Therefore Timothy has to stop the strange doctrines that “certain men” are teaching in Ephesus. He was not to ask those ‘certain men’ kindly to stop their unedifying occupations. There should absolutely be no tolerance toward another doctrine that is contrary “to sound teaching” (1Tim 1:10). People who are guilty of such things are to be ordered “not to teach strange doctrines”.

1Tim 1:4. You can see the effects of those ‘strange doctrines’ in several ways. The ways these effects appear are described in 1Tim 1:4-11. In all cases it is about doctrines that are contrary the teachings of the Scripture (cf. Gal 1:7; Acts 20:30). There is mention of “myths”, “endless genealogies” and “the law”. The teachings that are related to these topics subsequently have their origins in human fantasy, human curiosity and human religiosity. They all are opposite the truth that has only one purpose: to present Christ to us.

In 1Tim 1:4 Paul first deals with the myths and genealogies. ‘Myths’ come forth from the corrupted spirit of man. They are products from human fantasy (2Pet 1:16). They are ideas from the world of pagans, although they may contain nice theories from Greek philosophy schools. There should absolutely be no room for that in the church. The command sounds simply: ‘Do not pay attention heed to it.’

The ‘endless genealogies’ is another product of the corrupt spirit of man. Regarding this the command is also: not to pay attention to it. It are teachings of Jews about the descendants of different powers and idols. They serve to make man great and to exclude God. The man who pays attention to it, arrogates himself to be able to explain that all blessing we have received is the result of a process. In the evolutionary theory you have something like that.

By the way, you should not confuse this kind of genealogies with the genealogies you find in the Word of God, for example in 1Chronicles 1-9 and in Matthew 1 (Mt 1:1-17). Those are inspired by God’s Spirit and serve God’s purpose.

You are to judge a doctrine by its result, the fruits it produces. If disputes are the result the doctrine is corrupt (Tit 3:9). The religious arena is full of doubters and it echoes with empty drivel. Sound teachings do not cause disputes, but sound spiritual growth. Disputes leave the soul in darkness and doubt. They do not give security to the seeking soul.

Disputes stand against “the administration of God”. This means: tasks and responsibilities given by God that must be fulfilled (Lk 16:2-13; 1Cor 4:1-2; 1Pet 4:10; 1Cor 9:17; Eph 3:2 ; 9; Col 1:25). Each child of God, so you too, has a task and is responsible to carry that out. And that should happen “by faith”, which means in complete trust in Him.

Now read 1 Timothy 1:1-4 again.

Reflection: Do you know your commandment?