Chapter 1
Salutation
Address. 1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and Christ Jesus our hope, 2 to Timothy, my loyal child in the faith: grace, mercy, and peace to you from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
Timothy, Champion of the Truth
On Holding Fast to Sound Doctrine. When I was setting out for Macedonia, I urged you to stay on in Ephesus to instruct certain people that they are not to teach erroneous doctrines
4 and not to concern themselves with myths and endless genealogies. These promote controversies and do not produce godly edification in faith. 5 The aim of this instruction is love that derives from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith. 6 Some people have departed from these and turned to empty speculation, 7 desiring to be teachers of the Law; but they understand neither the words they are using nor the matters about which they make such confident assertions.
Purpose of the Law. 8 We are well aware that the Law is good, provided that one uses it properly, 9 recognizing that laws are not designed for the upright. They are for the lawless and insubordinate, for the godless and sinful, for the unholy and irreligious; they are for those who slay their fathers and mothers, for murderers, 10 for those who are fornicators, sodomites, slave traders, liars, perjurers, and for whatever else is contrary to the sound teaching 11 that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which has been entrusted to me.
12 Called To Preach the Gospel. I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord who has given me strength, because he judged me trustworthy and appointed me to his service, 13 even though in the past I was a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man. However, I have been treated with mercy because I had acted out of ignorance and unbelief. 14 As a result, the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and the love that are in Christ Jesus.
15 This saying can be trusted and merits complete acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. I myself am the greatest of these. 16 But for that very reason I was treated mercifully, so that in me Jesus Christ might exhibit his inexhaustible patience, making me an example for those who would come to believe in him for eternal life. 17 To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
18 Never Falsify the Gospel. To you, Timothy, my child, I am giving these instructions in accordance with those prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight 19 with faith and a good conscience. Some people have spurned their conscience and destroyed their faith. 20 Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander whom I have handed over to Satan so that they may learn not to blaspheme.
Footnotes
- 1 Timothy 1:1
- 1 Timothy 1:1
- 1 Timothy 1:3
3
They claim to be teachers of the Law, but they preach nonsense. Hence, they must be reminded that the Law is primarily a discipline of life rather than an object of speculation (see Rom 7:12-16; Gal 3:19); above all, the importance of a sane doctrine that fixes one’s thoughts and guides one’s life must be inculcated in them. In the midst of an anarchic agitation, Christians must always come back to the profound meaning of the Gospel, exemplified by Paul’s life and vocation.
- 1 Timothy 1:3
- 1 Timothy 1:10
- 1 Timothy 1:15
- 1 Timothy 1:17
- 1 Timothy 1:18
- 1 Timothy 1:20
