Read or listen First Epistle to Timothy online (ESV, Bible Gateway)

Warning against false doctrines

Introduction - Tim 1:1-2

In the familiar style, Paul introduces himself as an apostle of God (verse 1). In only three letters does he not do so (=Phil, 1 Thess, 2 Thess). In these letters several senders are mentioned. An apostle was a preacher of the gospel authorized and sent by God.

The very beginning of the letter reveals that this is not a purely private letter, but an “official letter” that talks about the tasks that Timothy is to handle and partly pass on.

Paul calls God the Savior (verse 1), when usually that Greek word - sooteer - is used of Jesus (Eph 5:23, Phil 3:20, 2 Tim 1:10, Tit 1:4, 3:6).

Timothy was Paul’s spiritual son (v. 2). Timothy had become a Christian through Paul’s work (cf. 1 Cor. 4:15-17, 2 Tim. 1:2, 2:1, Titus 1:4, Philem 10).

Hope (v. 2) in the New Testament is not just a wish, but a firm confidence that God will give what he has promised (cf. Heb. 11:1).

False and True Faith - 1 Tim 1:3-11

The initial greeting was usually followed by thanksgiving and prayer (compare, for example, 1 Cor 1:4-9, Eph 1:3-14, Col 1:3-8), but this time Paul gets straight to the point.

Paul had left Timothy in Ephesus and continued his journey to Macedonia (verse 3), from where the letter was apparently sent to Ephesus. The Acts of the Apostles does not say anything about this journey, but it was made after the events with which Luke concludes the account of the Acts of the Apostles.

Timothy’s task was to stop the spread of false doctrine that had come into the church (verses 3 and 4).

About five years earlier, Paul had predicted that false teachers would arise from within the church at Ephesus (Acts 20:29-31). There is only one true gospel, and to deviate from it is to move to the side of false doctrine (see 2 Cor. 11:1-4, Gal. 1:6, 1 Tim. 4:1-8, 6:3-5,20-21, Titus 1:13-16).

We do not know exactly what the Ephesian heresy was, but the above list includes some of the features mentioned in the pastoral letters. It was evidently (pre-)Gnosticism, which emphasized the importance of hidden knowledge that could free one from the shackles of matter and enter the world of spiritual beings, which genealogies attempted to study.

It is good to remember that the church in Ephesus had been founded only about eight years earlier (Acts 19:1-20:1). Heresies came quickly, and even the fact that Paul had been teaching in the church for about three years did not help (Acts 19:10). Where God is at work, the enemy of souls also begins his destructive work. The most effective way to fight against heresies is through correct teaching (verse 8).

Often, only this of the verse is remembered from Titus 3:10: “have nothing more to do with him” and not this: “after warning him once and then twice”. God wants to save Christians who have fallen into error too! God wants to save Christians who have gone astray!

The law has a purpose according to God's will (verse 8, Romans 8:12,16). If it is used for anything else, it is misused. The law is not the way to salvation. Lutheranism speaks of three uses of the law:

1. To protect society: the law restrains evil and wickedness; Romans 13:1-10

2. Spiritual use: the law drives a person to see his own sinfulness and his need for salvation through God's grace alone; Galatians 3:22

3. The law also exhorts believers and guides them to do God's will; Romans 8:4

In verses 9 and 10, Paul gives eleven examples of breaking the law. They relate to the Ten Commandments, specifically the 1st, 4th, 5th, 6th, and 8th. This list is a reminder that while everything can be forgiven, not everything can be permitted.

Various attempts to remove homosexuality from the Bible as a sin (see Leviticus 18:22, 20:13, Romans 1:26-27, 1 Corinthians 6:9) have failed, although numerous attempts have been made in recent years.

Sound doctrine (verse 10) is in harmony with the observance of God’s law. Christ did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill its purpose (Matthew 5:17, compare verse 8). Christ brought salvation by grace, thus fulfilling the righteousness required by the law (Romans 8:3-4).

But sound doctrine is also - and above all - linked to the gospel that Paul had received from God (verse 11). Sound doctrine is living according to the gospel. The gospel is not a philosophy or a learned system, but precisely the revelation of God (verse 11).

Paul had received from God not only the message, but also the task of proclaiming it to the Gentiles (1 Cor 9:17, Gal 2:7, 1 Thess 2:4, 2 Tim 1:12-14). He required that Timothy also pass on the gospel he had received from Paul (2 Tim 2:2).