1 Timothy 1:1-11
Authority
“1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope, 2 To Timothy, a true son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.”
What are the primary characteristics of Paul which he emphasizes?
• He is an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God.
What is Paul establishing with these characteristics?
• He has authority and it comes from God Himself.
Why might have Paul referred to Timothy as a “true son in the faith?”
• To establish Timothy’s authority.
Commission
“3 As I urged you when I went into Macedonia—remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine.”
What is Paul’s commission to Timothy?
• Remain in Ephesus, oversee the church, and charge (command) some to stop teaching “other doctrine.” The word “other” literally means “different” and implies that which is different from the Gospel of Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 1:11), i.e., a false gospel.
What could facilitate this role?
• Paul’s authority as commissioned by God, and Timothy’s authority as derived from being a true / genuine / legitimate / authentic disciple of Christ commissioned by Paul.
False Teachers
“3 As I urged you when I went into Macedonia—remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine, 4 nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith. 5 Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith, 6 from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk, 7 desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor the things which they affirm.”
Why was Timothy urged to remain in Ephesus and confront those who teach “other doctrine”?
• There were (by implication) false teachers in the church at Ephesus. This was previously predicted by Paul (see 1 Timothy : Context and Purpose).
What are some of the characteristics of these teachers of “other doctrine” (1:5-1:7)?
• They had impure hearts;
• The had dirty consciences;
• They had insincere faith (i.e., they were hypocrites);
• They has strayed and turned aside (by implication from the one true Way);
• They desired to be like Jewish rabbis (teachers of the law), which implies pride and worse (e.g., see Matthew 23:1-13);
• They lacked understanding of what they’re trying to teach; and
• They were quite the opposite of Timothy, Paul’s true son in the faith who from his youth had known the Hebrew Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:15).
What else can we deduce / infer about these teachers from the context of 1:1-1:7?
• If Paul needed Timothy to be in Ephesus as his authoritative representative in the church of Ephesus to confront these teachers, then it’s likely that they were elders, otherwise the elders of the Ephesian church would have dealt with the problem themselves; and
• Some of the elders in the church at Ephesus were not only false teachers, but likely nominal Christians (i.e., Christians in name only).
False Teaching
What were some of the aspects of the “other doctrine” being promulgated in Ephesus?
• It was idle, or more appropriately, useless; and
• There was an unhealthy focus on fables and genealogies. While those genealogies that are contained in Scripture are there for edification and understanding, in the first century there was a promulgation of eccentric fables and genealogies that had no value for the building up of the body of Christ. “The book of Jubilees, for example, is a non-canonical writing that was popular with the sect that produced the Dead Sea Scrolls. Jubilees retells the events from creation to the giving of the Law, incorporating fanciful legends about the patriarchs and “expanding upon” the ancestry lists in Genesis [3].” It’s likely that the false teachers in Ephesus were using this work, or similar works, as part of their false teaching.
What was a key consequence of their false teaching?
• Disputes instead of edification.
The Law
“8 But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully.”
What do we learn about the Law (the Torah) from this verse?
• The law is good.
What does Paul emphasize about application of the Law in this verse?
• It must be applied lawfully and correctly.
What’s the implication of this verse?
• The law can be applied incorrectly! Hence, Paul’s emphasis on doctrine (the correct application of truth) throughout this letter!
• Presumably this is also an indication that the false teachers in Ephesus were incorrectly applying the law.
“9 knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, 10 for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine.”
Is there such a thing as a righteous person?
• Paul has elsewhere written that “there is none righteous, no, not one (Romans 3:10).” So what does he mean in 1 Timothy 1:9? Paul is most likely speaking of the imputed righteousness which comes by faith. “For what does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness (Romans 4:3).’”
What’s Paul’s purpose in this list?
• Interestingly enough, it seems that 1 Timothy 1:5,9-10 is an allusion to the Ten Commandments.
The 1st Commandment
The first commandment is commonly understood as follows (Exodus 20:3):
“You shall have no other gods before Me (Exodus 20:3).”
That said (Matthew 22:34-38):
“when the Pharisees heard that (Jesus) had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, ‘Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?’ Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment.
In this regard, Paul wrote that (1 Timothy 1:5):
“Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith.”
The 2nd Commandment
Moses wrote (Exodus 20:4-5):
You shall neither make nor worship any idols
Paul wrote (1 Timothy 1:9):
The law is made for the lawless, insubordinate, ungodly, sinners, i.e., for those who worship someone or something other than God.
The 3rd Commandment
Moses wrote (Exodus 20:7):
“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain (Exodus 20:7).”
Paul wrote (1 Timothy 1:9):
The law is made for the “profane.”
The 4th Commandment
Moses wrote (Exodus 20:8):
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.”
Paul wrote (1 Timothy 1:9):
The law is made for the “unholy.”
The 5th Commandment
Moses wrote (Exodus 20:12):
“Honor your father and your mother.”
Paul wrote (1 Timothy 1:9):
The law is “for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers.”
The 6th Commandment
Moses wrote (Exodus 20:13):
“You shall not murder.”
Paul wrote (1 Timothy 1:9):
The law is “for manslayers.”
The 7th Commandment
Moses write (Exodus 20:14):
“You shall not commit adultery,” i.e., you shall not engage in sexual activity outside of marriage.
Paul wrote (1 Timothy 1:10):
The law is “for fornicators, for sodomites.”
The 8th Commandment
Moses wrote (Exodus 20:15):
“You shall not steal.”
Paul wrote (1 Timothy 1:10):
The law is “for kidnappers,” arguably the worst type of thieves!
The 9th Commandment
Moses wrote (Exodus 20:16):
“You shall not bear false witness.”
Paul wrote (1 Timothy 1:10):
The law is “for liars, for perjurers.”
The 10th Commandment
Moses wrote (Exodus 20:17):
“You shall not covet … anything that is your neighbor’s.”
Paul wrote (1 Timothy 1:10):
The law is for “any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine.” Covetousness is most certainly contrary to sound doctrine!
The Glorious Gospel
“11 according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust.”
What is the primary function of the law?
• To expose sin and point the sinner to the glorious Gospel! As Paul has elsewhere written (Galatians 3:24): “Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.”
What basic truths about God does Paul emphasize in the introductory verses (1:1-2)?
• God is Savior;
• Jesus is the Christ, Lord and our hope; and
• Grace, mercy and peace are from both God and Jesus, implying that Christ is God!
The complete Gospel is woven throughout the remainder of the epistle (see 1 Timothy : Christology).
Application
Here are some suggested applications, by topic:
Authority
• Accept Paul’s teaching in this epistle as authoritative in life and apply it!
Commission
• If you’re a Christian, then you know the truth and thus have been commissioned by God to challenge those who teach a “truth” other than the Gospel.
False Teachers
• Scrutinize teachers in the Christian community to ascertain their sincerity and veracity.
False Teaching
• Regularly examine the fruit of that which is taught, and discern the extent to which it’s edifying.
The Law
• Know the Law, and share the Law, in particular with non-Christians and nominal Christians, with a focus on correct application.
The Glorious Gospel
• When sharing the Law, ensure that you point people to the grace of God available through faith in Jesus!
Bibliography
[1] J.R.W.Stott, “The Message of 1 Timothy & Titus,” Inter-Varsity Press, Leicester, 1996.
[2] J.MacArthur, “The New Testament Commentary : 1 Timothy,” Moody Press, Chicago, 1995.
[3] http://www.ligonier.org/learn/devotionals/solemn-charge/
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