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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