1 TIMOTHY LESSON 1
 

     This letter, or epistle, is not addressed to a church, but to
Timothy.  1 and 2 Timothy and Titus are all known as the Pastoral
Epistles. Paul was extremely fond of Timothy. Timothy had trained
under Paul. Paul thought of Timothy as his spiritual son. Timothy had
worked with many of the churches that Paul had founded. We know that
Timothy was present when Paul wrote the Thessalonians.

     These two letters to Timothy from Paul were written from Rome
about 63 A.D. It is very important that we know a few things about
Timothy before we get into this letter. Timothy was born of a Jewesh
mother and a Greek father. Timothy's ministry would be mostly to those
who had been Jews and were now Jewish Christians.

     There are a number of things hard to understand about the
relationship of Paul and Timothy. Paul had been to Jerusalem and
brought back word that the Christians were not to circumcise their
men, but he immediately circumcised Timothy. We understand that it was
to make Timothy acceptable to the Jews he would minister to. These
things are hard to understand, because Jesus was either the perfect
sacrifice for all time, or He was not.

     Timothy went with Paul quite a bit. He was with him at Corinth,
Macedonia, Thessalonica and other places, such as Jerusalem. It seems
Paul wanted Timothy to come to him in Rome about the time Paul was
tried and convicted. There is an indication in the 13th chapter of
Hebrews that Timothy had been in prison himself.

     We will find that Timothy was taught the Scriptures by his mother
and his grandmother. II Timothy 1:5 "When I call to remembrance the
unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother
Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also."

     We will discuss in detail some of the things mentioned above as
we go along.

     We will now begin in I Timothy 1:1 "Paul, an apostle of Jesus
Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ,
[which is] our hope;"

     Paul feels it necessary in this letter to Timothy to mention that
he was commanded of the Lord Jesus Christ to be an apostle. Apostle is
taken from a word which means delegate or ambassador of the gospel. It
includes the meaning, with miraculous powers. We are aware that these
miraculous powers followed Paul. The Hope is of the resurrection.
Because He rose, we will rise. We are not like the world who has no
hope. We have hope of eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.

     I Timothy 1:2 "Unto Timothy, [my] own son in the faith: Grace,
mercy, [and] peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord."

     Timothy was not the son of Paul in the flesh, but was his
spiritual son. Timothy was really an extension of Paul's teaching. Of
all the people that worked with Paul, he was his favorite. The grace,
mercy and peace, are blessings Paul spoke on Timothy. The statement of
the Father separate from the Lord Jesus Christ shows that all of
heaven was included in this.

     I Timothy 1:3 "As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when
I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach
no other doctrine,"

     It seems from this that Paul was going to minister in Macedonia,
and Timothy wanted to go with him. Paul asked Timothy to stay in
Ephesus and teach. When Timothy taught, it was as if it were Paul
teaching. Paul was having trouble at this time with the churches
straying away from the doctrine that he had set down. The word,
"charge", shows that Paul was in authority over Timothy.  We have said
so many times, this was at the very beginning of the founding of the
doctrine of the church.

     I Timothy 1:4 "Neither give heed to fables and endless
genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying
which is in faith: [so do]."

     The Jews were very aware of genealogies and he could be speaking
of this. The fables, spoken of here, came directly from the Talmud.
The Talmud was in heavy use at this time and much of it was fables. We
discussed in 1 Corinthians how some of the teaching in the Talmud had
been quoted by Paul. Paul, as many of the other Jewish converts, had
studied the Talmud right along with the Bible, and even though it was
not the Bible, they had picked up customs from the Talmud that they
were practicing in the church.  The "Talmud" was a commentary similar
to the book of Josephus in our day.  The customs of the Talmud were
man-made laws. They were not divine in nature. The Jews were
interested in being able to trace their ancestry back to Abraham in
the flesh. That is what the genealogy is all about.  All of these
things cause trouble in the church. The flesh connection to Abraham
saved no one. It is the spiritual connection to the faith of Abraham
that saves us. Galatians 3:29 "And if ye [be] Christ's, then are ye
Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." Edifying means to
build up. Jude 1:20 "But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your
most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,"

     I Timothy 1:5 "Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a
pure heart, and [of] a good conscience, and [of] faith unfeigned:"

     The charity, here, would have been better translated love. Jesus
had told the disciples that love of God and love for their neighbor
covered all the law. A pure heart is one that is stayed upon the Lord.
The pure heart has been washed in the blood of the Lamb {Jesus
Christ}. If your heart is stayed upon God, then you will have a clear
conscience, because the desire of your heart is to please God.
"Unfeigned", in the verse above, means sincere. This is the kind of
faith that we read the patriarchs had. This sincere faith is spoken of
in Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the
evidence of things not seen."

     I Timothy 1:6 "From which some having swerved have turned aside
unto vain jangling;"

     "Jangling" means random talk, or babbling. This is talk, then,
that has no connection with reality. This means they are talking about
things they know nothing of.

     I Timothy 1:7 "Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding
neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm."

     We see that the trouble is coming from the Jews. They may profess
Christianity, but they are still hanging on to the law of Moses. Worse
than that, they are teaching the Talmud as if it were the Word of God.
The Lord Jesus rebuked the people doing this very thing. Matthew 22:29
"Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the
scriptures, nor the power of God." The word "affirm" means
confidently, or strongly. Paul is saying with Jesus, they think they
know and do not. They would be teachers of an untruth.

     I Timothy 1:8 "But we know that the law [is] good, if a man use
it lawfully;"

     Jesus came, not to do away with the law, but to fulfill it.
Galatians 3:21 "[Is] the law then against the promises of God?  God
forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life,
verily righteousness should have been by the law." The law was not
bad, but man's ability to keep the law was lacking. Jesus took care of
the obligation of the law for us. Matthew 5:17 "Think not that I am
come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy,
but to fulfil." Those who are hid in Jesus have the law already
fulfilled for them. They are not under the law, but grace. Romans 6:14
"For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the
law, but under grace."



















                        1 Timothy 1 Questions


1.  Who is this letter addressed to?
2.  What 3 books are known as Pastoral Epistles?
3.  Why does Paul speak of Timothy as his son?
4.  Where was this letter written from?
5.  Approximately when was the letter written?
6.  What nationality were Timothy's parents?
7.  Who would Timothy minister to primarily?
8.  Why did Paul circumcise Timothy?
9.  What is difficult to understand about this?
10. Where were some of the places that Timothy went with Paul to
    minister?
11. Who was Timothy taught in the Scriptures by?
12. What does Paul call himself in verse 1?
13. What does the word that "apostle" was translated from mean?
14. What is the hope?
15. What 3 things did Paul speak as blessings on Timothy?
16. Who was Paul's favorite of all that he had ministered with?
17. While Paul went to Macedonia, what did he want Timothy to do?
18. Why did Paul desire Timothy to do this?
19. What was Timothy's teaching like?
20. What does the word "charge" show in verse 3?
21. What are the fables in verse 4 referring to?
22. What was the "Talmud"?
23. Quote Galatians chapter 3 verse 29.
24. How can you build up your most holy faith?
25. What is the end of the commandment?
26. What makes a pure heart?
27. What does "unfeigned" mean?
28. Quote Hebrews chapter 11 verse 1.
29. What does "jangling" mean?
30. Why should they not be teachers of the law?
31. The law is good, if a man use it ___________.
32. Quote Galatians chapter 3 verse 21.
33. If Jesus did not come to destroy the law and the prophets, what
    did He come to do?
34. Quote Romans chapter 6 verse 14.