The First Epistle of Paul to
TIMOTHY
1
Greeting
1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the command of God our Savior and Sovereign Jesus Christ* our hope,† 2 to Timothy, true son by faith: Grace, mercy, peace from God our‡ Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
Opening considerations
Paul refers to their last conversation
3 You recall that I urged you to remain in Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, in order that you should command§ certain persons to stop teaching a different doctrine 4 and occupying themselves with myths and endless genealogies,* which cause disputes rather than the godly training which is by faith.† 5 Now the goal of that command is love, out of a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith;‡ 6 some having strayed from these have been turned aside§ to empty talk, 7 desiring to be teachers of the law, not understanding either what they say or the things that they affirm.*
What law is for
8 Now we know that the law is good if one uses it correctly, 9 knowing that law is not made for a righteous person but for lawless and rebellious ones, for ungodly and sinners, for unholy and profane, for father-smiters and mother-smiters, for murderers,† 10 for fornicators, for sodomites,‡ for kidnappers,§ for liars, for perjurers, and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine 11 as defined by the Gospel* of the glory† of the blessed God, with which I was entrusted.‡
The grace of God
12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who enables me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into a ministry; 13 I, who was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and arrogant; but I was shown mercy, because being ignorant§ I did it in unbelief; 14 the grace of our Lord overflowed, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.* 15 Here is a trustworthy word, worthy of total acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am chief; 16 precisely for this reason I was shown mercy, that in me, the ‘chief’, Jesus Christ might display all his forbearance, as an example for those who are going to rely on Him into eternal life.† 17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise,‡ be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
A charge to Timothy
Wage the good warfare
18 Son Timothy, I am giving you this charge in accordance with the prophecies about you that lead the way,§ that in them you may wage the good warfare, 19 holding on to faith and a good conscience* (which† some having rejected have suffered shipwreck concerning the Faith; 20 of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander—whom I have handed over to Satan that they may be taught‡ not to blaspheme).
* 1:1 There is no article with ‘Sovereign/Lord’, so I take the phrase to be acting as a proper name. Perhaps 10% of the Greek manuscripts omit “Sovereign” (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.). † 1:1 The Father saves, the Son is our hope, and they chose Paul together—I wonder what the implications are. ‡ 1:2 Perhaps 4% of the Greek manuscripts omit “our” (as in NIV, NASB, TEV, etc.). § 1:3 Evidently Paul deputized Timothy, giving him the authority to give commands, and the local elders would need to be informed about it. * 1:4 This sounds like Gnosticism. † 1:4 ‘Disputes’ are conducted on the basis of logic/reason, not faith, and God requires that we respond to Him in faith (see Hebrews 11:6). ‡ 1:5 This is a beautiful picture, surely: a love that emanates from pure heart, good conscience and sincere faith will probably be quite similar to God's love. § 1:6 The verb is in the passive voice; once they strayed they came under outside influence (see Ephesians 2:2). * 1:7 This is typical of people whose ambition exceeds their mental ability—they end up faking it. † 1:9 I follow the best line of transmission, as well as a plurality of the Greek manuscripts, in rendering “father-smiter” rather than ‘father-killer’. Since patricide and matricide are types of murder, why cite ‘murder’ three times? A normal list does not repeat items. ‡ 1:10 The reference is specifically to those who play the role of the male in homosexual intercourse (anal sex), as distinct from catamites (1 Corinthians 6:9), who play the role of the female. From the Creator's point of view both are unacceptable forms of human behavior, and carried the death penalty (Leviticus 20:13). § 1:10 Or, ‘slave-dealers’. * 1:11 Notice that law is supposed to be based on God's Word. Only the Creator is competent to legislate morality. In a country run by Satan's servants, the judiciary is usually perverted so as to protect the criminal and punish the honest citizen. They often go further, declaring biblical values to be ‘hate crimes’. Have you ever noticed that in such countries hating Jesus and hating Christians is never considered to be a crime? On the contrary, it is protected and encouraged. † 1:11 The Gospel reflects God's glory, and may even be said to be about that glory, since it reflects His character. ‡ 1:11 If you are entrusted with something you are supposed to take care of it and protect it. Paul demonstrates this attitude. § 1:13 Paul was highly instructed in the Jewish religion, but was ignorant where it really mattered. * 1:14 I take it that Paul is saying that he received an outpouring of faith and love, as well as grace. Well, to transform Saul of Tarsus into Paul the apostle to the nations no doubt required a little ‘extra’. † 1:16 If God could save Paul, He can save anybody—there is hope for any sinner; which calls for a doxology (next verse). ‡ 1:17 Most modern versions, following 2% of the Greek manuscripts (of objectively inferior quality), omit “wise”, leaving ‘the only God’. To be sure, the God of the Bible is the only true God, so the shortened form is theologically correct, but He is also the only One who is totally wise, and that information should not be omitted on such poor evidence. § 1:18 “Lead the way” is in the present tense, and so does not refer to the past. Evidently those prophesies were of such a nature that they gave direction to Timothy's ministry, but he had to choose to follow them. The content of the “charge” is developed in chapter 2. * 1:19 When a person starts faking it he rejects a good conscience. † 1:19 “Which” is singular and refers to the good conscience, presumably: if you are not honest with the Faith, you lose it. ‡ 1:20 The verb here is in the passive voice, which makes Satan the teacher! But I wonder how this works—if you are under Satan's tutelage, what are your chances? Unless it be that Paul is not talking about recovering them, but about making them see the extent of their stupidity (and as an object lesson to others). See Hebrews 6:6.