Greetings from Paul to Timothy 1:1-2
v1 This is from Paul. God, who saves us, made me an apostle of Christ Jesus. The Lord Jesus, who is our hope, also made me an apostle. v2 This letter is to Timothy. Timothy, you are a true child in the faith. May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord give you grace, mercy, and peace.
Commentary
Paul was a Jew from birth. He was also a citizen of Rome (Acts 22:27-28). His Jewish name was Saul. Because God sent him to work with the Gentiles, he used his Roman name of Paul (Acts 13:9). Paul was an apostle of Christ Jesus. That is, the Lord Jesus had sent him to do His work. Paul did not choose to be an apostle, but it was a command from God.
Paul speaks here about his role as an apostle. This is to show that he has authority from the Lord for what he is writing. Timothy did not need Paul to write that he was an apostle. He knew Paul well and had worked with him for some time. Rather, it was to help Timothy, as he had to deal with the arguments of false teachers. It may be that Paul intended Timothy to read this letter to the Christians.
Paul thinks about Timothy as his own son in the faith. This shows that they had a love and trust for each other. Paul refers to him as "my son whom I love" (1 Corinthians 4:17). He says, "Timothy has proved himself. He has served with me in the work of the gospel as a son with his father" (Philippians 2:22).
In this greeting, Paul asks God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord to bless Timothy. He asks for three things for him from God. They are grace, mercy, and peace. In all of his earlier letters, Paul asks the Lord to bless with grace and peace. Here and in the second letter to Timothy, he adds mercy.
Grace is a favorite word with Paul. He uses it almost 100 times in the 13 letters he wrote.
In all the problems that troubled Timothy, Paul asks God to give him peace.
False Teachers at Ephesus 1:3-7
v3 When I went to Macedonia, I urged you to stay on in Ephesus. Some people there are teaching what is false. And you must order them to stop. v4 Tell them to stop wasting their time on false stories and long lists of ancestors. These things cause arguments. And they do not help people to trust and to serve God. v5 The purpose of this order is to produce love. This love comes from a clean heart, a good conscience, and sincere faith. v6 Some people have turned away from these and have lost their way in foolish talk. v7 They want to be teachers of the law of God. But they do not know what they are talking about. Nor do they understand the things that they declare.
Commentary
Paul probably wrote this after the close of the book of Acts. He had been in prison for a couple of years in Rome. Timothy could have been in Ephesus already or Paul may have sent him there. Paul knew that there were problems in that church. While he went on to visit Macedonia, he urged Timothy to stay in Ephesus as the leader of the church.
By nature, Timothy is a shy and quiet man. So, Paul tells him to exercise control. He must not let the false teachers continue to teach. He must order them to stop.
The trouble with the false teachers was not that they were teaching against the truth. They taught theories as facts. They argued about claims based on who their ancestors were. They made long lists of their ancestors to prove that they were important. They caused arguments that had no purpose. They did nothing for the work of God. They are a problem rather than a help to those who serve the Lord.
The Purpose of the Law 1:8-11
v8 Now we know that the law is good. It is good if a person uses it properly. v9 We also know that the law is not there for good people. It is for those who do what is wrong. And it is for those who do not obey it. It is for those who do not respect God. And it is for those who sin. It is for those who do not believe in God or who speak against him. Then it is for those who kill their fathers and mothers or who murder. v10 The law is there for those who have wrong sex, including sex with children. It is for those who make slaves of people. It is for those who tell lies. And it is for those who declare what is false. It is for all that is against good and right instruction. v11 All of this agrees with the wonderful gospel of the great God. He has given to me the task of declaring this good news.
Commentary
The law itself is good because God gave it. The problem was with the false teachers who used it wrongly. They were using it to support their own ideas.
Paul then gives a list of the kinds of persons for whom we have the law. He follows the pattern of the Ten Commandments that God gave to Moses (Exodus 20:1-17). He starts with three pairs of wrongdoing which are against the first four commandments. These are sins against God. These people do not obey Him or respect Him. Some do not believe in Him while other people speak against Him. The rest of these two verses list the kinds of sins that are against other people. The list does not describe all that is wrong. However, the final sentence does cover all that is not good. All those acts that are against a right understanding of the Bible and of the law are sin.
Paul and the Gospel 1:12-17
v12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has given me the strength for this. He considered that he could trust me. And so he called me to this work. v13 In the past, I spoke evil about Christ. And I attacked and insulted him. But I did not know what I was doing. And so he had pity on me. At that time, I did not believe in him. v14 The Lord poured out so much kindness upon me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. v15 Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners and I am the worst of them. This is a true statement. And we should accept and believe it. v16 I am the worst sinner. But for that very reason he had pity on me. So that first in me, Christ Jesus could show his patience. This is a pattern for all those who would believe in him. They would believe in him for the life that never dies. v17 To the king of all time be honor. He never changes, and we cannot see him. To him who alone is God be honor and glory for all the ages to come. Amen.
Commentary
Paul is looking back to his experience on the road to Damascus (Acts 9). He was on his way to attack the Christians there. Up to that time, Paul denied that Jesus could be either Messiah or the Lord. But the Lord Jesus Christ met him and so Paul believed in Him. From that time, the Lord Jesus trusted Paul and sent him to declare the gospel. Paul was astonished at this and he was so grateful to the Lord for it.
Saul was a Jew. He was eager to be in the religion of the Jews. He saw those who trusted in Jesus as a danger to his religion. He spoke against Jesus. And he denied that He was the Christ. Paul was convinced about something: He had to destroy all who confessed Jesus as the Messiah (Acts 8:3; 9:1-2). Saul was an evil man. He dragged them from their homes and sent them to prison.
Faith and Conscience 1:18-20
v18 Timothy, my son, I am giving you some instructions. These agree with the prophecies that spoke about you. Do what I teach you. If you do, you will achieve like a good soldier in the battle. v19 Make sure that you keep your faith and a good conscience. Some people have not listened to their conscience and so they have ruined their faith. v20 Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander. I have given these men to Satan, so that they may learn not to say bad things about God.
Commentary
Paul, as the older man, is telling his "son" what he must do. He told Timothy to stop the false teachers and to teach the truth.
When Timothy first went with Paul (Acts 16:3), the leaders of his church prayed for him. As they prayed the Lord gave them words to speak to Timothy. These words were the prophecies. They showed what God wanted Timothy to be and to do. What Paul is now telling Timothy to do agrees with those prophecies.
Both the prophecies and what Paul told him were to encourage Timothy to be strong. The Christian life is like a war. There are battles to be won and fights to be fought. By doing what the prophecies and Paul said, Timothy would fight well.
Paul is eager that Timothy should continue to trust God. He wants Timothy to have a good conscience. That conscience will help to keep Timothy from doing bad things. To fight a good fight, trust and a clear conscience are essential.
As a warning, Paul names two men who have done bad things. They had ruined their faith. These are Hymenaeus and Alexander. Hymenaeus had become a false teacher (2 Timothy 2:17). Alexander caused Paul a lot of trouble (2 Timothy 4:14).
Both of these men had spoken against the Lord and against the truth of the gospel. Paul handed these two men to Satan. This was an act of discipline for a person who would not repent of sin. Paul and the leaders put them out of the church.
The purpose of this severe act was that they might repent. By this, they might learn not to speak against God or against the truth.
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