Verse By Verse Through First Timothy

Chapter One

I Timothy 1:1 “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope;”

• Paul is an Apostle of Christ by commandment of God the Father and Son (Acts 9:1-20, Romans 1:1, I Corinthians 1:1, II Corinthians 1:1, Galatians 1:1-12, Ephesians 3:1-8, Colossians 1:1, II Timothy 1:1, and II Timothy 1:8-11).
• Jesus Christ is our hope (Titus 2:13).
• Specifically, the hope we have in Christ is in the resurrection (I Corinthians 15:1-24 and I Peter 1:1-13).

• Paul took Timothy into his work after the division between Barnabas and himself (Acts 15:36-16:5).
• Timothy was unique in that Paul trusted him as one who was likeminded with Paul above others (Philippians 2:19-24).
• So, Paul could send Timothy and trusted him to teach what Paul had been teaching (I Corinthians 4:17 and I Corinthians 16:10).
• Timothy accompanied Paul at times (Acts 18:5 and Acts 20:4).
• Timothy was with Paul when Paul wrote various inspired letters and is even listed as the letter being from him as well at times (Romans 16:21, Philippians 1:1, Colossians 1:1, I Thessalonians 1:1, II Thessalonians 1:1, and Philemon 1:1).
• Timothy could be trusted to look in on brethren (I Thessalonians 3:1-6).
• Timothy was willing to suffer for Christ. He was imprisoned (Hebrews 13:23).
• Paul looked Timothy as his son in the faith (Titus 1:4; cf. Philippians 2:22 and Philemon 1:10).
• He refers to Timothy as his son multiple times (I Corinthians 4:17, I Timothy 1:18, II Timothy 1:2, and II Timothy 2:1).
• Teachers of God’s word looking at their students as children in the faith (John 13:33, I Corinthians 4:14, II Corinthians 6:13, Galatians 4:19, I John 2:12, I John 2:13, I John 2:18, I John 2:28, I John 3:7, I John 3:18, I John 4:4, I John 5:21, II John 1:4, and III John 1:3-4).
• Grace, mercy, and/or peace of common salutations in New Testament letters (Romans 1:7, I Corinthians 1:3, II Corinthians 1:2, Galatians 1:3, Ephesians 1:2, Philippians 1:2, Colossians 1:2, I Thessalonians 1:1, II Thessalonians 1:2, II Timothy 1:2, Titus 1:4, Philemon 1:3, I Peter 1:2, II Peter 1:2, II John 1:3, and Revelation 1:4).

• Paul had made multiple trips into Macedonia. This reference is difficult for me to tie into records in Acts. For example, I know for sure it is not Acts 19:21 because he didn’t leave Timothy in Ephesus at that point (Acts 19:22). It was not before Acts 19, because the congregation in Ephesus wasn’t in existence (Acts 19:1-7). After that, the record is difficult to know if not impossible.
• So, let’s focus on what Timothy was told to do. He was told to charge some that they teach no other doctrine.
• The Greek term translated “charge” [παραγγέλλω] is translated “command[ed]” twenty times of the thirty-one times the term is used in the New Testament (Matthew 10:5, Mark 6:8, Mark 8:6, Luke 5:14, Luke 8:29, Luke 9:21, Acts 1:4, etc.). The term is used four more times in this letter (I Timothy 4:11, I Timothy 5:7, I Timothy 6:13, and I Timothy 6:17).
• For an evangelist, who does not have the authority of an Apostle, to teach as a command; he must carry himself with some authority and boldness (I Thessalonians 2:1-2 and Titus 2:15). There is a difference in approaches. Though Jesus had the authority that Timothy does not, think about how His teaching was viewed differently than the scribes (Matthew 7:28-29).
• The charge, command - teach no other doctrine (Deuteronomy 4:1-2, Deuteronomy 12:32, Deuteronomy 27:26, Proverbs 23:23, Proverbs 30:5-6, Jeremiah 7:30-31, Mark 7:1-13, I Corinthians 4:6, Galatians 1:6-12, Ephesians 4:14-15, Ephesians 4:25, I Timothy 6:1-5, II Timothy 4:2, Titus 1:10-14, Titus 2:1, and II John 1:9-11).
• This does not mean that it is okay to hold to a false doctrine provided one does not teach it (Revelation 2:14-16).