Book of 1 Timothy
Summary of the Book of 1 Timothy
This summary of the
book of 1 Timothy provides information about the title, author(s), date of
writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the
chapters of the Book of 1 Timothy.
Both early tradition
and the salutations of the Pastoral Letters (1,2 Timothy; Titus) themselves
claim Paul as their author (1:1; 2Ti 1:1; Tit 1:1). Some objections have been raised in recent years on the basis
of an alleged uncharacteristic vocabulary and style (see, e.g., notes on 1:15; 2:2), but other evidence still convincingly supports Paul's authorship.
See essay, p. 2481.
During his fourth
missionary journey (see map, pp. 2486-2487), Paul had instructed Timothy to
care for the church at Ephesus (1:3) while he went on to Macedonia. When he
realized that he might not return to Ephesus in the near future (3:14-15), he wrote this first letter to Timothy to
develop the charge he had given his young assistant (1:3, 18), to refute false teachings (1:3-7; 4:1-8; 6:3-5,20-21) and to supervise the affairs of the growing
Ephesian church (church worship, ch. 2; the appointment of qualified church
leaders, 3:1-13; 5:17-25).
A major problem in the
Ephesian church was a heresy that combined Gnosticism (see Introduction to 1
John: Gnosticism), decadent Judaism (1:3-7) and false asceticism (4:1-5).
1 Timothy was written
sometime after the events of Ac 28 (c. 63-65), at least eight years after
Paul's three-year stay in Ephesus (see Ac 19:10 and note).
Recipient
Recipient
As the salutation
indicates (1:2), Paul is writing to Timothy, a native of Lystra (in modern
Turkey). Timothy's father was Greek, while his mother was a Jewish Christian (Ac 16:1). From childhood he had been taught the OT (2Ti 1:5; 3:15). Paul called him "my true son in the faith" (1:2; see note there), perhaps having led him to faith in Christ
during his first visit to Lystra. At the time of his second visit Paul invited
Timothy to join him on his missionary travels, circumcising him so that his
Greek ancestry would not be a liability in working with the Jews (Ac 16:3). Timothy helped Paul evangelize Macedonia and Achaia (Ac 17:14-15; 18:5) and was with him during much of his long
preaching ministry at Ephesus (Ac 19:22). He traveled with him from Ephesus to
Macedonia, to Corinth (see Ac 20:3 and note), back to Macedonia, and to
Asia Minor (Ac 20:1-6). He may even have accompanied him all the way to Jerusalem. He
was with Paul during the apostle's first imprisonment (Php 1:1; Col 1:1; Phm 1).
Following Paul's
release (after Ac 28), Timothy again traveled with him but eventually stayed at
Ephesus to deal with the problems there, while Paul went on to Macedonia.
Paul's closeness to and admiration of Timothy are seen in Paul's naming him as
the co-sender of six of his letters (2 Corinthians, Philippians, Colossians,
1,2 Thessalonians and Philemon) and in his speaking highly of him to the
Philippians (Php 2:19-22). At the end of
Paul's life he requested Timothy to join him at Rome (2Ti 4:9,21). According to Heb 13:23, Timothy himself was imprisoned and
subsequently released -- whether at Rome or elsewhere, we do not know.
Timothy was not an
apostle. It may be best to regard him as an apostolic representative, delegated
to carry out special work (cf. Tit 1:5).
I.
Greetings (1:1-2)
II.
Warning against False
Teachers (1:3-11)
A.
The Nature of the
Heresy (1:3-7)
B.
The Purpose of the Law
(1:8-11)
III.
The Lord's Grace to
Paul (1:12-17)
IV.
The Purpose of Paul's
Instructions to Timothy (1:18-20)
.
Public Worship (ch. 2)
VI.
Instructions
concerning False Teaching (ch. 4)
From the NIV Study
Bible, Introductions to the Books of the Bible, 1 Timothy
Copyright 2002 © Zondervan. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
Copyright 2002 © Zondervan. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
1 Timothy 1 NLT
1 This letter is from Paul, an apostle
of Christ Jesus, appointed by the command of God our Savior and Christ Jesus,
who gives us hope.
2 I am writing to Timothy, my true son
in the faith. May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord give you grace,
mercy, and peace.
3 When I left for Macedonia, I urged
you to stay there in Ephesus and stop those whose teaching is contrary to the
truth.
4 Don’t let them waste their time in
endless discussion of myths and spiritual pedigrees. These things only lead to
meaningless speculations, which don’t help people live a life of faith in
God.
5 The purpose of my instruction is that
all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear
conscience, and genuine faith.
6 But some people have missed this
whole point. They have turned away from these things and spend their time in
meaningless discussions.
7 They want to be known as teachers of
the law of Moses, but they don’t know what they are talking about, even though
they speak so confidently.
8 We know that the law is good when
used correctly.
9 For the law was not intended for
people who do what is right. It is for people who are lawless and rebellious,
who are ungodly and sinful, who consider nothing sacred and defile what is
holy, who kill their father or mother or commit other murders.
10 The law is for people who are
sexually immoral, or who practice homosexuality, or are slave traders, liars,
promise breakers, or who do anything else that contradicts the wholesome
teaching
11 that comes from the glorious Good
News entrusted to me by our blessed God.
12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who
has given me strength to do his work. He considered me trustworthy and
appointed me to serve him,
13 even though I used to blaspheme the
name of Christ. In my insolence, I persecuted his people. But God had mercy on
me because I did it in ignorance and unbelief.
14 Oh, how generous and gracious our
Lord was! He filled me with the faith and love that come from Christ
Jesus.
15 This is a trustworthy saying, and
everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save
sinners”—and I am the worst of them all.
16 But God had mercy on me so that
Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even
the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him
and receive eternal life.
17 All honor and glory to God forever and
ever! He is the eternal King, the unseen one who never dies; he alone is God.
Amen.
18 Timothy, my son, here are my
instructions for you, based on the prophetic words spoken about you earlier.
May they help you fight well in the Lord’s battles.
19 Cling to your faith in Christ, and
keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences;
as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked.
20 Hymenaeus and
Alexander are two examples. I threw them out and handed them over to Satan so
they might learn not to blaspheme God.
