First Letter of St. Paul to Timothy
Title: This is the first letter of St.
Paul to his younger colleague Timothy. His name means either “honoring God” or
“honored by God”.
Date of
writing: There is a
standard view on the dates of writing – 62-65 AD (TLSB). Yet, Timothy
“disappears” out of the narrative of the Book of Acts in ch. 20. Therefore, we cannot
be sure that he was with Paul during his last visit to Jerusalem, imprisonment,
and the trip to Rome. IMHO, he – Timothy – is going back to Ephesus together
with the elders whom Paul summoned to Miletus before going to Jerusalem (Acts
20:17-38). Then the date goes back to 55-58.
Structure:
a. 1:1-2, Greeting
b. 1:3-20, stay
away from false doctrine
c. 2, Prayer
for the world and authorities because God saves all people
d. 3:1-13,
Bishops and deacons
e. 3:14-16,
confession of faith
f. 4:1-5, some will fall away
e’. 4:6-16,
hold this true confession
d’. 5,
relations to older people and elders of the congregation
c’. 6:1-2,
relations to the authorities outside of the church
b’. 6:3-19,
false teachings
a’. 6:20-21, Final greetings
Main
themes:
Preeminence
of stewardship (good order) of God over the myths, genealogies, vail
discussions, relying on what is falsely called “knowledge” (1 Tim. 6:20).
Good order
of the prayerful life for the sake of the whole world based on the fact that
Jesus is the only mediator between the Creator and all people.
Qualifications
for overseers (bishops) and deacons as ministers and relationship with the
older men and women in the congregation.
The central
point of the Epistle is the Christological hymn as a confession of faith
(3:14-16).
Main
Characters: Paul and
Timothy, and Hymenaeus and Alexander (as those who are opposing the work of St.
Paul, 1:19b-20).
Reflection
in other parts of the Bible:
The letter
should be correlated to the events of the Book of Acts chapters 16 to 20 –
second and third missionary journeys of St. Paul.
Discussing
the financial support of the ministers St. Paul reflects on the institutions of
Torah/the Law (Lev. 19:13; Deut. 24:15). But what is more surprising is the
fact that he quotes from the Gospel of Luke 10:7 saying “for the Scripture
says” (5:18).
Lutheran
teaching: The Book
of Concord picks up the idea of Jesus as the only mediator of redemption
between God the creation (1 Tim 2:5), using this verse in different documents.
It is an important statement by itself, but also as a frame of reference for a
proper understanding of the role of the saints (AC XX:9; XXI:2; SA III, XIII:1;
FC SD III:23).
Also, our
Confessions use 1 Tim. 4:1 as a Scriptural argument to equal the teaching of
demons and the attempts to use the traditions of the Church as the norm for
theology. (AC XXVIII:49; Ap. VII and VII (IV):40; XV (VIII):4; XXIII
(XI):58,63; XXVII (XIII):26; LC III:47).
Lutheran
hymnody:
LSB 378 –
Break Forth, o Beauteous Heavenly Light (1 Tim. 2:5)
LSB 905 –
Come, Thou Almighty King (6:14-16)
Relevancy
of the Book: This
Letter of St. Paul should have an important part in our Biblical reading for
three reasons. First, it shows us the challenges of the church of the First
century AD and the proposed godly ways to overcome them. Careful reading shows
that not much have changed in the nature of men and the challenges. Second, we
see very close relations between the Apostle and Timothy – he calls him “my
child” (1:18). It will be even more obvious in the Second Letter of St. Paul to
Timothy. Third, it is important to note the usage of quotations from Luke
labeled as Scripture (5:18).
Memory
verses:
4:16 – Keep
a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing
you will save both yourself and your hearers.
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