1 Timothy

1 Timothy is a letter from the apostle Paul to Timothy, his trusted younger co-worker whom he had left in charge of the church at Ephesus. Timothy was a native of Lystra in Asia Minor, the son of a Jewish mother named Eunice and a Greek father, and he was converted during Paul's first missionary journey (Acts 16:1-3). Paul regarded Timothy as his γνήσιον τέκνον ("true child") in the faith (1 Timothy 1:2), and he had entrusted him with the difficult task of confronting false teaching and establishing good order in the Ephesian congregation. The letter is one of the three "Pastoral Epistles" — along with 2 Timothy and Titus — so called because they are addressed to individual pastors rather than to churches. It was likely written from Macedonia around AD 62-64, after Paul's release from his first Roman imprisonment recorded at the end of Acts (Acts 28:30-31).

The purpose of the letter is thoroughly practical: Paul writes to instruct Timothy on how people ought to conduct themselves in the household of God (1 Timothy 3:15). The letter addresses a wide range of church matters — public prayer, the roles of men and women in worship, qualifications for overseers (ἐπίσκοπος) and deacons (διάκονος), the care of widows, the honoring of elders, and the proper treatment of slaves. Woven throughout these practical instructions is a persistent concern about false teachers who have wandered into speculative myths, endless genealogies, and disputes about the law (1 Timothy 1:3-7). Paul urges Timothy to guard the deposit of sound doctrine (ὑγιαίνουσα διδασκαλία, "healthy teaching"), to set an example for the believers in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity, and to fight the good fight of faith (1 Timothy 6:12).

Structure

1 Timothy can be divided into several major sections:

Greeting and Charge Against False Teaching (chapter 1): Paul greets Timothy, warns against false teachers in Ephesus, and recounts his own experience of God's mercy as an example of the gospel's transforming power.
Instructions for Corporate Worship (chapter 2): Directions for public prayer on behalf of all people, grounded in the truth that there is one God and one mediator, and instructions concerning the conduct of men and women in worship.
Qualifications for Church Leaders (chapter 3): The character requirements for overseers and deacons, culminating in a confession about the mystery of godliness.
Warning Against Apostasy and Counsel to Timothy (chapter 4): A prophecy of later departures from the faith, followed by encouragement for Timothy to train himself in godliness and to be a faithful minister of Christ.
Conduct Toward Various Groups (chapter 5): Guidelines for relating to older and younger men and women, the enrollment and care of widows, and the honoring and discipline of elders.
Final Instructions and Charge (chapter 6): Teaching on the conduct of slaves, the danger of false teaching and the love of money, the call to fight the good fight of faith, and a closing charge to guard the deposit entrusted to Timothy.

Chapters

1Paul greets Timothy, warns against false teachers promoting myths and genealogies, testifies to God's grace shown to him as the foremost of sinners, and charges Timothy to wage the good warfare of faith.
2Paul instructs the church to pray for all people — especially rulers — affirms that there is one God and one mediator between God and men, and gives directions for the conduct of men and women in worship.
3Paul sets out the qualifications for overseers and deacons in the church, and declares that the church is the pillar and foundation of the truth, confessing the great mystery of godliness.
4Paul warns that some will abandon the faith in later times by following deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, and urges Timothy to be a good servant of Christ by training in godliness and setting an example for the believers.
5Paul gives instructions for how Timothy should relate to older and younger men and women, establishes criteria for enrolling widows in the church's care, and provides guidance on honoring, compensating, and disciplining elders.
6Paul instructs slaves to honor their masters, warns against those who teach a different doctrine and pursue wealth, charges Timothy to flee these things and fight the good fight of faith, and closes with a command to guard the deposit entrusted to him.