(1 Timothy Part 1): Pastoral Instruction. Written to Timothy who was pastoring in Ephesus. Paul presents principles and instructions that should prevail in a local church.
1 Timothy 1:1 - Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope;
It starts out saying Paul, an apostle. Now here he is, he's known Timothy for 15 to 20 years, and he puts his apostolic title on the book, like he has to show Timothy his authority, which he doesn't have to do. But Paul puts his title so that when Timothy ministers in the church and puts the church in order and someone challenges him, he can say this is not from me, but this is from God to the apostle Paul to us.
And he can prove that the apostle Paul gave him the instructions to do what he's doing. I think that's very important to understand.
But please notice what it says:
By the commandment of God our Saviour. More than in any other places of scripture, Paul, in talking to Timothy about proper doctrine, always calls Jesus God. God is our Savior! Then he says and Lord Jesus Christ, who is our hope;
The bible says in Romans 8 that God has created all things to be without hope. Things are constantly changing, constantly unstable, and people can't find satisfaction, and people can't find happiness. Well, God planned it that way so that you can only find hope in Jesus Christ!
The Greek word hope, ELPIDZO, doesn't mean hope like a wish. It is a hope of certainty, certain expectation. So, our hope is in Christ. We know for certain He's coming back. But if I die first, I'm going to go into His presence. And that's a hope the world does not have.
1 Timothy 1:13 - Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.
Who was before a blasphemer. Paul blasphemed God. He was a persecutor. He used to chase down Christians and have them put to death or put in prison. And he says I was injurious: which literally comes from the Greek word that means insulting to the people of God. He says but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.
Very interesting where Paul says that if a person is a non-believer, they don't know that they have no purpose and are going directly against Christ. When Jesus died on the cross, He said on the cross to the Father, "Father forgive them, for they do not know what they're doing." Well, they knew that they were having Him crucified. They wanted Him dead. They wanted Him gone.
But what is interesting, in Peter's first message after Pentecost, in Acts Chapter 2, Peter said this Jesus in whom you crucified. He's talking to the very people that had Christ crucified. And he said had you have known who He was, you probably wouldn't have crucified Him. That's why Jesus said Father, they don't really know what they're doing.
They knew what they were doing as far as the activity. But they didn't know that they were taking Messiah and killing Him or killing God's Son. Paul says I was all these things. I was a blasphemer. I was a persecutor. I was insulting to God's people. But God had mercy on me because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.
1 Timothy 1:14 - And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.
And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, and according to the Greek text, it says this grace that was abundant, it produced faith, with faith and love, AGAPE love, and in the Greek, it literally says "This love which is in Christ Jesus." That is to say the AGAPE love is in Christ. It's His love that overflowed onto Paul.
1 Timothy 1:12 - And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;
He says I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has enabled me. Literally the Greek word is a participle that means empowering me. The Lord is continuously empowering Paul, enabling him to do whatever it is the Lord wants him to do. It's not his own human effort.
For that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;
In 1 Corinthians Chapter 4, Paul says there's one thing that a person must be in order to be in any form of ministry, and that's faithfulness, to people, and to Christ. He says that he counted me faithful, putting me into ministry.
1 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 word charity is the word AGAPE love. The fulfillment of God's commandment brings you to maturity in God's love. It's not a human love. That is out of a pure heart. That's number one. Out of a good conscience, number two. And thirdly, out of faith unfeigned:
The word feigned means to act. Unfeigned of course means to not act. It's the word hypocrite with the negative in front of it. Hypocrite is actually a word from the Greek social system that named the actors that acted in theater. They're hypocrites. HUPOCRISIS (the word for hypocrite) means to answer according to the script.
Paul says the character of sound doctrine is going to produce maturity in love, it's going to come out of a pure heart, out of a good conscience towards God, and out of a faith that's not an act. It's the real thing!
1 Timothy 1:6 - From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling;
This phrase "vain jangling" is one Greek word that means empty talk. They've swerved aside from sound doctrine, and they're just into empty babblings that don't mean anything.
1 Timothy 1:10 - For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;
Whoremongers is the word PORNEA for pornography, meaning a prostitute. For them that defile themselves with mankind, one Greek word that means homosexuality. For menstealers, people who would steal others and sell them as slaves. For liars, for perjured persons, that is those who give false testimony.
And if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine; The word sound in the Greek is where we get our word hygiene from. It means healthy, whole doctrine, spiritually healthy for a person. It's not laws, and religion, and systems and practices.
1 Tmothy 1:2 - Unto Timothy, my own son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.
Unto Timothy, and he calls him my own son. Literally in the Greek text it's just my son, my genuine son. That's how he writes it. But he's not a son in the human sense, but he's a son in the faith:
1 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,
He says as I besought thee, and the word besought is literally the word to encourage. And this tips us off as we study the language of this book that he had to encourage Timothy and sometimes command him to go. It's not that he wasn't willing.
He says according as I encouraged, or besought thee to abide still in Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, in order that you might charge, or command some, that they teach no other doctrine.
Now the phrase "no other doctrine" is all one word in Greek, HETEROSDIDASKALOS. HETEROS means different. ALOS means different of the same kind, and HETEROS means different of a different kind. And so, what Paul is saying is very interesting. It is Paul's way of command and setting up his authority as we see when we go through this.
1 Timothy 1:4 - Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.
Neither give heed to fables, and that's the Greek word Myths, MUTHOS.
(1 Timothy Part 1): Pastoral Instruction. Written to Timothy who was pastoring in Ephesus. Paul presents principles and instructions that should prevail in a local church.
1 Timothy 1:1 - Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope;
It starts out saying Paul, an apostle. Now here he is, he's known Timothy for 15 to 20 years, and he puts his apostolic title on the book, like he has to show Timothy his authority, which he doesn't have to do. But Paul puts his title so that when Timothy ministers in the church and puts the church in order and someone challenges him, he can say this is not from me, but this is from God to the apostle Paul to us.
And he can prove that the apostle Paul gave him the instructions to do what he's doing. I think that's very important to understand.
But please notice what it says:
By the commandment of God our Saviour. More than in any other places of scripture, Paul, in talking to Timothy about proper doctrine, always calls Jesus God. God is our Savior! Then he says and Lord Jesus Christ, who is our hope;
The bible says in Romans 8 that God has created all things to be without hope. Things are constantly changing, constantly unstable, and people can't find satisfaction, and people can't find happiness. Well, God planned it that way so that you can only find hope in Jesus Christ!
The Greek word hope, ELPIDZO, doesn't mean hope like a wish. It is a hope of certainty, certain expectation. So, our hope is in Christ. We know for certain He's coming back. But if I die first, I'm going to go into His presence. And that's a hope the world does not have.
1 Timothy 1:13 - Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.
Who was before a blasphemer. Paul blasphemed God. He was a persecutor. He used to chase down Christians and have them put to death or put in prison. And he says I was injurious: which literally comes from the Greek word that means insulting to the people of God. He says but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.
Very interesting where Paul says that if a person is a non-believer, they don't know that they have no purpose and are going directly against Christ. When Jesus died on the cross, He said on the cross to the Father, "Father forgive them, for they do not know what they're doing." Well, they knew that they were having Him crucified. They wanted Him dead. They wanted Him gone.
But what is interesting, in Peter's first message after Pentecost, in Acts Chapter 2, Peter said this Jesus in whom you crucified. He's talking to the very people that had Christ crucified. And he said had you have known who He was, you probably wouldn't have crucified Him. That's why Jesus said Father, they don't really know what they're doing.
They knew what they were doing as far as the activity. But they didn't know that they were taking Messiah and killing Him or killing God's Son. Paul says I was all these things. I was a blasphemer. I was a persecutor. I was insulting to God's people. But God had mercy on me because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.
1 Timothy 1:14 - And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.
And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, and according to the Greek text, it says this grace that was abundant, it produced faith, with faith and love, AGAPE love, and in the Greek, it literally says "This love which is in Christ Jesus." That is to say the AGAPE love is in Christ. It's His love that overflowed onto Paul.
1 Timothy 1:12 - And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;
He says I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has enabled me. Literally the Greek word is a participle that means empowering me. The Lord is continuously empowering Paul, enabling him to do whatever it is the Lord wants him to do. It's not his own human effort.
For that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;
In 1 Corinthians Chapter 4, Paul says there's one thing that a person must be in order to be in any form of ministry, and that's faithfulness, to people, and to Christ. He says that he counted me faithful, putting me into ministry.
1 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 word charity is the word AGAPE love. The fulfillment of God's commandment brings you to maturity in God's love. It's not a human love. That is out of a pure heart. That's number one. Out of a good conscience, number two. And thirdly, out of faith unfeigned:
The word feigned means to act. Unfeigned of course means to not act. It's the word hypocrite with the negative in front of it. Hypocrite is actually a word from the Greek social system that named the actors that acted in theater. They're hypocrites. HUPOCRISIS (the word for hypocrite) means to answer according to the script.
Paul says the character of sound doctrine is going to produce maturity in love, it's going to come out of a pure heart, out of a good conscience towards God, and out of a faith that's not an act. It's the real thing!
1 Timothy 1:6 - From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling;
This phrase "vain jangling" is one Greek word that means empty talk. They've swerved aside from sound doctrine, and they're just into empty babblings that don't mean anything.
1 Timothy 1:10 - For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;
Whoremongers is the word PORNEA for pornography, meaning a prostitute. For them that defile themselves with mankind, one Greek word that means homosexuality. For menstealers, people who would steal others and sell them as slaves. For liars, for perjured persons, that is those who give false testimony.
And if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine; The word sound in the Greek is where we get our word hygiene from. It means healthy, whole doctrine, spiritually healthy for a person. It's not laws, and religion, and systems and practices.
1 Tmothy 1:2 - Unto Timothy, my own son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.
Unto Timothy, and he calls him my own son. Literally in the Greek text it's just my son, my genuine son. That's how he writes it. But he's not a son in the human sense, but he's a son in the faith:
1 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,
He says as I besought thee, and the word besought is literally the word to encourage. And this tips us off as we study the language of this book that he had to encourage Timothy and sometimes command him to go. It's not that he wasn't willing.
He says according as I encouraged, or besought thee to abide still in Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, in order that you might charge, or command some, that they teach no other doctrine.
Now the phrase "no other doctrine" is all one word in Greek, HETEROSDIDASKALOS. HETEROS means different. ALOS means different of the same kind, and HETEROS means different of a different kind. And so, what Paul is saying is very interesting. It is Paul's way of command and setting up his authority as we see when we go through this.
1 Timothy 1:4 - Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.
Neither give heed to fables, and that's the Greek word Myths, MUTHOS.
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