1 Timothy 1:1-20

How to be a Leader in the Church

1 Timothy

Ian Mackervoy

About this letter

The record in the book of Acts ends with the *apostle Paul in prison in *Rome. That was about AD 60 and he was there for two years. It seems that after that he was free for a time.

After he came out of prison, he asked Timothy to stay in *Ephesus (1 Timothy 1:3). He then went to *Macedonia. While he was there, he wrote this first letter to Timothy. We do not know whether Paul visited *Ephesus at this time.

Timothy was the son of a *Gentile father and a *Jewish mother. His mother, Eunice, and grandmother, Lois, both believed the *gospel of Christ (2 Timothy 1:5). They and Timothy probably became Christians when Paul first went to the town called Lystra (Acts 14). All the Christians in Lystra and in the church in the town called Iconium spoke well about Timothy.

When Paul came the second time to Lystra, he asked Timothy to join his team (Acts 16:1-3). Timothy became a close friend and helper of Paul. He went with Paul as he travelled to many places. Paul spoke about him as his own son in the *faith.

Now he was the leader of the church in *Ephesus. Paul writes this letter to him to encourage him in the task of leading that church. He gives Timothy a lot of advice both for the Christians in the church and for himself.

There were some problems there, with some people who were teaching wrong things. Paul told Timothy to sort out that problem (1 Timothy 1:3). He must stop these people from doing it.

Paul tells Timothy how to select the *elders and *deacons. He writes about the roles of men and women. He speaks about the care of widows. He tells Timothy how slaves ought to serve. He speaks to the rich persons. And he warns them about the dangers that come with wealth. He tells Timothy how he should take care of himself. And he tells him how to be a good leader.

The plan of the letter

Greetings from Paul to Timothy	1:1-2
False teachers at *Ephesus	1:3-7
The purpose of the law	1:8-11
Paul and the *gospel	1:12-17
*Faith and conscience	1:18-20
Prayer for all people	2:1-4
One God and one way to him	2:5-7
Instructions to men and women	2:8-15
What an *elder must be like	3:1-7
What a *deacon must be like	3:8-13
The church of the God who lives	3:14-16
Warning against false teachers	4:1-5
How to guard against what is false	4:6-16
About personal attitudes and relations	5:1-2
Care of widows	5:3-16
Honour and responsibility of *elders	5:17-25
Servants and masters	6:1-2
More about false teachers	6:3-5
Dangers of wealth	6:6-10
Instructions to Timothy	6:11-16
Advice to wealthy persons	6:17-19
Final appeal to Timothy	6:20-21

Chapter 1

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.

Verse 1 Paul was a *Jew but from birth he was also a citizen of *Rome (Acts 22:27-28). His *Jewish name was Saul. But, 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.

It is not usual in the *New Testament to speak about God who saves. It is more normal to speak about the *Lord Jesus as the one who saves. But God as well as Christ is the source of *salvation. Our hope is in Christ Jesus. This clearly links the *Lord Jesus with God in the process of our *salvation. We have the hope of *salvation in Christ Jesus. This hope is not something about which there is a doubt. Hope means to be sure that something will happen at a future date.

Verse 2 The letter is from Paul to Timothy. Paul thinks about him as his own child in the *faith. This shows that they had a love and trust for each other. Timothy probably came to trust in the *Lord Jesus through Paul. 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 favourite word with Paul. He uses it almost 100 times in those letters of his that we have. It means the benefits that God gives to those whom he loves. No one deserves them. So, grace is God blessing those who do not deserve it.

Mercy is to give help to those who are in need. As with *grace, it has nothing to do with what a person deserves. It comes from the love and kindness of the person who gives help. Paul could see that Timothy was in need of help from God. Perhaps he asked for help because Timothy was often ill (1 Timothy 5:23). Or perhaps it was because of the problems that Timothy was having in *Ephesus.

In all the problems that troubled Timothy, Paul asks God to give him *peace. This *peace was to be in the heart and mind rather than the removal of the problems. This *peace will keep Timothy. Then all the difficulties that he has will not upset his trust in the *Lord.

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.

Verse 3 We believe that Paul wrote this some time after the close of the book of Acts. Paul had been in prison for a couple of years in *Rome. Then he may have visited *Ephesus and left Timothy there. 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 asked Timothy to stay in *Ephesus as the leader of the church.

There were people in *Ephesus who taught different things. What they said did not agree with the truth. They confused the Christians with their strange ideas.

Timothy should be in control of this church. By nature, he is a shy and quiet man. So, Paul tells him to exercise that control. He must not let the false teachers continue to teach. He must order them to stop.

Verse 4 The trouble with the false teachers was not that they were teaching against the truth. They told stories that had nothing to do with the truth. They taught as fact theories that came from these stories. They argued about claims based on who their *ancestors were. They made long lists of their *ancestors to prove that they were important. Such stories and claims create a lot of talking but no good results. They are of no use and are just a waste of time. They cause arguments that have no purpose. They do nothing for the work of God. They are a problem rather than a help to those who serve the *Lord.

Timothy had to tell them to stop paying attention to these stories and claims. Instead of these vain things, they should learn the truth. The truth would lead them to greater *faith in God. They should put their trust in the *Lord and do what he wants.

Verse 5 The purpose of the order or command is to cause love to grow. This is why the false teachers had to stop. What they were doing caused confusion rather than love. The command in this verse means more than to stop the false teachers. The command is the truth that Timothy has to teach. This should lead to an increase in love among those who believe. They should love God and each other more. This agrees with what the *Lord Jesus taught (Matthew 22:37-40). He said that the first command is that we should love the *Lord our God. We should do this with all of our mind, heart and *soul. The next command is that we should love other people.

The *apostle makes clear the source of this love. It comes out of a clean heart, a good conscience and sincere *faith.

In the Bible, the heart is the centre of our being. It is from the heart that we have good or bad thoughts. These cause us to perform good or bad actions. The heart must be clean for love to flow from it. It has to be pure with good thoughts and actions. Only God can make the heart clean and put real love in it. He will take away all that is wrong in our hearts. He will do this as we confess our *sins.

Conscience is the knowledge of what is right or wrong in our actions and attitudes. The consciences of some people can be hard and damaged. Their consciences can be dead as if burnt with a hot iron (1 Timothy 4:2). For these, the knowledge of good or evil is not sure. A good conscience is one that accepts the truth as its standard. It informs the mind as to what is false or evil. We need to keep our consciences good. We do this as we accept the truth of God’s word. And we ask the *Lord to take away all that is wrong. To have a good conscience is to know that God accepts us as clean from all *sin.

*Faith has to be sincere. That means that it must be real and genuine. We can fool people into thinking that we have *faith but we cannot fool God. As we trust God, he puts his love in us. And then we can love him.

Verse 6 Some people at *Ephesus had turned away from the truth of God’s word. They had followed their own ideas. And so, they did not do what the Bible teaches. They failed to have that love which comes from a clean heart, a good conscience and real *faith. They talked a lot, but said nothing of real value. Their teaching was just vain words that were of no use at all.

Verse 7 These false teachers had wanted to be teachers of the law. The law here means the laws that God gave to Moses. They are in the first five books of the *Old Testament. The teacher was very important in those days. They wanted to be important and they wanted the Christians to respect them. But they did not know what the law said. They did not understand the principles of the law that they claimed to teach. What they taught with such confidence was in error. What they said was not correct and it produced no good results.

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.

Verse 8 The problem was not that there was anything wrong with the law. 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. The use of the law must be for its proper purpose. This purpose is to teach people how they should live. It shows them where they have gone wrong.

Verses 9-10 The purpose of all law is to show us when we do wrong things. So law is not for good persons but for those who are bad. We need the law to give us the rules of behaviour by which we must live. By the law, the judge decides whether a person is good or bad. The law gives the rules for punishing those whom it finds to be guilty.

Paul then gives a list of the kinds of persons for whom we have the law. He follows the pattern of the ten commands that God gave to Moses (Exodus 20:1-17). He starts with three pairs of wrong doing which are against the first four commands. These are *sins against God. We should love God. But 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. But 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.

Verse 11 The right use of the law and of the Bible is part of the *gospel. The *gospel shows us some of the *glory of God. The law can only show that people are *sinners. But the *gospel shows us the power, goodness and love of God. By the *Lord Jesus, God can make us clean from our *sins. By the *Lord Jesus, we can know God.

God and the *Lord Jesus sent Paul to declare this *gospel. This *gospel is good news because it gives us a way of escape from *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 honour. He never changes, and we cannot see him. To him who alone is God be honour and *glory for all the ages to come. *Amen.

Verse 12 The task that the *Lord had given to Paul was a big one. He could not do it on his own. He thanked the *Lord for the support that he had received from him. He had to depend on the strength that the *Lord Jesus gave to him.

Paul is looking back to his experience on the road to Damascus city (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.

Verse 13 Saul (Paul) was a *Jew. He was eager to be the best one 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. That means ‘said that he was the Christ (*Messiah). (See Acts 8:3; Acts 9:1-2.) He was a cruel man. He dragged them from their homes and sent them to prison.

Paul was sincere. He believed that he served God by doing this. He did not know that what he was doing was wrong. He thought that it was his duty to oppose Jesus. He did not believe that Jesus was the *Lord and the Christ. But when Jesus met him, Paul was convinced. Then the *Lord Jesus Christ showed *mercy to him. And he forgave Paul for all that he had done.

Verse 14 It was more than *mercy that Paul received from God. The kindness of the *Lord was like a flood of water poured over him. He received *faith to believe and trust in the *Lord Jesus. As he received the love of God into his life, so he was able to love the *Lord as well. He once hated the Christians but now he loved them.

Verse 15 Here is the heart of the *gospel of Christ Jesus. He came into the world to save *sinners. Jesus himself said, ‘The Son of Man came to find and to save what was lost’ (Luke 19:10). This is the essential base on which all of the Christian life rests. We must believe it and accept it. We must trust in Jesus and what he has done for us.

Jesus was God but he came as a human being into this world. He came for a purpose. That purpose was to rescue us from our *sins. He took all our *sins to himself. He paid the price for them when he died. He was so great that God raised him from the dead. Now all who trust him and confess their *sins are free from their *sins. The *Lord will give them life with him. This is the life that will never die.

Paul felt that of all *sinners he was the worst. This was because he had attacked the Christians with such cruelty. The *Lord forgave Paul for all his *sins. But Paul still says that he is a *sinner. He is a *sinner whom God, in his *grace, has saved. God has saved him because of his trust in Christ.

Verse 16 Paul was so bad but the *Lord still had pity on him. The *Lord did not punish Paul, as he deserved. But he was patient with him. He met Paul on the road. And he showed him what he ought to do. Then Paul believed in the *Lord Jesus.

Paul was not the first to believe in Christ but his was the most astonishing change. He had been the worst of *sinners. But now he was a leader in the church and an *apostle. Such a change was all due to the patience of the *Lord. All who believe in Christ have a new kind of life. They change as Paul did. Paul’s life was now a powerful example of the *grace of God. He sees his own experience as the pattern of what Christ can do. He does it in the lives of all who believe in him. They will be what God wants them to be. And so they will be truly alive.

Verse 17 As Paul thinks about what he has written, he praises the *Lord.

God is the great king above all other kings. He governs all the ages from the *creation of the world to the end of time. He is in absolute control of all things.

God is always the same because he never changes. As he was, he is and always will be. He is not human as we are. And he can never decrease or die. He is the source of all life and he is the living one.

We cannot see him. This is because he is so far above what we can understand. He lives in a light to which we cannot approach. No human person has seen or can see him. We can only know him to the extent to which he shows himself to us. He has done this by sending the *Lord Jesus Christ. He sent him to show us what he is like.

All honour and *glory is due to him who is the only God. There are many gods but only one true God. Through all the ages to come, praise is due to him.

*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.

Verse 18 Paul, as the older man, is telling his ‘son’ what he must do. ‘Son’ here means that Paul told Timothy about Jesus. This refers back to verses 3-5, where he told Timothy to stop the false teachers and to teach the truth. It also looks forward to what Paul is about to write.

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.

Verse 19 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 these two, trust and a clear conscience, are essential.

Some people have refused to act as their consciences showed them. They have done what they know to be wrong. This has had a damaging effect on their trust in God. It is like a ship that hits the rock. The ship sinks. So they have ruined their *faith.

Verse 20 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 could be the man who made things from copper in *Ephesus. If so, he 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.

apostle ~ one whom God sends; especially one of the 12 that Jesus chose to be his helpers.
Rome ~ the capital city of the rulers at that time. They were the Romans.
Ephesus ~ the name of a city.
Macedonia ~ the northern part of modern Greece.
Gentiles ~ people who are not Jews.
Jews ~ people who were born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children. It is also a name for the Jewish people.
Jewish ~ people or things that are from the Jews.
Jewish ~ people or things that are from the Jews.
Jews ~ people who were born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children. It is also a name for the Jewish people.
gospel ~ the good news that God saves people from sin by Jesus Christ.
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil; not to obey God; sins are the wrong things that we do.
faith ~ trust in someone or something; belief and trust in God and in Jesus Christ his Son. The faith is the Christian religion. It is what Christians believe.
elders ~ older men, respected men, or leaders in the church.
faith ~ trust in someone or something; belief and trust in God and in Jesus Christ his Son. The faith is the Christian religion. It is what Christians believe.
Lord ~ a title for God, or Jesus, to show that he is over all people and things.
grace ~ help that God gives to us. He gives us this help as a free gift. We cannot buy it. God gives it to us because he loves us.
mercy ~ kindness and help to a person who does wrong; to show love to that person.
peace ~ when there is no fighting with God; when we have no trouble in our minds; when a person is not afraid or angry.
Jews ~ people who were born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children. It is also a name for the Jewish people.
Jewish ~ people or things that are from the Jews.
Roman ~ Rome was the capital city of the rulers at that time. That which belonged to Rome was Roman.
Rome ~ the capital city of the rulers at that time. They were the Romans.'New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, which the writers wrote after the life of Jesus.
salvation ~ the result of God saving us from sin and punishment; the new life that God gives to those who believe in the Lord Jesus.
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil; not to obey God; sins are the wrong things that we do.
Lord ~ a title for God, or Jesus, to show that he is over all people and things.
ancestors ~ any persons in the past from whom the families of your father or mother came.
soul ~ the part of a person that we cannot see; it is in us during our life; and it lives after we die; it is our inner life (not the body).
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil; not to obey God; sins are the wrong things that we do.'Old Testament ~ the first part of the Bible; the holy things that the writers wrote before Christ’s birth.
glory ~ great honour and beauty.
sinner ~ a person who does sins.
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil; not to obey God; sins are the wrong things that we do.
amen ~ a word from the Hebrew (Old Testament) language; it means we agree, or it is true, or let it be so.

Old Testament ~ the first part of the Bible; the holy things that the writers wrote before Christ’s birth.
Messiah ~ a special servant of God; a name for Jesus Christ; it means the person whom God sent; he sent him to save people from the anger of God because of our bad ways; the only one who can put people right with God; the one who will come again to rule over God’s kingdom.
kingdom ~ the place or territory where a king rules. The kingdom of God is the people over whom God rules.
creation ~ the act of God when he made the world and everything there is; everything that God has made.
prophecy ~ a message from God; a gift of the Holy Spirit.
Satan ~ the name of the devil.
repent ~ to change one’s mind and heart; to turn away from sin and turn to God. To turn one’s mind and heart away from sin is to repent.
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil; not to obey God; sins are the wrong things that we do.