Theme

The book of 1 Timothy is letter from Paul to his “true son in the faith” (1:2). The overarching theme concerns instruction and correction. In this epistle, the reader sees Paul pouring himself into Timothy. Due to the situation at the church in Ephesus, the reader gets to see Paul’s advise to a church overseer concerning the correction of doctrinal and practical error in the church. While many New Testament epistles address problems in the church, 1 Timothy focuses on the avoidance of vices associated with youth and encourages the honoring of godly elders, the bold proclamation of truth, and the correct treatment of those in the house of God.

Purpose

Paul wrote to Timothy to help him deal with two main issues in the church at Ephesus. First, Paul wrote to address doctrinal errors which promoted “disputes rather than godly edification” (1:4). There were individuals in the church who were given over to endless disputes and who “turned aside to idle talk” (1:6). Paul commanded Timothy to put an end to that sort of thing.

Second, Paul wrote to Timothy to teach him proper conduct in the house of God (3:15). Paul’s instructions included direct commands to Timothy (4:13) as well as instruction on how the church body should conduct themselves (2:8). Paul primarily instructs Timothy to refute error; both theological and practical.

Paul exhorted Timothy to “Take heed to yourself and to doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.” (4:15) To be sure, Paul was concerned for the well-being of his “son in the faith” (1:2). However, this letter was written to Timothy for the edification of the church in Ephesus. That church was in error and Paul wrote to encourage and instruct the one he had sent to that church.

Argument

To see the argument of 1 Timothy, it is helpful to see a brief outline of this book. The following will include a quick outline of 1 Timothy. After the outline, the author of this paper will give a summary, in his own words, of this book.

I. Greeting (1:1-2)

II. Charge to keep false teachers from spreading wrong doctrine (1:3-1:20)
1. Charge and warning to Timothy (1:3-11)
2. Paul’s thankfulness for God’s mercy to him (1:12-17)
3. Second charge to Timothy to “wage the good warfare” (1:18-20)

III. Paul’s exhortation for the church to pray (2:1-15)
1. Pray for all men and for authorities (2:1-7)
2. The manner in which men and women ought to pray and conduct themselves (2:8-15)

IV. Qualifications for church leaders (3:1-13)
1. Qualifications for a bishop (3:1-7)
2. Qualifications for a deacon (3:8-13)

V. Reason for writing to Timothy (3:14-16)

VI. Instructions on how to be a good minister of Jesus Christ (4:1-6:3)
1. Instructions concerning the doctrines of evil men and demons (4:1-11)
2. Encouragement to Timothy (4:12-16)
A. Be an example even though you are young (4:12)
B. Use your gift, devote yourself to the ministry (4:13-16)
3. Treatment of the church body (5:1-6:2)
A. Correct treatment in general towards those in the body (5:1-2)
B. Regulations concerning widows (5:3-16)
C. Give good elders the honor they deserve (5:17-25)
D. Slaves honor your masters, especially if he is a believer (6:1-2)

VII. Further Warnings and Exhortations (6:3-21a)
1. Withdraw yourself from those with contrary teaching (6:3-5)
2. Flee the desire for wealth, rather pursue godliness and trust God (6:6-16)
3. Exhort the rich to store up treasure in heaven (6:17-19)
4. Exhortation to Timothy to guard what was entrusted to him and oppose false knowledge (6:20-21a)

VIII. Benediction (6:21b)

Greeting

As is typical of epistles in general and Pauline epistles in particular, the author opens his letter by identifying himself. Paul begins by declaring who he is, and making explicit Who it is that gave him the honorific title of “apostle”. Before Paul declares the recipient of this letter, he notes that Jesus Christ is “our hope”. This brief section is unique to 1 Timothy.

Paul then addresses the recipient, Timothy, in filial terms. He calls Timothy “a true son in the faith”. Paul’s greeting or words of blessing to Timothy are very similar to the greetings he gives to the churches. Most epistles Paul greet the audience by saying “Grace and peace” to the readers. In 1 Timothy, he says “Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” It is not clear to the author of this paper as to whether or not this is significant.

The First Charge to Timothy

1:3-11

Paul beings his instructions to Timothy immediately. He urges Timothy to “remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine, nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies”. The purpose of this command is given in verse 5. Paul commands Timothy to stop the continuation of false doctrines for the sake of love. According to the remainder of verse 5, this love should arise from a pure heart, a good conscience, and from a sincere faith.

Verse 6 is a continuation of the thought from verse 5, but the description of those spoken of is contrasted with the person who has a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith. Paul says that some have “turned aside to idle talk”. This idle or vain talk comes about because those who speak in this way are ignorant men who desire to be teachers of the law. In verses 8 through 11, Paul contrasts his knowledge of the law and of sound doctrine with these men who do not understand the law or sound doctrine.

Paul’s primary charge to Timothy here is to stop these ignorant men from continuing in their foolish speculations. Rather, the church in Ephesus should conform their thinking to the gospel of God which was entrusted to Paul (1:11). Paul does not say this to puff himself up. Rather he says this because he knows that God has called him to be an apostle of God. As such, Paul became a tool that God used to help establish the church.

1:12-17

Lest anyone think that Paul was being arrogant in his authoritative claims, an explanation of his relation to his calling is given in verses 12 through 17. In verse 15 Paul says “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners - of whom I am the worst”. He commands Timothy to stop the foolish talk of those who are ignorant, and then he goes into how thankful he is that God saved him and called him to His service. It seems odd that he would include this in a letter of exhortation. Why not simply tell Timothy how to deal with heretics and move on?

It would seem that rather than simply giving Timothy a list of instructions, Paul gives him insight into a proper view of one’s calling. When considering the high calling of a church overseer, the fact that humans are all fallen creatures should never be forgotten. Paul, being an apostle, does not hesitate to bring up his own fallen condition. Even as he boldly instructs those in the church, he always recognizes his own smallness in the larger context of the kingdom of God. In this, Paul probably hopes to be a model for Timothy’s ministry.

1:18-20

After Paul’s humble affirmation of his own calling, he encourages Timothy in his calling. In verse 18 Paul give a charge to Timothy which is “according to the prophecies previously made” concerning him. It is as if Paul is saying, “Timothy, just as I have been called by God to His service, so you have been called to serve Him. This was made known to you by means of a prophetic utterance. Now I charge you to fight the fight to which you were called!” He then gives examples of people who rejected the call of God and explains how they suffered because of it.

Exhortation to Pray

2:1-7

Verse 1 of chapter 2 begins with a “therefore” which shows a continuance of thought. In the previous verses, Paul charges Timothy with the general task of waging the “good warfare”. In 2:1, Paul begins to give more specific instructions. For he says “I exhort first of all . . .” (emphasis mine) which introduces the next section of this epistle. He has already given instructions to Timothy, but here he is giving his first set of specific exhortations.

The primary exhortation in chapter 2 deals with prayer in the house of God. Verses 1 to 7 deal with prayer for all men, especially those in authority. Verse 2 explains the reason for which kings and authorities should be held up in prayer and intercession. The text says “that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence”. The social setting that allows for God’s people to live quiet and peaceable lives is “good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior” (2:3). Perhaps this is because it is an ideal setting for the proclamation of the gospel, for Paul’s declares that God “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (2:4).

Paul then explains the “truth” spoken of at the end of verse 4. In his explanation of the truth, he includes that there is “one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all” (2:5-6). This is the truth that God our Savior desires that all men come to a knowledge of. This is also the message which Paul was appointed to preach (2:7).

2:8-15

As a minister and preacher of the gospel, Paul desires that “men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting” (2:8). After this, Paul uses the remaining seven verses to describe the proper conduct of women in the church. His first concern is with modesty. He desires that women be modest in their clothing, jewelry, and hair style (2:9). In verses 11 and 12, Timothy is told that Paul does not permit a woman to teach or have authority over a man. He goes so far as to say that “Let a woman learn in silence with all submission” (2:11).

Verses 13 and 14 give the reason for this command. The ground for the command is found in the order of creation and in the order of the fall. The last verse of chapter 2 is one of the most enigmatic verses in the Bible. After Paul’s command concerning women, and his reason for the command, he states that the woman “will be saved in childbearing” if she continues “in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control” (2:15).

Qualifications of Church Leaders

3:1-13

Paul begins chapter three with a phrase that he uses three times in this book. He introduces this section with the phrase “This is a faithful saying” or in the NIV, “Here is a trustworthy saying”. The faithful saying of which Paul speaks is as follows, “If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work.” After this introductory sentence, he outlines the qualifications for a bishop. Verse 8-13 then give the qualifications of a deacon. These qualifications are summarized on the following chart:

Chart 1: Qualifications of Bishops and Deacons

After Paul gives his list of qualifications, he then gives something of a purpose statement for this book.

Reason for Writing to Timothy

3:14-16

Paul sets out his reason for writing this letter in these verses. He expresses his desire to go to Timothy but realizes that he may be delayed. With this in mind, he writes so that Timothy may know how he ought to conduct himself in the house of God. (3:15) Paul then goes on to speak about the mystery of the church (3:15b-16).

How to be a Good Minister of Jesus Christ

4:1-11

With the mystery of the church in mind, Paul begins chapter 4 by warning Timothy of doctrines taught by demons. The content of their deception, in this case, deals with the forbidding of things that ought not to be forbidden. In particular those individuals to whom Paul refers are forbidding people to marry. They also command people to abstain from certain foods (4:3). Paul refutes to this sort of thing and in verse 6 he instructs Timothy to do likewise.

In verse 6, Paul plays on the proceeding verses. Whereas false teachers are commanding people to abstain from foods, Paul tells Timothy that if he instructs people in the truth, then he will be nourished in the words of faith. He continues with an analogy from bodily health. He tells Timothy to reject fables and to exercise to achieve godliness. The comparison appears to be one of an unhealthy body with a fit and healthy body. When a person works on his physical body, the results are beneficial and visible to all. Likewise, to achieve godliness is to become spiritually healthy. He then emphasizes the importance of spiritual exercise over physical exercise.

4:12-16

In this section, Paul encourages Timothy to be a good example and to use his gifts. Verse 12 starts with an encouragement and a command. Paul tells Timothy to not let anyone “despise your youth”. Rather he wants Timothy to be an example to all and to devote himself to “reading, exhortation, and to doctrine” (4:13). Verse 14 appears to repeat the call from 1:18, but the command here is followed by more specific instructions. In sum, Paul is telling Timothy to be an example to all, to not neglect the gift that was given to him, and devote himself to those thing to which he was called.

5:1-2

In chapter 5, Paul turns his attention to the treatment of those in the church. In verses 1 and 2, Paul gives a general command concerning the treatment of individuals under the care of Timothy. Paul’s language here shows the reader that his view of those in the church should be akin to his view of his own family. Paul uses the terms “father”, “brother”, “mother”, and “sister”. Each member of the family is to be honored according to their relationship to each other.

5:3-16

Starting with verse 3, Paul becomes more specific in his instructions. In verses 1 and 2, Paul gave a quick overview of how to treat all of God’s family. In verse 3, he begins an entire section on the treatment of widows. Paul gives instructions concerning the taking in of widows “into the number” (5:9). He also advises Timothy to not let younger widows stay unmarried and turn aside to “idle wanderings” and “gossips” (5:13). Paul’s reasoning for this command is interspersed within the command itself.

5:17-25

After giving instructions concerning the treatment of widows, Paul moves on to speak about the honoring of elders. For Paul says, “Let the elders who rule well, be counted worthy of double honor” (5:17). As support for this claim, Paul cites an Old Testament passage and then the words of Christ (5:18). The remainder of this section offers examples on how to bestow proper honor to those elders who rule well.

6:1-2

Finally, Paul addresses the slave. In keeping with the prior passages, Paul admonishes those in lower positions to honor those in higher positions. This rule extends to even the extreme situation of the slave. Paul desires that slaves obey their masters, especially if their masters are believers.

Further Warnings and Exhortations

6:3-5

In the last section of the book of Timothy, Paul warns Timothy again of those who teach contrary doctrines. Some of these individuals do not consent “even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ” (6:3). Paul says that such people are “proud, knowing nothing” and are “obsessed with disputes and arguments over words” (6:4). In verse 5, Paul tells Timothy to withdraw himself from these kinds of people.

6:6-19

From verse 6, all the way to the end of the book, Paul appears to have the rich in mind. He begins his discussion on the rich by noting that “godliness with contentment is great gain.” He contrasts this with people who desire to get rich. This entire section is a exhorts the reader to not strive for worldly possessions, rather strive for treasure in heaven. In verse 17, Paul tells Timothy to “Command those how are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.” This verse sums up the point of this section.

6:20-21

Finally, Paul commands Timothy to “Guard what was committed to your trust” (6:20). These last two verses sum up the entire book of 1 Timothy. All of the commands and warnings may be generally categorized under the command given here. To end the book, Paul gives a short benediction, “Grace be with you. Amen” (6:21).