1 Timothy 1:1-20

Written ~ 10-22-2024

Read 1 Timothy Chapter One

1 Timothy 1

Here we have a letter written by Paul to Timothy. Let’s do a little background on Timothy before we dive into this chapter. Timothy was raised by a Christian mother and grandmother; he was greatly influenced by the way they lived their lives for the Lord and somewhere along the way he became a believer as well. Acts 16:1-3a tells us when Paul and Timothy more than likely first met…which was during Paul’s second missionary journey… “Paul went first to Derbe and then to Lystra, where there was a young disciple named Timothy. His mother was a Jewish believer, but his father was a Greek. 2 Timothy was well thought of by the believers in Lystra and Iconium, 3 so Paul wanted him to join them on their journey.” It was after this meeting that Timothy joined Paul on this second missionary journey, he would also accompany Paul on his third missionary journey. While under the direct leadership and guidance of Paul, Timothy became like a son to him. Timothy became a very well-respected leader among the other believers. Because of his solid training in Scripture and his willingness to be circumcised, this showed other leaders the seriousness he had in his service to the Lord. It’s stated in the Life Application Study Bible that it is likely during the end of Paul’s third missionary journey through Macedonia that he left Timothy in charge of the church in Ephesus as he went on to Jerusalem. Paul was troubled by the false teachings that were being throughout the Ephesian church, and he knew Timothy had the strength and knowledge to get them back on track.

This letter to Timothy was to help instruct and guide him in his new role as Pastor and to encourage him because he struggled with feelings of inferiority and a reserved manner of dealing with problems within the church. We don’t know how old Timothy is at this point, but his young age is addressed by Paul and suggested that it shouldn’t be another reason for him allow his timid nature to hinder his authority. As we read this letter to Timothy, let’s try to see ourselves in this young Pastor, if we do that, we will come to see that our age, what we think are faults or inabilities are insecurities that should never keep us from having the Lord use us in a mighty way for His Kingdom.

1 Timothy 1:1-5…

1 “This letter is from Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, appointed by the command of God our Savior and Christ Jesus, who gives us hope.

2 I am writing to Timothy, my true son in the faith.

May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord give you grace, mercy, and peace.

3 When I left for Macedonia, I urged you to stay there in Ephesus and stop those whose teaching is contrary to the truth. 4 Don’t let them waste their time in endless discussion of myths and spiritual pedigrees. These things only lead to meaningless speculations, which don’t help people live a life of faith in God.

5 The purpose of my instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith.”

So, the purpose of this letter to Timothy is clear, verse 1:5 lays it out quite plainly. Maybe… when you read the Bible, there might be a thought that crosses your mind as to how the Bible and its instructions can be relevant to you today. Look at the letter Paul is writing, even though it’s written to a new Pastor whose having trouble with establishing his authority in the church, we can apply these same instructions, these same principles to our homelife, to our families, with our friendships and how we conduct business. So be open to the instructions Paul will give Timothy and ask the Lord to show you specific ways to apply these things to your own life.

The purpose Paul had in writing this letter was to give the instruction that all believers should be filled with love and the love he’s talking about should come from a pure heart. All believers should have a clear conscious. And every believer should demonstrate a genuine faith. These are very practical instructions, then we see the word…BUT…

1 Timothy 1:6-7…

6 “But some people have missed this whole point. They have turned away from these things and spend their time in meaningless discussions. 7 They want to be known as teachers of the law of Moses, but they don’t know what they are talking about, even though they speak so confidently.”

Here is what the Life Application Study Bible footnotes say about verses 1:6-7…

  • Arguing about trivial details in the Bible can send us off on interesting but irrelevant tangents and cause us to miss the intent of God’s message. The false teachers at Ephesus had constructed vast speculative systems and were arguing about the minor details of their wholly imaginary ideas. We should allow nothing to distract us from the Good News of Salvation in Jesus Christ, the main point of Scripture. We should know what the Bible says, apply it to our lives daily, and teach it to others. When we do this, we will be able to evaluate all teachings in light of the central truth about Jesus. The false teachers wanted to become famous as teachers of God’s law, but they didn’t even understand the law’s purpose.

Bottom line… Jesus is the answer. He is the only way to Salvation; He is the only way to Eternal Life in Heaven. Jesus Christ is the only way to having a relationship with God the Father. It is only through God’s Holy Spirit that we gain wisdom and knowledge of the things that matter the most. We can all come up with our own ideas… that’s evident by all the new religions and cults that have tried to establish their ideology as truth. But when we know Scripture, when we fervently study our Bibles it’s then that we will know the truth and we will not waste our time theorizing imaginary ideologies. Don’t be one of those who misses the point!

1 Timothy 1:8-11…

8 “We know that the law is good when used correctly. 9 For the law was not intended for people who do what is right. It is for people who are lawless and rebellious, who are ungodly and sinful, who consider nothing sacred and defile what is holy, who kill their father or mother or commit other murders. 10 The law is for people who are sexually immoral, or who practice homosexuality, or are slave traders (kidnappers, human traffickers), liars, promise breakers, or who do anything else that contradicts the wholesome teaching 11 that comes from the glorious Good News entrusted to me by our blessed God.”

I think what Paul is trying to get across here is that when you speak boldly and confidently, especially when it comes from the Word of God, make sure you know what you’re talking about (vs.1:7)! Specifically for this passage, Paul is talking about the misrepresentation of the law of Moses. As mentioned in previous letters written by Paul, once we are Born-Again, we are no longer under the curse of the old covenantal law, we are now under the new covenant, which is Christ Himself. False teachers were trying to teach the law of Moses as something to be adhered to even after becoming a Christian.

1 Timothy 1:12-17…

12 “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to do His work. He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve Him, 13 even though I used to blaspheme the name of Christ. In my insolence, I persecuted His people. But God had mercy on me because I did it in ignorance and unbelief. 14 Oh, how generous and gracious our Lord was! He filled me with the faith and love that come from Christ Jesus.

15 This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” – and I am the worst of them all. 16 But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of His great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in Him and receive eternal life. 17 All honor and glory to God forever and ever! He is the eternal King, the unseen one who never dies; He alone is God. Amen.”

I have said it before… I LOVE PAUL!! The way he explains Salvation is so good! He considered himself as the worst of all sinners. But in his ignorance, he realized who God was. He turned his life over to the Lord and never looked back.

Before Christ he blasphemed the name of Jesus, meaning he cursed, cussed, swore at the name of Jesus. Paul spoke in a way that was completely irreverent about who Jesus was. Who God was! “In my insolence,” which means Paul was extremely bold in his insults, his speaking was overbearing, spewing out incredible hatred for Jesus. He even persecuted Christians believing it was what God wanted him to do.

But then he encountered Jesus! Instead of continuing down a path of insolence and ignorance he did a complete 180, his heart melted, and he gave his life – his whole life – to serving God alone. Now after Paul’s conversion and complete turnaround we have someone to look up to, someone we learn from. No matter what we have done – our disbelief, our insolence, our ignorance – Jesus came to save us from the sin that entraps us.

Look at the words Paul uses to describe himself BEFORE Christ:

  • Blasphemer
  • Insolent
  • Ignorant
  • Unbeliever
  • Persecutor
  • Sinner

Then look at the words he uses to describe himself and God AFTER Christ enters his life:

  • Strength
  • Trustworthy
  • Appointed
  • Mercy
  • Generous
  • Gracious
  • Faith
  • Love
  • Example
  • Patience
  • Eternal
  • Honor
  • Glory

Do you think Paul included his “before” and “after” story to show us his qualification to give us instructions? Was it to remind Timothy that he had the authority to guide him through his own insecurities? All of us have a “before” and “after” story. It may not be as extreme as Paul’s, but when we chose to accept the Lord, we also chose to accept His plan for our lives. For Timothy it was to become the Pastor of a growing church that was being choked with false teachings and ideologies.

1 Timothy 1:18-20…

18 “Timothy, my son, here are my instructions for you, based on the prophetic words spoken about you earlier. May they help you fight well in the Lord’s battles. 19 Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked. 20 Hymenaeus and Alexander are two examples. I threw them out and handed them over to Satan so they might learn not to blaspheme God.”

In the following chapters we will read all the instructions given to Timothy from Paul. Paul is going to be a great encouragement to Timothy, in verse 1:18 he reminds Timothy of the prophetic words that were spoken over him (1 Timothy 4:14 talks more about that).

As we go through the rest of this letter, let’s also give great consideration to the words Paul said to Timothy “Cling to your faith and keep you conscious clear.”

Look at what the Life Application Study Bible says about keeping your conscious clear:

  • How can you keep your conscious clear? Treasure your faith in Christ more than anything else and do what you know is right. Each time you deliberately ignore your conscious, you are hardening your heart. Eventually, your capacity to tell right from wrong will diminish. As you walk with the Lord, He will speak to you through your conscious, letting you know the difference between right and wrong and when you are making a bad choice. Be sure to act on those inner tugs so that you do what is right; then your conscious will remain clear. Timothy also had Paul to hold him accountable and to encourage him. Who can be like a “Paul” in your walk with the Lord? Ask that person to help you keep a clean conscious.

Timothy’s responsibility was to hold Paul’s instructions close to his heart. He was to use the instructions Paul would give him as tools to Pastor the church in Ephesus with godly intention and efficiency. Timothy would learn to act swiftly to keep the false teachers at bay and become a respected Pastor among the other church leaders.

Until next time, let’s look forward with great anticipation to hear the instructions given to this timid, young, unsure of himself Pastor and see how we can apply these instructions to our own lives.

~AMEN~