1 Timothy 1

Setting the scene

Who wrote it: Paul (debated)
Who it was for: Timothy, in Ephesus
What was happening: Paul has left Timothy in Ephesus to deal with teachers of "a different doctrine"; the aim of the command is love

Read the full background in the book overview

What’s happening

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus "according to the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ our hope," writes to Timothy, "my true child in faith," with grace, mercy, and peace. As he urged Timothy when he was "going into Macedonia," Timothy is to stay at Ephesus and "command certain men not to teach a different doctrine, and not to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which cause disputes, rather than God's stewardship, which is in faith." "The goal of this command is love, out of a pure heart and a good conscience and sincere faith." Some have missed the mark and turned to vain talking, "desiring to be teachers of the law, though they understand neither what they say, nor about what they strongly affirm." The law is good "if a person uses it lawfully": it is made for the lawless and insubordinate, a list that runs from the ungodly and profane through murderers, the sexually immoral, slave-traders, liars, and perjurers, "and for any other thing contrary to the sound doctrine, according to the Good News of the glory of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust." Paul thanks Christ Jesus, who counted him faithful and appointed him to service, "although I used to be a blasphemer, a persecutor, and insolent. However, I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief." The grace of the Lord "abounded exceedingly." "The saying is faithful and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief," and he received mercy so that Christ might display all his patience "for an example of those who were going to believe in him for eternal life." A doxology follows: "Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen." Paul then commits the instruction to Timothy "according to the prophecies which were given to you before, that by them you may wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience," which some have thrust away and "made a shipwreck concerning the faith." Two of them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, "whom I delivered to Satan, that they might be taught not to blaspheme."

Why the setting matters

Ephesus was a large, wealthy port city and the home of the great temple of Artemis; Paul had taught there for about three years (Acts 19; 20:31) and had warned its elders that harmful teachers would arise from among them (Acts 20:29-30). Now Timothy is left to meet exactly that. The false teachers are described only briefly, as people interested in "myths and endless genealogies" and in being "teachers of the law," and we are not told exactly what they taught; some have suggested a mix of Jewish stories about ancestors with speculation, and others have pointed to later ideas that we find in the second century. Paul's reply is not to out-argue them but to point to the aim of all teaching: love from a pure heart. The long list in 1:9-10 follows the pattern of the Ten Commandments (dishonoring parents, murder, sexual sin, stealing in the form of kidnapping and selling people, false witness), which is why it is easy to see the law behind it. The list includes a word in 1:10 (arsenokoites) whose exact meaning is debated; it is rare in the Greek of the time. Paul's own story in 1:12-16 is the reply to those who think the law alone is enough: the one who persecuted the church was shown mercy and is the pattern of the patience of Christ. Whether Paul himself wrote this letter is debated (see the overview); the account of Paul's past here matches his own words in Galatians 1:13 and 1 Corinthians 15:9.

Read 1 Timothy 1 (World English Bible)

Who’s in this chapter

Paul

Writes to Timothy, remembering that he was a blasphemer and persecutor who received mercy.

Timothy

Left in Ephesus to command certain men not to teach a different doctrine.

The false teachers

Occupied with myths, genealogies, and the law without understanding.

Hymenaeus and Alexander

Named as two who have made shipwreck of the faith.

Christ Jesus

Who came into the world to save sinners and counted Paul faithful.

Talk it through

Paul says the goal of the command is "love out of a pure heart and a good conscience and sincere faith." How would you test a teaching against that aim?
Paul calls himself "chief" of sinners and also says he obtained mercy because he acted ignorantly. How do the two statements fit together?
The law is "good, if a person uses it lawfully." What would it mean to use it unlawfully?
Hymenaeus and Alexander are named, and Paul speaks of a "shipwreck." What do you notice about how faith and a good conscience are linked?

Read 1 Timothy 1

World English Bible

¹Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ according to the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ our hope; ²to Timothy, my true child in faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

³As I urged you when I was going into Macedonia, stay at Ephesus that you might command certain men not to teach a different doctrine, ⁴and not to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which cause disputes, rather than God’s stewardship, which is in faith— ⁵but the goal of this command is love, out of a pure heart and a good conscience and sincere faith, ⁶from which things some, having missed the mark, have turned away to vain talking, ⁷desiring to be teachers of the law, though they understand neither what they say, nor about what they strongly affirm. ⁸But we know that the law is good, if a person uses it lawfully, ⁹as knowing this, that law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, ¹⁰for the sexually immoral, for homosexuals, for slave-traders, for liars, for perjurers, and for any other thing contrary to the sound doctrine, ¹¹according to the Good News of the glory of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.

¹²I thank him who enabled me, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he counted me faithful, appointing me to service; ¹³although I used to be a blasphemer, a persecutor, and insolent. However, I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. ¹⁴The grace of our Lord abounded exceedingly with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. ¹⁵The saying is faithful and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. ¹⁶However, for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first, Jesus Christ might display all his patience for an example of those who were going to believe in him for eternal life. ¹⁷Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

¹⁸I commit this instruction to you, my child Timothy, according to the prophecies which were given to you before, that by them you may wage the good warfare, ¹⁹holding faith and a good conscience, which some having thrust away made a shipwreck concerning the faith, ²⁰of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I delivered to Satan, that they might be taught not to blaspheme.

Text: World English Bible, Public domain. About our sources

Key words

apostolos · apostle, one sent
"Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ" (1:1).
sōtēr · savior
"God our Savior" (1:1).
elpis · hope
"The Lord Jesus Christ our hope" (1:1).
téknon · child
"My true child in faith" (1:2) and "my child Timothy" (1:18).
charis · grace, favor
"Grace, mercy, and peace" (1:2) and "the grace of our Lord abounded" (1:14).
eleos · mercy
"Grace, mercy, and peace" (1:2).
eleeō · to show mercy
"I obtained mercy" (1:13, 1:16).
eirēnē · peace
"Grace, mercy, and peace" (1:2).
parangéllō · command
"That you might command certain men not to teach a different doctrine" (1:3).
heterodidaskaléō · teach a different doctrine
"Not to teach a different doctrine" (1:3). The word appears only here and in 6:3.
mŷthos · myth
"Myths and endless genealogies" (1:4).
genealogía · genealogy
"Endless genealogies" (1:4).
oikonomía · stewardship, management
"God's stewardship, which is in faith" (1:4).
agapē · love
"The goal of this command is love" (1:5).
katharós · pure
"Out of a pure heart" (1:5).
syneidēsis · conscience
"A good conscience" (1:5, 1:19).
anypókritos · sincere
"Sincere faith" (1:5).
astochéō · miss the mark
"Having missed the mark" (1:6).
mataiología · vain talking
"Turned away to vain talking" (1:6).
nomodidáskalos · teachers of the law
"Desiring to be teachers of the law" (1:7).
nomos · law
"The law is good, if a person uses it lawfully" (1:8-9).
nomímōs · lawfully
"If a person uses it lawfully" (1:8).
kalós · good
"The law is good" (1:8) and "the good warfare" (1:18).
asebḗs · ungodly
"For the ungodly and sinners" (1:9).
andrapodistḗs · slave-trader
"For slave-traders" (1:10). The word appears only here.
arsenokoítēs · one who lies with a male (debated)
One word in the list of vices in 1:10, a rare word; its exact meaning is debated.
hygiaínō · sound
"The sound doctrine" (1:10).
didaskalía · teaching, doctrine
"The sound doctrine" (1:10).
euangelion · good news, gospel
"The Good News of the glory of the blessed God" (1:11).
endynamóō · to strengthen, to empower
"Who enabled me, Christ Jesus our Lord" (1:12).
pistós · faithful
"He counted me faithful" (1:12) and "the saying is faithful" (1:15).
blásphēmos · blasphemer
"I used to be a blasphemer" (1:13).
hybristḗs · insolent
"A persecutor, and insolent" (1:13).
agnoéō · be ignorant
"I did it ignorantly in unbelief" (1:13).
hyperpleonázō · abounded exceedingly
"The grace of our Lord abounded exceedingly" (1:14). The word appears only here.
apodochḗ · acceptance
"Worthy of all acceptance" (1:15).
hamartōlos · sinner, sinful
"To save sinners, of whom I am chief" (1:15).
makrothymía · patience, long-suffering
"Jesus Christ might display all his patience" (1:16).
hypotýpōsis · example
"For an example of those who were going to believe" (1:16).
aiōnios · eternal, of the age to come
"For eternal life" (1:16).
basileus · king
"Now to the King eternal" (1:17).
áphthartos · immortal
"Immortal" (1:17).
aóratos · invisible
"Invisible" (1:17).
doxa · glory
"Be honor and glory forever" (1:17).
prophēteía · prophecy
"According to the prophecies which were given to you before" (1:18).
strateúomai · wage warfare
"That by them you may wage the good warfare" (1:18).
nauagéō · to be shipwrecked
"Made a shipwreck concerning the faith" (1:19).
Satanâs · Satan, the adversary
"Whom I delivered to Satan" (1:20).
paideúō · instruct
"That they might be taught not to blaspheme" (1:20).
blasphēmeō · to blaspheme, to speak against
"Not to blaspheme" (1:20).
pistis · faith, trust
"Sincere faith" (1:5) and "holding faith and a good conscience" (1:19).

See all word studies

Cross-references

Acts 20:28-31, after my departing, grievous wolves will enter in among you... from among your own selves, men will arise, speaking perverse things
Galatians 1:13-16, you have heard of my way of living in time past in the Jews' religion
1 Corinthians 15:9-10, I am the least of the apostles... but by the grace of God I am what I am
Romans 7:12, so that the law indeed is holy, and the commandment holy, and righteous, and good

Also linked by other readers

Mark 2:17, from 1 Timothy 1:15
Luke 19:10, from 1 Timothy 1:15
John 3:16-17, from 1 Timothy 1:15

Ranked by reader votes: OpenBible.info Cross References, CC BY. About our sources