1 Timothy 1:1-2 - A Letter to Timothy - Greetings

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope:
2 To Timothy, my true son in the faith. Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

vs. 1 - This letter opening is typical of the others in the New Testament. When we write letters, we usually start off with, "Dear ... ," and end with "Sincerely, ... " and the name of the writer. I am not sure if letters were sent with a return address on the envelope. Letters were like most books which were rolled up scrolls, and not written on paper at all.

"apostle" - Paul establishes his bona fides immediately. There were only twelve or thirteen apostles of the Christian church - the original eleven disciples (twelve minus Judas Iscariot), the replacement Matthias (Acts 1:23-26), and Paul. These were taught by Jesus Christ - the twelve followed Jesus during His earthly ministry. Paul was taught by Jesus, after the encounter on the road to Damascus. There were other disciples - Barnabas, Epaphras, Silas and Timothy who were dedicated to the gospel. None of these are described as 'apostles'. Apostleship includes a certain authority; not a power-to-rule type authority, but an official imprimatur as someone who was instructed by Jesus.

"by the command" - The position of Apostle in the church of Jesus Christ was a selected group and voluntary. By this I mean they were tapped on the shoulder and Jesus said, "I want you to follow me, and spread the gospel." It was not like the masses of people seeking healing or some other miracle. The apostles were called to serve, and are a sub-set of believers, a sub-set of the original disciples. They agreed to the command and served to the end of their lives. These were not men who jumped on a bandwagon of a famous and successful candidate. There was no popularity vote, no campaign to get people to choose who would serve.

"God our Savior and of Christ Jesus" - This emphasizes the trinity, or at least two-thirds of the trinity. Jesus is our Savior. He died on the cross for us. He is the resurrection from the dead for us. Our hope is on Him. Jesus is God; God is Jesus. (John 14:9) God is our Savior. Some will say they believe God, but not Jesus.
It makes no sense to say God is our Savior, but Jesus is not.
If Jesus is not God, there is no adequate sacrifice for sin.
If there is no full payment, one that God will accept as paid-in-full, we are dead.
There is no hope because there is nothing we can do to earn His full approval. That is, there is no work we can do to open the doors of heaven for us. Believing and accepting Christ as Lord and Savior is the only "do" we can do. The price has been fully paid, our certificate of death which was against us has been nailed to the cross. (Col. 1:14).

vs. 2 - "Timothy" - A young disciple who was Paul's companion in many of his journeyings. Timothy’s mother, Eunice, and his grandmother, Lois raised him in a godly family. Paul met Timothy meet in Lystra where he was converted. Paul may have been the witness that brought Timothy to the Lord. Paul arranged that Timothy should become his companion, and he went with Paul’s journey through Phrygia, Galatia, and Mysia; also to Troas and Philippi and Berea (Act 17:14). Paul sent him from Athens with Silas to Thessalonica (Acts 17:15; 1 Th. 3:2). He went to Corinth with Paul (1 Th. 1:1; 2 Th. 1:1). He is sent on a mission into Macedonia. When the apostle was a prisoner at Rome, Timothy may have also been imprisoned. After Paul died, Timothy may have returned to Ephesus and may have died as a martyr. I say “may have” because the historical data is scant.

"grace, mercy, and peace" - three qualities we receive from God - grace when we get what we don't deserve; mercy because God takes pity on us by not giving us the wrath we do deserve (1 Cor. 7:25; 2 Cor. 4:1), and peace for now we are no longer at war with Him - we are friends (more than friends - family) See: 1 John 3:1,2; Rom. 8:16, 9:8; 2 Cor. 6:18; Hos. 1:10; Rev. 21:7.

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Outline and Summary of Paul's First Letter to Timothy

Written by: The Apostle Paul
When written: ~ 63 A.D.
Suggested Theme verse: "to let you know how people ought to conduct themselves" (3:15)

Purpose:

Paul is writing to encourage Timothy, a young leader of a church. I was going to say a new church, but then thought, "All the churches were new!" Almost no churches had been around for years or decades. There was very little church tradition. Some Jewish tradition had filtered over into the new Christian churches, but this was a new enterprise.
Most religions at the time were centered on Greek or Roman gods. There were very few organizations in which people were 'discipled', taught and trained in their belief system.
I don't think there were any 'churches' in which people were taught how to worship Caesar or Neptune. There were temples for Aphrodite, or Zeus, but I doubt there was much training, except for priests and acolytes. Did Caesar-worship have a bible? Did Zeus or Mars have a bible?
The Jews had synagogues, in which people came together regularly to be taught from their scriptures. Synagogues were local, for each village or neighborhood. People did not make the trek to Jerusalem for everyday worship, only for the major Holy Day sacrifices. In some ways, the church copied the practice of the Jews - getting together once a week to be taught. In addition, the teaching and practices of the church were radically different from all other religions (except for Judaism - both believed in God - and Christianity shared the Jewish Scriptures as their foundational documents.)

Paul tells Timothy people who are trying to get the Ephesus church to fall back into following the strictures of the Law don't know what they are talking about. After dealing with the problem of the Law, then Paul spends the rest of the letter helping Timothy guide the church in dealing with the family members. The interpersonal relationships of a group of people is complex. Even though we are 'new creations, all things have become new' (2 Cor. 5:17), our personalities, needs, and wants are all thrown into the church membership pot and stirred. The administration of a group of people requires both planners and doers, servants and those served, leaders and followers. I believe the Holy Spirit leads Paul to lay out a local church hierarchy, and guidelines for dealing with the believers.

Go through the letter, and see how God wants us to treat and work with each other in the church. Who will lead us? Elders. Who will serve us, help us in need? Deacons. Who should do these jobs? Upstanding citizens. Who should they serve? Widows. Old people. Slaves, Masters, Young men. Young women.Those who are in need. You know who they are, just look around you. They are your fellow believers. You see them every day, every church gathering.

Outline
Chap. 1
1:1-2 - Greeting
1:3-5 - Urging correct instruction
1:6-11 - They do not understand the law
1:12-17 - God's mercy shown to Paul
1:18-20 - Timothy reminded of his calling

Chap. 2
2:1-8 - Pray!
2:9-15 - Rules for Women

Chap. 3
3:1-13 - Rules for Overseers or Deacons
3:14-15 - Desire to come to you
3:16 - Compact Gospel

Chap. 4
4:1-5 - Some will stray
4:6-11 - Teaching the truth is good
4:12-16 - Stay faithful to your calling

Chap. 5 - Rules For harmonious living
5:1-2 - Old people
5:3-6 - Dealing with widows - part 1
5:7-8 - Realize your Responsibilities
5:9-10 - Starting a List...
5:11-16 - Dealing with Younger Widows - part 2
5:17-18 - Elders Are Your Leaders
5:19-20 - Accusations Against Leaders
5:21-23 - Keep yourself pure
5:24-25 - Behavior will be revealed

Chap. 6 - Rules for harmonious living
6:1-2 - Slaves and masters
6:3-5 - Fruit of false teaching
6:6-10 - The love of money...
6:11-12 - A charge to Timothy
6:13-16 - Jesus is the One
6:17-19 - Teach the rich
6:20-21 - Protect your calling
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Summary:

Background information:

Timothy had been left by Paul in Ephesus, or sent to Ephesus, to correct some false teaching being preached there. This letter also sets up a leadership structure for the local church. At this time the main church structure was located in Jerusalem where most of the apostles were living. Peter, John, John, and Luke were the main leaders in the Jerusalem church. Barnabas brought Paul to Jerusalem to be 'approved' by the council to be a missionary. See Acts 9:26-30.

Paul and Barnabas went to Jerusalem to be blessed and sent out to evangelize. See: Acts 15:1-21. They needed the approval of the 'twelve' to go to the Gentiles. Without that approval, there is no way to know if they were actually part of the Christian faith or charlatans in it for profit. In each city, or village, where believers were found, they came together to support each other. This support is important because what they were doing was completely new.
In any group of people, whether a drug gang, a golf players club, or a church, leaders will emerge. People who will study, who will demonstrate themselves as the ones who may have answers to questions such as: "How do we..."; or "What is the proper way to..."; and "Can you help?" Likewise, in any collection of people, there are those that want to be in control of others - whether for good or ill will.

From the Jewish tradition, there were people called or appointed to care for those in their tribe or neighborhood. For example, Moses could not manage the Israelites - there were too many with too many issues. See: Exo. 18:13-21. Even the first church in Jerusalem was too much for the twelve apostles. There were people appointed to handle problems and issues. Everything that happened in the Jerusalem church was not personally directed by the apostles. They delegated the work and responsibility. See: Acts 6:1-7.

One of the major differences between the Jewish religion and other religions of the time - the Roman or Greek gods - is the Jewish God was solitary, and not an eclectic group of 'super' individuals. This monotheism was/is unique, and their behavior was to be based on their relationship with God.
One of the major differences between the Jewish religion and the Christian religion involves the personal relationship each believer has with God. I do not mean God was remote from the individual Jew. Each person could call upon God, and come and pray to Him. God promised to listen when they prayed, when they sought Him with all their heart. Yet, there was no way for the average Joseph to offer a sacrifice in the Temple. Sacrifice were brought to the Temple, handed over to the priests who performed the ritual for the believer. The whole dynamic changed when Christ came to earth as a human, to be sacrificed and resurrected.

Jesus said if you believe in Me, I will be in you, you will be in Me, and I am giving you the Holy Spirit of God to teach, instruct, guide, comfort, and help you. You are not alone anymore. When you pray I will always hear you because I am in you. When you don't know what to pray (especially during stressful situations) the Holy Spirit will speak for you. The Spirit knows your needs. This personal relationship with God means that individuals do not need a priest to guide them, to teach them. Priests were no longer necessary to perform rituals. There are no longer sacrifices for atonement, cleansing, purification.
Priests are not a bad thing, just not required for faith in Christ. That being said, there will always be people who struggle with studying and applying information for living their lives. There will always be people who thrive in study and synthesizing concepts for understanding and living for Jesus. There will always be people who are better at organizing and leading groups, and there are always followers. Leaders, teachers, servers, and followers imply a hierarchy or structure for the church organization.

Paul is not addressing the ecclesiastical structure of the world wide church, if such a thing is necessary. He is giving instruction for local church body organization. How to choose leaders for our local church. The guidelines for leader criteria are started here in this letter.

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Note: My intent was to have each verse of the chapter included usually in italics, with discussion following. Sometimes if there were significant phrases or words, these are handled separately, and will be shown underlined. Verses quoted as reference or explanation will be italics with the address bold.
Please forgive fractured grammar, and partial sentences. These were notes written as I thought and prayed during the study. The truncated written thought was fully developed in my mind, or so I like to believe.

Col. 4:7-18 - Closings and greetings

See note 1

Vs. 7-9 - Tychicus, a dear brother, faithful minister, and fellow slave in the Lord, will tell you all the news about me. I sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are doing and that he may encourage your hearts. I sent him with Onesimus, the faithful and dear brother, who is one of you. They will tell you about everything here.

- Two fellow workers with Paul and Timothy were being sent to the people of Colossae to cheer them up and give them all the news, and exhortation. Note: not counting Timothy there are ten (10) workers listed in this letter. (1) Tychicus (name means 'chance') is mentioned in Acts 20, so is a long time helper with Paul. (2) Onesimus is perhaps more 'famous' because he was a slave, owned by Philemon. Onesimus runs away, eventually meets up with Paul and is converted. Paul convinces him to return voluntarily to Philemon (see the letter to Philemon). Onesimus and Tychicus are given the important jobs of delivering news to the churches in Macedonia area.

Vs. 10-14 - Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, sends you greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas (about whom you received instructions; if he comes to you, welcome him). And Jesus who is called Justus also sends greetings. In terms of Jewish converts, these are the only fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me. Epaphras, who is one of you and a slave of Christ, greets you. He is always struggling in prayer on your behalf, so that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God. For I can testify that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and Hierapolis. Our dear friend Luke the physician and Demas greet you.

- further listing of fellow workers (3) Aristarchus, (4) Mark - the author of the gospel; (5) Justus; (6) Epaphras; (7) Luke - author of the gospel and Acts; (8) Demas.
- Note: Epaphras worked hard for the church at Colossae, which he probably started. He prayed earnestly for them because of his concern for them and they might become mature in Christ. Mark served with Paul and Barnabas until a disagreement between Pauls and Barnabas arose concerning Mark. Paul and Barnabas part ways. Paul begins working with Silas, Mark leaves with Barnabas; they are cousins, so the Christian faith must have been shared in their family. See: Acts 15. Some time later, Paul and Mark resolve their differences, and Mark joins Paul in his ministry.

Vs. 15-18 - Give my greetings to the brothers and sisters who are in Laodicea and to Nympha and the church that meets in her house. And after you have read this letter, have it read to the church of Laodicea. In turn, read the letter from Laodicea as well. And tell Archippus, "See to it that you complete the ministry you received in the Lord. I, Paul, write this greeting by my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.

- Two more workers for Christ added to the list: (9) Nympha, (10) Archippus.
- "Nympha" - A woman sited as a founder, or at least a supporter of the New Testament church. Although Jewish tradition and also the surrounding culture did not really recognize women as 'people', the church founded on Christ definitely has a significant role for them. The ministry of the church elevates women from the time that Jesus starts His ministry, even before His death and resurrection. Mary, Martha, Mary Magdalene, the Samaritan woman at the well are all significant to His ministry.
To whom did Jesus first appear after the resurrection? - A woman, Mary.

Following up, the Apostles did not shun or berate women for their contribution. Women hold prominent places in the early church - see Acts, and the letters written by Paul and others.

Archippus is also listed in the letter to Philemon, and called a good soldier for Christ.

Final instructions "Read this letter and pass it on. Read the other letter when it arrives" I don't think that second letter was kept and preserved to be considered for the canon. And lastly an encouraging word for Archippus, "Don't forget you have been called into the ministry, be sure to do it always."

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End of Letter
note 1: The Bible Study NOtes for Col. 4:2-6 got posted in Jan. 2016 - ?! - No, I don’t know why or how. Ain’t technology wonderful - when it works...