1 Timothy 1
September 22
Reading: 1 Timothy 1
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope, 2 To Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
3 As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, 4 nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith. 5 The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 6 Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, 7 desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.
8 Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, 9 understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, 10 the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, 11 in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.
12 I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, 13 though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, 14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. 16 But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. 17 To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
18 This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, 19 holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith, 20 among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.
The letters of 1 and 2 Timothy are written by Paul to Timothy, a young pastor who has been appointed by Paul to pastor the church at Ephesus. Timothy has travelled with Paul and grown up in his faith under Paul’s ministry. This is why Paul call him “my true child in the faith.” (vs. 2)
We discover right away in this letter that one of the reasons that Paul has sent Timothy to Ephesus is to combat certain false teachers who are there. We find in the New Testament that false teaching is a constant danger in the churches. Things are no different today. One of the constant tasks that any pastor faces is to keep the truth front and center in the body of Christ. Some people will constantly be distracted or tempted to go off into different doctrines, spiritual issues, political causes, or personal agendas. Stay with good news in the Bible as your central message.
Verse 5 is an excellent summary of what fruitful, godly ministry ought to have as its goal.
In contrast to this Paul and Timothy had to face people who were obsessed with “myths and endless genealogies,” “speculations,” and “fruitless discussion.” I cannot tell you how many times someone has told me of the new revelation that they have to understand that the whole Bible is focused on “numbers and dates” or “the key to grace” or “true righteousness” or “Israel and the Kingdom” or “the gifts of the Spirit” or whatever the new teaching might be. The center of the Bible is God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It has been that for 2,000 years.
In verses 5-11, Paul presents a balance in his teaching between his opposition to legalistic false teaching and his call to obey Jesus Christ and not live in sin. Notice that the listing of sins includes such things as abuse of parents and homosexuality.
In verses 12-17, he focuses on the grace and mercy shown to him by Jesus Christ in “faith and love,” saving him and calling him to this ministry. The final few verses of the chapter are a charge to Timothy to “fight the good fight” and “keep the faith.” (vss. 18-19) These are active verbs. You must exert yourself, with God’s help, to stay in the truth and not wander away from God.