Chapter One
1 Timothy 1:1-4
This chapter has four parts as follows:
1.Introductory greetings and exhortation (vv. 1-4).
2.Instruction as to the necessity for a sound gospel, as opposed to false teachings (vv. 5-16).
3.Paul's apostolic calling (vv. 12-17).
4.A special charge to Timothy (vv. 18-20).
1:1 Paul, an apostle-The word "apostle," taken direct from the Greek apostolos, signifies one who is sent. Though not among those who companied with the Lord Jesus during His earthly ministry, Paul's commission was received direct from the ascended Lord, see 2:7; Acts 26:17; Romans 11:13; Galatians 2:7-8. The term "apostle" expresses his relation to Christ, in respect of the object for which he was sent. It is used of the Lord Jesus in Hebrews 3:1, and similarly describes His relation to God.
of Christ Jesus-The order of the titles is significant. The r.v. always gives the accurate order according to the original. The order "Jesus Christ" directs us from the days when He was on earth, to His exaltation. It describes Him as the One who was rejected of men, but afterwards glorified by the Father. It is thus a testimony to His resurrection, Philippians 2:11. The order "Christ Jesus," points to Him as the One who had been in the glory with the Father, but who emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, and endured the sufferings and death of the Cross. This order testifies to His preexistence, Philippians 2:5.
according to the commandment of God our Savior,-This expresses his call to the service of his apostleship as being given him with divine authority. It also intimates the obedience of his response. In the epistles to the Corinthians, Ephesians and Colossians, he uses the phrase "through the will of God," indicating the divine source and power from whence his call was derived.
The title "God our Savior" appears for the first time in the pastoral epistles. The title "Savior" is indeed characteristic of these closing epistles, whether it is applied to God the Father, or to the Lord Jesus Christ. Its application to both marks the divine unity of all that is involved in the title. The apostle had by this time enjoyed a long experience of the delivering and preserving power of the Lord. The title "Savior," then, points not only to the Lord's redemptive work, but to the fact of His gracious care of His servants.
and Christ Jesus our hope;-The repeated order "Christ Jesus," as in the r.v., is in accordance with the most authoritative and ancient texts. The apostle stresses the decision and authority of Christ as Lord at the end of v. 2. As "our Hope," Christ is presented as the object of the assured expectation of believers; cp. Acts 28:20; and see Colossians 1:27. The uncertainty and possible disappointment which characterize the hope of the unregenerate, are conspicuous by their absence from the hope of the Christian. This must be so, as Christ Himself is the personal embodiment of his hope. Hope has to do with that which is not yet seen, Romans 8:24, 25. Though we see not the Lord Jesus except by faith's vision, yet "believing we rejoice greatly with joy unspeakable and full of glory," 1 Peter 1:8. In Him is centered our expectation of coming deliverance and glory (see 1 Thess. 1:10, r.v.).
1:2 unto Timothy, my true child in faith:-The word gnesios, rendered "true" in the r.v., signifies genuine, the opposite to that which is spurious. The apostle uses the same word in addressing Titus (1:4). In 2 Corinthians 8:8, it is translated "sincerity," the adjective there being used as a noun. In Philippians 4:3, the only other place where it is found in the New Testament, both the a.v. and the r.v. translate it "true." As the word is connected with that for "birth," it might here be rendered "true-born." Timothy became a child of God by faith, Galatians 3:26; Paul was the human instrument in his conversion, probably on his first visit to Lystra, as recorded in Acts 14.
The phrase by which he addresses him here is indicative of the tender care and affection he had shown him from the first. There is no article before "faith" in the original, and probably the en, translated "in," signifies "by."
grace, mercy, peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.-Grace is God's free, unmerited favor toward man, despite his sin and its effects. "Mercy" is not added to "grace" in any salutation to an assembly. It is added in both the epistles to Timothy and the one to Titus, and by the apostle John in his second epistle. Jude uses the order "Mercy, peace and love." Cp. 6:16.
Mercy implies need on the part of the one to whom it is shown, and especially need resulting from sin and its character. Mercy is the manifest expression of pity. The Scripture declares that God is rich in mercy, Ephesians 2:4, and consequently has provided salvation for all men. Believers are exhorted to "draw near with boldness unto the throne of grace, that they may receive mercy," Hebrews 4:16, and consistently with that they pray for mercy for their fellow believers, as the apostle does here. They are likewise to show mercy to one another, Matthew 9:13; Luke 10:33; Jude 23, r.v. They are moreover to show it cheerfully, Romans 12:8.
Mercy and peace are found together always in that order in the New Testament, except in Galatians 6:16; see 2 Timothy 1:2; Titus 1:4; 2 John 3; Jude 2. In the Old Testament, "truth" is most frequently coupled with "mercy," e.g., 2 Samuel 15:20; Psalms 85:10; 86:15; 89:14; 115:1; Proverbs 3:3; 14:22; 16:6; 20:28. Notice the opposite order in Hosea 4:1.
The r.v. of Psalms 25:10; 61:7, and 98:3, had lovingkindness and truth. In 101:1, judgment is associated with "mercy"; in Zechariah 7:9, "mercy" and "compassion" are associated.
When grace and mercy are realized in the soul, peace is sure to abound. The title "God the Father" is mentioned in relation only to those who through faith in Christ, have been born anew, Galatians 3:26, and see 1 John 3:1; 5:1. The phrases "God the Son," and "God the Holy Spirit," are not found in Holy Scripture. Indeed, they are unscriptural, for they carry the suggestion that there are two other gods besides God the Father. In speaking of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, it is advisable always to adhere to the language of Scripture. Regarding the Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit, the Scriptures speak of "the Son of God," and the "Spirit of God." The essential and eternal deity of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and therefore the Trinity of the three in the one Godhead, are clearly taught in the word of God. That the bestowment of grace, mercy and peace is by both God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, is a testimony to the deity of Christ.
For the order of title "Christ Jesus," and for the stress on the title "Lord," see notes on verse 1 above. The title "Lord," in its full significance, as applied to Christ, is based upon the fact of His Resurrection, Psalm 110:1; Acts 2:36; Romans 10:9; 14:9. Confession of Jesus as Lord is the work of the Holy Spirit in the heart of believers, 1 Corinthians 12:3. Hereafter, every tongue will confess that "Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
1:3 As I exhorted thee to tarry at Ephesus, when I was going into Macedonia,-This would probably be some time after Paul's first imprisonment at Rome, and after what is recorded in the Acts. It is to be noticed that in such a circumstance, he did not "command" his younger fellow missionary, he "exhorted" him (a better meaning than the a.v., "besought").
that thou mightest charge certain men not to teach a different doctrine,-Timothy had the task of checking the spread of evil doctrine. What Paul had foretold in Acts 20:29, 30, was now coming to pass. The verb heterodidaskaleo, to teach something different, is used only here and at 6:3, in the Greek Bible. Cp. the word "different" (heteros) in Galatians 1:6, followed by allos, "another of the same sort," in verse 7; see also 2 Corinthians 11:4.
1:4 neither to give heed-The verb prosecho sometimes signifies to be attentive to, as in Acts 6:14; 8:6, more strongly, to apply oneself to, to attach oneself to, to cleave to a person or thing; this is the meaning here, as also in 4:1, and Titus 1:14. In 1 Timothy 3:8, the meaning is to be addicted to and in 4:13, to devote thought and effort to.
The danger mentioned in this verse was not merely that of giving attention to fables, etc., but rather of following such teachings by attaching oneself to the propagandists.
to fables and endless genealogies,-The two words depict the general character of the false teachings. The former, muthos, our word "myth." The special application would seem to be the imaginative teaching of the rabbis, in relation to Jewish history and doctrine. The pagan Greek historian Polybius uses both these words with reference to the legends surrounding the origin of the founders of states. In the same way,...
