1 Timothy 1:1-2: My Own Son in the Faith
2021-08-30
First Timothy is the first of the three Pastoral Epistles. These letters are collectively given this name because the addressees had oversight of and appointed elders in local churches. Timothy is in Ephesus to solidify the church there and bring it to maturity. This letter contains principles on how to bring a church to maturity. It contains things things such as combating false doctrine, appointing elders and deacons, proper behavior in church, how to handle the needs of widdows, etc.
Human Author (1:1)
Paul, the human author of the letter, is an “an apostle of Jesus Christ” (1 Timothy 1:1). The writer is called such because he had seen the risen Lord (Acts 9:5). Being an apostle gave him authority to establish churches, and he was also a vessel used to write much of the New Testament. Clearly, apostleship is “by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope” (1 Timothy 1:1). Apostleship is not designated by human authority or by one’s inclination.
The phrase “God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope” is significant. God, whom we would likely assume to be God the Father, is the Savior, and Jesus Christ, the Son, is our hope. In many places, Jesus Christ is declared our Savior (e.g., Titus 3:6). We can clearly see the deity of the Lord Jesus because of this designation, though He is distinct from the Father. Because God is our Savior, a salvation demonstrated in the past by the sacrifice of the Son of God at Calvary, the Son also is our hope. This hope is focused on His future return.
Original Addressee (1:2)
Paul addresses the recipient Timothy (or Timotheus) as “my own son in the faith” (1 Timothy 1:2). Clearly, this man is not a reference to a physical relative to Paul, as he was unmarried (1 Corinthians 7:8). One might possibly suggest that Paul led Timothy to the Lord, as he led Onesimus to the Lord: “my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds” (Philemon 1:10). However, this is unlikely because when Paul meets Timothy at the first, he is already referred to as a disciple (Acts 16:1). Therefore, this reference to Timothy being his son refers to a close relationship between them as a mentor and an apprentice. Moreover, Paul had no children, and Timothy was young (1 Timothy 4:12), and Acts 16:1 implies that Timothy’s father may have either been deceased or was not a believer. Paul may have been closer than a father to Timothy.
As part of his greeting, Paul writes: “Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Timothy 1:2). Grace, often described as the unmerited favor of God, is one of the fundamental characteristics of God’s attitude toward Christians. We occupy the seat of God’s blessing only because of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice at Calvary.
Mercy is the aspect that we deserve condemnation, but the Lord withholds that condemnation. The basis, once again, is Jesus at Calvary. Because of this, “we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). This is more than well wishes; these three attributes are genuine possessions of Timothy and every other believer in Christ. Read further here.