Introduction to 1 Timothy

First Timothy shows what it looks like when a church goes astray and how to get it back on track. Prior to writing 1 Timothy, Paul had left his apprentice Timothy in Ephesus to instill sound teaching and practices. The church leaders in Ephesus were focused, not on proclaiming Jesus, but on promoting and protecting their own privileges. Paul was always concerned with removing hindrances to the Christian mission, and he wanted to resolve the problems in Ephesus so there would be no obstacles for the gospel.

Background

First Timothy’s opening verse names Paul as its author. He would have written 1 Timothy and the two other Pastoral Letters (2 Timothy and Titus) toward the end of his life during the mid-60s ad, sometime after his captivity in Rome (circa ad 61–63). However, there is modern debate about the authorship of the Pastoral Letters. The theory often proposed is that after Paul’s death—in the late first or early second century ad—the Pastoral Letters were written by one of Paul’s close associates in tribute to him, to record ideas developed from his teachings.

This theory of pseudonymous authorship is based on supposed inconsistencies between the Pastoral Letters and Paul’s other letters in vocabulary, writing style, and the treatment of particular church matters such as leadership. It is difficult to align the events and tactics described in the Pastoral Letters with Acts and Paul’s other letters. Also, the false teachings opposed in the Pastoral Letters align better with known problems of the second century than the 60s ad.

However, the Pastoral Letters could reflect different circumstances: Paul was writing to an individual rather than a congregation, addressing very specific situations, and possibly dictating to a different scribe (compare Rom 16:22). In addition, Acts and Paul’s other letters may not record the full church leadership structure, and Paul’s views could have progressed as a response to the false teachers and his imminent death. Either way, early on in church history, all 13 of the New Testament letters ascribed to Paul were received as an authentic and authoritative collection.

Paul sent Timothy as his representative on several important missions—to Thessalonica (1 Thess 3:1–6), Corinth (1 Cor 4:17; 16:10), Philippi (Phil 2:19–24), and now Ephesus (see the “Introduction to 2 Timothy”).

The problem in the Ephesian church was false teaching. Paul needed to leave for Macedonia (1 Tim 1:3), so he left Timothy behind to handle this issue. The false teaching apparently was coming from the church’s leaders (3:1–16; 5:17–25), which is why Paul had to write to Timothy. Although the letter has Timothy’s name on it, Paul also is speaking through him to the congregation.

The false teachers wrongly placed too much value on genealogies, myths (1:4), and special rules about food and marriage (4:3). They also were conceited (6:3–5) and motivated by greed (6:6–10)—and they loved to argue about theology (1:5–7).

Structure

First Timothy is structured like a typical Graeco-Roman letter—it contains a greeting, main body, and conclusion. After a brief greeting (1:1–2), Paul charges Timothy with rooting out false teaching (1:3–20). The body of the letter begins with Paul’s instructions for proper Christian conduct (2:1–3:16). He then applies this to men and women in the Ephesian church (2:1–15) and to general leadership (3:1–13). The next section (3:14–4:16) begins with Paul’s reason for emphasizing conduct: The church provides a foundation for the truth (3:14–16). He then contrasts false teaching (4:1–5) with the sound teaching that Timothy needs to provide (4:6–16).

In the final major section (5:1–6:19), Paul offers instructions for particular groups of people in the church. He discusses the behavior of widows (5:3–16), elders (5:17–25), and slaves (6:1–2). Then he comments on the greed of the false teachers (6:2–10), contrasting them with the attitude that Timothy ought to model (6:11–19). Paul closes the letter with a blessing (6:20–21), encouraging Timothy to not deviate from the truth.

Outline

• Greeting and instructions on dealing with false teaching (1:1–20)

• Instructions on conduct (2:1–3:13)

• Contrasting sound teaching with false teaching (3:14–4:16)

• Instructions about particular groups and closing exhortation to Timothy (5:1–6:21)

Themes

First Timothy shows the power, and need for, Christ-focused teaching. It leads to godly conduct, peace, and the advancement of God’s mission in the world. False teaching leads to conflict within the church and a bad reputation in the wider community.

Paul instructs believers to counteract the bad example of others by being a good example. We have the assurance that only our relationship with God, through Christ, can truly transform a person (1:12–16; 4:12).

Further Reading

The Pastoral Letters

Timothy CLBD

Pastoral Letters CLBD