Introduction to 1 & 2 Timothy

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In Paul’s two letters to Timothy, we have an invaluable resource: We have the privilege of seeing how Paul builds up a younger leader who is going through an overwhelming time in his ministry. Timothy was leading an enormous church in Ephesus, and it was filled with false teachers. Paul writes to Timothy in order to encourage him, coach him, and remind him of God’s faithfulness. As you read these letters, try to put yourself in Timothy’s shoes. Imagine what he was going through, and consider what he would’ve been thinking as he read these words from his friend and mentor, Paul.

Authorship: Internal Evidence. 2

Authorship: External Evidence. 7

Location. 8

Date. 9

What was the False Teaching in Ephesus?. 9

Who was Timothy?. 10

How to use this commentary well 12

Consulted Commentaries. 13

Commentary on 1 Timothy. 14

Commentary on 2 Timothy. 73

Authorship: Internal Evidence

Critical scholars deny that Paul wrote the Pastoral Epistles (1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus), even though these letters claim to be written by him, and the early Christians univocally held that these were written by Paul until the 19^th century in the wake of Enlightenment thinking and Higher Criticism. Critics usually marshal three central arguments in favor of this denial:

ARGUMENT #1: Paul mentions events in the Pastoral Epistles that are not recorded anywhere in the book of Acts

Critics point to several examples of historical events in the Pastoral Epistles that the book of Acts doesn’t contain:

Paul left Timothy in Ephesus and went to Macedonia (1 Tim. 1:3). In Acts, Paul called Timothy from Macedonia to Ephesus—not the other way around (Acts 19:22).
Paul spoke of false teaching in the future tense to the elders in Ephesus (Acts 20:28-30), but he spoke of false teaching in the present tense to Timothy (1 Tim. 1:3-4).
Paul left Titus in charge of leading the church in Crete (Titus 1:5). Yet, Acts never mentions Titus, nor does it mention a church plant in Crete.
An otherwise unknown man named Onesiphorus found Paul in Rome, and he was apparently a mighty servant of God in Ephesus (2 Tim. 1:16-18). Yet, for being such a bigshot, Onesiphorus is nowhere mentioned in Acts.

Since Acts doesn’t mention any of these people, places, or events, critics argue that this is a sign of a forgery in Paul’s name—whereby the forger tried to lace his letter with historical allusions to make it look authentic. In response to this argument, we can make several responses:

First, this is an argument from silence. While Acts tells the story of the expansion of the early Church truly, it does not tell it fully. No historical account can be absolutely exhaustive. If it was, then all of the books on Earth would not be able to contain the information (Jn. 21:25). It is an unjustifiable expectation to suppose Luke would mention every single historical detail of the early church in a 28-chapter book.

Second, false historical allusions wouldn’t boost the credibility of a pseudepigraphical author. If a person was trying to impersonate Paul, why would he invent people and events that never occurred? Surely it would be better to appeal to well-known historical events instead.

Third, Paul mentions Titus in letters that critics hold to be authentic (e.g. Galatians and 2 Corinthians). Even the most strident critical scholars hold that Galatians and 2 Corinthians are authentic letters. Yet, in these undisputed letters, Paul mentions Titus (Gal. 2:1; 2 Cor. 2:13). Therefore, critical scholars are using a double standard: If the Pastorals cannot be authentic because they mention Titus, then neither can Galatians and 2 Corinthians. Yet, virtually all scholars hold these letters to be authentic.

Fourth, Acts never states that Paul dies at the end of his Roman custody. In fact, Paul himself believed that he would beat his charge and get out of Roman imprisonment (Phil. 1:19; 25). Therefore, Paul was probably released from house arrest, and then, continued to preach. Clement of Rome (AD 95) said that Paul went “to the extreme limit of the west” (1 Clement 5). Since Clement wrote from Rome, he is most likely referring to Spain.^[1] The Muratorian Canon (AD 180) speaks of “Paul’s departure from the city as he was proceeding to Spain.”^[2] Moreover, Paul himself stated that he intended to preach in Spain, if he had the opportunity (Rom. 15:24). Furthermore, the great church historian Eusebius writes (AD 340):

Paul is said, after having defended himself, to have set forth again upon the ministry of preaching, and to have entered the city [Rome] a second time, and to have ended his life by martyrdom. Whilst then a prisoner, he wrote the Second Epistle to Timothy, in which he both mentions his first defence, and his impending death.^[3]

Acts does not end with Paul’s martyrdom. In fact, just the opposite: Acts ends with Paul still alive and well under Roman house arrest, and Luke states that he remained there for two years (Acts 28:30). This explains how Paul could leave Trophimus ill in Miletus (2 Tim. 4:19-20), even though Acts states that Trophimus came with Paul to Jerusalem (Acts 21:29-30). This demonstrates that Paul must be referring to another period of time after his first imprisonment in Rome—one in which Paul returned to Miletus after being imprisoned.

Moreover, a fourth missionary journey explains mentions of other people and travels. In his undisputed letters, Paul mentions a couple church-plants that weren’t recorded in Acts. For instance, Paul mentions a forthcoming trip to Spain (Rom. 15:24), and he mentions Epaphras who helped establish a church in Colossae (Col. 1:7; 4:12; Philemon 23). It shouldn’t surprise us to see other church-plants that are not recorded in Acts such as Crete (Titus 1:5), Miletus (2 Tim. 4:20), and Nicopolis (Titus 3:12)? All of these references are best explained by a fourth (unrecorded) missionary journey.

ARGUMENT #2: The Pastoral Epistles mention church leadership, which wasn’t developed until the second century

Critics argue that official church leadership (or at least elaborate church polity) didn’t evolve until the second century AD. Specifically, Paul mentions “overseers” (or “bishops”), and this office became particularly prominent in the second century. Since the Pastoral Epistles mention bishops (episkopoi, 1 Tim. 3:1; Titus 1:7), this suggests a second century date. However, these arguments are highly problematic for several reasons:

First, other NT documents reference “elders.” Luke mentions “elders” (presbuteros) throughout the early church (Acts 11:30; 14:23; 15:2; 20:17). Likewise, James is one of our earliest NT letters, and he mentions “elders” (Jas. 5:14). This demonstrates that leadership existed in the primitive church, and wasn’t a second century invention.

Second, other NT documents refer to “overseers.” Paul mentions “overseers (episkopoi) and deacons” in the church of Philippi (Phil. 1:1). Of course, even critics accept Philippians as an undisputed letter of Paul.

Third, NT scholars are now generally agreed that the terms “overseer” and “elder” are interchange terms. Paul writes that he left Titus behind to “appoint elders in every city” (Titus 1:5), and he quickly goes on to write that “the overseer must be above reproach…” (Titus 1:7). We see the same practice in the book of Acts: Paul “sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church” (Acts 20:17), but then he tells this same group of people that “the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God” (Acts 20:28). Put simply, an overseer is an elder, and an elder is an overseer. Donald Guthrie stated that “this fact is now generally accepted among New Testament scholars.”^[4]

Fourth, the material regarding leaders is short and simple. Indeed, the material regarding church leadership is only about 10% of the Pastoral Epistles (1 Tim. 3:1-13; 5:3-22; Titus 1:5-9).^[5] Moreover, Paul’s writing on leadership is short, simple, and to the point—mostly focusing on character. If these letters reflect a full borne leadership structure (like that found in the second century), then why is so little written in these letters? After all, we are never even told what duties deacons have, and nothing in these letters reflect the idea of a single bishop overseeing a province of churches (i.e. a monarchical episcopate).

Fifth, we should expect Paul to write about leadership in these letters. Why? Paul wrote the Pastoral Epistles to Christian leaders! The fact that Paul wrote about leadership to leaders is about as surprising that he wrote about sex to the Corinthians.

ARGUMENT #3: The Pastoral Epistles contain words and theology not used by Paul in the rest of his letters

Critics charge that the vocabulary and theology of the Pastoral Epistles is far different than Paul’s other writings. This, they argue, demonstrates that another author must have written the Pastorals. Friedrich Schleiermacher (1807) was the first person to make this argument, but P.N. Harrison gave a robust statistical analysis that strengthened this argument (1921):^[6]

The Pastorals use 902 words. Since 54 are proper names, this leaves us with 848 remaining words in the Pastoral Epistles.
Of these 848 words, 306 (over one-third) do not occur in any of Paul’s other letters.
Of these 306, 175 do not occur anywhere else in the NT.
Of these 306, 211 of them occur in second century writings by the early church fathers. Furthermore, Harrison argued that the original words (i.e. hapax legomena) occur in the second century Church Fathers.

Many found Harrison’s case to be convincing—a century ago. Today, this statistical analysis has fallen under considerable criticism. Indeed, a number of counterpoints can account for this literary argument against Pauline authorship:

First, Paul was OLDER when he wrote these letters. Do you think that you’ll write differently a decade from now? If you do, then you should acknowledge that Paul probably did as well. As a young missionary, Paul probably wrote differently than he did as an old, imprisoned man, writing around AD 64-65.

Second, Paul’s other epistles were written for a PUBLIC audience, but these were written to a PRIVATE audience. With the exception of Philemon (an incredibly short letter), Paul wrote all of his epistles to groups of Christians. However, the Pastoral Epistles were written to individuals—either to Timothy or to Titus. Do you think that you would write differently to a group than you would to an individual? Surely Paul did as well.

Third, the SUBJECT MATTER in Paul’s letters was different. When Paul was writing his other epistles, he was addressing specific needs of the church. However, when he wrote the Pastoral Epistles, he was addressing the specific needs of these pastors (e.g. discipleship, leadership development, proto-Gnosticism, etc.). Since there were unique needs, it shouldn’t surprise us to see Paul using unique language.

Fourth, the amount of words in the Pastorals is TOO SMALL OF A SAMPLE for a significant statistical analysis. An 848-word sample is simply far too small of a sample size to generate any strong conclusions. Carson and Moo write, “Statisticians object to the brevity of the Epistles and to the lack of statistical controls.”^[7] Indeed, the statistician G.U. Yule stated that statistical analysis of this sort needs at least 10,000 words,[8] and thus, the sample size for the Pastorals is simply too small.

Fifth, Paul might have written these letters by HAND, rather than collaborating or using a SCRIBE. Paul normally used an amanuensis (pronounced uh-man-you-EN-sis) to write his letters for him (Rom. 16:22; 1 Cor. 16:21; Gal. 6:11; Col. 4:18; 2 Thess. 3:17). Moreover, Paul wrote six of his letters with Timothy, as a coauthor (2 Corinthians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, Philemon). Since Paul usually wrote his letters with others, the difference in the Pastoral Epistles might be accounted for by observing that Paul wrote these letters alone—or perhaps with a unique amanuensis. Carson and Moo write,

Michael Prior stands the amanuensis theory on its head: he recognizes that the Pastoral Epistles are somewhat different from the ten Paulines, but suggests that the reason is not because they are pseudonymous but because they ‘are private letters in a double sense’—not only were they written to individuals, but they were written by Paul himself without an amanuensis. For most of the ten, and perhaps for all of them, Paul used an amanuensis; for six of the ten, Timothy is listed as the coauthor. But in the case of the Pastorals, Prior suggests, Paul wrote everything himself—and this accounts for the differences.^[9]

Others like Mounce argue that “Luke [was] most likely was Paul’s amanuensis for the Pastoral Epistles.”^[10]

Sixth, the original words (hapax legomena) occur in Greek writing prior to AD 50. J.N.D. Kelly noted that “almost all of the hapax legomena in the Pastorals appear in use by Greek writers prior to AD 50.”^[11] Specifically, 278 of the 306 words were used prior to AD 50!^[12] Moreover, a large proportion of these words occur in 1 Corinthians, which is an undisputed letter of Paul.[13]

Authorship: External Evidence

Polycarp (AD 110) cites 1 Timothy 6:10 (Philippians, 4.1).

Irenaeus (AD 180) cites 1 Timothy 6:20, “Paul well says [of them, that they make use of] ‘novelties of words of false knowledge’” (Against Heresies 2.14.7; 3.3.3).

The Muratorian Canon (AD 170, Rome) places the Pastoral Epistles “after the church epistles of Paul, together with Philemon.”^[14] It mentions “the journey of Paul as he journeyed from Rome to Spain.” As we have already seen, Paul himself expressed a desire to travel beyond Rome to Spain (Rom. 15:24, 28).

The second-century Church Fathers refer to the Pastoral Epistles approximately 450 times.^[15] Moreover, by the second century, these letters had already been translated into Latin and Syriac. Consider a few early citations and affirmations of the Pastorals:

2 Clement (AD 140). This contains “three specific allusions to the Pastoral Epistles (1 Tim 1:17 [2 Clem. 20]; 4:10 [2 Clem. 7]; 6:14, 19 [2 Clem. 8]).”^[16]
Polycarp (AD 117). He “cites 1 Tim 6:10 and 6:7 as authoritative without identifying their source (Letter to the Philippians1).”^[17]
Other allusions or verbal similarities include Ignatius (AD 116), the Epistle of Barnabas (AD 120), and Clement of Rome (AD 95).

Conclusion. The external evidence for Paul’s authorship is quite extensive. Hence, Gordon Fee writes, “By the end of the second century they are firmly fixed in every Christian canon in every part of the empire and are never doubted by anyone until the nineteenth century.”^[18]

Counterarguments considered

Why are the Pastoral Epistles are missing from Marcion’s canon (AD 150)? Tertullian writes that Marcion rejected the Pastorals (Against Marcion 5.21). However, Marcion’s views “may be judged of little or no value.”^[19] For one, his rejection of these books is backhanded evidence that Marcion was indeed aware of them, implying an early date. Second, because Marcion was a Gnostic heretic, he likely expunged the Pastorals from his canon because of the fact that the Pastorals were antithetical to Marcion’s Gnostic and anti-Semitic teachings (e.g. 1 Tim. 1:8; 1 Tim. 4:3; 2 Tim. 3:16; 1 Tim. 2:4; 1 Tim. 6:20).^[20] Third, Clement of Alexandria[21] stated that Gnostics rejected the Pastorals because 1 Timothy concludes with the statement, “Avoid worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called ‘knowledge’” (gnōsis, 1 Tim. 6:20). Paul takes such a strong stance against heretical proto-Gnostics in these letters that we can hardly wonder why Marcion removed them from his canon.

Why are the Pastoral Epistles missing from the Chester Beatty Papyri (P⁴⁶, AD 250)? For one, the P⁴⁶ document also doesn’t contain Philemon, which is regarded as authentic by critical scholars. Second, the Chester Beatty Papyri may have excluded letters written to individuals (and only included letters written to churches). Mounce hypothesizes, “The absence of Philemon may suggest that the codex included only Paul’s public letters, omitting letters to individuals such as Timothy, Titus, and Philemon.”^[22] Finally, the copyist may have run out of space. Mounce^[23] and Guthrie^[24] both argue that that the copyist simply may have run out of room on the papyrus parchment. Indeed, the writing of P⁴⁶ grows smaller and smaller toward the end of the manuscript.

Conclusion

The arguments against Paul’s authorship do not weaken our conviction that Paul was indeed the author. In fact, based on the internal and external evidence, we have a strong case for Paul’s authorship of the Pastoral Epistles.

Location

Paul most likely wrote 1 Timothy in Macedonia. 1 Timothy 1:3 suggests that Paul left Timothy behind in Ephesus, and he travelled to Macedonia from which he wrote this letter. However, Paul wrote his second letter to Timothy from prison in Rome (2 Tim. 1:8; 2:9; 4:13). Of course, Paul wrote to Timothy in Ephesus (1 Tim. 1:3) and to Titus in Crete (Titus 1:5).

Date

Paul wrote the Pastorals sometime between AD 62 and AD 68. How do we know this? Since Paul died under the reign of Emperor Nero,^[25] this would be the latest that the letters could’ve been written. Moreover, since Paul was released from Roman house arrest in roughly AD 62, this would be the earliest these letters could’ve been written.

Since we need to allow time for Paul to have a fourth missionary journey, our best date for 1 Timothy is around AD 64-65. Moreover, since Paul tells Timothy to come before the winter (2 Tim. 4:21), our best date for 2 Timothy would be around AD 67.

What was the False Teaching in Ephesus?

Paul encouraged Timothy to promote sound doctrine and fight false teaching in Ephesus (1 Tim. 1:3). Timothy succeeded in this mission, because Jesus told the church in Ephesus that they had defeated the false teachers in their church (Rev. 2:1-3). But, what false teaching was Timothy battling in Ephesus?

To understand the false teaching in Ephesus at this time, we actually need to incorporate Paul’s letter to the Colossians, which was a neighboring city. Because of their close proximity, these two cities probably had the same false teaching. When we compare the letters, we see that Timothy must have been battling both (1) Jewish legalism and (2) proto-Gnosticism in Ephesus:

Historically, full blown Gnosticism hadn’t erupted yet. However, an early version of began to arise in Ephesus—what has been called proto-Gnosticism.^[26] Paul writes, “O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called ‘knowledge’” (1 Tim. 6:20). The word “knowledge” (gnosis) is the Greek word from which we get the term Gnosticism. The fact that these false teachers were forbidding marriage (1 Tim. 4:3) suggests Gnostic thinking (i.e. asceticism). Furthermore, when Paul wrote to the Colossians, he was fighting against angel worship and ungodly philosophy, which would also fit with Gnosticism—not Judaism (Col. 2:8; 18-19). Finally, Paul’s use of the word “fullness” (pleroma, Col. 2:9) was a term that Gnostics used to describe the “fullness” of their deity. Paul must have been turning this Gnostic language on its head.

However, proto-Gnosticism doesn’t fully explain the false teaching in Ephesus or Colossae. Legalistic Judaism was in full force as well. In Colossae, Paul argued against circumcision (Col. 2:11-15), kosher laws, Sabbath keeping, and seasonal festivals (Col. 2:16). In Ephesus, Paul spoke about the false teachers as those “wanting to be teachers of the Law” (1 Tim. 1:7; cf. Titus 1:10, 14; 3:9). Surely, there were Jewish false teachers as well.

Some commentators blend these two types of false teaching together into some kind of Jewish mysticism. Perhaps this is the case. However, we are most comfortable stating that there could have been more than one type of false teaching going on at this time.^[27] After all, in the modern church, a pastor might speak about the problems of postmodernism and modernism in the same teaching, or he might speak about the teachings of cult groups and New Age mysticism. Likewise, Timothy could have been battling various forms of false teaching. (For more on this subject, see “Introduction to Colossians”).

Who was Timothy?

Timothy came from a broken home. It’s very likely that Timothy grew up without a father. Acts records that his mother was a “believer” but “his father was a Greek” (Acts 16:1). So, at the very least, Timothy’s father never had a positive spiritual influence in his life. Indeed, perhaps Timothy was a disappointment in his father’s eyes because he became a lifelong follower of Christ. We don’t know. But we do know that it was Timothy’s mother and grandmother who raised him in his faith (2 Tim. 1:5; 3:15).

God seems to have used Paul to play an exceptional role in Timothy’s life. Paul refers to Timothy as his “true child in the faith” (1 Tim. 1:2). Stott comments, “Gnēsios (‘true’ or ‘genuine’) was used literally of children ‘born in wedlock, legitimate’ (BDAG). It is possible, therefore, that Paul is hinting at the circumstances of Timothy’s physical birth. Since his father was a Greek, Jewish law will have regarded him as illegitimate.”^[28] Paul, however, was happy to regard Timothy as his “true child” in the faith.

Timothy likely came to Christ through Paul. Paul travelled through Lystra (Timothy’s hometown) on his first missionary journey (Acts 13-14). This is most likely when Timothy came to faith in Jesus, and “Paul’s paternal language (1 Cor 4:15, 17; 1 Tim 1:2) suggests that Paul led Timothy to Christian faith.”^[29] By the time Paul came around for the second time, he took Timothy as a disciple and a co-worker. Paul chose Timothy because he had such a good reputation among the believers in the area (Acts 16:2).

Timothy quickly became Paul’s most influential and faithful disciple. Regarding Timothy, Paul wrote, “I have no one else of kindred spirit who will genuinely be concerned for your welfare. ²¹For they all seek after their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:20-21). What high praise to be compared to Jesus himself! (see Phil. 2:4-5)

Timothy was an effective leader. Later in Jesus’ letter to the church of Ephesus, we discover that Timothy’s leadership rooted out the false teachers in Ephesus (Rev. 2:1-7). So, Paul’s trust was well-founded.

Timothy regularly confronted his fears. Many people paint Timothy as a fearful and nervous guy. Perhaps this is true. After all, Paul felt the need to tell the Corinthians, “If Timothy comes, see that he is with you without cause to be afraid” (1 Cor. 16:10). At the same time, Paul himself was himself shaking with fear as he preached to the Corinthians! (1 Cor. 2:3; Acts 18:9) So, how does this fit with the idea that Timothy was naturally nervous or fearful? If you were leading in a wild place like Corinth, would you not struggle with fear from time to time?

It’s true that Paul needed to tell Timothy, “God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline” (2 Tim. 1:7). But again, imagine what it would feel like to be Timothy. He was leading a massive church that was filled occult practitioners and other false teachers; the people were taking a condescending tone toward Timothy because he was young (1 Tim. 4:12); and finally, Timothy’s best friend and mentor was on the brink of execution (2 Tim. 4:6). How would you feel if you were in Timothy’s shoes? Maybe a little scared? A little fearful? Sure! But instead of viewing Timothy like a weakling, we should view him as a man who struggled with fear, yet refused to be conquered by it. Timothy didn’t allow his fears to stop him from following God. This is an admirable quality—not a liability that inhibited Timothy from leading.^[30]

Paul and Timothy developed a very close friendship. After all, Timothy was able to show the Corinthians how Paul operated in ministry (1 Cor. 4:17). Elsewhere, Paul sent Timothy to strengthen the Thessalonians and the Philippians (1 Thess. 3:2; Phil. 2:20). This shows us that Paul believed that Timothy was capable of being sent to lead independently of him. Paul grew so close to Timothy that he calls him his son (Phil. 2:22; 1 Tim. 1:2). This isn’t condescending, however, because Paul also speaks of him as a brother (1 Thess. 3:2). In other words, Paul eventually viewed him as his peer. This is why they coauthored six letters together (2 Corinthians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, Philemon)—three of which were in prison. Furthermore, Paul writes incredibly touching comments to Timothy in these two letters, showing the type of friendship that they shared:

“This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son” (1 Tim. 1:18).

“I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long” (1 Tim. 3:14).

“[I am] longing to see you, even as I recall your tears, so that I may be filled with joy” (2 Tim. 1:4).

This makes us wonder why God would include this book in the Bible—especially if it is such a personal letter between Paul and Timothy. And yet, upon reflection, we see that we are given tremendous insight into the nature of friendship, discipleship, leadership, and how to run the race well to the end.[31]

How to use this commentary well

For personal use. We wrote this material to build up people in their knowledge of the Bible. As the reader, we hope you enjoy reading through the commentary to grow in your interpretation of the text, understand the historical backdrop, gain insight into the original languages, and reflect on our comments to challenge your thinking. As a result, we hope this will give you a deeper love for the word of God.

Teaching preparation. We read through several commentaries in order to study this book, and condensed their scholarship into an easy-to-read format. We hope that this will help those giving public Bible teachings to have a deep grasp of the book as they prepare to teach. As one person has said, “All good public speaking is based on good private thinking.”^[32] We couldn’t agree more. Nothing can replace sound study before you get up to teach, and we hope this will help you in that goal. And before you complain about our work, don’t forget that the price is right: FREE!

Questions for Reflection. Each section or chapter is outfitted with numerous discussion questions or questions for reflection. We think these questions would work best in a small men’s or women’s group—or for personal reading. In general, these questions are designed to prompt participants to explore the text or to stimulate application.

Discussing Bible difficulties. We highlight Bible difficulties with hyperlinks to articles on those subjects. All of these questions could make for dynamic discussion in a small group setting. As a Bible teacher, you could raise the difficulty, allow the small group to wrestle with it, and then give your own perspective.

As a teacher, you might give some key cross references, insights from the Greek, or other relevant tools to help aid the study. This gives students the tools that they need to answer the difficulty. Then, you could ask, “How do these points help answer the difficulty?”

Reading Bible difficulties. Some Bible difficulties are highly complex. For the sake of time, it might simply be better to read the article and ask, “What do you think of this explanation? What are the most persuasive points? Do you have a better explanation than the one being offered?”

Think critically. We would encourage Bible teachers to not allow people to simply read this commentary without exercising discernment and testing the commentary with sound hermeneutics (i.e. interpretation). God gave the church “teachers… to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ” (Eph. 4:11-12). We would do well to learn from them. Yet, we also need to read their books with critical thinking, and judge what we’re reading (1 Cor. 14:29; 1 Thess. 5:21). This, of course, applies to our written commentary as well as any others!

In my small men’s Bible study, I am frequently challenged, corrected, and sharpened in my ability to interpret the word of God. I frequently benefit from even the youngest Christians in the room. I write this with complete honesty—not pseudo-humility. We all have a role in challenging each other as we learn God’s word together. We would do well to learn from Bible teachers, and Bible teachers would do well to learn from their students!

At the same time, we shouldn’t disagree simply for the sake of being disagreeable. This leads to rabbit trails that can actually frustrate discussion. For this reason, we should follow the motto, “The best idea wins.” If people come to different conclusions on unimportant issues, it’s often best to simply acknowledge each other’s different perspectives and simply move on.

Consulted Commentaries

We consulted many commentaries for individual passages, but we read these specific commentaries below thoroughly.

Ralph Earle, “1 Timothy,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians through Philemon, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 11 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981).

Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 14, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990).

Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992).

William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000).

Gordon D. Fee, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, Understanding the Bible Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2011).

Commentary on 1 Timothy

Unless otherwise stated, all citations are taken from the New American Standard Bible (NASB).

1 Timothy 1

1 Timothy 1:1-5 (Timid Timothy)

(1:1-2) “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God our Savior, and of Christ Jesus, who is our hope, ²To Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.”

“An apostle… according to the commandment of God.” Paul took his leadership qualifications directly from God.

“Savior” refers to the past, and “hope” refers to the future. What Jesus did in the past lays the foundation for our hope in the future. Moreover, Earle writes, “He is our only hope.”^[33]

“My true child in the faith.” Why does Paul refer to Timothy as his child? This could relate to the fact that Timothy had a disengaged or absentee father. Stott comments, “Gnēsios (‘true’ or ‘genuine’) was used literally of children ‘born in wedlock, legitimate’ (BDAG). It is possible, therefore, that Paul is hinting at the circumstances of Timothy’s physical birth. Since his father was a Greek, Jewish law will have regarded him as illegitimate.”^[34]

“Mercy and peace” are “not primarily emotions.” Rather, “both are based on the fact that believers have a relationship with God, and consequently God has mercy on the believer and the believer has peace with God.”^[35]

(1:3) “As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines.”

“My departure for Macedonia.” We’re not sure when Paul left Ephesus for Macedonia. This most likely occurred after his two-year house arrest in Rome. After this, he left Timothy in charge to lead the Ephesian church.

“Remain on at Ephesus.” This was a massive church. Here’s what we know about Ephesus:

Ephesus had a large population. Witherington estimates it somewhere between 200,000-250,000 people.^[36] It was the third largest city in the Roman Empire (behind Rome and Alexandria).
Ephesus was massively influential. This was the second most influential city that Paul reached—second only to Corinth. Ephesus was the “hub of all culture and commerce in western Asia,”^[37] and it is the place from which the seven churches of Revelation 2-3 were formed (Acts 19:10).
Ephesus contained a massive amount of occult activity. Jewish exorcists lived and practiced there (Acts 19:14ff). When the church exploded, they burned their occult books for 50,000 pieces of silver (Acts 19:19).
They had a temple erected to Artemis. The Temple was four times the size of the Parthenon! Its pillars were 60 feet tall, and it was 425 feet long and 225 feet wide.[38] This was considered “one of the great wonders of the ancient world.”^[39]
A massive Jewish settlement was there. Josephus records this (Josephus, Antiquities225-27; 16.162-68, 172-73).

The fact that Paul needs to tell him to “remain” in Ephesus could imply that perhaps Timothy wanted to quit. After all, he was leading a massive church, and false teachers were entering at every opportunity. Timothy must’ve felt overwhelmed.

“Instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines.” False teachers had entered this church. Paul had already warned the leaders in the Ephesian church about this when he was leaving them. He said, “I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; ³⁰ and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. ³¹ Therefore be on the alert” (Acts 20:29-31).

How did Paul know that false teachers would enter this church? Perhaps Paul had some sort of prophetic insight. On the other hand, Paul was a tenured church planter at this point. He had seen false-teaching creep in time and time again—even right from the beginning of his ministry (Gal. 1:6-9; 4:17; 5:10). Either way, Paul’s warning turned out to be true.

“Instruct” (paraggellō) means “to pass commands from one to the other.”^[40] It is both a “military and a legal term, describing a military command or an official summons to court.”^[41]

“Strange doctrines” (heterodidaskalein; cf. 1 Tim. 6:3) means “to teach doctrine that is essentially different.”^[42] This shows that Christianity had a set basis for recognizing true from false doctrine.

(1:4) “Nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the administration of God which is by faith.”

There must have been some proto-Gnosticism or Jewish mysticism that plagued this church. Kroeger and Kroeger argue that these myths were incredibly dangerous. Mounce agrees that these are heterodox teachings, but he states that these were “myths based on minor people in the OT genealogies,” and ultimately “silly” and “produced only improper behavior.”^[43] Yet, these “myths” are in contrast to the truth (2 Tim. 4:4), and therefore, they seem quite serious. This historical background becomes integral to interpreting Paul’s teaching on female leaders and teachers (see comments on 1 Timothy 2:12-15).

“Myths and endless genealogies.” Paul mentions “myths” (mythous) later in his correspondence with Timothy and Titus (1 Tim. 4:7; 2 Tim. 4:4; Titus 1:14). The reference to “genealogies” might imply some sort of Jewish teachers. Guthrie writes, “An example of the way in which Jewish delight in such speculations led to the composition of mythical histories based on the Old Testament is found in the Jewish book of Jubilees.”^[44] Lea and Griffin write, “The Jewish Book of Jubilees, an apocryphal work from the second century b.c., has a number of legendary accretions to the Old Testament which may resemble what Paul had in mind. These stories are patriotic legends that are similar to such American traditions as the story of George Washington and the cherry tree.”^[45]

“The administration of God.” The “administration” (oikonomia) refers to the “stewardship” entrusting to us by God. This can refer to God’s plan of salvation with which we are entrusted. This is why we carry it out “by faith.”

(1:5) “But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.”

Every Bible teacher has a goal in mind when they teach. Some stress that the Christian worker should be a good spouse and parent; some stress a deeper knowledge of God; others stress a radical commitment to the Great Commission; some stress our obedience to the Law; others stress truth, etc. When you hear these preachers every week, this goal flows out of their teaching. What was Paul’s “goal” in his teaching? Paul’s emphasis was a lifestyle of love, staying under grace, and building our faith.

“Love” (agape) is at the heart of true spirituality (Mt. 22:34-40; Rom. 13:8-10; Gal. 5:14). Other religions focus on duty, behavior, and fear. Christianity focuses on love as the motivation and the outcome. Love is the fulfillment of the law. Thus, Paul puts it before the law.

“Pure heart.” The heart is “the center of a person (cf. 1 Pet. 3:4), i.e., the person as he or she really is within himself or herself and before God.”^[46] This refers to being an authentic person—inside and out (Mt. 23:25). This isn’t describing perfection, but being able to get under grace quicker (1 Jn. 1:7). Jesus taught that those with a “pure heart” would see God (Mt. 5:8).
“Good conscience.” The concept of keeping a “good conscience” comes up throughout this letter. Paul later writes that Hymenaeus and Alexander lost their “faith” and a “good conscience,” and this “shipwrecked” their faith (1 Tim. 1:18-20). Paul also tracks the roots of apostasy back to a searing of the “conscience” (1 Tim. 4:2; Titus 1:15). Moreover, elders should serve God with a “clear conscience” (1 Tim. 3:9; cf. 2 Tim. 1:2). Of course, we cleanse our conscience knowing that “God is greater than our heart and knows all things” (1 Jn. 3:20). Hebrews states, “How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Heb. 9:14).
“Sincere faith.” This isn’t mental assent or peer pressure. God can tell the difference between lip service and sincerity. People can tell this too.

The false teachers failed on all three counts. They had a “depraved mind” (1 Tim. 6:5), a “seared conscience” (1 Tim. 4:2), and a “counterfeit faith” (2 Tim. 3:8 NLT).

1 Timothy 1:6-20 (The Proper Use of the Law)

(1:6) “For some men, straying from these things, have turned aside to fruitless discussion.”

“These things.” In context, what did they stray from? They strayed from love, a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith (v.5). Later, Paul will mention two men by name who lost their faith from drifting from these spiritual essentials (vv.19-20). Nobody wakes up one day and tells themselves that they want to wreck their relationship with God and become a false teacher. Instead, they “stray.” They drift. If we’re not careful, we can slowly fall away from the main emphases of the Christian life.

What took the place of love in their theology and practice? Fruitless discussion! These false teachers loved to talk about esoteric theology, but they didn’t love people.

(1:7) “Wanting to be teachers of the Law, even though they do not understand either what they are saying or the matters about which they make confident assertions.”

Paul had been a master Pharisee. Therefore, he has the credentials and clout to denounce these men as “teachers of the law” (nomodidaskalos, Acts 5:34; Lk. 5:17). Think of it: Paul isn’t merely ruining their credentials as Christian teachers, but even as legalistic teachers! To paraphrase, Paul is saying, “Not only do these guys not grasp the gospel, but they don’t even know how to exposit the Old Testament law, either!” There is a certain irony that these proto-Gnostic teachers, who placed such a high emphasis on “secret knowledge,” would be called ignorant by Paul. They “do not understand” the truth—contrary to Paul’s teaching to Timothy (2 Tim. 2:7).

“They do not understand… confident assertions.” They had high sincerity in their beliefs, but low veracity. This is what Paul called a “misdirected zeal” (Rom. 10:2 NLT). Mounce writes, “They are proclaiming their gospel with complete and total confidence, and with complete and total ignorance.”^[47]

(1:8) “But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully.”

There is nothing wrong with the Law. It is our use of the Law that can be unbiblical. Mounce comments, “If we read between the lines, we can see the charge by his opponents that Paul is antinomian. Paul’s theology, they allege, does away with the law, and they are restoring it to its proper place.”^[48] This was a common slander hurled against Paul (Rom. 3:8; 6:1-2).

There is nothing wrong with God’s law. Elsewhere, Paul asks, “Is the Law sin? May it never be!” (Rom. 7:7) We might compare the Law to a scalpel. This can be used for the purposes of amputation or mutilation. The scalpel is good, and the sharper the better. But the use of the scalpel can be helpful or harmful.

(1:9-10) “Realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers ¹⁰and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching.”

“Realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person.” Mounce^[49] and Lea^[50] holds that the “righteous person” refers to the Christian believer. We agree. After all, a person only lives righteously after being made righteous by God. Elsewhere, Paul writes, “We know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God” (Rom. 3:19). This further confirms that Christians are no longer under Law (see comments on Romans 7:6). In this context, to “use the law lawfully is to apply it to those who oppose it.”^[51] Moreover, “the law is only for sins and sinners who stand opposed to the healthy teaching of the gospel.”^[52] That is, we should use the Law to show our need for forgiveness.

Do the Ten Commandments restrain sin? Guthrie writes that the Law functions “in the restraint of evil-doers.”^[53] Not true. It serves to convict evildoers of their need for Christ.

Is Paul referring to the Ten Commandments or the civil law? Guthrie^[54] and Lea^[55] argue that Paul is referring to the Ten Commandments. We agree. For one, Paul uses the article to refer to “law” in verse 8 (“the law”). Even though verse 9 lacks the article, it still seems to refer to the Law of Moses (i.e. the Ten Commandments). Moreover, in this section, Paul practically repeats the entire Ten Commandments:

(1-2) for the ungodly and sinners, [all sin is idolatry (Col. 3:5)]

(3-4) for the unholy and profane,

(5) for those who kill their fathers or mothers,

(6) for murderers

(7) and immoral men and homosexuals

(8) and kidnappers

(9) and liars and perjurers,

(10) and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching,

The Law is not for the believer. It is for the “lawless… rebellious… ungodly… sinners… unholy… profane.” These descriptions fit quite well with the “first tablet of the law” (commandments 1-4).

We wouldn’t create laws unless we assumed people were going to break them. For instance, we have speed limit signs because we know that people won’t naturally drive 65 mph down the highway. Likewise, the Law is meant to show sinful people their need for the gospel (v.11).

“Those who kill their fathers or mothers.” This fits with the fifth commandment quite well. However, is Paul referring to literal murder of one’s parents? Perhaps. However, Paul immediately mentions murderers in the next breath. Since the word “kill” (aloan) can also mean “to hit” or “to crush,”^[56] this is likely the meaning in view here (cf. Ex. 21:15; Lev. 20:9; Deut. 21:18-21). Thus, Paul is “describing smiters of parents.”[57]

“Murderers.” This fits with the sixth commandment.

“Immoral men” (pornos) can refer to sexual immorality in general or to male prostitution in particular.^[58] This aligns with the seventh commandment: “You shall not commit adultery.”

Is Paul referring to homosexuality in this passage? Paul uses the word “homosexuals” (arsenokoitēs) in this passage. It is a compound word which literally means “male” (arsēn)^[59] and “bed” (koitē)—or “to lie down” (keimai).^[60] Thus, a literal rendering would be “to lie down with a man.”

However, pro-homosexual interpreters claim that not all compound words carry a literal meaning. For instance, “honeymoon” and “butterfly” are both compound words, but they do not carry a meaning from the words that compose them. On the other hand, sometimes compound words do carry the meaning of their parts. Pro-homosexual interpreters understand this word in a variety of ways:

S. Bailey[61] holds that this refers to unmarried men having sex with each other.
Boswell[62] understands this to refer to male prostitution. We agree that it says at least this because of the use of “immoral men” (pornos). But this doesn’t address the meaning of the term “homosexuals” (arsenokoitēs).
Scroggs[63] interprets this to refer to male pederasty. We disagree with this reading because the language never depicts boys.

The word “homosexuals” (arsenokoitēs) is quite “rare,” and it “does not appear to have existed before the time of Paul.”^[64] Therefore, we need to discover where Paul is drawing this term. Of course, in verse 8, Paul writes, “We know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully.” Clearly, Paul had the OT law on his mind. But from where in the OT law was he drawing this concept?

The clearest source is the book of Leviticus. In Leviticus 18:22, we read: “You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination.” Leviticus 20:13 explains: “If there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act.” In fact, the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the OT) renders both Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13 very closely to Paul’s term arsenokoitēs:^[65]

(Lev. 18:22) meta arsenos ou koimethese koiten gunaikos.

(Lev. 20:13) hos an koimethe meta arsenos koiten gunaikos.

Moreover, after the time of Paul, the church fathers consistently used this term to refer to homosexuality. Copan writes, “Every usage of the word after Paul by the Christian church fathers indicates male homosexual activity, and it is frequently placed on their ‘vice lists.’”^[66] By contrast, if Paul was merely denouncing male prostitution (as some have claimed), he would have used the common word porneuon or porne, as seen in 1 Corinthians 6:15 (“Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a prostitute is one body with her?”).

“Kidnappers” (andrapodistai) refers to capturing a person of foot. It refers to “one who acquires persons for use by others, slave-dealer” (BDAG, p.76). This would be the worst form of “stealing,” which is the eighth commandment.

“Liars and perjurers” lines up with the ninth commandment (Ex. 20:16; Deut. 5:20).

“Whatever else is contrary to sound teaching.” Since coveting in the tenth commandment is so broad, this could explain why Paul ends one such a broad note.

“Contrary” (heteros) can either refer to adding to the gospel or subtracting from it (Rev. 22:18-19). Paul speaks about doctrines that are “contrary” to the truth (cf. Gal. 1:6; 1:9; 2 Cor. 11:4).

“Sound” (hygiainō) is where we get our modern word “hygienic.”^[67]

The true gospel

Does Paul digress in this section? (vv.11-17) Paul just finished explaining the problems with the false teachers, and Timothy’s charge to stand up to them. Now, he gives his person testimony. Why? Several reasons.^[68]

First, Paul explained the gospel in the abstract, but now, he explains in a personal context. He shows how the true gospel can rescue and change a sinner like himself. Law doesn’t have this ability. Second, Paul is showing that God strengthened him (v.12) and he will also strengthen Timothy (v.18). This would boost Timothy’s confidence to fight. Third, Paul is defending his apostolic authority against the false teachers.

(1:11) “According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted.”

Paul viewed his commission as God trusting him (episteuthen) with the truth.

(1:12) “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service.”

“I thank Christ Jesus our Lord.” Paul was thankful for the privilege of being commissioned to serve God. All of us can have this response. God didn’t just “appoint” Paul for his role (NIV). He has “appointed” all believers (1 Cor. 12:28).

“He considered me faithful.” In God’s foreknowledge, God could see that Paul would be faithful in his commission. Mounce writes, “Paul is probably saying that God knew that he would be trustworthy in the future and therefore appointed him to service in the present.”^[69]

“Strengthened me… putting me into service.” This harkens back to his Damascus Road experience and his initial calling (Acts 9). God provides the strength and the calling to serve him. We provide the faith (“faithful”). This is directly contrary to the false teachers: Paul entered ministry by God’s grace and through faith, while the false teachers were trying to enter through law. The false teachers gave themselves the glory, while Paul gave God the glory (“I thank Christ Jesus our Lord…”).

(1:13) “Even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief.”

Paul moved from blaspheming (i.e. his former worldview, Acts 26:9-11) to violent persecution (i.e. the logical outworking of his worldview). Our worldview affects the way we live in the world.

“I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief.” Paul isn’t saying that he deserved mercy, which is a “contradiction in terms.” Rather, “his unbelief was fueled by his ignorance.”^[70] God gave him mercy to make him an example to others (v.16). Mounce writes, “Paul never says he deserved anything, and in fact the whole paragraph is an argument against this very position. Unbelief caused by ignorance provides no grounds for demanding God’s mercy, but Paul understands it to be the reason God chose to show him mercy instead of the condemnation that his actions justifiably deserved.”^[71]

Why was Paul put into ministry as a “blasphemer,” but Hymenaeus and Alexander were thrown out of ministry for being “blasphemers”? The key to understanding this is in the fact that Paul acted “ignorantly in unbelief.” There is such a thing as willful ignorance: “So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, ¹⁸being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart” (Eph. 4:17-18; cf. Acts 3:17). Furthermore, Paul committed this sin before conversion, while Hymenaeus and Alexander persisted in this sin after conversion. Guthrie notes that Paul’s “misguided pre-Christian career had been the object of pity rather than judgment in the sight of God, who recognized in Saul of Tarsus a servant of mighty potential when once he was enlightened.”^[72]

(1:14) “And the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus.”

“More than abundant” (hyperpleonazō) means “to experience extraordinary abundance” or to refer to “a vessel that becomes too full run over, overflow” (BDAG, p.1034). We can never fully exhaust the grace of God.

“With the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus.” This is what changed Paul’s life. It wasn’t that he generated love within himself. Christ changed his life.

(1:15) “It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.”

This is the first of the five “trustworthy statements” in the Pastoral Epistles (1 Tim. 3:1; 4:9; 2 Tim. 2:11; Titus 3:8). Paul must use this repetition to signify the importance of these verses.

Paul’s understanding of God’s grace made his new life possible. He revisits his sinful life through the lens of the grace of God. Many Christians are quick to point to the list of vices in verses 9-10. Paul agrees that these are sinful. But instead of becoming self-righteous, he calls himself the worst of “all” sinners—even those mentioned in verses 9-10.

Is Paul’s statement hyperbole? Perhaps, but it’s also possible that he realized just how sinful he was. Because you are the only person that has access to your thoughts, that makes you the most sinful person that you know.

(1:16) “Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life.”

Paul explains that God had a reason in choosing the worst of all sinners: This choice glorified him. If God worked through a pretty decent person, we would generally glorify the person—not God. But, since God worked through a rebellious man like Paul, it shows just how great God is.

A portrait becomes more magnificent if the artist paints it with worse materials. (“You painted this with a children’s paint set?!”) Likewise, God enjoys using broken people like us to bring about the greatest results. Surely Paul could’ve speculated that God saved him for his smarts, education, knowledge, gifts, etc. But instead, he says, “If God can save me, he can save anybody!”

Paul is “an example.” But to whom? He is an example to you and me! We might feel inadequate to follow God; yet if God could work through a man like Paul (“the worst of all sinners”), he can work through anybody. As we reflect on our inadequacy in serving God, we too realize Jesus’ “perfect patience” to keep working through us.

(1:17) “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.”

This is why God gets the glory. It seems as though Jesus is being called “the only God.” In context, this entire section is about Jesus. At the same time, this could be a shift in context, because Paul calls the King “invisible,” which is not true of Jesus.

(1:17) Can we see God or not? God is an immaterial being. Put simply, he is invisible (Jn. 1:18; 5:37), but Jesus has made him visible (Jn. 6:46; 12:45; 14:9). Of course, God the Father can manifest himself (i.e. theophany), but he is essentially invisible. Though God the Father is invisible, God the Son became incarnate. This would make sense of Jesus’ claim: “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (Jn. 14:9). Because Jesus is fully God, God can be seen through Jesus.

(1:18) “This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you fight the good fight.”

Paul was “entrusted” with the gospel (v.11)… So was Timothy… And so are we.

(1:18) Did a prophet predict Timothy’s ministry? When NT prophets made prophecies about Timothy, it could have been in the sense that they spoke prophetically about his ministry. That is, they could have prophetically pointed out his gifts and his ability to lead. The “prophecies previously made” could be similar to encouragement, rather than future predictions. When Christian leaders are faltering, it is often helpful for them to pull out encouragement letters and dwell on how far God has brought them. Prophetic statements, in this sense, could serve as encouragement for future service of God.

“Fight the good fight.” Paul later tells him to be a good soldier of Christ (2 Tim. 2:3-4), and Paul himself fought the good fight until the end (2 Tim. 4:7).

(1:19) “Keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith.”

“Keeping faith and a good conscience.” Losing your conscience is like sailing a boat with a blindfold on. Lea writes, “Most religious error is born of moral rebellion rather than intellectual denial.”^[73] The way to avoid spiritual death as a leader is to keep faith and a good conscience. If we don’t pursue these two things, we will suffer shipwreck in our faith. Paul mentions two men by name who are clear examples of this. Perhaps these were personal friends of Timothy.

(1:20) “Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan, so that they will be taught not to blaspheme.”

By handing them over to Satan, this could be a form of passive discipline—similar in principle to Romans 1:24, 26, 28 and 1 Corinthians 5:5. Paul is handing them over to the world-system, and they are “being thrust into the Satanic sphere without divine protection.”^[74] Moreover, “by being removed from Christian fellowship, Hymenaeus and Alexander are separated from the spiritual protection of the church and fully exposed to the power of Satan.”^[75]

It is not uncommon to see walking Christians wreck their relationships with Christ (cf. 1 Tim. 1:5; 3:9; 4:2). If we don’t cling to grace to cleanse our conscience, we will be no different. Paul wept over these people who were sent out of the church (Phil. 3:18-19). Jesus said that we are to treat them “as the Gentiles” (Mt. 18:17). Yet, Jesus still cared for the Gentiles with compassion and love.

Hymenaeus is mentioned in Paul’s second letter (2 Tim. 2:17). He spread a false teaching that Jesus had already returned in his Second Coming.

Alexander could refer to the man in Acts 19:33-34, and/or Alexander “the coppersmith” who personally betrayed Paul (2 Tim. 4:14).

The purpose of their removal from fellowship was not punitive, but redemptive.^[76] Paul wanted them to learn “not to blaspheme.” Mounce writes, “Despite all the trouble Hymenaeus and Alexander have caused, the purpose of Paul’s delivering them to Satan is not merely punishment but remedial, looking forward to the day when they might learn not to blaspheme.”^[77] Paul himself had been a “blasphemer” (v.13). So, the issue is not with the sin itself, but with the lack of repentance on their part.

“Instruct” (paideuein) means more than simply educating a person. It means to “practice discipline” (BDAG, p.749). This form of instruction is painful, and Paul wants to see them turn from their false teaching and harm of others. Paul desires these men to escape the “snare of the devil” and find repentance (2 Tim. 2:26).

(1:20) Handed over to Satan? Paul is not referring to excommunication. He is referring to the practice of church discipline, which is taught throughout the NT (Mt. 18:15-17; 1 Cor. 5:1-13; 2 Thess. 3:6). Paul is removing these men from fellowship, because of their unrepentant sin (i.e. “so that they will be taught not to blaspheme.”). He is not removing them from entering heaven. Since Satan runs the “world system” (kosmos), it is clear that “Paul means no more than that they are put out of the church into Satan’s province (i.e. the non-Christian world).^[78] Lea agrees.^[79] For a complete explanation of church discipline, see comments on 1 Corinthians 5:1-13.

Questions for Reflection

Read verse 5. Paul told the Ephesian elders, “I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God” (Acts 20:27). This means that Paul taught about Scripture in a robust and exhaustive way. How does this harmonize with choosing to emphasize love as the goal of our instruction?

Read verse 5. No one really ever thinks that they are getting off track from the main goal of Christianity (v.5). What would be some signs that a group of Christians was slowly starting to lose an emphasis on grace, faith, and love?

What are some ways that we can guard ourselves from losing our focus on faith, hope, and love?

Read verse 8. According to the context, what is a proper use of the Law? What would be an improper use of the Law?

Read verses 12-17. Why does Paul choose to give his testimony here? What purpose does this serve?

1 Timothy 2

One the central reasons Paul wrote this letter was to give ongoing training to Timothy in leadership. After getting through his introductory material, what does Paul place at the top of the list for leadership? What does he think is most important to address…?

1 Timothy 2:1-8 (Petitionary Prayer)

(2:1) “First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men.”

“First of all.” Commentators agree that prayer is “first” in its importance—not in its order (first, second, third…). Earle writes, “‘First of all’ probably emphasizes primacy in importance rather than in time.”^[80] Paul lists several types of prayer. While these words have distinct meanings (as we’ll see below), we shouldn’t create sharp distinctions between these forms of prayer. Paul was mostly likely “collecting synonyms that effectively communicate the importance of prayer.”^[81]

“Entreaties” (deēsis) refers to an “urgent request to meet a need” (BDAG, p.213). Mounce^[82] states that this word comes from a root word that means “to lack.” So, it is both a “request” as well as making a “statement of need” to God. The LXX sometimes renders it as a “cry for help.”

“Prayers” (proseuchē) is the most common word used for prayer. It can be defined as a “petition,” but it simply refers to prayer in general (BDAG, p.878).

“Petitions” (enteuxis) only occurs here and 1 Timothy 4:5. It can be defined as “a formal request put to a high official or official body” (BDAG, p.339). Just a few verses earlier, Paul referred to God as “the King, eternal, immortal, invisible” (1 Tim. 1:17). Therefore, this term likely carries “the nuance of an intercession made to the divine king.”^[83]

“Thanksgiving (eucharistia) shows that Paul was able to sit and give thanks for every person—even the rulers and authorities in his day. An unfortunate tendency in serving God is to become negative and critical—even with our fellow believers. One way to combat this is to give thanks for them regularly. Earle writes, “Thanking God for what he has done for us in the past strengthens our faith to believe that he will meet our needs in the future.”^[84]

Paul tells us to pray for “all men.” We should never say, No, for someone else, deciding in advance who would be interested in Jesus’ message of love and forgiveness. Instead, we should pray for all people, and pray that all would come to faith.

(2:2) “For kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.”

The believers may have felt disgruntled toward the authorities. In verse 8, Paul tells them to pray “without wrath and dissension.” The “kings and all who are in authority” are likely the last people that they would’ve wanted to pray for. But instead of grumbling under their leadership or cursing them, Paul teaches that they should pray for them.

What was at the heart of Paul’s prayer? To be left alone! The goal was to “lead a tranquil and quiet life.” Paul prayed that the government would respect the rights of believers to practice their faith without persecution.

(2:3-4) “This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, ⁴ who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

This passage stands against its historical and cultural background. Both rabbinic Judaism on the one hand and Gnosticism on the other held that salvation was only for a select few. Mounce writes, “This statement stands in firm opposition to the synagogue’s belief that God hates the sinner and wishes to save only the righteous and to the gnostic belief that salvation is only for those ‘in the know.’”^[85] Paul’s words that God “desires all men to be saved” would be theologically uncharacteristic.

This passage is very difficult for Calvinistic interpreters. God is pleased when we pray for “all men” (v.1), because he desires to save “all men.” The 5-point Calvinistic doctrine of Limited Atonement doesn’t fit with verse 1 (and verse 6). According to a 5-point Calvinist, we’re not supposed to pray for all men—only the “elect.” We agree with Guthrie when he writes, “Intercession for all men could be justified only on the ground of God’s willingness to save all.”^[86] Verse 3 refers back to God being pleased with our prayers for “all men” (v.1), and therefore, verse 4 builds on this concept. Thus, Lea comments, “Intercession for all people pleases the God who desires all to be saved.”^[87]

Why does Paul bring up God’s universal desire for all people to come to salvation? Likely, Paul is countering both rabbinical Judaism and proto-Gnosticism in this verse.^[88] Rabbinical Judaism held that God wanted to destroy sinners, and Gnostics held that only a small spiritual elite would be saved. Paul refutes both of these views in just a few short verses.

What is the application for listeners? This means that the only person who is stopping you from coming to Christ… is you! God desires you to be saved. But the main question is, What do you desire?

(2:5) “For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”

“One God… one mediator.” This could be a refutation of the plethora of mediators taught in Gnosticism.^[89]

Since Jesus was fully God, he can represent God. Since he was fully human, he can represent humanity. Like an ambassador with dual citizenship, Jesus represents both parties fairly—being truly God and truly man (Heb. 2:17).

(2:6) “[Jesus] gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time.”

“Gave himself.” God the Father didn’t force Jesus to die for us. Jesus did this voluntarily. Jesus said, “The Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. ¹⁸No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again” (Jn. 10:17-18).

Jesus used the concept of a “ransom” to describe his atoning death (Mk. 10:45; Mt. 20:28), though the Gospels use an abridged Greek term (lutron). The term “ransom” (antilutron) can refer to a ransom “involving ‘payment’” or to redemption “in the Exodus sense of delivery from bondage.”“^[90] Guthrie writes, “The anti in the noun means ‘instead of,’ and the hyper following the verb means ‘on behalf of’ (although it should be noted that hyper can in some contexts sustain the meaning ‘instead of’). Christ is pictured as an ‘exchange price’ on behalf of and in the place of all, on the grounds of which freedom may be granted.”^[91]

Jesus came at the “proper time,” and he will return at the “proper time” (1 Tim. 6:15). Elsewhere, Paul says that Jesus came in the “fullness of time” (Gal. 4:4). See our earlier article, “Why Did God Decide to Spread the Gospel When He Did?”

(2:7) “For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying) as a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.”

“I was appointed a preacher and an apostle… of the Gentiles.” Many Jewish religious leaders would find it scandalous for a good Jewish man like Paul to preach to Gentiles. This much be why Paul adds, “I am telling the truth, I am not lying.”

Paul uses the emphatic “I” (egō) in Greek (“I was appointed…”). Earle writes, “Perhaps he is thinking ‘even I’—the one who blasphemed Christ and persecuted the church (see 1:12-14).”^[92] Even toward the end of his life, Paul was just as shocked as anyone else that he was allowed to be a minister of Jesus’ message of love and forgiveness.

(2:8) “Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension.”

Is this describing a worship service? No. We must disagree with many (or perhaps most?) commentators who believe that Paul is describing a worship service in this text. Paul is referring to prayer—not singing. The “holy hands” refer to our lifestyle with our hands (Ex. 30:19-21; Ps. 24:4; Isa. 1:15; 59:3). Paul doesn’t use the standard word for “holy” (hagios). Instead, the word he uses (hosious) means to be “without fault relative to deity, devout, pious, pleasing to God, holy” (BDAG, p.728). It refers to our “lifestyle” being “morally pure.”^[93] This likely builds upon Paul’s earlier description: Believers should “lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity” (v.2).

“Without wrath and dissension.” This refers to unrighteous anger (orgē) and arguing (dialogismos, see Lk. 9:46). The people in this church may have experienced persecution from the governing authorities (v.1), and Paul is teaching that they need to pray for these authorities, rather than grow embittered (“without wrath and dissension”). Jesus taught that we should forgive our brother before we engage in religious activities (Mt. 5:23-24; 6:12-15; Mk. 11:25). James writes that we need to find repentance in order to draw close with God: “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded” (Jas. 4:8). Peter writes that we should treat our wives with respect and love, so that our “prayers will not be hindered” (1 Pet. 3:7).

Questions for Reflection

Read verses 1-8. In what ways does this section motivate us to pray?

In what ways might it challenge the way that we pray?

What are some goals that we would like to see in the area of prayer?

What might be some signs that someone close to you has a vibrant prayer life? What would be some signs that they do not?

1 Timothy 2:9-15 (Women in Leadership?)

(2:12-15) Are women allowed to teach men or not?

(2:9-10) “Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments, ¹⁰ but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness.”

The term “modesty” (aidous) can also be translated “respectful” (Heb. 12:28). The KJV (“shame-faced”) is surely a poor translation! Paul is encouraging women not to abuse their liberty in the way that they dress. The context here refers to obsessing over their appearance (e.g. “braided hair”), and also avoiding materialistic attire (e.g. “gold or pearls or costly garments”).

Why is Paul against “braided hair”? This might refer to showing off their hair in general, which was considered scandalous in this culture. Indeed, some women in this church were engaging in sexual immorality—what Paul calls “various impulses” (2 Tim. 3:6). The Greek word means “over desires” (epithumia). Fee writes, “Indeed, for a married woman so to dress in public was tantamount to marital unfaithfulness (see, e.g., Sentences of Sextus 513: ‘A wife who likes adornment is not faithful’).”^[94] (See further comments on 1 Corinthians 11:5-6). It’s also possible to understand this to refer to materialism because it is paired with “gold,” “pearls,” and “costly garments.” Mounce comments, “Paul is not speaking simply of braided hair, but of braided hair adorned with indications of wealth. Braided hair was a common style, and alone would not raise the issue of impropriety.”^[95] Greco-Roman authors describe how women in the upper classes had elaborate and costly hair styles. Juvenal writes, “See the tall edifice rise up on her head in serried tiers and storeys!” (Juvenal, Satire 6; cf. Philo, Sacrifices 21)

Paul may have been writing to address specific concerns in this church, whose women were having “sensual desires in disregard of Christ” (1 Tim. 5:11). If these women were “making a claim to godliness,” but were dressing in a scandalous way, then this would send a mixed message.

While modern Western culture takes offense at Paul’s view of modesty, most cultures in world history would see no problem at all with this. At the same time, modesty is not an emphasis in the NT, so this shouldn’t turn into a focus for Christian women. The NT emphasis is for women (and men) to show their good character. As the Proverbs state, “Strength and dignity are her clothing” (Prov. 31:25).

Do these “women” actually refer to “wives”? A number of arguments favor this perspective. First, the Greek word can be translated either way, depending on the context (gunē). Second, the women are married and have kids (v.15). Third, the terms “men/husbands” (anēr) and “women/wives” (gunē) usually refer to “husbands” and “wives” when Paul uses them. Under this view, “Paul’s concern is to prohibit only the sort of teaching that would constitute a failure of the requisite wifely ‘submission’ to her husband.”[96]

However, we reject this view. For one, widows are a large part of this divisive audience of women in Ephesus (1 Tim 5:3-16; 2 Tim 3:6-7). It’s quite odd that Paul would only address wives when the widows were a large part of the problem. Second, it’s odd that Paul would be telling wives that they should dress modestly, but this wouldn’t include single women. Third, it’s odd that Paul is only addressing “husbands” (anēr) in verse 8, but this is a consistent interpretation. Fourth, the broader context refers to when believers assemble together for teaching and preaching—not sitting at home with their families.

(2:11-15) “A woman must quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness. ¹² But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet. ¹³ For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve. ¹⁴ And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression. ¹⁵ But women will be preserved through the bearing of children if they continue in faith and love and sanctity with self-restraint.”

This passage is highly disputed and quite difficult to interpret. We would suggest listening to our teaching on this, and reading our article for a robust defense of women teachers. We present both the traditional view and an alternate reading of the text.

(2:12-15) Are women allowed to teach men or not?

Questions for Reflection

Read verses 11-15. Many Christians don’t allow women to lead or teach based on this passage. What view do you hold? Defend your position.

1 Timothy 3

False teachers filled the church in Ephesus. Timothy must’ve felt all alone—not knowing whom to trust. Consequently, Paul writes about getting some good teammates, and how to recognize them when you see them. By describing the characteristics of true leaders, the false teachers would stick out like a sore thumb. This must be why Paul addresses leadership so thoroughly in this letter.

Put simply, Paul’s solution to false teachers was good leadership. Mounce writes, “Many argue that [Paul] sees institutionalism as the key to controlling the growing threat of false teaching. But the emphasis on leadership… is not on the office but on the personal character of the leader. This indicates that the author is not instituting a structure to deal with a problem.”^[97]

1 Timothy 3:1-16 (Recognizing Leaders)

Overseers

(3:1) “It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do.”

Isn’t it arrogant to want to be a spiritual leader? To begin, it depends on our definition of leadership. If you define leadership as being dictatorial or authoritarian, then yes, wanting to lead is profoundly arrogant, not to mention dangerous. But what if you define leadership as “servant leadership,” as Jesus did (Mk. 10:45)? This would change our answer to this question entirely. Christian leadership is not intended to fulfill our desire to achieve or add to our resumes. We don’t lead to make ourselves somebody, but because we already are somebody “in Christ.”

Second, Jesus is the ultimate “Guardian [episkopos] of our souls” (1 Pet. 2:25). Is Jesus arrogant for adopting this role? (Mt. 11:28-30).

Third, God assigns ministry to us (2 Cor. 10:13). Therefore, properly understood, it is actually arrogant to say, “No,” to God when he calls us to step forward (consider Moses’ objections in Ex. 3-4). All of this explains why Paul writes that it is a “fine work” if a person “aspires” and “desires” to lead.

“Aspire” (oregetai) means “to seek to accomplish a specific goal” (BDAG, p.721). It describes “ambitious seeking,” but whether that ambition is “good or bad is determined by context. In our text it must be good since Paul is recommending it.”^[98]
“Desire” (epithumein) normally carries a negative connotation in the NT. It comes from the root words two roots “over” (epi) and “desire” (thumia). Thus, this is an “over desire.” We could translate this as a “great desire” or “inordinate” desire (BDAG, p.371). This Greek word is usually used for sin, but here it is used for serving. This implies that the cure to our selfish “over desires” is actually to live for others instead of ourselves.

The aspiration is not simply for a title (“the office of overseer”), but primarily for a role (“it is a fine work he desires to do”). The aspiration and desire are both used to serve in the “work,” not simply the title.

Why would anyone want to lead? Leadership sounds like a lot of work, and indeed it is (1 Tim. 4:15-16). This might be one of the toughest things you’ll ever do. At the same time, it is also one of the most rewarding. In fact, one study found that 98% of pastors agreed with the statement, “I feel privileged to be a pastor.”[99] This is despite the fact that the same study measured the difficulties and suffering of this job.

Leadership is unavoidable. A good synonym for leadership is “influence.” When we lead others, we influence them—one way or another. All of us have an influence on our friends, families, colleagues, etc. Therefore, the question is not whether we will lead but what sort of leader we will be.

Leadership is all about love. Earlier, Paul wrote, “The goal of our instruction is love” (1 Tim. 1:5). Leadership focuses on loving others, and teaching others to do the same. What does it say about our spirituality if we aren’t interested in loving or influencing others for Christ?

Leadership is incredibly meaningful. All of us hate “busy work.” Why? Because it’s meaningless! By contrast, influencing others for Christ is lightyears away from “busy work.” Caring for other people’s spiritual health is one of the most important purposes we could ever have.

Leadership builds our faith. Serving as a leader gives us a “great confidence” in our faith (v.13). In other words, it builds our faith to see God come through over and over again.

Leadership grows our friendships. The people we lead and lead alongside often become our best friends (3 Jn. 4; 1 Thess. 2:19-20).

Leadership challenges us to grow spiritually. We end up treating our character issues more seriously. We pray more, study more, serve more, and love more than we normally would have. When people step down from having the title of leadership, it isn’t uncommon to see their spiritual lives slump. Why is that? When we choose to lead others, we realize that people are depending on us. Our love for them helps us to persevere through difficult times.

Leadership is profoundly healthy for our marriages and children. Instead of leading separate lives, you get to lead with your spouse, drawing you together. Moreover, your children grow up in a home where Mom and Dad are both focused on loving others. What a gift for children to see an example like this! In fact, 79% of pastors think that their vocation has had a positive effect on their families.[100]

Should Christians lead by themselves? No. The Bible repeatedly teaches plurality for Christian leaders.

First, we have biblical principles for plurality in leadership. In each passage, we see plural leaders overseeing a singular church:

“They had appointed elders [plural] for them in every church [singular]” (Acts 14:23).
“[Paul] sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders [plural] of the church [singular]” (Acts 20:17).
“He must call for the elders [plural] of the church [singular]” (Jas. 5:14).
“To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi [singular], including the overseers and deacons [plural]” (Phil. 1:1).
“I exhort the elders [plural] among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, ²shepherd the flock [singular] of God among you [plural],[101] exercising oversight.” (1 Pet. 5:1-2).
“This reason I left you in Crete, that you would set in order what remains and appoint elders [plural] in every city [singular] as I directed you” (Titus 1:5).

Second, since “overseers” and “elders” are interchangeable offices, Paul’s mention of plural “elders” later in the letter demonstrates plurality (1 Tim. 5:17).

Third, Paul’s use of “if anyone” seems to suggest a group—not a single person.^[102]

Fourth, Paul uses the singular to refer to “the overseer” (rather than the plural “overseers”). However, the “singular is generic in meaning,”^[103] just as we see in the previous chapter where Paul refers to how “a woman must quietly receive instruction” and “I do not allow a woman to teach…” (1 Tim. 2:11-12). Surely Paul did not have a single woman in view. We see the same usage in Paul’s letters where he writes, “If any man…” (1 Cor. 3:18; Gal. 1:9).

Fifth, solitary leadership very often leads to problems.

Since human nature is fallen, we can make an argument from wisdom that sole authority is unwise.
A group of leaders also have more availability to serve a big church.
Lifeway found that 55% of pastors agreed that they “discouraged” and “lonely” at times. Ironically, “pastors of larger churches are lonelier… It appears that the larger the church the more present the loneliness.”[104] In 2021, Barna found that 38% of pastors are seriously considering quitting vocational ministry.[105] Leaders need friends and teammates!

Leading on a team doesn’t cure all of these problems above, but it does curb these issues to a significant degree.

Are “overseers” and “elders” different offices? No. Put simply, an elder is an overseer, and an overseer is an elder: “The titles of overseer and elder are used interchangeably.”^[106] Consider several examples:

“I left you in Crete, that you would set in order what remains and appoint elders (presbyterous) in every city as I directed you, namely, if any man is above reproach… For the overseer must be above reproach (episkopos)” (Titus 1:5-7)
“[Paul] sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church… ²⁸The Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God” (Acts 20:17, 28).
“An overseer, then, must be… able to teach… The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching” (1 Tim. 3:2; 5:17).
“I exhort the elders (presbyterous) among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight (episkopeō)”[107] (1 Pet. 5:1-2)

Are “overseers” and “bishops” different offices? Yes and no. Both English words are translations of the same original Greek term (episkopos). Some translations use the archaic term “bishop” to translate this same Greek word (see KJV, ASV, NRSV). In that sense (and only in that sense), bishops are different from overseers. Yet, both are English translations of the same word.

This is far different from the erroneous notion that there is a leadership office above elders and overseers called “bishops.” We agree with Guthrie that “there is no hint here or elsewhere in the Pastorals of the monarchical episcopacy so much lauded by Ignatius.”^[108] Lea writes, “We must not confuse the office of overseer or bishop mentioned here with the ecclesiastical office of bishop that developed later. In later times a bishop was a superintendent over a diocese. This office did not appear in a fully developed sense until the second century. Paul was not discussing a hierarchical office.”^[109]

What kind of qualities does a spiritual leader need? Winsomeness? Gifting? Boldness? Good looks? None of these qualities would hurt, but these are simply not the qualities Paul lists. Instead, Paul teaches that leaders need (1) character, (2) work ethic, and (3) effectiveness.

GOOD CHARACTER: God wants to call men and women of character. Character is the backbone or skeletal structure that holds our muscles together. Like a man on steroids whose muscles develop faster than his bones, gifted leaders will snap if they refuse to develop their character!
HARD WORKING: Christian leaders also need to be hard workers. Paul states that the office of an overseer is a fine “work” (ergon, 1 Tim. 3:1). Overseers need to show love to non-Christians (philoxenos, 1 Tim. 3:2), and they need to have a “good reputation with those outside the church (1 Tim. 3:7). These are people who have “served well” (1 Tim. 3:13), and those who “work hard at preaching and teaching” (1 Tim. 5:17). In a word, leaders need to work hard.
EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP: A leader needs to “lead his own household well” (1 Tim. 3:4-5). If a leader can lead when no one is looking, he will be more qualified to lead in more public settings. Later, we read, “The elders who lead well… and who work hard at preaching and teaching” (1 Tim. 5:17).

(3:2) “An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach.”

(3:2) Does this passage preclude female eldership? No. The Bible simply doesn’t use gender neutral language. This qualification is not compelling elders to be married men. In fact, Paul himself was not married (1 Cor. 7:8), and yet, this didn’t disqualify him as a leader. Instead, the “husband of one wife” (mias gunaikos andros) literally means a “one-woman kind of man.”^[110] The expression refers to a lifestyle of sexual purity (cf. 1 Tim. 5:9).

For a thorough word study of these character qualities and questions for discussion, see our article, “Character and Leadership.”

(3:3-7) “Not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money. ⁴He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity.” ⁵(but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?). ⁶Not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil. ⁷And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.”

Deacons

(3:8) “Deacons likewise must be men of dignity, not double-tongued, or addicted to much wine or fond of sordid gain.”

“Dignity” (semnos) is also a quality of deaconesses (v.11), older men (Titus 2:2), and believers in general (1 Tim. 2:2).

“Double-tongued” (dilogous) comes from the root words “twice” (dis) and “word” (logos). Deacons need to be “faithful to the truth in their speech.”^[111]

“Addicted to much wine” implies a “strong addiction.”^[112] The term “addicted” (prosechontas) is the same term used for the false teachers being “addicted” to myths (1 Tim. 1:4).

“Sordid gain” is in contrast to the false teachers who want to get rich (1 Tim. 6:5; Titus 1:11).

(3:9) “But holding to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.”

The “mystery of the faith” isn’t a mystery in the sense that we use that term today. Instead, it refers to “teachings once hidden but now revealed,”^[113] and the reality that God has revealed the truth about Christ to the world (Rom. 16:25-26). Leaders need a “clear conscience.” Otherwise, they will go off the rails (1 Tim. 1:5-6, 19; 4:2). Regarding the relationship between sin and false teaching, Mounce writes, “Heresy and moral reprobation walk hand in hand.”^[114]

(3:10) “These men must also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons if they are beyond reproach.”

“First be tested” (dokimazo) was a term used for the testing of the purity and quality of gold (see comments on 1 Peter 1:7). This must mean that we should wait to recognize deacons until we see them experience suffering, failure, and success.

Some hold that this “testing” refers to a “formal examination.”^[115] But this is reading later (or even modern?) concepts for ordination back into the biblical text. Paul is simply referring to looking at the person’s life after they have endured testing from God. Surely, this can be corporately recognized—just as Timothy was “well spoken of by the brethren who were in Lystra and Iconium” (Acts 16:2). This is also why an elder should not be a “new convert” (v.6), because they need to first experience testing.

(3:11) “Women must likewise be dignified, not malicious gossips, but temperate, faithful in all things.”

(3:11) Are these instructions for “female deacons” or “the wives of deacons?” This refers to “female deacons” or “deaconesses.” Paul gives similar character qualifications as the other leaders.

Deaconesses cannot be “malicious gossips” (diabolos). Earlier, Paul said that men should not be “double-tongued” (dialogous). Here, women shouldn’t be “malicious gossips” (diabolos). Why such serious language? This fits with the idea that the Ephesian heresy was being spread through women. Paul wanted to make sure that deaconesses were spreading the truth—not lies—about God. Later Paul writes, “[Younger widows] go around from house to house; and not merely idle, but also gossips and busybodies, talking about things not proper to mention” (1 Tim. 5:13).

(3:12) “Deacons must be husbands of only one wife, and good managers of their children and their own households.”

These character qualities about our home life match what we see for elders (1 Tim. 3:2, 4-5). Again, for a thorough word study of these character qualities and questions for discussion, see our earlier article, “Character and Leadership.”

(3:13) “For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a high standing and great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.”

Their “high standing” doesn’t refer to having “an advance in ecclesiastical rank.”^[116] Rather, according to Earle,^[117] Guthrie,^[118] and Lea,^[119] it refers to having a high standing both in the eyes of people whom you have been leading (1 Cor. 16:15-18; 1 Thess. 5:12; Heb. 13:7) and in the eyes of God who will tell us, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” (Mt. 25:21-23 NIV; Jn. 5:44).

The “great confidence” (parrēsia) refers to having great boldness in coming to God in faith (Eph. 3:12; Heb. 10:19). This is likely because leaders have seen God build their faith time and time again.

Their “great confidence” could refer to others having confidence in them. It could also refer to their own confidence in their faith because they have seen God’s faithfulness in ministry over time.

The Church

(3:14) “I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long.”

Paul wanted to come and check in with Timothy. Even though he was trying to empower him as a leader, he also wanted to come and get his hands dirty with the work of leadership. He wasn’t leading from a “crow’s nest” far away. He wanted to be down on the deck with Timothy.

(3:15) “But in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.”

(3:15) Is the Church the foundation for the Bible? All three terms (e.g. “church” “pillar” “support”) lack the article. Without the article, these terms should be rendered “a church,” “a pillar,” or “a support.” Mounce writes, “The lack of the definite article before ekklesia indicates that Paul is thinking of the local church.”^[120] In fact, the only article in this verse is found before “the truth”! In other words, Paul is not referring to the Universal Church, but to a church—namely, this church in Ephesus. In fact, to follow Paul’s symbolism, we need to acknowledge the fact that buildings need multiple pillars. Guthrie writes, “A building needs more than one pillar. The pillar in fact stands for each Christian community.”^[121] As Hort notes, “To speak of either an Ecclesia or the Ecclesia, as being the pillar of the truth, is to represent the truth as a building, standing in the air supported on a single column.”^[122] Instead of this view, we hold that each individual church serves God by holding up and defending his word.

(3:16) “By common confession, great is the mystery of godliness.”

Why does Paul refer to the basic gospel truths as a “mystery”? He could be wagging his finger at the Gnostic false teachers. To paraphrase Paul, he might be saying, “The Gnostics think that they can reveal all of the mysteries about spirituality. But they have nothing on the true revelation given to us through Jesus!”

Many scholars believe that what follows was an “an early creedal statement about the incarnation, vindication, and ascension of Jesus.”^[123] The difficulty of this passage is whether or not to take it as a chronological arrangement, a topical arrangement, or poetic arrangement.

Chronological arrangement? The passage seems to be chronological until you reach line 6, which provides difficulty for the first view.
Topical arrangement? Mounce^[124] holds that the first three lines refer to Jesus’ work on earth, and the second three lines refer to the results of that work. Another way to express this topical arrangement is to see the passage starting with Jesus’ humiliation and ending with Jesus’ exaltation (cf. Phil. 2:5-11).
Poetic arrangement? Some see an A-B-C-C-B-A chiastic arrangement in the passage.

“He who was revealed in the flesh.” This seems to refer to the incarnation (Jn. 1:14; Rom. 1:3; Phil. 2:7-8), and it “presupposes the pre-existence of Christ.”^[125]

“Was vindicated in the Spirit.” The term “vindication” is the same word for “justified” (Rom. 1:3-4), which seems to refer to the resurrection. This passage is parallel: “in flesh” and “in spirit.” Thus, Paul is saying that “God had vindicated Christ in the spiritual realm, i.e. when he declared him to be his son.”^[126] Lea states, “What Paul was saying is that just as Christ was manifested in human flesh, so he was proved to be what he claimed to be in the spiritual realm. The resurrection of Christ declared that he was God’s Son.”^[127]

Romans 1:3-4	1 Timothy 3:16
[Jesus] was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh.	He who was revealed in the flesh.
[Jesus] was DECLARED the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord.	Was VINDICATED in the Spirit.

It’s also possible to take this to refer to Jesus’ baptism, where he received the Holy Spirit (Mt. 3:16) and the vindicating words of God: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased” (Mt. 3:17).

“Seen by angels.” The word “seen” is the “regular formula in the NT for resurrection appearances (Luke 24:23; Acts 9:17; 1 Cor. 15:5-8).”^[128] However, this could also refer to Jesus’ triumph over fallen angels (Col. 2:15; Eph. 6:12) or good angels (1 Pet. 1:12; Eph. 3:10). This is understood to refer to his ascension by some interpreters.^[129]

“Proclaimed among the nations.” This could refer to the spread of the gospel after Pentecost.

“Believed on in the world.” This would be the ongoing spread of the gospel through the “world” (kosmos) the Church Age. It could also refer to the gospel piercing through the world-system (kosmos) in general.^[130]

“Taken up in glory.” The words “taken up” elsewhere in the NT refer “to the Ascension (Luke 9:51; Acts 1:2, 11, 22; cf. Mark 16:19).”^[131] Again, everything seemed to be in chronological order until we reached this line. How do we explain this? Fee writes, “The answer seems to lie with the phrase in glory, which less likely refers to the place of his exaltation as to its manner, that is, it was ‘glorious’ or ‘accompanied with glory.’ Like line 3, then, this line also emphasizes his triumph and glorification more than the actual event of the Ascension itself, chronologically understood.”^[132] Furthermore, Fee adds, “Indeed, in this view, line 6 is the glorious climax of the whole that begins in line 1 with the humiliation of Incarnation.”^[133] Lea^[134] argues that Jesus gave the Great Commission before he ascended. So, the notion that Jesus was “believed on in the world” would refer to the initial commission that is still being fulfilled to this day.

Why does Paul include this early statement of faith? He could be affirming the early view of Jesus’ resurrection against the false teachers (2 Tim. 2:17-18). Moreover, in chapter 4, Paul goes on to refute false teachers. So, Paul is setting up sound doctrine in this verse before he attacks false doctrine in the subsequent verses.

Questions for Reflection

See our earlier article, “Character and Leadership.”

1 Timothy 4

Paul moves from the serious threat of the false teachers to what Timothy can do in response by modeling true spirituality.

1 Timothy 4:1-5 (False teachers)

(4:1) “But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons.”

“The Spirit explicitly says.” What does Paul mean by the Spirit speaking to him about the future?

OPTION #1: Old Testament predictions. This view is very unlikely. Fee writes, “Such a formula is never used by Paul when referring to the Old Testament.”^[135] More importantly, it’s hard to know exactly where in the OT we read about people apostatizing at the end of human history.
OPTION #2: Jesus’ teaching in the Olivet Discourse. Guthrie^[136] holds that Paul received his insight about false teachers from Jesus. Indeed, Jesus taught, “At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. ¹¹Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many” (Mt. 24:10-11; cf. Mk. 13:22). The difficulty with this view is that Paul states that this came from the Spirit—not from the Lord Jesus (compare with 1 Cor. 7:10; Gal. 1:12).
OPTION #3: The Holy Spirit’s direct revelation. This final view seems most likely. This could be in conjunction with God inspiring all Scripture through the Spirit (2 Tim. 3:16; cf. 2 Pet. 1:20-21), or perhaps the Spirit speaking to and through Paul at his farewell discourse in Ephesus: “I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; ³⁰and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them” (Acts 20:29-30).

“In later times.” This doesn’t necessarily refer to the end times—though it could (cf. 2 Tim. 4:3-4). When Paul refers to the end times, he prefers the phrase “in the last days” (2 Tim. 3:1), rather than “in later times.” Mounce^[137] and Earle^[138] understand this to refer to Paul’s own lifetime. In a similar passage, Paul refers to “the last days” (2 Tim. 3:1), but then he tells Timothy to “avoid such men as these” (v.5). This implies a contemporary application for Timothy. According to the NT, we are always living in the last days (Acts 2:17-21; Heb. 1:2). So, this is a case of “both/and” rather than “either/or.” False teaching has always been a problem in the church, but it will certainly get worse at the end of history. Paul also taught that a great apostasy would occur at the end of human history (2 Thess. 2:3ff).

“Paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons.” The term “demons” (daimonion) refers to literal fallen angels—not false teachers. Paul combines this word (daimonion) with the words “deceitful spirits.” This can hardly refer to humans. Yet, these demons work through the agency of the “hypocrisy of liars” (v.2).

While these false teachers are influenced by supernatural, demonic forces, they are far from innocent: They are responsible for believing demonic ideas (cf. Gen. 3:1-16; Jas. 1:14-15), and their deception runs deep. Paul later refers to false teachers as both “deceiving and being deceived” (2 Tim. 3:13).

Postmodern people are often suspicious of “doctrine” (didaskalia). But this term simply refers to “the act of teaching” or “instruction” (BDAG, p.240). Indeed, postmodern people cannot reject doctrine without teaching their own. The question isn’t whether we’ll teach doctrines, but whether or not our doctrines are true and good. According to Paul, some people will teach others the “doctrine of demons.”

(4:2) “By means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron.”

How does someone lose their faith to the point that they could teach the Bible from Satan’s perspective? Paul has already addressed that the goal of our instruction “is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith” (1 Tim. 1:5). When people have serious sin on their conscience, this causes a poisoning effect on their souls. When we lose “faith and a good conscience,” Paul describes this as “shipwreck” in regard to our faith (1 Tim. 1:19), and he even names two men who lost their faith this way: Hymenaeus and Alexander (1 Tim. 1:20). Later, Paul states that people are held in the “the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will” (2 Tim. 2:26).

Here, Paul elaborates on this concept. When we have sin on our conscience, we can confess it and agree with God, or we can turn to the “hypocrisy of liars.” Hypocrisy has a numbing effect on our conscience. Like burning your finger with a “branding iron,” our conscience becomes “seared” and calloused and numb. We become desensitized to conviction from the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:19), and open ourselves to various other spiritual forces. The Greek term for “seared” (kaustēriazō) is the root from which we get the term “cauterized.” When we live a double life like this, we open ourselves to hypocrisy and refuse to come under the grace of God.

Does this refer to being branded by Satan? Mounce^[139] and Fee^[140] believe that Paul is referring to a brand from Satan on their conscience (see the NEB). This reflects an ancient practice of branding criminals, slaves, or defeated soldiers (Plutarch, Pericles 26; Lucian, On the Syrian Goddess 59; Herodotus, Histories 2:113). These commentators argue that these men are guilty of “hypocrisy” and are “liars.” Yet, a cauterized conscience “implies that the opponents did know the difference.”^[141]

We disagree. For one, the entire message of 1 Timothy is to keep a clear conscience so that you do not reach this state (1 Tim. 1:5, 19-20). In other words, hypocrisy is the way that the conscience is seared. So, these men were culpable for allowing their own hypocrisy to sear their conscience. Moreover, the term “seared” (kaustēriazō) is a verb—not a noun. So, grammatically, this implies that their conscience was numbed by sin—not that this is a brand of Satan.

(4:3-4) “Men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth. ⁴For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude.”

Mounce^[142] holds that we cannot know if this is Jewish teaching on food restrictions (appealing to Romans 14) or some sort of dualistic Gnosticism. We disagree. Indeed, Paul’s response to the food restrictions in Romans 14 is far different than his teaching here. In Romans 14, Paul urges love for weak believers; here, he calls these men followers of Satan. In the end, Mounce sees “both Jewish and Gnostic tendencies in the Ephesian heresy.”^[143] Any Jewish teaching is some sort of Jewish mysticism or severely aberrant Judaism—not like what we find in Romans 14. Moreover, the predominant heresy in Ephesus was Gnostic teaching.

Guthrie is quite strong when he writes, “There is no doubt that these point to an incipient Gnosticism with its dualistic view of matter, which found its climax in the heretical teachers of the early second century.”^[144] Paul confronts two components to the Gnostic teaching in Ephesus:

Is marriage inherently evil? Not at all. Gnostic teachers believed that marriage was sinful because the physical body was inherently dirty and evil. By contrast, Genesis 1-2 teaches that God created marriage, and he called it “good.” Stott writes, “The Encratites, for example, are described by Irenaeus as having ‘preached against marriage, thus setting aside the original creation of God, and indirectly blaming him who made them male and female for the propagation of the human race’.”^[145]
Are different forms of food inherently evil? Not at all. God created everything, and over and over he said, “It was good… And it was good… And it was good… And it was very good” (Gen. 1:10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31).^[146]

What does this ascetic view say about God? The word “asceticism” refers to rigorous self-denial (and in extreme cases even self-harm). Such a perverse perspective of God pictures him as unloving and unnecessarily restrictive. Indeed, Paul is arguing against this because “what is at stake is our whole conception of God.”^[147] Paul viewed God as an incredible giver, who wants us to enjoy the good gifts that he gives us. Later he writes, “[God] richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment” (1 Tim. 6:17). Imagine if a young boy didn’t eat any of the food in the fridge because he thought that this would anger his parents. Imagine if he refused to open up his presents on Christmas because he didn’t think he should enjoy them. What would this say about his view of his parents? John Stott writes, “To reject these things is to abandon the faith, since it insults the Creator. To receive them thankfully and celebrate them joyfully is to glorify God.”^[148]

(4:4) Does the Bible condone drug use?

(4:5) “For it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer.”

Earle,^[149] Guthrie,^[150] and Lea^[151] understand this as a reason for “saying grace” before meals (cf. Mk. 6:41; 8:6). However, it seems that Paul’s reference to “the word of God” is simply a statement that God’s word allows us to eat anything we want (Gen. 1:29-30; Gen. 9:3; Mk. 7:19). Regarding prayer, Mounce states, “Without a belief in the gospel, a person has no assurance that the dietary laws still do not apply. (The argument does not work in reverse; if a person is not thankful, it does not make the food unclean.)”^[152]

(4:6) “In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following.”

God’s word (“the words of the faith”) and doctrine (“the sound doctrine”) are combined together. In other words, we need sound theology. In light of the context of false teaching, Guthrie makes a wise observation when he writes, “The best refutation of error is a positive presentation of truth.”^[153]

By teaching God’s word faithfully, Timothy would be considered a “good servant of Christ Jesus.” Mounce writes, “If Timothy continues to teach the gospel as Paul has been describing it, he knows that despite the opposition Timothy will encounter, he will be a good servant of Christ Jesus.”^[154] We need to work hard at teaching a preaching. However, when we stand up before the church, we need to give ourselves a lot of grace (especially after we have taught).

Furthermore, as we teach God’s word to others, this has a nourishing effect on our own souls. Perhaps you’ve had the experience of teaching a biblical truth only to realize, “I needed to hear that just as much as them!”

(4:7) “But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness.”

“But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women.” Mounce states that these “fables” were “stereotyped kind of stories bandied back and forth between gossipy women who have nothing better to do.”^[155] Not true. These myths weren’t “fables” in the modern sense (e.g. “The Tortoise and the Hare”). The content of these “worldly” (bebēlos) myths led people to fall away from the faith. While these myths might seem innocuous to the average reader, Paul doesn’t describe them this way. Elsewhere, he writes, “[They] will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths” (2 Tim. 4:4). In other words, these “myths” were not harmless stories; they were aberrations that turned people away from the truth. Paul used this term “worldly” (bebēlos) to refer to men who are “profane” (1 Tim. 1:9). The fact that Paul uses this “word to describe professedly religious people shows the utter bankruptcy of their religion.”^[156]

“Discipline yourself” (gymnazō) draws on the concept of an athlete training in a “gymnasium” (cf. 1 Tim. 6:12; 2 Tim. 2:5; 1 Cor. 9:24-27). We can experience “training” from God’s discipline in our lives (Heb. 12:11), or we can have our hearts “trained in greed” (2 Pet. 2:14). In this context, our training comes from Bible study, reflection, meditation, and prayer. As we nourish ourselves on these things (v.6), we have the power to experience deep “training” in loving others. To repeat, the point of this training is not to build up ourselves in the eyes of others, but to keep our eyes on others in building them up.

(4:8) “For bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”

The Gnostics had all sorts of “bodily discipline” (v.2; Col. 2:23). But at most, Paul calls this “little profit.” Paul didn’t advocate for the asceticism of the Gnostics. Indeed, it would be quite odd if Paul just gave a scathing critique of the ascetics (1 Tim. 4:1-5) only to turn around and welcome a little bit of their practices.

The term “bodily discipline” (gumnasia) means “exercise,” and Paul did advocate for taking care of one’s body (1 Cor. 9:25-27). That being said, it is “only has value for a little while”^[157] and this gives an “implicit limitation”^[158] to physical exercise—which was so popular in the Greco-Roman world. Mounce writes, “The issue is not how much value exercise and godliness have, but how long they last.”^[159] Moreover, godliness bleeds over into multiple areas of life, ultimately affecting “all things.”

Many people focus on sculpting their bodies in the gym, while their minds and souls turn into a flabby bowl of mush! This is Os Guinness’ thesis in his book Fit Bodies, Fat Minds: Why Evangelicals Don’t Think and What to Do About It (1994).

(4:9) “It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance.”

Here is another of the five “trustworthy statements” in the Pastoral Epistles. Most commentators believe that Paul is referring to verse 8.^[160] Though, it’s possible that the trustworthy statement refers to verse 10 and following. The connecting word (“For…”) implies that verse 10 is building upon verse 9. We favor the view that Paul is referring to what follows—not what came before. Though, this is uncertain.

(4:10) “For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God.”

Paul describes the hard work of following Christ:

“Labor” (kopiaō) means “to become weary or tired” or “to exert oneself physically, mentally, or spiritually, work hard, toil, strive, struggle” (BDAG, p.558). In his correspondence with Timothy, he uses the term to describe hardworking elders (1 Tim. 5:17) and Christian workers who resemble farmers (2 Tim. 2:6). Paul uses the term to refer to the strain of athletic exhaustion (Phil. 2:16), and John uses it of Jesus who was weary in the noon-day sun (Jn. 4:6). There is a strange paradox that we find rest from our labor, when we get into Jesus’ “yoke” (i.e. his labor). In other words, we don’t get rest unless we’re working alongside Jesus (Mt. 11:28).

“Strive” (agōnizō) refers to “agony.” Earle writes, “The second (agōnizō, ‘agonize’) was used for competing in an athletic contest. So it meant ‘struggle’ or ‘strive.’ Just as athletes exert what seems to be their last ounce of energy to win a race, so Paul was giving the ministry all he had.”[161]

Do we simply muster this energy from within? Not at all. Our energy comes from our source of hope: Where have you been “fixing your hope” lately? What have you been thinking about throughout the day? What have you been focusing on? Spiritual growth begins in the mind (“fixed our hope…”), and it results in hard work.

“[God] is the Savior of all men, especially of believers.” Guthrie understands this to mean that God is the “preserver of all men.”^[162] This doesn’t seem to fit with God being our “Savior” (1 Tim. 1:1). God is the “Savior of all men” in the sense that he “genuinely wants all human beings to experience salvation.”^[163] Mounce^[164] and Earle^[165] hold that God is the potential Savior of all people, but only the actual Savior of those who trust in him for salvation. The Atonement was universal in its scope (1 Tim. 2:6; 1 Jn. 2:2), but not in its application. Even five-point Calvinists agree that a person remains under God’s wrath (Eph. 2:3) until they receive Christ. Therefore, the person doesn’t experience the application of the Atonement until they receive it.

Five-point Calvinists unsurprisingly argue that “all men” refers to all types of people—namely both Jews and Gentiles. Yet, how does this fit with “especially of believers”? The Christian church, of course, comprises all types of people. So, this statement would be redundant.

1 Timothy 4:11-16 (Leadership principles)

(4:11) “Prescribe and teach these things.”

The terms “prescribe and teach” are in the present tense. This means that Timothy should “keep on preaching” and “keep on teaching” these principles. We should never feel like God’s truth is irrelevant because people have “heard all of this before.” Human nature forgets and rejects even the most essential and important truths from God. As Bible teachers, we are very often just glorified “broken records” to others. We would prefer this to theological novelty that results in heresy.

“Prescribe” (paraggellō) is somewhat of a forceful word that means to “give orders, command, instruct, direct” (BDAG, p.760). Meanwhile, “teach” (didaskalia) carries the meaning formal or informal instruction (instruction in a formal or informal setting, teach” (BDAG, p.241). Both are important.

(4:12) “Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.”

(4:12) How old was Timothy? Paul picked up Timothy on his second missionary journey (Acts 16:1). 1 Timothy was written fourteen years later. If Timothy was sixteen years old, when Paul first worked with him, he would be at least thirty at this point. According to Irenaeus, “Thirty is the first stage of a young man’s age, and extends to forty, as all will admit” (Irenaeus, Against Heresies 2.22.5). Paul probably gave this command, because older men were considered to be wiser than men in their thirties, and he wanted to encourage Timothy to stand up for himself.

“Look down on” (kataphroneō) implies “contempt and aversion” for this person (BDAG, p.529). We shouldn’t look down on younger people simply because of their age. Moreover, we don’t choose leaders by “seniority.” Instead, we recognize them from their character and love—just as Paul has been arguing throughout this letter.

In the ancient world, age conferred a significant amount of respect. Indeed, Paul told Timothy to respect those who were older than him (1 Tim. 5:1-2). However, this doesn’t mean that Timothy should hand over the leadership of the church to these people. Instead, these older men and women should respect Timothy as well.

How could Timothy gain the respect of older people? Should he stomp his feet and raise his voice, demanding their respect? Of course not. Paul tells Timothy to focus on the “example” (typos) that he was setting for these other believers to follow. Through his example, Timothy would show that “authority in the community is contingent on character, not on age.”^[166]

“Speech, conduct, love.” As leaders, we lead through our words and also through our works—through our lips as well as our lives.

“Faith.” Leaders model faith to their church. When circumstances are poor, God uses the faith of leaders to galvanize the church. Leaders can model faith by:

Sharing what they’re learning about God.
Not panicking during “out of season” times.
Initiating prayer with others, helping them to gain a vertical focus.
Suffering victoriously and with a godly attitude. (Leaders should share about their suffering, but they shouldn’t complain about it. It isn’t whether you talk about your suffering, but how you talk about it that matters. There may be times of honest lament and vulnerability, but without expressing trust in God, this can have a negative effect.)

“Purity” (hagneia) occurs only here and in 1 Timothy 5:2. As Paul has already taught (1 Tim. 3:2ff), leaders need to have a quality character.

(4:13) “Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching.”

“Until I come.” This return to Ephesus must’ve happened after the book of Acts ended. Paul didn’t think that he would return to Ephesus when he left (Acts 20:25, 38), but it’s likely that he did.

“Give attention” (prosechein) is the same term used of the false teachers devoting themselves to their heresies (1 Tim. 1:4). In effect, Paul is telling Timothy that we need to work harder than these false teachers and out think them. Paul later writes to be “absorbed” in these things (v.15). Mounce comments, “The agenda Paul spells out for Timothy emphasizes the centrality of the text for theological correctness and includes not just a basic reading but a fuller awareness of the text’s meaning that is gained through study, reflection, and devotion.”^[167]

“Give attention to the public reading of Scripture.” It was common for the Bible to be read publicly (1 Thess. 5:27; Col. 4:16; Justin Martyr, First Apology 1.67). This implies that even young Christians can understand the Bible—even children (2 Tim. 3:15). The “simple” can gain “understanding” from the Scriptures (Ps. 119:130). We are “blessed” by God if we “read” or even “hear” the words of the Bible—even a difficult book like Revelation (Rev. 1:3). Indeed, even non-Christians can understand the truth of Scripture—at least enough to know how to come to faith in Christ (Jn. 20:31). Theologians refer to this as the perspicuity of Scripture—namely, the main message of Scripture is clear.

“Exhortation and teaching.” In addition to reading the Scriptures, we should teach the Scriptures and exhort people to follow Christ. This was the best solution for the false doctrine happening in Ephesus: Get people reading and hearing the teaching of Scripture.

(4:14) “Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed on you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery.”

To “neglect” literally means “to be careless.”[168] Not all leaders have the gift of leadership, but all leaders are gifted in some way. Leaders should learn to leverage their gifts are and exploit them as much as possible to make an impact for Christ. When we go on autopilot, we will begin to drift away from our important calling.

“Laying on of hands by the presbytery.” Paul was present when this happened (2 Tim. 1:6). Mounce^[169] suggests that this was a public way to acknowledge and bless Timothy’s future work (Acts 6:6; 13:3).

(4:15) “Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all.”

“Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them.” The term “take pains” (meletaō) means “to work with something definite in mind, take care, endeavor” (BDAG, p.627). It can also mean “to ponder.”^[170] This implies thinking through how we can use our gifts effectively. This could imply that we either think hard about how to use our gifts, or perhaps to work hard at using our gifts (or more likely, both are in view).^[171]

Many people in our culture appreciate hard work and high commitment. They admire those who give countless hours to career advancement, education, or competition. For instance, when someone trains for the Olympics, they give up their adolescence, their friends, their education, and even their own families—all with a 99.9% that they will never win a medal. Yet people cheer for this sort of commitment. However, when someone decides to commit their lives to Christ, this is often considered to be extreme or bizarre. From God’s perspective, the opposite is true. Commitment to Christ is the only commodity that will retain its value in eternity. As Jim Eliot famously wrote, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose.”^[172]

We only get out of our relationship with God what we put into it. Many Christians are averse to working hard for the cause of Christ. Yet, they also complain about feelings of guilt, loneliness, apathy, and even low-grade depression. They can’t seem to grasp the simple truth that we experience happiness when we give out—not when we pamper ourselves with entertainment, stimulation, and isolation (Jn. 13:17; Acts 20:35).

“That your progress will be evident to all.” It’s easy to focus on all of the problems in the church—many of which are out of our control. Instead of focusing on what is out of our control, Paul instructs us to focus on what is in our control—namely, our own faith, love, teaching, and sanctification. Timothy was to focus on nourishing his own soul through the Scriptures (v.6), living a disciplined life (v.7), being an example to others (v.12), giving out quality teaching (v.13), and using his spiritual gifts (v.14). This is one of the most effective ways to challenge others around us: We influence them by setting a powerful example.

Leaders who focus on these things might ask questions to see if there is “progress” in their lives: Can people around me see that God is still growing me? Are all of my examples of spiritual growth from years ago, or can I point to recent areas of progress? Is my inner life with God one of the highest priorities in my leadership of others? Does my personal study of the Word motivate others around me? Does my personal time in prayer motivate others around me? Is my dedication to servant love motivational to others around me?

(4:16) “Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.”

“Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching.” Paul isn’t teaching a “self-focus.” The purpose of watching and evaluating ourselves is to bring transformation into the lives of others, as the context makes clear (e.g. loving others, harnessing our spiritual gifts, teaching, etc.). Earle writes, “While he is watching over others, the pastor must keep an eye on himself.”^[173] This implies that there is a danger for Christian leaders to neglect their own spiritual growth. Pastor Chuck Smith writes,

What I mean by devotional life is that private time the pastor spends with God. The time that is essential for feeding your own soul; that time of drawing close to God in personal worship. Not that time of sermon preparation or prayer for the ministry, but rather that time of personal study and intimate communion with God. What makes this so difficult for the pastor is his lack of time and the demands of the congregation. You will be tempted to feel that you should be attending to more urgent matters. You may even feel guilty that you take this time for yourself when others need you so badly. The usual approach is to begin to combine your devotional time with your sermon study time, and this is easy to justify because you are in the word. This temptation must be resisted! The pastor’s devotional time must become the greatest priority of his life. You must recognize the importance of this! You must make the necessary time! If you neglect this important discipline, you will begin to personally dry up spiritually, and that will begin to affect your ministry! You must resist the temptation to lessen its importance! You must resist the tyranny of the urgent and seek the eternal! This is what will make you the most effective person for God in the long run!^[174]

“Persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.”

“Persevere” (epimene) means “to remain at or in the same place for a period of time, stay, remain” (BDAG). In other words, don’t budge! Instead of panicking or jumping from one theological fad to another, mature leaders know how to stand their ground with their feet planted on the truth.

(4:16) How could Timothy ensure salvation for people? The term “salvation” (sōzō) has a broad range of meaning. In this context, it refers to spiritual growth or sanctification—not spiritual birth or justification.

Questions for Reflection

Read verses 1-5. What do we know about the false teaching in Ephesus from this section?

Why is Paul so strong against this teaching, calling it the “doctrine of demons”?

Read verses 12-16. What key principles of leadership can you learn from this section?

Based on verse 15. What are key differences between seeking progress in spiritual growth versus seeking perfection?

Based on verse 16. At what point do we cross the line from evaluating our spiritual lives and falling into morbid introspection?

Imagine a parent who gave their child 500 life skills to learn all at once. This would be overwhelming to say the least! Did you sense God bringing one area to mind through the study of his word? If so, what steps do you sense you should take to move forward in that area?

1 Timothy 5

1 Timothy 5:1-17 (How to Fight Poverty Well)

In this chapter, Paul covers what our stewardship should look like toward the poor (vv.3-16) and toward Christian leaders (vv.17-23). He begins by describing what relationships look like in the “household of God” (1 Tim. 3:15).

(5:1-2) “Do not sharply rebuke an older man, but rather appeal to him as a father, to the younger men as brothers, ²the older women as mothers, and the younger women as sisters, in all purity.”

Paul compares Christian community to a family. This implies that we can and sometimes should offer correction to all people in the Christian community—not just the young. However, this should be done with respect and love, treating them as we would a dearly loved family members.

We can correct or admonish older men. In fact, according to verse 20, we are even told to rebuke elders in the church. But Paul qualifies this by saying that we should not do this “sharply” (NASB) or “harshly” (NIV). The term “sharply rebuke” (epiplēssō) is only used here in the NT, and it means to “censure severely”^[175] or to give a “severe verbal pounding.”^[176] After all, it’s already difficult enough for older people to listen to younger people, and this was especially in Paul’s culture (cf. 1 Tim. 4:12).

“Appeal” (parakaleō) literally means to call alongside the person.

“The younger women as sisters, in all purity.” Paul brought up “purity” (hagneia) in a list of virtues that Timothy should strive toward (1 Tim. 4:12). This term refers to “the quality of moral purity” or having a “pure mind” (BDAG). Paul’s way of changing this lustful mindset is to rethink how leaders should look at their people. Leaders should look at young women in the church as sisters—as a part of their flock—not as people to be sexually objectified (contra the false teachers in 2 Timothy 3:6-7).

(5:3) “Honor widows who are widows indeed.”

In this section, Paul spills a lot of ink describing how the church should allocate its money for the poor. He gives a list of criteria for the people who should receive help.

In the first century, widows often suffered in abject poverty. It would’ve been awful to see the generosity of these early Christians squandered on people who didn’t really need financial aid (Ps. 68:5; 146:9; Prov. 15:25; Jas. 1:27; Gal. 6:10). In this day and age, hospitals, social security, and nursing homes did not exist. Elderly widows were in a state of utter helplessness and hopelessness. Yet Paul even places stipulations on these people who were getting financial assistance from the church (cf. Acts 6:1-6).

What does it mean to “honor” (timaō) widows? Paul’s basis for using this word is the fifth commandment to “honor” one’s father and mother. This would include financially. In context, Paul states that families should provide for any widows in their family (v.16), and he uses this same word to refer to paying elders (v.17). So, financial support is in view (cf. Acts 6:1-6; Mt. 15:5-6).

(5:4) “But if any widow has children or grandchildren, they must first learn to practice piety in regard to their own family and to make some return to their parents; for this is acceptable in the sight of God.”

If a widow could get help from her family, then she shouldn’t seek it from the church. This moral principle is predicated on the duty children have to take care of their parents in their old age (see verses 8 and 16).

“Practice piety” (eusebein) was a word for worship in the ancient world. Caring for elderly relatives is a way to worship God. James states that it is “pure and undefiled religion (eusebein)” to care for “widows and orphans” (Jas. 1:27).

(5:5) “Now she who is a widow indeed and who has been left alone, has fixed her hope on God and continues in entreaties and prayers night and day.”

The widow “who has been left alone” is the one who is “childless.”^[177] The widow should be a woman of character: In this context, this means being prayerful. Paul uses the same language for what all Christians should do in prayer (1 Tim. 2:1).

(5:6) “But she who gives herself to wanton pleasure is dead even while she lives.”

The term “wanton pleasure” (spatalaō) means “to indulge oneself beyond the bounds of propriety” or to “live luxuriously [or] voluptuously” (BDAG). James uses this term to refer to the rich who “have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure” (Jas. 5:5). The principle here is obvious: We shouldn’t give aid to those who waste it. In a sense, Paul is asking, “Are they needy or greedy?”

Some commentators hold that Paul could be alluding to prostitution. We typically think of widows as elderly, but remember that people died younger at this time. Sadly, a young woman could be tempted to engage in prostitution in order to stay alive. Guthrie writes that many widows “were tempted to resort to immoral living as a means of support, and that is probably in the apostle’s mind”^[178] when he used the term “wanton pleasure” (spatalaō). Perhaps. The difficulty with this view is that a woman entering into prostitution would hardly consider it pleasurable! Regardless, these widows were entering into some form of immorality in their point of need.

(5:7) “Prescribe these things as well, so that they may be above reproach.”

We need to be “above reproach” in how we give our money to the poor. People need to see that we are taking precautions for how we collect, hold, and give money to the poor. The whole process needs to be above the board. As leaders, it’s our responsibility to give out money responsibly.

(5:8) “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”

Even non-Christians know how to love their own families (Mt. 5:46-47). This fits with verse 4, which states, “These should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family” (NIV). If we don’t care for our families, we are not putting our faith into practice (“denied the faith”). Stott writes, “The church’s sense of social responsibility is not to encourage irresponsibility in others.”^[179]

(5:9) “A widow is to be put on the list only if she is not less than sixty years old, having been the wife of one man.”

“Put on the list” (katalegō) was used to refer to describe a group of enlisted soldiers (BDAG, p.520). Some sort of formal list is implied here—especially because of the specific requirements given for which widows qualify for aid.

“Not less than sixty years old.” The widow needs to be elderly—not young. Making it to 60 years old was rare in this culture.

“The wife of one man.” This is the same expression used for elders (3:2) and deacons (3:12). Literally, she is a “one man woman.” That is, she isn’t promiscuous. We know that this isn’t referring to remarriage because Paul addresses that in verse 14.

(5:10) “Having a reputation for good works; and if she has brought up children, if she has shown hospitality to strangers, if she has washed the saints’ feet, if she has assisted those in distress, and if she has devoted herself to every good work.”

“Having a reputation for good works.” A widow needs to have been a woman of character.

“If she has brought up children.” This could refer to raising her own children or perhaps to taking care of orphans.^[180]

“If she has shown hospitality to strangers.” The term “hospitality to strangers” (xenodocheō) refers to welcoming strangers, and seems similar to “loving strangers” (philoxenos, 3:2).

“If she has washed the saints’ feet.” It could refer to the practice Jesus initiated at the last supper (Jn. 13:15), which refers to serving fellow believers.

“If she has assisted those in distress.” How could we give money to a distressed widow, if she herself never helped distressed people around her?

“If she has devoted herself to every good work.” In summary, widows qualified for aid if they had good character and love for others.

(5:11-12) “But refuse to put younger widows on the list, for when they feel sensual desires in disregard of Christ, they want to get married, ¹² thus incurring condemnation, because they have set aside their previous pledge.”

(5:11-12) Can widows remarry or not? Remarriage isn’t wrong. In fact, Paul commands it explicitly in verse 14 (“I counsel younger widows to marry, to have children, to manage their homes and to give the enemy no opportunity for slander”). Paul’s point is that the remarried widows are not truly in need and do not truly need the financial assistance of the church. If they are “double dipping” in this way, they should be removed from the financial assistance list. These women must have made a “pledge” not to lie about getting remarried, and they were breaking this.

It’s also possible that these are women who rejected Christ and “abandoned their initial commitment to Christ.”^[181] The “previous pledge” could refer to her pledge to follow Christ (Rev. 2:4). Others argue that remarriage is a problem because the church was taking care of their needs while they were living a self-centered life and marrying non-Christians.^[182] These other views are possible. However, in our estimation, none are as cogent as the view that these women were “double dipping” from the church funds by getting remarried.

(5:13) “At the same time they also learn to be idle, as they go around from house to house; and not merely idle, but also gossips and busybodies, talking about things not proper to mention.”

“Busybodies” (periergoi) refers to false teaching. Kroeger and Kroeger write, “They speak nonsense, a characteristic of Gnostic communication, and are called periergoi, often translated ‘busybodies’; but the Greek word might well be translated ‘workers of magic.’”[183] Likewise, Keener writes, “A survey of every word in extant Greek literature translated ‘busybodies’ …[refers to] those spreading false or improper teaching.”[184] These women were living off of church funds, and they were using their financial support to spread false teaching.

Mounce^[185] understands this as referring to “talking nonsense” or “senseless prattle,” because this term is parallel with “gossips.” However, the word “gossips” (phluaros) is not the common term used in the NT, and in fact, this is its only usage. It literally means “to babble” (BDAG, p.1060). This fits with the notion of spreading Gnostic false teaching which was often intentionally nonsensical. Moreover, why is this activity associated with such strong language such as “turning aside to follow Satan”? Finally, the descriptors of the female false teachers parallels the mention of false teachers throughout the Pastorals. Specifically, Paul describes them as spreading “fruitless discussion” (1 Tim. 1:6), “empty chatter” (1 Tim. 6:20), “myths” (1 Tim. 4:7), and “different doctrine.” All of this fits much better with the thesis that these women were spreading false teaching—not “senseless prattle.”

(5:14-15) “Therefore, I want younger widows to get married, bear children, keep house, and give the enemy no occasion for reproach; ¹⁵ for some have already turned aside to follow Satan.”

“I want younger widows to get married.” The false teachers in Ephesus opposed marriage (1 Tim. 4:3).

Earle doesn’t understand “the enemy” to refer to Satan, because “Satan” is mentioned in verse 15.^[186] We disagree. Indeed, we could flip this argument on its head. After all, verse 15 begins with the connecting word “for,” and thus the context would imply that “the enemy” is indeed Satan. This fits with the lexical argument stated above that the “busybodies” were, in fact, false teachers (v.13).

(5:16) “If any woman who is a believer has dependent widows, she must assist them and the church must not be burdened, so that it may assist those who are widows indeed.”

Again, the family should take care of widows in general. This could refer to a younger woman, a younger wealthy woman, or perhaps both.^[187]

Those Eligible for Financial Assistance
Eligible	Ineligible
Truly poor	Lying about their poverty
“really in need and left all alone”	“lives for pleasure”
“over sixty…”	“younger…”
“faithful to her husband”	“sensual desires overcome [her]”
“well known for her good deeds”	“gossips and busybodies” (false teachers?)

1 Timothy 5:17-23 (How to properly pay elders)

(5:17) “The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.”

“Rule well” (proestōtes) means “to exercise a position of leadership, rule, direct, be at the head of” (BDAG). It is used of military leadership outside of the Bible (1 Macc. 5:19). Within the Bible, it surely refers to spiritual authority, but this is done out of loving and humble service to Christ and the Church.

“Double honor” doesn’t refer to being paid twice what the widows make. It could simply refer to “ample provision”^[188] or “proper pay.”^[189] They should be adequately paid for their work, but certainly not overpaid. The NLT understands the “double honor” as referring to (1) being “respected” and (2) being “paid well.” It’s also possible that some of these elders were bivocational (1 Tim. 3:7). Regardless, vocational pastors should be paid for their work. Despite the fact that the false teachers in Ephesus were lovers of money (1 Tim. 6:5), this still didn’t “negate the right of Christian workers to be paid.”^[190]

“Work hard” (kopiaō) means “to become weary or tired” or “to exert oneself physically, mentally, or spiritually” or to “toil, strive, struggle” (BDAG, p.558). Paul already used this term to refer to Timothy’s need for hard work in 4:10, and he uses the term to refer to the strain of athletic exhaustion (Phil. 2:16). John uses it of Jesus who was weary in the noon-day sun (Jn. 4:6). Of course, we need to remember that Jesus welcomes the weary to give them rest (Mt. 11:28).

Elders should be “able to teach” (1 Tim. 3:2). More literally, they should be “skilled at teaching” (didaktikos). Leaders should focus on serving, leading well, studying, teaching, and prayer (cf. Acts 6:1-4). There is a tendency among leaders to give into the “tyranny of the urgent.” This is a major mistake. We don’t have unlimited reserves of energy, and we should focus on the main things to which God has called us.

(5:18) “For the Scripture says, ‘You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing,’ and ‘The laborer is worthy of his wages.’”

Paul cites from the gospel according to Luke (“The laborer is worthy of his wages.”). Indeed, the Greek is “exactly paralleled”^[191] and is an “exact replication”^[192] of Luke 10:7, while the parallel passage in Matthew 10:10 is slightly different.

(Lk. 10:7) axios gar ho ergatēs tou misthou autou

(1 Tim. 5:18) axios ho ergatēs tou misthou autou

The reader may not have noticed an unintended “coincidence” in these citations above: The Church Fathers state that Luke wrote under Paul’s supervision,^[193] and in his letters, Paul regularly quotes from Luke’s gospel—not Matthew or Mark. This further vindicates the idea that Luke wrote his gospel early, and he did so alongside Paul.

Some critics avoid this evidence by claiming that a fake author (i.e. pseudepigraphic author) wrote 1 Timothy, and he wrote this long after Luke’s gospel was in circulation. However, the arguments denying Paul’s authorship are unconvincing (see Introduction to 1 & 2 Timothy for our analysis).

(5:18) Why does Paul cite Deuteronomy 25:4? Paul could be making an a fortiori argument from oxen to people: “If oxen should be allowed to live off their labor, so should vocational leaders.” Moreover, Paul could be basing his view off of a moral principle—namely, the application of this OT text is to take care of workers (even animals!). This balances Paul’s earlier point: Elders shouldn’t be overpaid (1 Tim. 3:3; 6:5), but neither should they be underpaid.

What should we do if an elder is morally disqualified?

(5:19) “Do not receive an accusation against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses.”

Why should we favor the word of an elder over others? Is this biased or unfair? Not at all. This makes sense in light of the character requirements needed for elders in chapter 3. If an elder really has these character requirements, then we should give him or her the benefit of the doubt. The principle here is that we should move people into eldership cautiously and out of eldership cautiously. Paul presupposes that we should not be biased or partial to anyone, and take our time recognizing elders or removing them (vv.21-22). It’s also possible that Paul is thinking of a public accusation—based on verse 20 (“…in the presence of all…”). Furthermore, Lea observes, “Paul was not urging special treatment for the elder, but he was urging fair protection from capricious accusations. The church leader should enjoy at least as much protection as the ordinary Jew had under the law.”^[194]

Of course, if an accusation is made, we should still investigate this. But if it comes down to one person’s unfounded accusation versus an elder’s statement of innocence, we should drop the case. If we don’t follow this process, then one person could make unfounded accusations against every elder, and this could single-handedly decapitate a church’s leadership! Of course, an elder’s sin could come out later (vv.24-25).

(5:20) “Those who continue in sin, rebuke in the presence of all, so that the rest also will be fearful of sinning.”

“Continue in sin” is in the present tense. As the NASB rightly translates, this implies ongoing sin—not an isolated “fall from grace.” Of course, if a sin was serious enough, an elder could be immediately stepped out of leadership.

If an elder is morally exposed for hypocrisy, he should stand before the entire church. After all, if he has led the entire church, then he should hear the rebuke of the entire church.

Mounce^[195] and Earle^[196] understands this rebuke to only take place in the presence of the other elders, understanding “the rest” (loipos) to refer to other elders. Perhaps. But the language of “in the presence of all” implies the entire church. Paul didn’t shy away from publicly talking about false teachers—even by name (1 Tim. 1:19-20). Even when the great apostle Peter was in error, Paul “opposed him to his face” (Gal. 2:11) and “in the presence of all” (Gal. 2:14).

“Fearful of sinning.” Mounce writes, “The fear discussed here is the result of a human confrontation and so it should include at least a human fear resulting from the knowledge that elders will be held accountable before the church for their actions.”^[197]

(5:21) “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of His chosen angels, to maintain these principles without bias, doing nothing in a spirit of partiality.”

It can be scary to confront leaders in the church. But we should not give way to the fear of man (Deut. 31:6, 8, Josh. 1:5, Ps. 118). All believers are under the authority of Christ. Therefore, we shouldn’t show “bias” or “partiality,” even when adjudicating situations with elders.

(5:22) “Do not lay hands upon anyone too hastily and thereby share responsibility for the sins of others; keep yourself free from sin.”

Some commentators understand the “laying on of hands” to refer to reconciliation after repentance. But this view is anachronistic, coming from the practice of bringing heretical elders back into the church in the fourth century. For instance, Eusebius (4^th century AD) writes, “The ancient custom prevailed with regard to such that they should receive only the laying on of hands with prayers” (Ecclesiastical History, 7.2.). Instead, when Paul refers to the “laying on of hands,” he is speaking about recognizing leaders—not reconciling leaders. After all, Paul used this expression to refer to Timothy being recognized as a leader (cf. 1 Tim. 4:14; 2 Tim. 1:7).^[198]

This teaches us to be cautious when recognizing leaders. Paul already taught that an elder should “not [be] a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil” (1 Tim. 3:6). When we recognize leaders too hastily, we “share in the sins of others.” That is, when we raise up leaders prematurely, we share in their sin because it wreaks havoc on the church (cf. 2 Jn. 11).

Paul concludes by warning Timothy to “keep [himself] free from sin.” He doesn’t want Timothy to turn out to be one of these fallen elders. We shouldn’t be so self-righteous as to think that we could never fall into sin as well (Gal. 6:1).

(5:23) “No longer drink water exclusively, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.”

(5:23) Is it right or wrong to drink alcohol?

(5:24) “The sins of some men are quite evident, going before them to judgment; for others, their sins follow after.”

“Sins follow after.” This could also be rendered “trail behind them” or “show up later.”^[199] In the context of recognizing leaders, this passage implies that we won’t always make the right call. Some sins are hidden from our recognition. But this passage promises that sin cannot be hidden indefinitely. Eventually, our hypocrisy will come to the surface. The questions that confront leaders are these: Will we come out with our own hypocrisy, or will we try to hide it indefinitely? Moreover, are we willing to take a strong stand once an elder’s sin comes out? Or will we turn a blind eye to sin in the leadership of the church?

(5:25) “Likewise also, deeds that are good are quite evident, and those which are otherwise cannot be concealed.”

If we feel like we aren’t being recognized quickly enough, then we need to be patient. If we are doing good work, others will be able to see this with time. Solomon writes, “Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips” (Prov. 27:2).

Questions for Reflection

Read verses 1-2. How is the Christian community similar to a family? How is it different? Why do you think Paul might use this imagery so frequently in describing the Christian community?

Read verses 3-16. What principles do we learn from this passage about how to battle poverty? When we help the poor, this is a form of worship (v.4).

Families should take care of poor relatives before asking the church for help (v.4, 8, 16). If a woman didn’t have a family, remarriage was a feasible option (v.14).

We should help the truly poor (v.3). Requirements in this cultural situation were:

They have no family support (“left alone” v.5).
The person is spiritually oriented (“fixed her hope on God” v.5).
They are not living an openly immoral lifestyle (“wanton pleasure” v.6), and they are living a sacrificial lifestyle (“good works… hospitality to strangers… washed the saints’ feet” v.10).
They are unable to work for themselves (“60 years old,” v.9).

Christians should be unaccusable in their handling of financial giving (v.7).

Why doesn’t our church have a list of widows?

We still follow the principles in this passage. In this culture, it was very hard for widows to get remarried, and they couldn’t work or collect Social Security. Anyone who faces these sorts of barriers would qualify for financial aid (whether they are widows or not). We follow the spirit of this command—not the letter of the law.

How do you react to these statistics on caring for the poor? Consider these statistics from Robert Lupton’s book Toxic Charity:

Africa has received $1 trillion in benevolent aid in the last 50 years, and per capita income is now lower, life expectancy has stagnated, and adult literacy is lower.
85 percent of aid money flowing to African countries never reaches the targeted areas of need.
S. missions teams who rushed to Honduras to help rebuild homes destroyed by Hurricane Mitch spent on average $30,000 per home—homes locals could have built for $3,000 each.
The money spent by one campus ministry to cover the costs of their Central American missions trip to repaint an orphanage would have been enough to hire two local painters and two new full-time teachers and purchase new uniforms for every student in the school.

What might happen if our church failed to be good stewards of our financial resources? What impact might this have on us? On others?

Read verse 19. Are elders given preferential treatment? Why do we need two witnesses to indict them?

1 Timothy 6

1 Timothy 6:1-2 (Slavery)

(6:1-2) “All who are under the yoke as slaves are to regard their own masters as worthy of all honor so that the name of God and our doctrine will not be spoken against. ²Those who have believers as their masters must not be disrespectful to them because they are brethren, but must serve them all the more, because those who partake of the benefit are believers and beloved. Teach and preach these principles.”

The early church must have been filled with slaves because they are addressed so frequently (1 Cor 7:20-24; Gal 3:28; 5:13; Eph 6:5-9; Col 3:22-25; Titus 2:9-10; Phlm 10-17; 1 Pet 2:18-25). The expression “under the yoke as slaves” implies that masters in this culture would normally have “regarded their slaves as little more than cattle.”^[200] Paul grounds marriage in creation and honoring our parents in the Ten Commandments. However, “Paul never says that slavery is correct in any circumstance… here the motivation is evangelistic.”^[201]

“So that the name of God and our doctrine will not be spoken against.” Paul urges slaves to love their unbelieving masters in order to spread the gospel (cf. Titus 2:10; Rom. 2:24). To put this another way, we might ask, “What motivation could possibly get a slave in the first-century to not just stop from hating his master, but actually get him to love his master?” Only Jesus’ message of love and forgiveness has this sort of power. This message can produce an unspeakable depth of love in a fallen world.

(1 Tim. 6:1-2) Does the Bible support slavery?

1 Timothy 6:3-21 (The Hidden Costs of Materialism)

(6:3) “If anyone advocates a different doctrine and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness.”

Paul gives two tests for sound teaching. First, it needed to conform to the words of “our Lord Jesus Christ.” This could imply that he possessed a copy of one of the gospels (see comments on 1 Tim. 5:17).^[202] Second, it needed to lead to love, or what he calls “conforming to godliness.”

(6:4-5) “He is conceited and understands nothing; but he has a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words, out of which arise envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions, ⁵and constant friction between men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain.”

Paul began his letter by addressing the false teachers, and here, he ends his letter in the same way. So far, Paul identifies false teachers by both their doctrine and their deeds. These false teachers didn’t have “love” as their end goal (1 Tim. 1:5). Instead, their teaching led to ripping apart people’s spiritual lives, including their own (1 Tim. 1:20; 1 Tim. 4:1-2).

“Morbid interest” (noseō) means “to be sick.”^[203] This is in contrast to the life-giving words of Jesus in verse 3. Guthrie writes, “Controversies and arguments have impaired their mental health to such a degree that they have become diseased.”^[204] Nothing is ever resolved. No reconciliation. No forgiveness. Just endless bitterness, suspicion, and hatred. All of this sort of fighting leads to a sickness of the soul and a poisoning of the mind.

“Disputes about words” means that the “words are the weapons.”^[205] This is why Paul mentions “envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions.”

(6:6) “But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment.”

The key to overcoming materialism is to reach a state of contentment, wherein we do not feel the unquenchable thirst for more and more (2 Cor. 9:8; Phil. 4:11). Instead, we feel happy with what we’ve already been given. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could just be happy with what we have, rather than constantly longing for more? It’s baffling that most Americans are incredibly wealthy by global standards, but they always think that they are just barely scraping by.

“Contentment” (autarkeia) was a favorite word among the Stoics that described how “to be independent of external circumstances.”^[206] Paul used it, but took it a step further. The reason that Paul didn’t look to his circumstances was because he knew that we have a transcendent joy in God. Instead of detaching from the world (like the Stoics), Paul embraced reality—specifically the reality of Jesus Christ.

(6:7) “For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either.”

Our possessions cannot follow us into eternity. Like the stock market crash during the Great Depression, in a matter of seconds, all of our possessions will immediately lose their value when we die.

(6:8) “If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.”

The use of the words “food and covering” serve as a synecdoche—where the part refers to the whole.^[207] To illustrate, a ship’s captain might say, “We need all hands on deck!” Surely, he is referring to more than merely the palms, fingers, and thumbs of the sailors! Likewise, when Paul refers to “food and covering,” he is referring to the basic elements of survival. While we should work to meet our need, we should not work for our greed. Guthrie comments, “Contentment does not come from owning whatever we want, for there is no end to what we want.”^[208]

(6:9) “But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction.

Look at how many different ways Paul explains the perils of materialism. Materialism (the inordinate love of money) leads to abject, spiritual ruin! Being rich is not a sin (1 Tim. 6:17-19), but desiring to become rich is a sin based on this passage (“those who want to get rich”).

“Snare” (pagis). Earlier, Paul referred to elders who “fall into reproach and the snare (pagis) of the devil” (1 Tim. 3:7). In his second letter, he hopes that opponents “may come to their senses and escape from the snare (pagis) of the devil” (2 Tim. 2:26). Paul’s use of the same term could imply that Satan is ultimately behind this spiritual trap. At the very least, we know that the NT teaches this elsewhere (1 Jn. 2:15-17; 5:19).

“Plunge men” (buthizō) is used of a sinking ship (BDAG, p.185; Lk. 5:7; 2 Macc. 12:4). Only, instead of drowning in water, these men plunge into “ruin and destruction.”

(6:10) “For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”

“The love of money” (philarguria) literally means the “love” (philos) and “silver” (arguros). The false teachers loved money (1 Tim. 6:5), and this is one reason why elders shouldn’t be lovers of money (aphilarguros, 1 Tim. 3:3).

“For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil.” Money isn’t intrinsically evil, but the “love of money” is evil. It is a root of all kinds of evil—not the root (as is often misquoted).

“Some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” The term “wandered away” (apeplanēthēsan) is the same term used for people following false teachers in Mark 13:22. They might not make a sudden decision to abandon Christ, but they dopily drift.

The result is a self-inflicted grief. When we preach against materialism, we are trying to spare people from bringing this sort of grief into their own lives. This is why it says that Jesus “felt a love” for the rich young man, when he told him to sell his possessions (Mk. 10:21). It is ultimately loving to speak against materialism in the lives of others.

(6:11) “But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.”

Paul instructs us to flee from sexual sin (1 Cor. 6:18). Why? Sexual sin is so entangling and difficult to resist that we usually succumb to it if we entertain it for too long. In precisely the same way, he tells us to flee from materialism. If we flirt with materialism, we will likely end up succumbing to it. Moreover, we need to replace materialism with our love for God and other people. It is hard to battle the former without the latter.

(6:12) “Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”

The term “fight” (agonizou) refers to “agony.” Because this word is in the present tense, it means that we need to keep on fighting. We are able to endure this by taking hold of our position in Christ (“take hold of the eternal life”). The metaphor is an athletic one that can refer to “running or boxing or wrestling.”^[209]

What is the “good confession”? Mounce^[210] and Earle^[211] understands this to be Timothy’s baptism (1 Tim. 1:18; 4:14). Perhaps. In our view, however, the context favors evangelism. In the very next verse, Paul refers to Jesus’ “good confession” in front of Pontius Pilate. So, evangelism seems to be in view.

(6:13-14) “I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, ¹⁴ that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Timothy already knew to stay above reproach (1 Tim. 3:2). But Paul felt the need to remind him again. He points to Jesus as the model of keeping our confession with integrity. The “commandment” refers to “his commitment to Christ and his ministry.”^[212]

(6:15) “Which He will bring about at the proper time—He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords.”

Just as Jesus’ First Coming was at the “proper time” (1 Tim. 2:6), his Second Coming will be at the “proper time” as well.

(6:16) “Who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.”

Paul uses provocative words to describe Jesus: the “only Sovereign,” “King of kings,” “Lord of lords,” who “alone possesses immortality,” and “dwells in inapproachable light.” These are all descriptions of God, but the nearest antecedent is Jesus. Hence, Jesus is God.

(6:16) Does this passage support annihilationism?

(6:16) Can we see God or not?

(6:17) “Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.”

“Rich in this present world.” We might expect Paul to use sharp words against the rich here. Instead, he encourages them to get the focus off of themselves, learn to become givers, and focus on eternity. He reminds them that there is a future world where we can store up our wealth. Investing in eternity is the best investment a person can ever make.

“Not to… fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God.” Paul instructs the rich to reset their mindset, focusing on eternity and God, rather than their fortunes. David writes, “Behold, the man who would not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his riches and was strong in his evil desire” (Ps. 52:7).

Paul uses wordplay to help the rich focus on God. Those who are “rich” (plousios) shouldn’t focus on “riches” but on God who “richly supplies” us with everything to enjoy. In short, God’s riches are far greater than worldly wealth. This motivation leads us to be “rich in good works” (v.18).

“[God] richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.” The term “enjoy” (apolausis) is a rich word that can be understood as “sensual enjoyment.”^[213] The Gnostics would argue that God doesn’t give us physical pleasures to enjoy (cf. 1 Tim. 4:1-5). After all, they were ascetics who rejected the goodness of God’s creation. But Paul takes a different view. God is the one who gives us our money, and he does this for us to enjoy it. Paul doesn’t argue for guilt, but for gratitude. And gratitude leads to generosity…

(6:18) “Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share.”

When we realize how much we’ve been given by God, this doesn’t cause us to want to hoard our wealth, but to give it away.

(6:19) “Storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.”

We can transfer our money from an earthly bank account to a heavenly one. Jesus taught, “Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; ²¹ for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Mt. 6:20-21).

Conclusion

(6:20) “O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called ‘knowledge’—”

“Guard what has been entrusted to you.” The term “entrusted” (parathēkē) is a “banking term denoting a sum deposited to the responsibility of a bank.”^[214]

“Opposing arguments” (antithesis) is a “technical term in debate for the counter proposition and describes the heresy as self-defeating.”^[215]

Gnosticism comes from the Greek word gnosis, which means “knowledge” (gnosis). Paul encourages Timothy to fight to guard the truth, and to fight against the “opposing arguments” of the false teachers. Timothy needed to be sharper, deeper, and more knowledgeable than the false teachers who surrounded him.

(6:21) “Which some have professed and thus gone astray from the faith. Grace be with you.”

Paul opened the letter describing how false teachers had strayed from their faith. Here, he ends the letter with the same message. He must have been worried for this to happen to his friend, Timothy.

“Grace be with you.” Paul extends grace to them all using the plural pronoun (“you”). This suggests “that Paul intended that the letter be read to the assembled congregation.”^[216]

Questions for Reflection

Read verses 9-10. Is it a sin to be rich? (HINT: see verses 17-19) If not, what is Paul writing against with such strong language?

How can we prepare now for handling materialism later on when we get older and into our careers?

What would we see in a Christian who was beginning to fall into the sin of materialism? How would you counsel a fellow Christian who was beginning to fall into the sin of materialism?

Read verses 17-19. What does it mean to be “rich” from Paul’s perspective?

Commentary on 2 Timothy

Unless otherwise stated, all citations are taken from the New American Standard Bible (NASB).

2 Timothy 1

In the Prison Epistles, Paul was under house arrest, but now he is in an actual Roman prison. This is why Paul tells Timothy not to be ashamed of his “chains” (2 Tim. 1:16),[217] and it explains why he is requesting necessities like his Bible and a warm cloak (2 Tim. 4:13). Moreover, Paul believes that he is going to die soon, which implies that he has been caught for a second time and died according to the order of Emperor Nero (2 Tim. 4:6-8).

These are the last words of Paul the great apostle. We learn a lot about a person by looking at their final words:

Alfred Hitchcock: “One never knows the ending. One has to die to know exactly what happens after death.”^[218]

Steve Jobs: “Oh wow. Oh wow. Oh wow.”^[219]

Jane Austen: “I want nothing but death.”^[220]

Chris Farley: “Just don’t leave me alone.”^[221]

Winston Churchill: “I’m bored with it all.”^[222]

Leonardo Da Vinci: “I have offended God and mankind because my work did not reach the quality it should have.”^[223]

As one person put it, “Last words are lasting words.” As you read this letter, keep in mind that these are Paul’s final words to his close friend Timothy. This letter should be read through the lens of Paul realizing that he is going to die by the executioner’s sword, and it will happen “soon” (2 Tim. 4:9). What does Paul have to say to Timothy (and us) in his final moments?

2 Timothy 1:1-7 (Boldness)

(1:1) “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise of life in Christ Jesus.”

“By the will of God… according to the promise.” Paul believed that his role as a Christian leader was based on God’s will and God’s promise. Later, he writes that this was also based on God’s mercy (v.9). In Paul’s mind, he didn’t make himself a leader. Instead, the merciful God of the Bible sovereignly placed him in this role.

(1:2) “To Timothy, my beloved son: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Paul calls Timothy his “beloved son.” Since Timothy didn’t have a believing father (Acts 16:1), these words must have meant a lot to him.

While this is a personal letter, Paul uses the plural “you” at the end of the letter (2 Tim. 4:22). Because he describes false teachers (2 Tim. 2:14-3:9; 4:3-4, 14-15), he expected the entire Ephesian church to read this letter.

(1:3) “I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience the way my forefathers did, as I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day.”

“Clear conscience.” In his first letter, Paul stated that having a “good conscience” was one of the keys to the Christian life (1 Tim. 1:5). This is an interesting way to open the letter when he is on death row.

Why does Paul emphasize the fact that his forefathers followed God in the way that he did? Paul might be trying to connect his story (and Timothy’s) with the larger story of salvation history.

“I constantly remember you in my prayers.” Even though Paul had sent Timothy out to lead this church in Ephesus, he continued to pray for Timothy “night and day.” Our coleaders need our prayers—even when they are ready to lead on their own. We can’t do a lot of things for our coleaders and friends, but we can always pray for them. Indeed, as it turns out, this is one of the most important activities we can engage in.

The expression “night and day” does not mean constantly, but repetitively. Griffin writes, “Paul was describing his prayers in the sense of a frequent repetition and not in the sense of uninterrupted intercession. Every time Paul turned to God in prayer, whether it was day or night, he thought of Timothy.”^[224]

(1:4) “Longing to see you, even as I recall your tears, so that I may be filled with joy.”

Timothy may have been with Paul as he made his final address to the elders at Ephesus (Acts 20:37), and this could be what he’s referring to here. This gives us an insight into the nature of Paul’s friendship with Timothy. Earle writes, “Paul was a stalwart soldier, but he had a tender heart.”^[225] When we serve together in Christian work, we form a unique bond with our coworkers.

(1:5) “For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well.”

Timothy grew up in a Christian home, but not without its problems. Paul makes no mention of Timothy’s father. This interlocks with the book of Acts which states that “Timothy’s father was a Greek” (Acts 16:1), and Timothy hadn’t been circumcised (Acts 16:3) despite the fact that his mother was Jewish.

Many can relate to Timothy’s upbringing, having parents who have fundamental disagreements about their beliefs: Mom believes one thing, and dad believes something completely different. As many have experienced, this can be quite confusing for a child, and this isn’t ideal (see comments on 2 Corinthians 6:14).

At the same time, Timothy had two women in his life who nurtured his faith: his “grandmother” (mammē) or “mama,”^[226] and his “mother.” According to Paul, these women were authentic followers of God. They had a “sincere faith” (anhypokritou), which literally means “unhypocritical.” Timothy’s mom and grandma were such great spiritual leaders that they were able to deliver Timothy to become a strong believer—despite the difficulties. Later, Paul helped to teach and train Timothy, picking up where these women left off. Even though Timothy didn’t have a godly father, God placed other people in his life to help him grow spiritually.

(1:6) “For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.”

“The gift of God” must refer to some sort of spiritual gift (see comments on 2 Timothy 1:6). It cannot refer to salvation, because Timothy received this when the elders sent him off: “Do not neglect the spiritual gift you received through the prophecy spoken over you when the elders of the church laid their hands on you” (1 Tim. 4:14 NLT). According to this passage, Paul was there with the elders when they laid hands on Timothy.

(2 Timothy 1:6) What was Timothy’s spiritual gift? We’re not sure what Timothy’s spiritual gift was. Some think Timothy had the gift of evangelism (2 Tim. 1:8; 4:5). This could refer to his ministry, which is a gift from God (2 Cor. 4:1; Eph. 4:7, 11). In this specific situation, God knew that Timothy needed additional gifts to accomplish his ministry. While I don’t fully understand this passage, it is comforting to meditate on. It tells us that God will give us extra gifts for us to accomplish the task in front of us, as needed.

“Kindle afresh” (anazōpyreō) comes from the words “again” (ana) and “to kindle” (zopurein). This word can describe “the act of rekindling the embers of a dying fire.”^[227] On the other hand, it can also be translated “‘keep in full flame.”^[228] Thus, this could refer to restarting the fire or keeping it going. Either way, the point is that fires need to be maintained. As William Booth wrote, “The tendency of fire is to go out; watch the fire on the altar of your heart.”^[229]

This doesn’t necessarily imply that Timothy was discouraged. Mounce comments, “Just because people are encouraged by someone does not mean that they are failing. It can mean that they are being encouraged to continue despite the pressure.”^[230]

Paul wanted to “remind” Timothy about rekindling his spiritual gift. We need reminded about this as well, because our spiritual lives slowly drift into atrophy and apathy without regular reminders.

What are some ways to “rekindle” your zeal if you’ve lost it?

Spend time with zealous and passionate people. Zeal is more often caught than taught.

Hang around lost people, bursting your Christian bubble. When we spend time with people who don’t know Christ, we remember what it felt like to travel through life without a purpose or meaning.

Take a step of faith that you’ve been putting off. This keeps your Christian life exciting. Sure, you might fail. But at the end of the day, would you prefer battle scars or bed sores?

Recommit to loving the people in your life. Love them until you like them. Love them until you enjoy spending time with them.

Do some good reading to energize your thought life. Read the chapter “Earnestness” by Charles Spurgeon in the book Encounter with Spurgeon.

Make regular time for gratitude.

(1:7) “For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.”

“Spirit” (pneuma) can refer to a general spirit (e.g. 1 Cor. 4:21; 2 Cor. 4:13; Gal. 6:1; Phil. 1:27),^[231] or to the Holy Spirit. We hold that this refers to the Holy Spirit. For one, it fits with the context that mentions spiritual gifts (v.6) which are given by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:5, 7). Second, these qualities (e.g. power, love) come from God—not ourselves.

“Timidity” (deilias) literally means “cowardice” (BDAG, p.215). We often think that we need to muster courage in order to serve Christ. Yet Paul writes that this comes from the Holy Spirit. Timothy may have been temperamentally inclined toward fear (1 Cor. 16:10), but Paul also battled with fear in doing Christian work (1 Cor. 2:3; Acts 18:9). Moreover, Timothy was leading a massive church filled with false teachers. If you were in his shoes, what sort of emotions would you be feeling? Indeed, there are two kinds of Christian servants: those who admit to being afraid and those who are liars!

“Power” (dynamis) is the root from which we get our modern term “dynamite.” (Of course, Alfred Nobel didn’t invent dynamite until the 19^th century. This is simply the root word.). Peter denied that he had “power” within himself to cause miracles (Acts 3:12). Instead, we gain God’s “power” through believing the gospel (Rom. 1:16) and the “word of truth” (2 Cor. 6:7). Paul wrote that God gives us his power when we faithfully suffer for him (2 Cor. 4:7; 12:9).

“Love” (agapē) refers to sacrificial love. This includes feelings of affection, but it goes beyond mere feelings.

“Self-discipline” (sōphronismos) is an unfortunate translation. The root word means “wisdom” (sophron). In our view, this should be rendered “sound mind.” For instance, in Mark 5:15, after Jesus healed the demon-possessed man, he was “in his right mind” (NASB) or “perfectly sane” (NLT). To call this formerly demon-possessed man “self-disciplined” wouldn’t capture the nature of this term!

None of these qualities are commands. Instead, they are truths about the spirit (Holy Spirit) within us. These aren’t imperatives; they are indicatives. In the next verse, Paul writes that we gain these virtues “according to the power of God.”

What are healthy ways to battle fear?

Focus on what you do—not how you feel. Trying to control your fear is the worst choice you can make. The more you try, the more fearful you become. Instead, just let the feelings wash over you. Feelings are fleeting. Let them come and go. Commit to doing what need to be done—even if you feel afraid.

Focus on what you do—not on whether you succeed. When we focus on results, this can become obsessive. Instead, take opportunities of failure as ways to grow. In every opportunity, we can curiously observe and thoughtfully learn about the ways we can grow. Indeed, we might as well fail as fast as possible, so we can learn how to take a better approach!

Quit trying to control or know the future. Entrust your future to God. Admit to him that he is the one who is in charge of the outcome, and you can do nothing apart from him (Jn. 15:5). Jesus said, “Do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Mt. 6:34).

We simply cannot know the future, and we are most often wrong about our predictions. Dr. Robert Leahy writes about our poor capacity to predict the future. He writes, “In one study, worriers were asked to write down their worries over a two-week period and predict what would happen. 85% of the actual outcomes were positive… 79 percent of the time worriers coped with different negative outcomes better than they thought they would.”[232] In other words, the predictions of worriers were 97% wrong!

Remember the past. Consider times where God used you in the past—even though you were scared.

Turn anxiety into excitement. Dr. Alison Brooks (of Harvard Business School) ran a study for people who needed to give public speeches.^[233] In one group, she told the students to tell themselves, “I am calm.” Meanwhile, she told the other group to tell themselves, “I am excited.” Interestingly, both groups reported that they still felt nervous. However, the group that interpreted their anxiety as excitement were far more confident. In fact, impartial listeners noticed a difference. They reported that these people were more persuasive, confident, and competent. It’s much easier to change our feelings from anxious to excited, than from anxious to calm.

Push your boundaries a little bit at a time. You’ll discover that over time you are doing things that you didn’t think were possible before.

Consider exposure therapy. As a young man, the great cognitive therapist Albert Ellis had an intense fear of being romantically rejected by women. His solution? In a period of one month, he forced himself to talk socially and respectfully to 130 women (30 of whom immediately got up and walked away!). However, after this social experiment, he claimed that his social anxiety went into complete remission, and he was able to successfully talk to women without anxiety.^[234] As a consequence, psychologists have dubbed this technique “exposure therapy.”

In a counterintuitive way, confronting our fear is the greatest way to conquer it. This isn’t a preferable medicine for a fearful person, but it certainly is powerful medicine. Every time you avoid your fear, it only makes it worse. But ironically, the problem of fear is actually the solution to our fear. Do you realize that the best thing that could ever happen to you is to taste a good dose of rejection? When your greatest fear is realized, you will discover that it wasn’t as bad as you thought. Some experts in cognitive therapy claim that exposure therapy is unavoidable eventually; that is, a person cannot be cured from their fear until they confront it. Indeed, Dr. David Burns states, “Exposure is the single most validated psychotherapy technique in the world.”[235]

Nobody thinks about you as much as you do. This thought assumes that “everyone” in a room is observing you—even down to the most minute details. They are monitoring the hue of your skin, carefully measuring your perspiration, recording the inflections of your voice, and counting the seconds between your sentences. Nobody cares! And if they are really that judgmental, then that sounds like their problem—not yours!

2 Timothy 1:8-18 (Standing for Jesus’ message of love and forgiveness)

Before Paul writes about sharing our faith, he addresses the subject of fear (2 Tim. 1:7). While we can gain freedom from fear in a number of areas, in this context, the primary application is evangelism. While we ordinarily think of the fear of evangelism in civil contexts (e.g. friendships, family, etc.), Paul was calling on Timothy to surpass his fear in the context of Roman imprisonment before the Roman Emperor Nero himself. God’s “power” (v.7) is truly powerful if it can be accessed in such a frightening situation.

(1:8) “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God.”

“Do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me.” Why would Timothy be tempted to be ashamed of Jesus or Paul? There definitely were false teachers in Ephesus, and they probably had slandered Paul during his imprisonment. We can imagine them saying, “You’re a disciple of Paul, huh? Well, look what happened to him! I heard he’s locked up in prison, and God only knows how he’s being treated in there.” How would you feel if one of your spiritual mentors was locked up in jail? On the one hand, you’d know that the accusations were unjust. But on the other, you’d wonder what people were gossiping about and how they viewed you. Paul’s words are resolute and encouraging, cutting through this mental fog: “Do not be ashamed!” In some sense, it’s easier to be unashamed of Christian beliefs in an abstract way, but it’s harder to be unashamed of our Christian brothers and sisters. We’re called to both.

“His prisoner.” Paul considered himself to be a prisoner of Jesus Christ—not Rome. Satan wasn’t the ultimate reason that Paul was in prison. Nor was Nero or the religious leaders. In Paul’s mind, if he was incarcerated, it was because Jesus wanted him there (cf. Eph. 1:13; 3:1; 4:1). Of course, Paul wasn’t imprisoned for breaking the law or hurting anyone. He was imprisoned out of fidelity to Christ.

“Join with me in suffering for the gospel.” Later Paul writes, “Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 2:3). Of course, suffering is unpleasant, but we gain strength suffering alongside other faithful Christians.

(1:9) “[God] has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity.”

We were not saved by works. Neither were we given a role or “calling” in God’s plan according to our works. Our service and influence for Christ is always and only based on grace.

(1:10) “But now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”

Normally, the word “appearing” (phanerōtheisan) is used of Jesus’ Second Coming. Here Paul applies it to his First Coming. If Jesus appeared literally and physically at his First Coming, then he will appear the same way at his Second Coming: Literally, physically, and visibly (cf. Mt. 24:27; Acts 1:11).

(1:11) “For which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher.”

God doesn’t tell us to make his plan happen (i.e. the Cross of Christ, the Atonement, etc.). Instead, our role is to tell others about what he accomplished, and teach them these core truths. We are the messengers of this great message—every single one of us—whether we are in vocational ministry or not (cf. 1 Tim. 2:7).

(1:12) “For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.”

Paul told Timothy not to be ashamed (v.8), because he himself wasn’t ashamed (“I am not ashamed”). True, he was suffering, but this didn’t lead to shame. We can’t avoid the pain of suffering in our bodies, but we can avoid our interpretation of this in our minds. The pain was unavoidable, but the shame was not. How was Paul able to avoid shame?

“I know whom I have believed.” It’s easy to overlook the social pressure that Paul must have felt. Being in jail is one thing, but being falsely accused is another. Paul must’ve received an earful of derisive criticism for his faith in Christ. Yet he writes that he still isn’t ashamed (cf. Rom. 1:16; 2 Tim. 1:8). He kept his focus on God and trusted that God would guard his sacred deposit.

“He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.” Earlier, Paul told Timothy to guard what was entrusted to him (v.14; cf. 1 Tim. 6:20). But what exactly was God guarding? Earle^[236] understands this to be a broad promise that includes his teaching, his ministry, and his life. Guthrie^[237] understands this to refer to all of what God had entrusted to Paul, because this is the way that the term “entrusted” (parathēkē) is normally used in the Pastorals. More broadly, Mounce^[238] holds that God was actively guarding “the sum total of all that Paul has entrusted to God, including his life, apostolic ministry, converts, etc.”^[239]

(1:13) “Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.”

“Retain” (echō) means “to possess or contain, have, own” (BDAG, p.420). This implies that people will try to take away what we possess. What did Timothy possess that was in jeopardy?

The “standard (hypotypōsin) of sound words” refers to Paul’s example of teaching and doctrine. The term was used of “an outline sketch such as an architect might make before getting down to the detailed plans of a building.”^[240] Of course, Paul wrote inspired letters to Timothy, but that isn’t what he is focusing on here. Paul didn’t want Timothy to simply regurgitate specific words. Instead, he wanted Timothy to teach the overarching truths of God to the people, applying them to the needs of the individuals.

How do we remain solid with our teaching? We do it through “faith and love.” If we don’t actively trust in these truths (“faith”) and live them out (“love”), then we can lose our doctrine. Paul grounded his convictions in the truth (“sound words”), and he feels that this is the most important gift he can pass on to Timothy.

(1:14) “Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you.”

“Guard” (phulassō) can mean to perform the role of an actual guard who would “watch” or “guard” a prisoner (which is quite an ironic term given Paul’s living situation!). The same term is used of shepherds guarding their flocks (Lk. 2:8). The term can also mean to “protect” (BDAG, p.1068).

“Through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.” It’s not very flashy or exciting to watch a person finish the race over many decades (2 Tim. 4:7). However, this is a work of the Holy Spirit, and it should be celebrated as such. Many of Paul’s contemporaries didn’t finish the race, and Paul lists many of them by name (e.g. “all who are in Asia,” Phygelus, Hermogenes, Hymenaeus, Philetus, Demas, Alexander, etc.).

“The treasure which has been entrusted to you.” God’s word is a costly “treasure” (cf. Prov. 16:16). When God gives us his truth, this is something to be “treasured” and “guarded.” In the movie Contact with Jodie Foster (1997), an advanced alien civilization reaches out to humanity using binary code (i.e. a series of prime numbers). Later, they reveal instructions for a complex teleporter so that they could make “contact” with us. As you watch the film (or read the original book by Carl Sagan), you realize just how valuable communication like this would be from an advanced alien civilization. Yet, as believers in Christ, we have something far, far greater! We have the very words of God, the thoughts of God, and the mind of God revealed to us through the pages of Scripture. This is something that deserves to be “treasured” and “guarded” far more than anything else.

Being ashamed of the gospel: A negative example

(1:15) “You are aware of the fact that all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes.”

“All who are in Asia turned away from me.” The province of “Asia” refers to the Roman province of Asia Minor—not the modern continent of Asia. Ephesus was the capital of this large territory. Paul had spent three years in Ephesus (Acts 20:31), and his ministry there had far reaching effects to the entire region: “All who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord” (Acts 19:10). Even though Paul had invested so deeply in this region, he writes, “All who are in Asia turned away from me.” This is surely hyperbole, but it seems to mean that no one had the courage to come to his defense while he was on trail in Rome: “At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me; may it not be counted against them” (2 Tim. 4:16). This could explain why Paul exhorted Timothy not to shrink back in fear, but to stand alongside him (vv.7-8).

“Turned away” (apostrephō) refers to apostasy (cf. 2 Tim. 4:4; Titus 1:14). Paul had a thriving ministry in Ephesus, but now, many of these same people left the faith—or at least crumbled in fear.^[241] It’s also possible to understand this term as referring to “personal abandonment,”^[242] rather than formal apostasy. This seems most likely because Paul writes that they “turned away from me,” rather than the gospel itself.

“Phygelus and Hermogenes” are two men that we know nothing else about.^[243] Given the context, however, they seem to have been former friends or colleagues of Paul.

Being ashamed of the gospel: A positive example

(1:16) “The Lord grant mercy to the house of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains.”

“The Lord grant mercy to the house of Onesiphorus.”

“For he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains.” If everyone abandoned Paul in Ephesus, this must have been quite devastating. Yet Paul chose to focus on the one man who supported him: Onesiphorus (on-ess-SIFF-or-us; cf. 2 Tim. 4:19). It takes a disciplined mind to focus on the positive people in ministry, rather than the ones who hurt us.

Does this imply praying for the dead? Roman Catholic theologians hold that Onesiphorus is dead when Paul prays this because Paul writes about Onesiphorus writes about Paul in the past tense. However, there are a number of problems with this view.

For one, this isn’t a petitionary prayer. Rather, it is Paul’s desire for God to bless this family (similar to Rom. 15:5; 2 Thess. 3:16; cf. v.18).

Second, Onesiphorus is not necessarily dead. Paul uses the past tense, but all of these events were past tense from Paul’s setting—being disconnected from this family. Paul mentions households without implying that the leader of the household is dead (1 Cor. 1:16).

Third, if Onesiphorus is dead, this doesn’t imply that Paul is praying for a dead man. Paul is describing a desire for Onesiphorus to find mercy at the bema seat (using the optative mood). The same construction occurs for the Thessalonians who were surely still alive! (1 Thess. 5:23). Paul speaks of “that day,” but this doesn’t require death (2 Tim. 1:12; 4:8).

“He often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains.” Paul is giving an example of a man who “was not ashamed” of Paul’s imprisonment. This is what Paul wanted Timothy to emulate (2 Tim. 1:8).

(1:17) “But when he was in Rome, he eagerly searched for me and found me.”

This implies that “Paul’s prison was not an open house but was probably in a secure, remote location.”^[244]

(1:18) “The Lord grant to him to find mercy from the Lord on that day—and you know very well what services he rendered at Ephesus.”

Again, Roman Catholic theologians argue that this is evidence for prayers for the dead. Based on the sort of analysis in verse 16 above, Mounce retorts, “There are serious questions regarding whether Onesiphorus actually had died, so serious that it would be a mistake to base a theology of prayers for the dead on this passage. Second, as was mentioned, v 16 and v 18 are a far cry from any notion of intercessory or petitionary prayer. They are Paul’s general wish for Onesiphorus and his family.”^[245]

Questions for Reflection

Read verses 3-7. From these verses, what do we learn about how to motivate a person who is experiencing suffering?

Read verse 8. What are some signs that we’ve started to lose our love for lost people? How do we regain zeal for sharing our faith if we’ve felt like we’ve lost it?

Read verse 14. What are some helpful ways to guard the treasure of Scripture in the local church?

Read verse 15. We know that we will face abandonment in pursuing Christ—even from those we’ve loved. What are some keys to keep a tender heart toward people, rather than becoming self-protective or jaded?

2 Timothy 2

2 Timothy 2 (Soldier, farmer, athlete)

(2:1) “You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.”

“Be strong” (endynamoō) is a present passive imperative, which implies “continuous active cooperation with God.”^[246] This is the same term used in Ephesians where Paul writes, “Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might” (Eph. 6:10).

(2:2) “The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”

“The things which you have heard from me.” Paul personally discipled Timothy. Earlier he said, “Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 1:13).

“In the presence of many witnesses.” Commentators elaborate ad nauseum regarding the identity of these people: Does this refer to the people at Timothy’s ordination? The other Ephesian elders? The entire church? Guthrie is surely right that this should “be understood in a general sense and not restricted to a single event.”^[247]

“Entrust” (paratithēmi) also occurs in Paul’s first letter to Timothy where he tells Timothy that he has “entrusted” him to “fight the good fight” (1 Tim. 1:18). This refers to “retaining the standard of sound words which you have heard from me” and “guarding, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you” (2 Tim. 1:13-14). Luke also records that Paul “commended” (paratithēmi) the elders to the Lord (Acts 14:23; 20:32). Paul was entrusting the truth to men who had two primary qualities:

“Faithful men.” The goal of discipleship is to discern and select faithful men to invest in. Just as Jesus invested in his twelve disciples, we are “entrusting” the truth and our time with other believers.
“Able to teach others.” This implies that we are transmitting content and values with the goal of replication. This would include modeling and being an example for others to follow (1 Cor. 11:1; Heb. 13:7; Phil. 3:17; 1 Thess. 1:7; 3:7, 9; 1 Tim. 4:12; Titus 2:7; 1 Pet. 5:3). This also includes hands-on training (Heb. 5:14).

Mounce^[248] and Lea^[249] think that Paul primarily has the elders in Ephesus in mind because these men are “able to teach” (didaskō, 1 Tim. 3:2). Perhaps this is the immediate application for Timothy. But nothing in this text restricts discipleship to merely the leaders in Ephesus—only those who are “faithful men.” In the same way, Paul taught “in the presence of many witnesses.” He didn’t restrict himself to elders.

“Teach others also.” A large part of discipleship is teaching. The word for “disciple” (mathētēs) means “learner.” Discipleship is more than just passing on knowledge, but it is never less than that.

Paul is describing four-tiered discipleship here: (1) Paul, (2) Timothy, (3) faithful men, and (4) others also. This is a biblical command—not just an example.

Soldier, Athlete, and Farmer

From here, Paul gives three metaphors or analogies that help to capture the nature of Christian discipleship: (1) soldier, (2) athlete, and (3) farmer. What do all of these metaphors have in common? Each explains how following Christ will involve “suffering hardship.”

1. Soldier

(2:3-4) “Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. ⁴No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.”

The NT frequently uses the metaphor of warfare to describe the Christian life:

Paul called his coworkers his “fellow soldiers” (Phile. 3; Phil. 2:25).
Christians need to put on spiritual “armor” (Rom. 13:12; Eph. 6:11, 13), “breastplates” (Eph. 6:14; 1 Thess. 5:8), “shields” (Eph. 6:16), and “helmets” (Eph. 6:17; 1 Thess. 5:8).
Christians have spiritual “weapons” (2 Cor. 6:7; 10:3-5) and the “sword of the Spirit” (Eph. 6:17).
Our victory in Christ is compared to a Roman military victory procession (2 Cor. 2:14-16).
We are told to “fight the good fight of faith” (1 Tim. 6:12).
We have an enemy: Satan (1 Pet. 5:8). Jesus destroyed his blasphemous claims at the Cross, but we still need to liberate people from his influence (1 Jn. 3:8; Acts 26:17-18).

With this in mind, why does Paul compare serving Christ to serving as a soldier in war? In what ways are these similar?

If we think of ourselves as being like a soldier in the middle of a war, then this makes sense of a number of NT principles:

We are on the offense—not the defense. Soldiers are in the business of conquest. Soldiers look to take territory from the enemy. Similarly, Christians are on the offensive—not the defensive—in spiritual warfare. Christians should not merely protect existing believers, but rather, continue to take ground from the Enemy, as Jesus commands (Mt. 16:18; 28:18-20).
We need training and equipping. armies wouldn’t want to simply send a civilian into war. They need training. Similarly, Christians need equipping (Eph. 4:12). To be clear, even the youngest believer can make a powerful impact for Christ. However, it doesn’t take long before they realize their need for equipping and training (e.g. learning to pray, having tact, answering questions, etc.).
We suffer pain, heartache, and tangible losses. In warfare, soldiers need to be tough. They need perseverance and a militant spirit. Similarly, believers who engage in spiritual warfare need to be tough and need to be ready to experience suffering for Christ. No one has found a way to win a war without suffering in the process.[250] And indeed, only a fool would agree to sign away their rights to a military recruiter without counting the cost of suffering that they will surely face.
We would need to be “alert” (1 Pet. 5:8; Eph. 6:18), because the Enemy could strike at any time.
This metaphor explains why “no soldier” would “entangle himself in the affairs of everyday life.” Why not? Too much is at stake. If a soldier is in “active service,” he volunteers to give up luxuries that he would have during peace time. There’s nothing intrinsically wrong with “the affairs of everyday life,” but it’s preposterous to participate in these things during wartime. A soldier who was on leave might spend his time vacationing at the beach or pursuing his hobbies. But not during war (i.e. “active service”). During wartime, it would be absurd to lounge around and relax like this. Similarly, believers are involved in a spiritual war, and the war won’t be over until Jesus returns. We need to freely volunteer to give up activities that could get in the way of our service to the cause of Christ.
We should willingly choose to give up our rights and freedoms during times of war. Simply too much is at stake to demand my rights. No soldier regrets the sacrifices once they have won the war.
This metaphor explains why we need to be unified.

For further resources, see Dennis McCallum, Members of One Another (Chapter 6: “God’s Army”). See also Gary DeLashmutt’s teaching, “The Christian Worker as a Soldier” (2003).

2. Athlete

(2:5) “Also if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules.”

The New Testament often uses sports imagery to describe the Christian life:

The Christian life is compared to running a “race” (Acts 20:24) or to boxing (1 Cor. 9:26).
In this race, we should persevere and get rid of anything that will weigh us down (Heb. 12:1-2).
Those who serve God faithfully will receive a “prize” (1 Cor. 9:24) which is “imperishable” (1 Cor. 9:25). This prize is contrasted with the wreaths given to athletes (1 Cor. 9:24; Phil. 3:14; 1 Pet. 5:4; Jas. 1:12). We are urged to “win” the race (1 Cor. 9:24).
Paul didn’t want to get to the end of his life and realize that he had “been running in vain” (Gal. 2:2; cf. Phil. 2:16).
We need “self-control” (1 Cor. 9:25) and “discipline” (1 Cor. 9:27).
Paul writes about the disqualification that comes from not “competing according to the rules” (2 Tim. 2:5).

With this in mind, why does Paul compare serving Christ to being a competitive athlete? In what ways are these similar?

If we think of the Christian life as being like competitive athletics, then this explains why:

We shouldn’t cheat. Athletes who cheat are disqualified. After surviving Stage 3 testicular cancer, Lance Armstrong went on to win the Tour de France seven consecutive times (1999-2005), and he started a non-profit cancer foundation called “Livestrong.” He became a national celebrity and sports icon. In a Nike commercial (2001), Armstrong spoke against “doping,” or using performance-enhancing drugs. In the commercial, he said, “Everybody wants to know what I’m on. What am I on? I’m on my bike, busting my @ss, six hours a day. What are you on?”
Unfortunately, in 2012, the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) discovered that Armstrong was on far more than his bike! He was the ringleader of “the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen.”^[251] Armstrong was permanently banned from all professional sports, and all of his victory jackets were revoked.
What can we learn from this? Surely it is tempting to use pragmatic or even unethical approaches to ministry in order for the “greater good” of accomplishing “God’s goals.” But don’t you dare! This egotistical approach to Christian ministry is doomed to fail: God will not honor it, nor will he reward it. We should beware of cutting corners like this (e.g. skipping our time with God, engaging in boasting, pushiness, manipulation, selfishness, greed, etc.).
We should push our boundaries beyond what is comfortable. Athletes grow through painful conditioning and competition. The more they care about the goal, the more they are willing to sacrifice their comforts. All of the sudden, pleasures and comforts aren’t as important as the goal of winning.
We should rest. Athletes work hard, but they also rest Without rest, the body breaks down and all of our work is counterproductive. Similarly, Christians need to learn to take their seat with Christ daily, rest from their works by taking up their position in Christ, learn to take time off for physical and mental rest, and take full advantage of the word, “No,” when being asked to do too much.
We should create goals. Athletes don’t simply walk into the gym and start moving weights around in awkward and bizarre directions. They set a careful regiment for themselves that increases over time. In a word, they set goals. Similarly, committed Christians should set goals as well (1 Cor. 9:26).
We should start slow. At first, we might look awkward as we try to perform in our sport. Some fall prey to embarrassment, and give up. The same is true with following Christ. It might not come naturally at first. In some areas we might see results quickly, it often takes years before we start to see besetting sins being healed and feel relatively equipped to influence others.
We should seek out some to help coach and equip us. Athletes need help from others who know more about training, strategy, and playing.

There are dissimilarities as well: We are not competing against each other, but with ourselves. Each one of us will receive a crown (2 Tim. 4:8), and God will reward us based on our own gifts (Mt. 25:14-30).

“Competes according to the rules.” The term “rules” (nomimōs) was earlier translated as “lawfully” (1 Tim. 1:8). In the ancient world, athletes needed to agree that they had trained to the standards of the games in which they were competing. Guthrie writes, “Each athlete for these Olympics had to state on oath that he had fulfilled the necessary ten months’ training before he was permitted to enter the contest. Any athlete who had not subjected himself to the necessary discipline would have no chance of winning and would in fact lower the standard of the Games. There were severe penalties imposed on any who infringed the rules.”^[252]

The “prize” (stephanos) was a wreath placed on the head of a winning athlete. This is different from the “crown” (diadēma) which was a “royal crown.”^[253] Athletes freely give up pleasures in life for the purpose of this prize.

For further resources, see Jeff Gordon’s teaching, “The Christian Worker as an Athlete” (2003).

3. Farmer

(2:6) “The hard-working farmer ought to be the first to receive his share of the crops.”

The New Testament often uses farming imagery to describe the Christian life:

Paul refers to his work of church planting like a farmer who needed to plant and water the crops (1 Cor. 3:6-9).
Jesus compared growth of his kingdom to farming (Mt. 13:3-9, 18-23).
The growth of the church would be matched by the growth of the world-system (Mt. 13:24-30).
Jesus said, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few” (Mt. 9:37).

With this in mind, why does Paul compare serving Christ to being a farmer? In what ways are these similar?

When we think of the Christian life like farming, we discover many parallels:

We should be prepared for hard work and long hours. Farming is back-breaking work. It consists of blood, sweat, and tears to bring in a good crop. Likewise, those experienced with evangelism know that reaching people for Christ is hard work! They know that they need to persevere through many dry seasons (2 Tim. 4:2).
We should know when to rest. Farmers know that they can only do so much.
We should spread seeds abundantly. Good farmers liberally spread their seed on the field, knowing that not all of it will grow. Similarly, believers should share their faith often, knowing that most of the time, people will not come to Christ. It’s hard to know how much we should be sharing our faith, but one test is this: “When was the last time someone rejected your offer to come to Christ or rejected your invitation to a Bible study?” Put simply, have you heard, No, recently? If this hasn’t happened recently, you probably aren’t abundantly sowing, and you’ve become too conservative.
We should be consistent in our efforts. Farmers need to show up to work—even if they don’t feel like it. If the crops go dry because the farmer took a couple days off irrigation, he could starve.
We should be patient. Farmers don’t see results for many months, and need to learn delayed gratification. They need to wait patiently to see their crops grow. Similarly, the problem with most believers isn’t with what they’re doing. They simply don’t wait long enough to see what God is doing behind the scenes.
We should be humble. Farmers don’t get fame or fortune—yet they provide a life-giving service to people around the globe. Without them, humanity would starve to death.

“First to receive his share of the crops.” Some argue that this refers to financial renumeration.^[254] Others hold that it refers to spiritual rewards, which could refer to blessings in this life or rewards at the bema seat.^[255]

For further resources, see Dennis McCallum, Members of One Another (Chapter 9: “God’s Field”). See also Dennis McCallum’s teaching, “The Christian Worker as a Farmer” (2003).

(2:7) “Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.”

Are we overinterpreting these concepts? No. Paul tells us to reflect on the similarities between following Christ and being a soldier, an athlete, and farmer. It’s wise to teach these three concepts through discussion in order to fulfill Paul’s command to “consider what I say.” These concepts should be reflected upon and discussed (see below under “Questions for Reflection”).

Conclusion

Paul himself was the hard-working farmer (2 Tim. 4:2); he was the strong athlete who “finished the course” (2 Tim. 4:7); and he was the good soldier who “fought the good fight” (2 Tim. 4:7). He practiced what he preached.

2 Timothy 2:8-26 (How much do you value truth?)

Paul wrote to Timothy to coach him on how to handle false teachers who had infused his church in Ephesus. To begin, Paul explains his central thesis: Jesus’ message of love and forgiveness. This message had changed Paul’s life, not to mention countless of other lives. Consequently, Paul was willing to suffer and even die for the truth of Christ.

(1) Some ideas are worth living and even dying for

(2:8) “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descendant of David, according to my gospel.”

“Remember Jesus Christ.” Recently, I was driving in the car with my wife, and I came down with a temporary bout of amnesia for several minutes. Doctors are still studying what happened, but for a short period of time, I temporarily forgot that my wife knows how to drive a car! (Consequently, I felt like I needed to give her lots of input on how to drive—much to her annoyance.) Of course, I don’t literally have amnesia. This annoying medical condition is simply called being a “backseat driver.” This occurs when you aren’t trusting in the person who is driving you around, and you feel like you need to tell them what to do.

In the Christian life, we don’t have amnesia, but we have a similar problem. Our focus strays from what is most important: Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, and his gospel message. Timothy was just like us. He didn’t literally forget who Jesus was. Instead, Paul wanted Timothy to focus on the person and work of Jesus. This is why Paul told him to “remember Jesus Christ.” This is a present imperative verb can be rendered “continually remember.”

Since Timothy’s opponents had a faulty view of the resurrection (2 Tim. 2:18), Paul could be subtly correcting that here.

(2:9) “For which I suffer hardship even to imprisonment as a criminal; but the word of God is not imprisoned.”

If Jesus’ message of love and forgiveness is true, then this would be a reality worth suffering and even dying for. This is why Paul was content even in the face of suffering and imprisonment. Indeed, the language that describes Paul’s treatment in prison is especially harsh.^[256]

“The word of God is not imprisoned.” A Christian worker can be stopped, but not the work of God.^[257] The messenger can be stopped, but the message never can. Indeed, Paul had such a high view of Jesus’ message that he didn’t think a Roman prison could contain it or silence it. Later, Paul explains that it was in this venue that he had an opportunity to share the gospel (2 Tim. 4:16-17).

(2:10) “For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory.”

“I endure all things.” If Jesus is real and his message of love and forgiveness are true, then everyone would need to hear about it. This explains why Paul would “endure all things.” This message changes the eternities of others. So, nothing would be too much to suffer.

“Those who are chosen.” Peter writes that the “chosen” are elected “according to the foreknowledge of God” (1 Pet. 1:1-2). It’s encouraging to know that God has many people to reach, as we move out to spread the message of Christ (Acts 18:9-11).

“They also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory.” We all are going to die. We are going to close our eyes in this life, and open them in the next. This is why Paul was willing to suffer for the sake of Jesus’ message.

(2:11) “It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him.”

This cannot refer to biological death because we are still alive. Therefore, the mention of “living” with God must refer to being spiritually identified with Christ through his crucifixion in our new identity (Rom. 6:3-5). Indeed, Mounce writes, “Most interpretive issues in 2 Tim 2:11 are determined by the meaning of Rom 6.”^[258]

(2:12) “If we endure, we will also reign with Him; if we deny Him, He also will deny us.”

“If we endure, we will also reign with Him.” Those who have suffered for Christ will later be rewarded by serving Christ in the Millennium and the New Heaven and Earth (Mt. 19:28; Lk. 19:17; Rom. 8:17; Rev. 20:1-6).

“If we deny Him, He also will deny us.” We cannot both “endure” as well as “deny” Christ. Thus, Paul must be describing two different types of people when he uses the plural pronoun “we.” In this instance, we take this to refer to humans who refuse to come to faith in Jesus. Some people say, “I’m not denying Christ… I’m just not ready to come to him right now.” Yet, Jesus said, “He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters” (Mt. 12:30). There is a certain amount of logic to this statement. Imagine if you proposed to your girlfriend, and she said, “I’m not denying your proposal… I’m just not ready to get married right now.” Such a statement is nonsense. She is denying your proposal! Similarly, Jesus offers every single person complete and total forgiveness, and you are denying his forgiveness if you do not receive it.

(2:12) Does this passage threaten eternal security? For one, this passage doesn’t refer to sinning our way out of salvation, but to denying Christ—something that is categorically different than carnal sins. Second, the next verse is one of the best passages on eternal security (v.13). Third, those who deny Christ are typically non-Christians (Mt. 10:33; 2 Tim. 3:5; Titus 1:16; 2 Pet. 2:1; 1 Jn. 2:22-23; Jude 1:4). Paul could simply be describing those who never accepted Christ in the first place.

(2:13) “If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.”

Since we are identified with Christ (v.11), Jesus cannot deny himself. This line doesn’t fit with the earlier three. In the first three lines, Paul gives warnings based on how we respond to God. Here, we respond poorly, but God still responds positively.

(2) Some ideas are worth fighting for

So far, Paul has written about the great truths that changed his life, and the lives of countless people. These ideas about God, forgiveness, and the afterlife had such significant consequences that Paul was willing to suffer and even die to share them. However, some people reject Christ altogether (v.12), and Paul next tells Timothy that these truths are worth fighting over.

(2:14) “Remind them of these things, and solemnly charge them in the presence of God not to wrangle about words, which is useless and leads to the ruin of the hearers.”

Paul had previously written about the “word wrangling” of the false teachers in Ephesus (1 Tim. 6:4; cf. v.23). This “wrangling about words” was not some harmless activity, however. Not only were these words “useless,” but they were also harmful (“leads to the ruin [katastrophē] of the hearers”). So, at best, it’s useless, and at worst, it’s damaging. People will either hear the word of God (Rom. 10:17), or they will hear the heated speculations of humans. In our view, these were likely proto-Gnostics who were teaching bizarre and esoteric concepts about God. These teachers stand in stark contrast to faithful Bible teachers who accurately interpret Scripture (v.15).

While the primary focus is on Gnostic false teachers, we can apply this to “wrangling about words” in Christian circles. We don’t want to argue incessantly about the eschatological implications of cessationism in a progressive dispensationalist dialectic. (If you don’t know what that last sentence means, that’s precisely the point!) Studying and discussing theology deeply is important. However, we shouldn’t allow this to become our emphasis or focus. We need to keep the focus on the main things. Paul implored Timothy, “Remember Jesus Christ” (v.8). In other words, our teachings should focus on Jesus. Our teachings should also focus on grace. The author of Hebrews comments, “Do not be carried away by varied and strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace” (Heb. 13:9). All of this means that we should emphasize what the Bible emphasizes, avoid endless argumentative conversations, agree to disagree at times, accept good answers when we hear them, and stop bringing up the same topics incessantly.

(2:15) “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.”

The term for “diligent” (spoudazō) means “zealous.” Paul uses this emphatic language because it is very important for us to get our interpretation correct. It is our role to do the study and gain the meaning out of text that God put into the text.

“Accurately handling the word” (orthotomounta) comes from the root words “straight” (orthos) and “to cut” (temnein). This is the only use of this word in the NT. In extrabiblical Greek, it was associated with cutting a straight path or “way” (odos). It can be taken to mean “holding a straight course”^[259] or “[cutting] a straight road.”^[260] However, Paul doesn’t use the term “way” (odos). Therefore, “most agree that the imagery of the original metaphor has been lost.”^[261] In the context of the false teachers, it seems to refer to accurately interpreting Scripture and explaining it with precision.

“The word of truth” refers at least to the gospel message (Eph. 1:13; Col. 1:5), but surely extends to the Scriptures as a whole.

This demonstrates that not all interpretations are equally valid. Some interpretations of the Bible are wrong, while others are right. Incidentally, this flies in the face of postmodern values—namely, that all interpretations are equally valid.

(2:16) “But avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness.”

We are supposed to refute false doctrine (Titus 1:9), but on other occasions, we are told to simply “avoid” it. We can get wrapped up in fruitless discussions with false teachers who may never listen. This can be a giant waste of time, and it could “lead to further ungodliness.” At a certain point, we need to stop “throwing pearls before swine” (Mt. 7:6), though this requires wisdom to discern (Prov. 26:4-5; Mt. 10:13-14).

It’s tempting to get ensnared in debates, but it’s foolish. Sometimes we read a comment on social media followed with the words “change my mind.” This is a trap! When someone writes this, we can bet that they have no genuine interest in changing their minds. We need to discern when it’s appropriate to engage in debate, and when it is useless or even harmful.

(2:17) “And their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus.”

“And their talk will spread like gangrene.” At first, this sentence sound positive: “Their talk will spread…” Wow, their message is popular, and it’s spreading! But this is the spreading of a pseudo-spiritual cancer—not the spreading of God’s word. The term “gangrene” (gangraina) was used by ancient “medical writers… for a sore that eats into the flesh.”^[262]

Hymenaeus (1 Tim. 1:20) and Philetus (only mentioned here) were two of the false teachers in Ephesus. Paul has no qualms calling out false teachers by name. After all, since they publicly sinned against the entire church, they should be publicly rebuked in front of the entire church.

(2:18) “Men who have gone astray from the truth saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and they upset the faith of some.”

What was their false teaching? These two men both taught that the resurrection had already occurred. No doubt they considered the resurrection to be a “spiritual experience.”^[263] This further implies some sort of Gnostic dualism. Indeed, Mounce writes, “While the heresy was a far cry from full-blown second-century Gnosticism, the opponents were headed in that direction.”^[264] Furthermore, this shows that Hyper-Preterism is most certainly false.

“Men who have gone astray from the truth.” These two men started off well, and they may have even been pastors and teachers in the church in Ephesus. But they went “astray” over time. We should surely mourn when fellow Christians lose their faith, but we shouldn’t be surprised by this. Even the best of us can turn away from God.

“They upset the faith of some.” False teachers aren’t persuasive with everyone, but they were with some.

(3) Living out our ideas consistently

Truth plays a role in our lives. Paul states that our worldview, our convictions, and our values should result in a life that is continually changing and growing.

(2:19) “Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, ‘The Lord knows those who are His,’ and, ‘Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness.’”

The “firm foundation” could “refer to the church as a whole, the genuine work of God in Ephesus, the deposit of faith, or it may be a general statement of truth without a definite reference.”^[265] Since the context refers to God knowing his people, we hold that Paul is referring to God’s work in the church being a “firm foundation.” That is, God’s work in his church is insurmountable in the end. Even though there are many false teachers, “Nevertheless!” God is still going to build his church (Mt. 16:18; 28:18-20). Instead of lamenting about these apostate teachers, Paul’s focus “falls on the immovable character of God’s foundation.”^[266]

“‘The Lord knows those who are His,’ and, ‘Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness.’” These are allusions to Numbers 16:5, 26. These verses occur in the context of false teachers (i.e. Korah’s rebellion). When Korah went to fight against Moses’ leadership, we read that Moses said, “Tomorrow morning the LORD will show who is His, and who is holy, and will bring him near to Himself; even the one whom He will choose, He will bring near to Himself” (Num. 16:5). Later, he said, “Depart now from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing that belongs to them, or you will be swept away in all their sin” (Num. 16:26). These people had seen miracles and heard Moses teach, but they were hardened to God’s truth. This is similar to the false teachers that sat under Paul and Timothy. They saw amazing works of God and heard amazing teaching, but they couldn’t stand being under their leadership. They rejected “serving in heaven,” and would rather “rule in hell.”

God “knows” the elect, but we can’t always discern who are true Christians. The reason Paul adds that Christians should “abstain from wickedness” is most likely so we can “know” who are the true Christians. In other words, the Gnostic teachers would be immediately disqualified based on both their doctrine (vv.14-16) as well as their deeds (v.19).

(2:20-21) “Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also vessels of wood and of earthenware, and some to honor and some to dishonor. ²¹ Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.”

In my parents’ house, we have some plates that are for important purposes, and others for less important. Around Christmas time, we regularly set the table with the good silverware expensive chinaware. When we order out for pizza, however, we use paper plates and plastic cups. Paul is raising the question: Which sort of vessel do you want to be? By learning to accurately handle the word, we become “sanctified” or “set apart” for more useful work.

“Vessels… to dishonor.” These vessels could refer to “unworthy Christians, who were to be avoided.”^[267] Later, Paul hopes that these people would repent from willingly being under the influence of Satan (v.26). Indeed, the term “cleanses” (ekkathairō) is only used one other time to refer to removing the “mother lover” in Corinth from fellowship (1 Cor. 5:7). It’s also possible to understand these vessels as being more or less honorable “relatively”^[268] to one another. In other words, it’s not that we are honorable, but the work is honorable. We aren’t an honorable vessel, but a vessel useful for honor.

“Cleanses himself” implies that we have a role in deciding how much we want to be used by God. Since the cleansing is related to service, we must ask ourselves, “What kind of a worker do I want to be?” Some Christians complain, “I’m not useful.” They fail to realize that this is an attack from the Enemy, making them feel unimportant. Or this might be an unassuming confession—namely, they haven’t chosen to make themselves available to God to be utilized in his service. This has nothing to do with our gifts and talents. God might choose, in fact, to use people with less gifts simply because they made themselves available.

“Sanctified.” Paul goes on to describe a sanctified life: fleeing from immorality (v.22), pursuing love relationships (v.22), rejecting the Ephesian heresy (v.23), and being kind to those caught up in it (vv.24-26).

A key to being cleansed is to learn and act on the word of God. Many believers long to be useful and influential in the cause of Christ. One of the keys to doing this is to learn to accurately handle the word of God. We simply cannot avoid this important aspect of Christian growth. Think of all the people who have influenced you for Christ. Surely, it is no coincidence that they were all strong in the word of God.

(2:22) “Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.”

The battle of sanctification is not done in isolation. Nature abhors a vacuum. So, if we want to change, we should look for ways that we can replace sinful stimulation with spiritual and relational satisfaction. For instance, we need to replace “lust” with healthy, godly relationships—namely “with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.”

Moreover, it isn’t enough to simply cling to Christian friends in a “holy huddle.” Sanctification becomes effective when it is combined with victorious love-output. To repeat Paul’s thesis, the goal of sanctification is “love” (1 Tim. 1:5).

(4) Be gentle with people, but tough on ideas

(2:23) “But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels.”

There are times when we should refute the false teachers (Titus 1:9) and times when we should refuse to engage false teachers. This isn’t a contradiction. We need wisdom to know when to give an answer and when such a course of action would be an enormous waste of time (see comments on verse 16 above).

(2:24) “The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged.”

“Quarrelsome” (machomai) can refer to either physical or verbal fighting (BDAG, p.622).

“Kind” (ēpios) is also used of the gentleness of a mother (1 Thess. 2:7). Lea and Griffin write, “He need not be a jellyfish, but he must have a kindliness in his outward manner.”^[269]

“Able to teach” (didaktikos) is required for elders (1 Tim. 3:2). It literally means “a skillful teacher.”^[270] The way to confound false teachers is to think harder, study more, and articulate the truth better. This is a skill that we can learn, even if it isn’t a gift we possess.

“Patient when wronged” means to “control irritability because he has learned to bear patiently the wrong in others.”^[271]

“With gentleness correcting those who are in opposition.” We should be tough on ideas, but gentle with people. “Gentleness” (prautēs) implies using exactly the right amount of strength in a given situation. Picture a man shooting pool. Sometimes he will crack the cue ball with tremendous force, but other times he will barely tap a ball into a pocket. This is the true control of a skilled player, and it captures the concept of “gentleness.”

When we’re dealing with a foolish or immoral brother, we shouldn’t allow ourselves to act like a fool in the process. We want to model the behavior that we want to see in the other person: Godliness, love, and gentleness.

(2:25) “With gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth.”

The goal is not to defeat our brother, but to win our brother over to the truth (Mt. 18:15). The people whom Paul is describing are so deceived that they can’t even see it. Therefore, it would be a good prayer to ask God to give them a special opening of the eyes to see their error.

(2:25) Can we repent or does God cause us to repent? In one sense, being granted repentance is God’s offer (i.e. opportunity). While in another sense, being granted repentance is our decision (i.e. action). Similarly, Paul viewed suffering as being “granted for Christ’s sake” (Phil. 1:29). Of course, when God grants us to suffer, he is not forcing us to suffer. Instead, he simply gives us the opportunity to suffer for the cause of Christ. In a similar way, consider the word “surrender.” This can be used in two complementary ways: both as an opportunity and an action. Likewise, when God grants us repentance, he is giving us the opportunity to repent.

(2:26) “And they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.”

When we do Christian work, it’s easy to view contentious people as the enemy, becoming contentious and combative in the process. Paul had a different view. He saw the true Enemy behind these people (v.26). Our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the powers, principalities, and spiritual forces (Eph. 6:10-18).

“The snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.” In our estimation, this doesn’t refer to demon possession. This is the same language used of Peter catching people, rather than fish (zōgreō, Lk. 5:10). Of course, this metaphor shouldn’t be taken so literally: Peter cannot force people to come to Christ in the same way that he can drag fish into his boat with a net. Similarly, Satan is holding people captive, but this is because of their free decision to follow the false teaching (1 Tim. 4:1-2).

Questions for Reflection

Read verse 1. What does it mean to “be strong in grace”? What are some ways we might learn to become stronger in the grace of God?

Read verse 3-4. Why does Paul compare Christian work with being a soldier? In what ways are these concepts similar? In what ways are they different?

Read verse 5. Why does Paul compare Christian work with being an athlete? In what ways are these concepts similar? In what ways are they different?

Read verse 6. Why does Paul compare Christian work with being a farmer? In what ways are these concepts similar? In what ways are they different?

2 Timothy 3

In this chapter, Paul tells Timothy of the theological and ethical challenges that he will face as time moves on. What does he give Timothy to support him? Church councils? Catechisms? Popes? Nothing of the sort. This chapter closes with Paul telling Timothy that “all Scripture is God-breathed…” Paul begins by addressing the false teachers surrounding Timothy (vv.1-5).

2 Timothy 3:1-9 (Battle falsehood)

The beginning of this list describes being a lover of self, and the ending concludes with not being a lover of God. In many ways, this description is the utter antithesis of the character requirements for elders and deacons (1 Tim. 3).

(3:1) “But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.”

Does this section refer to the end of history, or does it refer to Timothy’s own time? Both. The phrase “in the last days” commonly refers to the end of human history (cf. 2 Pet. 3:3; Jude 18). At the same time, this expression can also be used to describe the Church Age (Acts 2:17; Heb. 1:2), and after verse 6, Paul writes in the present tense. Indeed, if this material had no relevance for Timothy, then Paul would have no need to write, “Avoid such men as these” (v.5). As we noted earlier, Timothy was dealing with false teachers in his own day (1 Tim. 4:1ff).

That being said, Paul uses the future tense throughout verses 1-5 (“difficult times will come”), and he writes, “Evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse” (v.13). Moreover, cultural degradation will continue throughout the Church Age until Jesus returns (Mt. 24:12). While Timothy was already seeing this change in his own day (1 Tim. 4:1ff), it will continue to get worse as history reaches its climax. This era refers to the “entire time from the completion of Christ’s redemptive work until his return.”^[272] Therefore, in our view, false teachers will continue to get worse and worse as history continues. Today, with the advent of the internet, false teachers have an immeasurably broad reach with their teaching (Mt. 24:4-5, 11, 24; 2 Thess. 2:3-4, 9-12).

(3:2-4) “For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, ³ unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, ⁴ treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.

In verses 2-5, we have a list of 18 sinful attitudes or actions:

“Lovers of self” (philautos). This opening description is “the key to the rest of the list.”^[273] Lea and Griffin write, “When the center of gravity in an individual shifts from God to self, a plethora of sins can spring up.”^[274] Mounce writes, “When one’s love for God is replaced by love for oneself and the material world, then all the other vices naturally flow.”^[275] This is what is wrong with the world: We love ourselves “rather than [being] lovers of God” (v.4). This is the disease, the foundation, the starting point. When God is removed from the center of our lives, we become profoundly insecure and unstable. Love of self reflects much of the philosophy implicitly or explicitly taught in our culture today (e.g. selfie culture).

“Lovers of money” (philargyros) is literally the “love” (phileo) of “silver” (argos). The Pharisees were “lovers of money” (Lk. 16:14). Yet, the great commandment is to love God and your neighbor. Thus, this is completely inverted: We should never love things more than people.

“Boastful” (alazōn) can be rendered “imposters,”^[276] but the standard translation is “boaster” or “braggart” (BDAG). Kittel states that the term refers to “one who ‘makes more of himself’ than the reality justifies, ‘ascribing to himself either more and better things than he has, or even what he does not possess at all’ (Aristotle Nicomachean Ethics, IV, 13, p. 1127a, 21 f).”^[277] Our modern cult of celebrity worship fits under this description. Watching the Disney Channel really brings this to mind as well: Every show ends with a kid singing on stage—being surrounded their peers worshipping them.

“Arrogant” (hyperēphanos) is used by Josephus in the context of wealth and riches (Antiquities, 4.224). Arrogant people view life as a zero-sum game. It isn’t enough that they look good, but others need to look bad.

“Revilers” (blasphēmos) refers to “defaming, denigrating, demeaning” (BDAG). The contrast to this would be to be a peacemaker and being a person that builds up others.

“Disobedient to parents” refers to being unpersuadable (apeithēs, cf. Rom. 1:30). To modern readers, this sounds like an odd subject to make a list like this. Yet our modern world is so alienated—even within the family unit—that we are deceived with how serious this is. After all, this must mean that people lack “even the normal compassion linking family members together.”^[278]

“Ungrateful” (acharistos) is obviously the opposite of gratitude. Jesus said that God is kind toward “ungrateful” people like us (Lk. 6:35). Recently, we forgot to pay the water bill, and they shut our water off for two days. I didn’t realize how ungrateful I am for water until it was gone. Likewise, my gratitude increased when the faucet began to work again. We need to see that we deserve nothing in life, and all of the good things in our lives are gifts of God (Jas. 1:17).

“Unholy” (anosios) means “being in opposition to God or what is sacred” (BDAG). This relates to being unthankful to God (Rom. 1:21).

“Unloving” (astorgos) means to “be lacking in good feelings for others” or “hardhearted, unfeeling, without regard for others” (BDAG; cf. Rom. 1:30). This could include being numb or indifferent to people’s pain. Jesus also predicted that the love of people would grow cold over time (Mt. 24:12).

“Irreconcilable” (aspondos) refers to someone “who is unwilling to negotiate a solution to a problem involving a second party” (BDAG). It was a military term that literally meant “without a truce.”^[279] In a self-centered worldview, why should I give in? Why should I forgive?

“Malicious gossips” (diabolos) is an adjective that refers to “slander” (BDAG). The noun form is the term for Satan—the slanderer.

“Without self-control” (akratēs) fits with modern Western culture very well. We lost count of the number of addictions that we have developed (e.g. food, drinking, drugs, pornography, etc.). We want to love ourselves, but we can’t control ourselves. We’re free to do what we want, but we can’t stop doing what we want.

“Brutal” (anēmeros) is literally “untamed, savage, brutal” (BDAG, p.79).

“Haters of good” (aphilagathos) comes from the root a (“non”), phileo (“love”), and agathos (“the good”). Isaiah writes, “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil” (Isa. 5:20).

“Treacherous” (prodotēs) is used of Judas (Lk. 6:16) and the murderous religious leaders (Acts 7:52). A person like this might help if there is self-advantage. But when push comes to shove, they will burn you.

“Reckless” (propetēs) literally means “falling down or forward” (BDAG). Negatively, it is used of being “rash” (Acts 19:36) or “doing any rash thing” (Josephus, Antiquities, 15.82). People with this quality lack a lasting loyalty.

“Conceited” (tetyphōmenoi) means to “be puffed up” or to “be blinded, foolish” (BDAG). Those who are “conceited” also “understand nothing” (1 Tim. 6:4). Much like a pufferfish, people with this quality try to look bigger and better than they really are. They trust their own thoughts as if they were infallible—not listening to others or even to God’s word.

“Lovers of pleasure” (philēdonos) seems to pair well with being “without self-control.” We often hear parents on sitcoms say to their children, “I don’t care what you do… I just want you to be… happy.” Why do they never say that they want their kids to be loving? Or virtuous? Or humble? Our culture worships at the altar of people. This results in unashamed hedonism on the one hand and an all-inclusive, pampered comfort on the other.

(3:5) “Holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; avoid such men as these.”

“Holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power.” When we deny the gospel, we lose the power of God (2 Tim. 1:7-8; Rom. 1:16).

To “avoid” these men doesn’t mean that we fearfully stay away from them. The term “avoid” (apotrepou) means “purposely to avoid associating with someone” (BDAG). The point is that we should choose to not associate with false teachers like this. People use religion(s) to affirm what they want to believe. In a sense, they are saying, “I like a little bit of religion. As long as it doesn’t get in the way of my self-centered agendas.”

Proselytizing zeal

(3:6) “For among them are those who enter into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses.”

The same people who hold these attributes above also live them out by taking advantage of others—in this case “weak women” (NASB) or “weak-willed women” (NIV). Could it be that these women’s lives are a wreck, and so they welcome any false teacher who will make them feel better?

To “enter” households means “to worm their way into homes.”^[280] To “captivate” (aitmalōtizō) means to “take captive” or “deceive.”^[281] These terms “suggest that the false teachers had gained a complete psychological dominance over their victims.”^[282]

(3:7) “Always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

This really rings true of modern-day skepticism, postmodernism, and naturalism. The more we affirm these worldviews, the less we are able to know truth at all.

(3:8-9) “Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men of depraved mind, rejected in regard to the faith. ⁹ But they will not make further progress; for their folly will be obvious to all, just as Jannes’s and Jambres’s folly was also.”

(3:8-9) Who were Jannes and Jambres? The OT doesn’t name these men. These names come from later Jewish tradition,[283] the Qumran community,[284] Pliny,[285] and Origen.[286] According to the Targum of Jonathan (an Aramaic paraphrase), these two men were thought to be magicians in Pharaoh’s court in Exodus 7:11. In our view, Paul uses the conventional names ascribed to these historical persons—much like someone would refer to “Dives and Lazarus” (Lk. 16). The rich man isn’t named in the parable, but tradition calls him “Dives.” Similarly, Paul used the conventional names of Pharaoh’s magicians to make a quick reference to the biblical account.

Why does Paul cite Pharaoh’s magicians? Occult practitioners existed in Ephesus (Acts 19:18-19). This could be one of the parallels that Paul is raising with this mention of Pharaoh’s magicians. Later, Paul refers to these men as “impostors” (goētes) which literally means “wizards.”^[287] During the time of the Exodus, Pharaoh and his personal magicians (Jannes and Jambres) were mocking God’s word. But God’s word proved true: These people faced God’s judgment, and God’s word was vindicated. Similarly, people in our culture deny the Bible, but God will quite literally get the last word! These people will be revealed as frauds and face judgment.

“Their folly will be obvious to all.” Even though these false teachers seem scary, Paul comforts Timothy, “Don’t worry about them… They won’t get far. Their sin will catch up with them. They’ll be publicly exposed.” For arrogant and boastful men like this, public disgrace would be a living hell.

2 Timothy 3:10-17 (Stand on God’s Word)

(3:10) “Now you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, perseverance.”

Timothy has already stood up for the truth in the past, following Paul’s example. Stott writes, “The contrast with the first paragraph of this chapter is obvious. The men described there were following their own inclinations (they were lovers of self, money and pleasure), and their pathetic converts had been carried away by their own impulses. Timothy, on the other hand, has followed an altogether different standard, namely the teaching and the example of Christ’s apostle Paul.”^[288]

(3:11) “Persecutions, and sufferings, such as happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium and at Lystra; what persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord rescued me!”

These persecutions most likely refer to Paul’s first missionary journey (Acts 13-14). The book of Acts details suffering at Antioch (Acts 13:14-51), Iconium (Acts 13:52-14:6), and Lystra (Acts 14:6-20). At one point in Lystra, they stoned Paul to the point that they thought he was dead. Mounce states, “It can be assumed that Timothy knew of Paul’s earlier treatment in these cities, perhaps even having witnessed both the stoning and Paul’s miraculous recovery (Acts 14:20).”^[289] Timothy likely came to Christ at this time, so this would’ve been a stirring thought for Timothy to remember.

“Out of them all the Lord rescued me!” We might think that God’s “rescue” would refer to sparing Paul from persecution or suffering. Yet, God did no such thing. He allowed Paul to be stoned nearly to death and persecuted severely. But Paul was still standing! Paul viewed this fact as God’s “rescue.” God didn’t spare Paul from the suffering and persecution, but he did save him through these things.

(3:12) “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”

Timothy would’ve remembered Paul’s sufferings from Antioch and Lystra. Here, Paul tells Timothy that he is not unique: All servants of Christ will face suffering.

(3:13) “But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.”

False teachers are themselves deceived because they reject the truth, and as a result, they deceive others. This is probably connected with the work of Satan mentioned in the previous chapter (2 Tim. 2:26).

Paul’s answer for false teaching? Scripture!

How are we supposed to battle such an army of perverse false teachers? Paul tells Timothy that the central weapon at our disposal is Scripture (vv.14-17). We need to be better interpreters (2:15) and sharper thinkers than the false teachers. This is a powerful argument for Sola Scriptura. Paul does not point to Peter as the solution or a church council or a teaching magisterium. He points to the inspiration and sufficiency of Scripture alone.

(3:14) “You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them.”

This is the key to true motivation: We need to become “convinced Christians.”

(3:15) “And that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”

Both Philo (Life of Moses, 3.39) and Josephus (Antiquities 10.10.4) refer to “the sacred writings” as the OT.^[290] Paul doesn’t give a “secret mystery” to Timothy, as Gnosticism taught. Instead, he reminds Timothy to “continue” in his study, devotion, and defense of Scripture.

“From childhood you have known the sacred writings.” Apparently, Scripture is not an enigma. Even children can understand it. Timothy didn’t come to Christ through his study of OT Scripture, but it did “lead to salvation,” most likely when he was led to Christ by Paul.

(3:16-17) “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; ¹⁷so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”

(2 Tim. 3:16) Should we translate this as “all Scripture is inspired by God” or as “every inspired scripture has its use”?

Paul is most likely referring to OT Scripture—not NT Scripture. In context, Paul is referring to the “sacred writings” that Timothy has known since childhood (2 Tim. 3:14-15). Of course, the NT wasn’t written when Timothy was a boy. At the same time, Paul referred to Luke 10:7 as “Scripture” (1 Tim. 5:18), and Peter referred to Paul’s letters as “Scriptures” (2 Pet. 3:16). So, the NT was already being recognized as Scripture in the first-century. Therefore, everything that Paul writes about OT Scripture would apply to the NT Scriptures as well.

“Profitable” (ōphelimos) refers to being “useful, beneficial, or advantageous” (BDAG, p.1108). Physical exercise is only of “little profit (ophelimos)” (1 Tim. 4:8). But Scripture? It is “profitable” (ophelimos) for everything God calls us to do in Christian service (“every good work”). This means that Scripture is not only inspired, but also sufficient for Christian work.

The “useful” or “beneficial” nature of Scripture gives evidence in addition to the rational arguments for the truth of Scripture. This shows that Scripture passes a pragmatic test. When we read our Bible, we see God changing our lives. When we teach it, we see lives changed. Billy Graham saw this firsthand. He reported, “I’ve discovered something in my ministry: When I take the Bible literally, when I proclaim it as the word of God, my preaching has power. When I stand on the platform and say, ‘God says,’ or ‘The Bible says,’ the Holy Spirit uses me. There are results.”^[291]

“Teaching.” When we teach someone how to interpret the Scriptures, we give them an inexhaustible source of strength, stability, hope, and courage for the rest of their lives. We impart to them the key to spiritual growth and transformation. This is why Paul could leave the leaders in Ephesus with a clear conscience: He was entrusting them both to God and to God’s word (Acts 20:32). This is how Paul could know that Timothy would be fine after his execution: Timothy had God’s word.

“Reproof and correction” (elegmon epanorthōsin) show that we need more than just the Bible. We need one another. Scripture gives us an objective basis to guide and inform our beliefs, our lives, our priorities, and our relationships. No longer are our disagreements merely a “battle of wills” or a “tug of war” between personal opinions. Instead, all of us can turn to God’s word for objectivity.

“Training” (paideian) refers to “guidance for responsible living, upbringing, training, instruction” (BDAG, p.748). This term is often used to refer to raising a child into maturity and even bringing “discipline” to children when needed (Heb. 12:5, 8; Eph. 6:4). Scripture raises us, corrects us, and trains us to be mature in Christ. Of course, this “training” never finishes. It isn’t as though we ever cease to Jesus said, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine” (Jn. 8:31). We never finish learning and growing in the word of God.

Questions for Reflection

Read verses 1-6. Does this period of apostasy refer to the end of history? Or does it refer to Timothy’s time in the first century?

Read verses 10-13. In what ways was Paul distinct from the false teachers?

Read verses 14-17. List 20 insights that we learn about Scripture from these verses.

2 Timothy 4

Paul made it out of his first imprisonment, but he was recaptured and placed in prison a second time when he wrote 2 Timothy. Therefore, this is the final chapter Paul ever wrote. We learn a lot about a person from his or her last words. What does Paul tell us in his final words?

2 Timothy 4:1-8 (Standing for the Truth)

(4:1) “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom.”

Based on the high view of Scripture that Paul enunciated in chapter 3, Paul practically jumps out of his seat to exhort Timothy to “preach the word.” He charges Timothy to preach the word in view of the fact that God is watching (“in the presence of God”) and that Jesus is returning (“by His appearing”). When we teach the Bible to others (on whatever size or scale), we need to remember that we will give an account to Jesus at the end of our lives (Heb. 13:17).

Paul unloads nine imperatives with what one commentator called “machine-gun precision.”^[292] Paul is sharing every last bit of wisdom with Timothy before he dies.

(4:2) “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.”

“Preach the word.” This is the central imperative that governs all the others. The church should do many more things that preach the word, but nothing should ever replace this central focus. The center of our church should always be on the teaching and preaching of God’s word.

This is true for vocational leaders like pastors and preachers, but it is also true for all Christians. Paul’s imperative to “preach the word” refers to various means and methods (cf. 2 Tim. 2:2). This means that we could “stand behind a stately pulpit and expound Scripture,” or we could do this “person-to-person.”^[293] The point is this: Every Christian can follow this imperative (Col. 3:16). Paul viewed this as something entrusted to him (2 Tim. 1:14), something to be guarded (1 Tim. 6:20), and something to be watched over carefully (1 Tim. 4:16).

“Be ready.” What does it look like to be ready? In context, this refers to doing various forms of ministry (e.g. teaching, training others, giving them courage, offering correction, confronting bad trends, etc.).

“In season and out of season.” Sometimes we see God using us powerfully in our efforts. Other times, we don’t. Our role isn’t to cause the growth (1 Cor. 3:6-7). Instead, our role is to be ready for God to work, rather than falling into a perfunctory or unthinking minimalism. In other words, during out of season times, our lifestyle shouldn’t change. We should continue to do what we also do: Build up the saints for the works of service (Eph. 4:12).

“Reprove, rebuke, exhort.” We’ve heard Christians say, “I checked out early because there weren’t any new faces at our Bible study last night.” Do these people realize that they are directly dismissing this passage? Whether or not God is bringing visible fruit, we always need to be ready to build up one another. Even if “the same old people are there,” we are always needed to instruct, correct, and encourage others in the things of God. Indeed, the culture or ethos of a church depends on this work of the leadership.

“With great patience and instruction.” Surely, we need patience when working with people. This is why earlier Paul wrote, “The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged” (2 Tim. 2:24). This is the grid through which we do all of our reproving, rebuking, and exhorting. Unless we have great patience and sound persuasion (“instruction”), our reproof will likely fall flat to the ground. People are smart. They can tell when we really care about them and love them. Patient investment like this leads to reciprocity with others around us. Because they sense our warmth, patience, and love, they become more willing to take our instruction.

Furthermore, leaders cannot simply correct people incessantly. They need to teach and persuade them of the truth of the Scriptures (“instruction”). Hence, Guthrie writes, “To rebuke without instruction is to leave the root cause of error untouched.”^[294] The Pharisees were the ones who gave a lot of burdens without even “lifting a finger” to help (Mt. 23:4).

Why do we need to pay such close attention to the Scriptures?

(4:3) “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires.”

“Endure” (anechomai) means “to regard with tolerance, endure, bear with, put up with” (BDAG, p.78). Some people will grow to hate what they’re hearing from faithful followers of Jesus. At a certain point, they won’t want to hear it anymore and will cease being “tolerant” toward biblical teaching.

“Sound doctrine” (hygiainousēs) is the root from which we get our word “hygiene.” Earle calls this “the key phrase of the pastoral Epistles.”^[295] Some teaching is healthy or “hygienic” for its listeners, while other teaching is sickening to them.

“Have their ears tickled.” This could mean that what they heard “merely scratched their eardrums without penetrating further.”^[296] Lea and Griffin write, “They covet new, fashionable ideas and long for the excitement of having their ears teased by the satisfying but harmless mumbling of pseudoscholarship. Such speakers toy with the minds of the hearers but leave the intellect uninformed, the conscience unchallenged, and the will set in a direction away from God.”^[297]

Do you read the Bible to discover God’s thoughts, or do you squeeze your own thoughts into the Bible? For instance, if you are addicted to sexual promiscuity, do you read the Bible through a sexualized lens, or do you read your sexual promiscuity through the lens of Scripture? Please don’t “baptize” your own sexual ethics into the Bible. If you want to be sexually promiscuous, go ahead. That’s your choice as a free moral agent. But please don’t waterboard the Bible until you force it to say whatever it is you wanted it to say in the first place. This sort of tortured interpretation has all of the same intellectual integrity of a southern slave owner interpreting Scripture in the 1800s. Please, do everyone a favor and leave the Bible out of it!

False teaching in our own day. With the advent of the Internet, solid Bible teaching has spread faster than ever. But a negative corollary of this is that false teaching and false ideologies spread just as fast. We currently live in a hurricane of truth claims, and this calls for an objective anchor to keep from being swept away (Eph. 4:14). Now more than ever, we need to dig deeply into the Scriptures!

(4:4) “And will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.”

Is it that people will find myths to believe? Or is it that they will treat the Bible as a “myth”? Guthrie writes, “The reason appears to be the superficial fascination of myths; but the verb used (ektrepō) points to deviation from the true course, and suggests a wandering into counterfeits (RSV has ‘wander into myths’), with no awareness that truth has been left behind.”^[298]

(4:5) But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

“Be sober in all things.” At the very least, this refers to sobriety from drunkenness, but it implies much more than this (“all things”). Given the context of false teachers, we need to be sharp and “sober” in our thinking. We need to be sharp enough to have answers to refute false teaching and false teachers.

Standing for the truth is equated with the ability to “endure hardship” (cf. 2:3). As time progresses, true Christians will face more and more social pressure to succumb to what the culture dictates: Will you crumble to the conformity of culture, or will you stick to Scripture?

“Do the work of an evangelist.” Evangelism is going to be hard—not easy. This is why Paul calls it “work.” Yet, evangelism needs to remain our focus. When we’re getting pummeled with false teaching, it’s easy to make the false teachers our focus. Bad idea! Paul foresees this, and he encourages Timothy to keep an outward focus.

This doesn’t mean that every leader should drop their preaching, leading, and discipleship ministry to go reach the lost. But it does mean that we need to keep soft hearts toward the lost world around us, and pray for opportunities to share our faith. Also, we can do the work of an evangelist during our times of fellowship, in our preaching, and in our leadership of others, helping them reach their loved ones for Christ.

“Fulfill your ministry.” God has good works for all of us to walk in (Eph. 2:10). Paul urged Timothy to fulfill the plans that God had for him.

Paul’s work is finished

(4:6) “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come.”

“Being poured out as a drink offering.” Paul is alluding to the “drink offering” from the OT (Ex. 29:41; Lev. 23:13, 18; 37-38; Num. 15:7; 28:7, 24). There, the priest would pour out wine over the altar to say, “Thanks,” to God. To be clear, this wasn’t a way to pay for sins—only a way to give appreciation to God. This startling reference from Paul means that he was giving his entire life of service to God as a way of saying, “Thanks!” It’s as if Paul was saying, “God, you did the unthinkable sending Jesus to pay for my sins. I could never pay you back for that. But here is my life—my offering to you. It’s not much, but it’s my way of saying, ‘Thanks.’”[299]

Paul had previously experienced the tension of pressing on or “departing” to be with Christ (Phil. 1:23). Now, he knows that his time is up, and his “departure” has arrived. Earlier, Paul wrote that this might happen (“Even if I am being poured out…” Phil. 2:17). Here he realizes that this will happen (“I am being poured out…”). Earlier Paul believed that he would make it out of imprisonment (Phil. 2:24), but here he believes that he will face martyrdom (“the time of my departure has come”).

The term “departure” was used to describe a ship lifting its anchor to set sail for home, or to a band of soldiers setting course for home after war.^[300] Lea and Griffin write, “Both the ship and the soldiers were going home, and the idea of going home was an accepted euphemism for death.”^[301] For the Christian, death is not the end of the journey, but the beginning.

(4:7) “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.”

Paul isn’t bragging at the end of his life. Instead, he shares this “not in a self-serving way but in a way that shows his perseverance as an encouragement to Timothy.”^[302]

“I have fought the good fight.” The term “fought” (agōnizomai) means to “agonize.” The truth is so valuable that it’s worth experiencing pain at times. Paul told Timothy to fight the good fight (1 Tim. 6:12), and he had moral authority to write this because he did it himself. Paul doesn’t write that he won every battle, nor does he write that he even “won” the fight. Rather, Paul was content to say that he never stopped fighting! He never quit, no matter how many falls that he took.

“I have finished the course.” Again, Paul doesn’t write that he “won” the race, but merely that he has “finished” it.^[303] In Paul’s farewell to the leaders in Ephesus, he wrote, “I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24). Likewise, believers like John the Baptist had a “course” to finish (Acts 13:25). For moving examples of this sort of endurance, see the races of John Stephen Akwhari (1968 Olympics) and Derek Redmond (1992 Olympics).

“I have kept the faith.” This doesn’t refer to Paul’s personal subjective faith, but the faith. That is, Paul stuck to the truth.

Timothy was still a young man (1 Tim. 4:12). So, he was still in the middle of his fight and his race. But beware! Time flies so fast! Timothy blinked and he was sitting in Paul’s seat as an old man. We’re going to blink and find that we’re at the end of our fight and our race as well. The question is, “Will we fight to the end? Will we finish the race?”

(4:8) “In the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.”

“In the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness.” An athletic contest is in view here. The “crown” (stephanos) was a “laurel wreath given to the winner of the Marathon race (cf. 1 Cor 9:25).”^[304]

“The Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day.” Jesus personally awarded this crown to Paul (or perhaps, he will in the future). James (Jas. 1:12) and Peter (1 Pet. 5:4) focused on our eternal rewards as well. This reward isn’t just for Paul, but for “all who have loved His appearing.”

Paul was quite candid about his failures (2 Tim. 1:12-17). Yet, he had great confidence of receiving rewards from God. This shows how much Paul had learned to rely on grace. Without grace, Paul wouldn’t be receiving rewards. He would be receiving retribution for his many, many sins.

2 Timothy 4:9-22 (Paul’s heart for people)

These are the final words Paul ever wrote. He knew that the guard could open his cell at any moment, and his earthly life would be over. Yet, we don’t see a trace of defeat in Paul. He was able to face the reality of a dark and sinful world with his head held high. Paul mentions 17 people by name (not to mention groups!) in these final words. He mentions friends who:

Sunk into apathy and indifference.
Picked up his slack during difficult times.
Stood with him despite personal cost.
Abandoned him because of person cost.
Ended up intent on hurting him!

How does Paul’s experience line up with yours?

(4:9) “Make every effort to come to me soon.”

Paul knows that his execution is coming “soon.” So, he pleads with Timothy to travel to his Roman prison cell before he dies. At the end of his life, Paul wanted to see his dear friend one final time. Later, Paul writes, “Make every effort to come before winter” (v.21). Of course, during the winter, the Adriatic was closed down for travel. So, if Timothy missed this narrow window, he could arrive to see Paul’s funeral, rather than Paul himself. He needed to get moving.

(4:10) “For Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica; Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia.”

Demas was one of Paul’s trusted “fellow workers” who had served alongside Paul while he was in jail (Col. 4:14; Phile. 24). Think of that: Demas was so loyal that he visited Paul during house arrest.

But not anymore. The world-system lured Demas away from being dedicated to Christ (“having loved this present world… [he] deserted me”). Demas “loved this present world,” in contrast to “all who have loved [Jesus’ future] appearing” (v.8).

Did Demas lose his faith and become apostate? Mounce^[305] argues that this refers to apostasy because the language of desertion is so strong. We disagree, however. Demas didn’t reject Christ or Christianity. He “deserted” (egkataleipō) Paul—just as many others had “deserted” (egkataleipō) Paul (2 Tim. 4:16). Yet Paul states, “May it not be counted against them.” Indeed, Demas went to a city with a great church—namely, Thessalonica. Instead, Demas chose not to dedicate his life to Jesus anymore. He traded Christ for comfort. This isn’t apostasy per se, but it is a horrific tragedy nonetheless!

The defection of Demas must’ve hurt Paul because he refers to this as being “deserted” (egkataleipō) or being “forsaken” (BDAG, p.273). Indeed, this is the word Jesus used to describe how God had “forsaken” him at the Cross (Mt. 27:46; Mk. 15:34). It’s often hard for us to relate to Paul’s sufferings in many areas of his life (e.g. beatings, imprisonment, shipwrecks, etc.). However, many of us know exactly what this feels like. We have all seen close friends who were dedicated followers of Jesus simply walk away into a life of comfort and ease. These are some of the worst pains in the Christian life: Watching a dear friend lose his spiritual vitality.

Crescens is never mentioned elsewhere in the NT. All we know about him is the fact that he was in Galatia, rather than in Rome with Paul. This doesn’t necessarily mean that Crescens was a “deserter” like Demas. It seems more likely that Paul is reflecting on the fact that he was lonely without his friends around him.

Titus must have finished his previous work in Crete (Titus 1:5). So, he moves to “Dalmatia,” which was on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea in modern-day Yugoslavia.^[306]

(4:11) “Only Luke is with me. Pick up Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for service.”

Luke was a physician. So, it isn’t surprising to see him coming to Paul’s aid in the dungeon of a Roman prison (Col. 4:14; Phile. 24). Most likely, Luke gave medical treatment to Paul during this time. Moreover, it’s possible that Luke was Paul’s scribe for this letter.^[307] Mounce writes, “Because he was the only person with Paul, it is most likely that he was the amanuensis of this epistle.”^[308] After all, Luke wrote two major books (e.g. Luke-Acts), so we know that he was a proficient writer, and one whom Paul trusted.

How does Luke compare to Demas? Paul, Luke, and Demas had been close friends. Even during Paul’s house arrest, they served God together (Col. 4:14; Phile. 24). Yet, Demas and Luke had different responses: Demas left for the world, but Luke stayed with Paul.

John Mark (the author of the gospel of Mark) served with Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey (Acts), but he defected from their mission (Acts 13:13). Paul refused to take Mark on his second missionary tour, but Barnabas continued to believe in Mark’s potential (Acts 15:36-40). Here we learn that Mark turned out to be a good Christian worker (cf. Col. 4:10). He was so good, in fact, that Paul requested to see him on his deathbed. Even though Mark stumbled early on, he was able to finish strong. Earle comments, “John Mark is a vivid example of a young man who failed in his first assignment, but finally made good.”^[309]

Paul’s mention of Mark shows us something special about this godly man: He didn’t hold a grudge. Mark had “deserted” Paul and Barnabas during a crucial time in their First Missionary Tour (Acts 15:38). But Paul could recognize repentance when he saw it. He warmly wants to see Mark—a man whom he didn’t trust a couple decades earlier.

(4:12) “But Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus.”

Tychicus was a faithful believer (Acts 20:4). Paul had trusted him to carry his letters to the Colossians and the Ephesians (Col. 4:7-8; Eph. 6:21). Moreover, Tychicus likely carried this letter to Timothy as well. We can translate “I have sent” as an epistolary aorist (“I am sending”).^[310] This means that Tychicus was the person who brought the letter to Timothy in Ephesus.

In addition, Tychicus was a strong leader who could take over at the drop of a hat. In fact, Paul sent Tychicus to Ephesus to “relieve Timothy during the latter’s absence in Rome while visiting Paul.”^[311] Likewise, Paul sent Tychicus to temporarily replace Titus in Crete: “When I send… Tychicus to you, make every effort to come to me at Nicopolis” (Titus 3:12). Tychicus could “tag in” when leaders needed a break.

(4:13) “When you come bring the cloak which I left at Troas with Carpus, and the books, especially the parchments.”

Paul most likely didn’t leave his “cloak,” “books,” and “parchments” in Troas around AD 57 (Acts 20:6). This just seems too long ago. He must’ve made another journey there in the intervening decade. We’re simply not sure when Paul left these items in Troas.

It seems likely that Paul intentionally left these items in Troas because he knew that the Romans would take his possessions once he was arrested. According to Roman law at the time, the guards would confiscate a prisoner’s possessions and even their clothing once they were arrested. It’s painful to throw away valuables before going through security at the airport, and Paul must’ve had the same attitude toward his cloak and books. He didn’t want to give a perfectly good cloak to a Roman guard! So, he left these personal items in Troas in safe hands, mostly likely knowing that he would be imminently arrested.

“Bring the cloak” (Latin loan word phailonēs). Paul was probably cold and achy from sleeping on a stone floor in prison. He wanted his “cloak” because winter was approaching (v.21). The cloak was a “circular, heavy garment with a hole in the middle for the head that was used for warmth and protection from the elements.”^[312]

“The books” (biblia) probably refers to the OT Scriptures.[313] Paul wanted his OT Bible to read as he awaited death.

“The parchments” (Latin membrana) were “scrolls or codices written on animal skins (vellum).”^[314] Kruger writes, “Not only does Quintilian use the term to refer to parchment notebooks, but the Roman poet Martial (writing AD 84-86) refers to a small codex called membrana that can be easily carried on journeys and held in one hand.”[315] According to Martial,[316] other works from Homer, Virgil, and Cicero were put into this format. For instance, Cicero kept copies of his own letters, in case they were damaged or lost (Fam. 7.25.1; 9.26.1).[317] This evidence suggests that Paul kept a copy of his own letters as Scripture. This would mean that Paul’s letters were already being collected in the first century as Scripture. Thus, he was asking Timothy for the OT scrolls and the NT books at the end of his life. Minimally, it’s plausible that “Paul had in his possession some written account of the Lord’s doings and sayings and that he wished to have them to hand in his present critical situation.”^[318]

What does this tell us about Paul? At the end of his life, all Paul wanted was his Bible to read, his friends to keep him company, and a decent cloak to keep him warm. Surely, Paul is a paradigm of what it looks like to live simply.

(4:14-15) “Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. ¹⁵ Be on guard against him yourself, for he vigorously opposed our teaching.”

Alexander was a common name, so we cannot be certain who this man is.^[319] It could either refer to the man mentioned in Acts 19:33-34 or 1 Timothy 1:20. It’s possible that all three references describe the same man, or perhaps, they describe three different men. In our estimation, Paul is referring to the man who was removed from fellowship in 1 Timothy 1:20. Paul wrote, “Some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith. ²⁰Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan, so that they will be taught not to blaspheme” (1 Tim. 1:19-20). At one point, Alexander had served alongside Paul, but not anymore.

Paul took a had a strong confrontation with Alexander and his buddy Hymenaeus. The result? Both were removed from fellowship, and apparently, Alexander went berserk! Even years later, he is still dangerous! We might think that Paul should’ve been more patient with Alexander. After all, look at the results: Alexander hated Christianity years later. But such pragmatic thinking is a mistake. Paul took a stand for the truth. Alexander had the choice to turn to God and change his mind, or double-down and fight against the church in Ephesus even harder. The church’s choice to remove Alexander was vindicated in our estimation: The fact that he’s still (violently?) attacking the Christians in Ephesus years later indicates that they made the right choice to remove him.

“The Lord will repay him according to his deeds.” Was Paul bitter at Alexander? Was he vengeful? Not at all. Paul didn’t seek how to seek his own revenge against Alexander. Instead, he trusted that “the Lord” would discharge justice on Alexander (cf. Rom. 12:19). If you don’t believe in a God of justice, then you would be quite tempted to get your own revenge in this life. Paul, however, was able to let it go.

(4:16) “At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me; may it not be counted against them.”

“At my first defense.” Paul had a trial before Nero, but he was released. This occurred years earlier (around AD 62?). At this moment, however, Paul had been recaptured, and he knows that he would face capital punishment.

“May it not be counted against them.” Paul knows that God will repay Alexander for his deeds. Yet he doesn’t hold the same view toward the cowardly Christians who deserted him at his trial in Rome. They lacked the faith and courage to take a stand for Christ, but Paul didn’t hold this against them. Most likely, Paul learned this ethic from Jesus (Lk. 23:34) and Stephen whom he helped murder (Acts 7:60). Moreover, Peter likely told Paul his testimony of cowardly betraying Christ, and yet, Paul saw how Jesus had restored Peter’s faith.

(4:17) “But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was rescued out of the lion’s mouth.”

“The Lord stood with me.” We once heard the story of a violinist who received a standing ovation for her performance in a concert hall. The crowd cheered, “Encore! Encore!” But the musician sheepishly left the stage, instead of playing more. Later, reporters asked her, “Why didn’t you give the crowd an encore?” The woman replied, “Everyone in the concert hall was standing and applauding, but one man in the front row was seated with his arms crossed. That was my violin teacher, and he didn’t like my performance. If he was the only person standing and clapping, I would’ve given an encore. But since he was sitting, I knew I had a lot more to learn.” This story really illustrates what Os Guinness called “the audience of One.” If Jesus is standing with you, then you need no one else’s approval. Fortunately, even if everyone deserts us, Jesus never will (cf. Heb. 13:5).

“Strengthened me” (enedynamōsen) can be rendered “infused me with strength, empowered me, made me dynamic!”^[320] This “strengthening” led to Paul boldly preaching the gospel to Nero and the Gentiles in Rome.

“Lion’s mouth” was a “common metaphor to express deliverance from some extreme danger.”^[321] Therefore, it’s doubtful that Paul was literally thrown to lions. Mounce^[322] lists several examples of how the term was used metaphorically for danger.

(4:18) “The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”

Paul didn’t anticipate rescue from the physical persecution. Instead, Paul was confident that God would rescue him from “spiritual attacks.”^[323] Ultimately, Christ rescued Paul by taking him to Heaven. This is an interesting parallel with Jesus’ own prayer: “Deliver us from evil” (Mt. 6:13). In Paul’s mind, he would succeed no matter what: Either through release or through death (cf. Phil. 1:21-23).

(4:19) “Greet Prisca [Priscilla] and Aquila.”

Prisca and Aquila were a dynamic couple. They took Paul into their house when he came to Corinth. They sailed with Paul to Ephesus (Acts 18:18-19). They played a role in correcting Apollos’ teaching when they were there (Acts 18:26). Later, when Emperor Claudius’ edict to expel the Jews from Rome was rescinded, the couple returned to Rome to start a house church ministry (Rom. 16:3). They had “risked their lives” for Paul (Rom. 16:4). Regarding this couple, Earle comments, “In those days prosperous Jews traveled a great deal from city to city. In four of the six places where Priscilla and Aquila are mentioned [see Rom. 16:3; Acts 18:2, 18, 26; 1 Cor. 16:19], Priscilla’s name comes first. Evidently she was the stronger character of the two. It may well be that their moves were due as much to her missionary concern as to her husband’s trade.”^[324]

“And the household of Onesiphorus.” Paul mentioned Onesiphorus earlier in this letter (2 Tim. 1:16-18). Paul stated that this man frequently “refreshed” Paul and supported Paul in prison. Many people rejected Paul during this time. Paul writes, “All who are in Asia turned away from me” (2 Tim. 1:15). But not Onesiphorus! It takes a disciplined mind to focus on the positive people in ministry, rather than the ones who abandon, betray, and break our trust.

(4:20) “Erastus remained at Corinth, but Trophimus I left sick at Miletus.”

Erastus appears in Romans 16:23 and Acts 19:22. These references seem to all refer to the same person, though we’re uncertain.

Trophimus is mentioned in Acts 20:4 and 21:29. Trophimus left Miletus and travelled with Paul to Jerusalem (Acts 21:29). So, this mention of leaving Trophimus “sick at Miletus” must refer to a later event. Regarding the fact that Paul left Trophimus in Miletus twice, Guthrie writes, “Some scholars find difficulty in believing that history would repeat itself and that Paul would twice visit Miletus with Trophimus, but this does not seem a major difficulty when it is remembered that Trophimus was an Ephesian (Acts 21:29). It is not impossible, therefore, that on Paul’s last journey from Asia to Rome Trophimus was to accompany him, but had to be left at Miletus due to illness, a fact of which Timothy could easily have been unaware.”^[325]

“Trophimus I left sick.” Paul didn’t have power within him to heal on command. God chooses when to heal people through human agents—not us. We don’t know many people with the gift of healing. However, we heard the story of a man who seemed to genuinely possess this gift. One the signs of authenticity was the fact that this man wouldn’t always pray for healing—even when asked. He reported that sometimes God directed him not to pray for healing because it wasn’t in his will. Instead, he will pray over the person for perseverance, courage, comfort, and an overall ability to glorify God through suffering.

(4:21) “Make every effort to come before winter. Eubulus greets you, also Pudens and Linus and Claudia and all the brethren.”

“Make every effort to come before winter.” This explains why Paul really needed his “cloak” (v.13). Guthrie writes, “For a period of some weeks the Adriatic would be closed to shipping and the apostle is therefore anxious that Timothy should hasten to reach Italy before transport delayed him.”^[326]

Irenaeus mentions Linus as the first bishop of Rome after Peter (Irenaeus, Against Heresies, 3.3.3; Eusebius, Church History 3.2 [3.4.9]). Roman Catholic tradition holds that Linus was the next pope after Peter. Yet, this is a highly dubious inference. As we have already seen, Paul entrusted Timothy to the Bible (2 Timothy 3:14-17), rather than a pope or other Christian leader. Surely if Linus held the papal office, Paul would’ve mentioned this to Timothy.

“Eubulus… Pudens… Claudia.” We have no other mention of these men in the rest of the NT.

(4:22) “The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you.”

Paul’s last words were about “grace.” The “your” is singular (referring to Timothy), but the “you” is plural, implying that this letter was written for more than just Timothy.

Conclusion

Some people “finish the race” (Paul), some neglect the race (Demas), some defect from the race (Alexander), and some stumble but still finish (Mark). Which will you be?

Questions for Reflection

Read verses 1-8. We can learn a lot about a person from their final words. What can we learn about Paul from his parting imperatives to Timothy?

Read verse 9. Paul wanted Timothy to leave his church to see him before his death. Why would Paul desire this when the Ephesian church was in such dire straits?

Read verses 9-20. Which of Paul’s friends do you resonate with the most? Which one do you want to be like?

Paul didn’t dwell on negative circumstances (e.g. Demas, Alexander, all who deserted him). He shared about it, but he moved on to share about the change in Mark’s life instead. Are you holding any grudges that you need to let go?

^[1] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), lv.

^[2] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), lv.

^[3] Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History (A. D. 326) 2:22.7-8.

^[4] Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 14, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 34.

^[5] Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 14, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 34.

[6] P.N. Harrison, The Problem of the Pastoral Epistles (London: Oxford UP, H. Milford, 1921), pp.20ff. Harrison later revised his view to state that fragments of Pastorals were original to Paul (1 Tim. 1:13-15; 2 Tim. 1:16-18; 3:10-11; 4:6-22; Titus 3:13-15). See P.N. Harrison, “Important Hypotheses Reconsidered: The Authorship of the Pastoral Epistles,” Expository Times 67 (1955): 77-81.

[7] D.A. Carson and Douglas J. Moo, An Introduction to the New Testament (2nd ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005), p.558.

[8] G.U. Yule, The Statistical Study of Literary Vocabulary (n.p.: Archon, 1968), 281.

[9] D.A. Carson and Douglas J. Moo, An Introduction to the New Testament (2nd ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005), p.560.

^[10] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), ciii.

^[11] Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 25.

^[12] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), ciii.

[13] J. N. D. Kelly, A Commentary on the Pastoral Epistles (1963; reprint Grand Rapids: Baker, 1981), 24.

^[14] Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 14, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 22.

^[15] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), lxv.

^[16] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), lxvii.

^[17] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), lxvii.

^[18] Gordon D. Fee, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, Understanding the Bible Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2011), 23.

^[19] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), lxvi.

^[20] Gordon D. Fee, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, Understanding the Bible Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2011), 23.

[21] Clement of Alexandria, Stromata 4.9.

^[22] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), lxv.

^[23] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), lxv.

^[24] Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 14, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 23.

[25] See 1 Clement 5:4-5; Tertullian, Ecclesiastical History, 2:25.5; Caius & Dionysius of Corinth, 2:25.8. Origen, third volume of his Commentary on Genesis, cited in Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History, 3.1.2.

^[26] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), lxx.

[27] Craig Blomberg, From Pentecost to Patmos: An Introduction to Acts through Revelation (Nashville, TN: B & H Academic, 2006), 286.

^[28] John R. W. Stott, Guard the Truth: The Message of 1 Timothy & Titus, The Bible Speaks Today (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996), 40.

^[29] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), xlviii.

^[30] Mounce adds further reasons why Timothy wasn’t plagued with temperamental timidity. He was Paul’s first pick for his second missionary journey (Acts 16). Moreover, Paul regularly sent Timothy to key places to train the believers there (Acts 17:14-15; 1 Cor. 4:17; 1 Tim. 1:3), William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), xlix.

[31] We should add that that Paul’s final words were addressed in the plural—not the singular (1 Tim. 6:21). Therefore, this letter was meant for all of us—not just Timothy.

[32] Scott Berkun, Confessions of a Public Speaker (Cambridge: O’Reilly Media, 2009), 57.

^[33] Ralph Earle, “1 Timothy,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians through Philemon, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 11 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 348.

^[34] John R. W. Stott, Guard the Truth: The Message of 1 Timothy & Titus, The Bible Speaks Today (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996), 40.

^[35] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 12.

^[36] Ben Witherington III, The Acts of the Apostles: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1998), 563.

^[37] Ben Witherington III, The Acts of the Apostles: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1998), 563.

[38] Darrel Bock, Acts (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2007), pp.607-608.

^[39] Ben Witherington III, The Acts of the Apostles: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1998), 564.

^[40] Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 14, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 71.

^[41] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 18.

^[42] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 19.

^[43] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 20.

[44] Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 14, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 58.

^[45] Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 67.

^[46] George W. Knight, The Pastoral Epistles: A Commentary on the Greek Text, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle, England: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press, 1992), 77.

^[47] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 28.

^[48] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 31-32.

^[49] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 35.

^[50] Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 71.

^[51] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 36.

^[52] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 44.

^[53] Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 14, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 75.

^[54] Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 14, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 75.

^[55] Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 70.

^[56] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 38.

[57] Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 14, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 75.

^[58] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 38.

^[59] Arsēn means “male” or “man.” Brown’s New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology states, “Arsēn… means male as opposed to female, thēlys.” Colin Brown, ἄρσην. In L. Coenen, E. Beyreuther & H. Bietenhard (Eds.), Vol. 2: New international dictionary of New Testament theology (L. Coenen, E. Beyreuther & H. Bietenhard, Ed.). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House. 1986. 562.

^[60] This term is only used four times in the NT. It is translated as bed (Lk. 11:7), marriage bed (Heb. 13:4), pregnancy (Rom. 9:10), and sexual promiscuity (Rom. 13:13). Koitē means “bed” or “marriage bed.” Brown’s New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology states, “In secular Greek koitē, besides its common meaning bed, connotes the marriage bed (Aeschylus, Sophocles)… In the LXX koitē stands for a number of Hebrew words, most frequently forms of the verb šāḵaḇh, lie down.” McComiskey, T. κοίτη. In L. Coenen, E. Beyreuther & H. Bietenhard (Eds.), . Vol. 2: New international dictionary of New Testament theology (L. Coenen, E. Beyreuther & H. Bietenhard, Ed.). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House. 1986. 586.

[61] D.S. Bailey, Homosexuality and the Western Christian Tradition (London: Longmans, Green, 1975).

[62] J. Boswell, Christianity, Social Tolerance and Homosexuality (Chicago: Chicago UP, 1980).

[63] R. Scroggs, The New Testament and Homosexuality (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1983).

^[64] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 39.

[65] James White and Jeffrey Niell, The Same-Sex Controversy (Minneapolis, Minnesota: Bethany House Publishers, 2002), Kindle loc. 1542-1550.

[66] Paul Copan, When God Goes to Starbucks: A Guide to Everyday Apologetics (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2008), 89.

^[67] Ralph Earle, “1 Timothy,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians through Philemon, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 11 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 353.

^[68] I am indebted to Mounce for these insights. William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 46-48.

^[69] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 51.

^[70] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 53.

^[71] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 63.

^[72] Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 14, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 78.

^[73] Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 81.

^[74] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 69.

^[75] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 69.

^[76] Ralph Earle, “1 Timothy,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians through Philemon, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 11 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 356.

^[77] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 68.

^[78] Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 14, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 81-82.

^[79] Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 81.

^[80] Ralph Earle, “1 Timothy,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians through Philemon, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 11 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 357.

^[81] Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 87.

^[82] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 79.

^[83] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 80.

^[84] Ralph Earle, “1 Timothy,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians through Philemon, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 11 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 357.

^[85] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 85.

^[86] Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 14, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 85.

^[87] Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 89.

^[88] See footnote that summarizes J.N.D. Kelly. Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 89.

^[89] Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 90.

^[90] Gordon D. Fee, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, Understanding the Bible Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2011), 66.

^[91] Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 14, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 86.

^[92] Ralph Earle, “1 Timothy,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians through Philemon, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 11 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 359.

^[93] Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 95.

^[94] Gordon D. Fee, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, Understanding the Bible Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2011), 71.

^[95] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 114.

[96] Gordon Hugenberger, “Women in Church Office: Hermeneutics or Exegesis?” JETS 35/3 (September 1992) 358.

^[97] Emphasis mine. William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 165.

^[98] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 168.

[99] Lifeway Research, “Pastors Feel Privileged and Positive, Though Discouragement Can Come” (October 5, 2011).

[100] Lifeway Research, “Pastors Feel Privileged and Positive, Though Discouragement Can Come” (October 5, 2011).

[101] The Greek word “you” (hymin) is plural. Moreover, the context refers to plural “elders” (v.1).

^[102] Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 109.

^[103] Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 109.

[104] Lifeway Research, “Pastors Feel Privileged and Positive, Though Discouragement Can Come” (October 5, 2011).

[105] Barna Institute, “38% of U.S. Pastors Have Thought About Quitting Full-Time Ministry in the Past Year.” (November 16, 2021).

^[106] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 162.

[107] This is the verbal form of episkopos.

^[108] Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 14, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 94.

^[109] Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 108.

^[110] Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 109-110.

^[111] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 199.

^[112] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 199.

^[113] Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 117.

^[114] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 200.

^[115] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 201.

^[116] Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 118.

^[117] Ralph Earle, “1 Timothy,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians through Philemon, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 11 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 369.

^[118] Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 14, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 100.

^[119] Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 118-119.

^[120] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 222.

^[121] Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 14, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 102.

^[122] Christian Ecclesia, 174. Cited in William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 223.

^[123] Ralph Earle, “1 Timothy,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians through Philemon, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 11 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 370.

^[124] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 225.

^[125] Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 14, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 103.

^[126] Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 14, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 104.

^[127] Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 126.

^[128] Gordon D. Fee, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, Understanding the Bible Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2011), 94.

^[129] Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 126.

^[130] Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 14, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 105.

^[131] Gordon D. Fee, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, Understanding the Bible Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2011), 94.

^[132] Gordon D. Fee, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, Understanding the Bible Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2011), 94.

^[133] Gordon D. Fee, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, Understanding the Bible Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2011), 94.

^[134] Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 126.

^[135] Gordon D. Fee, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, Understanding the Bible Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2011), 97.

^[136] Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 14, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 105.

^[137] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 234.

^[138] Ralph Earle, “1 Timothy,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians through Philemon, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 11 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 371.

^[139] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 236.

^[140] Fee writes, “But it is equally possible that he intends to suggest that their consciences carry Satan’s brand (as neb, Bernard, Kelly). This seems more in keeping with the context. By teaching in the guise of truth what is actually false, they have been branded by Satan as belonging to him and doing his will.” Gordon D. Fee, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, Understanding the Bible Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2011), 98-99.

^[141] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 237.

^[142] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 238-239.

^[143] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 240.

^[144] Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 14, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 107.

^[145] John R. W. Stott, Guard the Truth: The Message of 1 Timothy & Titus, The Bible Speaks Today (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996), 113.

^[146] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 241.

^[147] Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 14, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 107.

^[148] John R. W. Stott, Guard the Truth: The Message of 1 Timothy & Titus, The Bible Speaks Today (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996), 115.

^[149] Ralph Earle, “1 Timothy,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians through Philemon, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 11 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 372.

^[150] Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 14, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 108.

^[151] Lea’s comments come from his interpretation of verse 4. Here, he holds that the “word of God” refers to the gospel message (2 Tim. 4:2; Titus 1:3; 2:5). He writes, “The gospel had brought them to a proper understanding of food, and they acknowledged by prayer that it was a gift from God.” This is how we “bless” the food before eating. Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 131.

^[152] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 242.

^[153] Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 14, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 109.

^[154] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 248.

^[155] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 251.

^[156] Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 14, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 109.

^[157] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 251.

^[158] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 253.

^[159] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 252.

^[160] Ralph Earle, “1 Timothy,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians through Philemon, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 11 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 373.

[161] Ralph Earle, “1 Timothy,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians through Philemon, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 11 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 373.

^[162] Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 14, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 110.

^[163] Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 136.

^[164] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 256.

^[165] Ralph Earle, “1 Timothy,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians through Philemon, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 11 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 373.

^[166] Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 14, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 111.

^[167] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 261.

[168] Ralph Earle, “1 Timothy,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians through Philemon, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 11 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 374.

^[169] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 263.

^[170] Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 14, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 112.

^[171] Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 140.

[172] Jim Elliot, Journal Entry. October 28, 1949.

^[173] Ralph Earle, “1 Timothy,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians through Philemon, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 11 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 375.

[174] Chuck Smith, Pastor’s Textbook.

^[175] Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 14, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 114-115.

^[176] Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 145.

^[177] Ralph Earle, “1 Timothy,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians through Philemon, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 11 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 377.

^[178] Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 14, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 116.

^[179] John R. W. Stott, Guard the Truth: The Message of 1 Timothy & Titus, The Bible Speaks Today (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996), 135.

^[180] Ralph Earle, “1 Timothy,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians through Philemon, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 11 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 378.

^[181] Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 151.

^[182] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 290-291.

[183] Richard and Catherine Clark Kroeger, I Suffer Not a Woman: Rethinking 1 Timothy 2:11-15 in Light of Ancient Evidence (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1992), 62-63.

[184] Craig Keener “Women in Ministry,” Two Views of Women in Ministry. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing, 2001), 54.

^[185] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 294.

^[186] Ralph Earle, “1 Timothy,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians through Philemon, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 11 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 379.

^[187] Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 153.

^[188] Ralph Earle, “1 Timothy,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians through Philemon, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 11 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 380.

^[189] Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 155.

^[190] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 310.

^[191] Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), p.119.

^[192] P.H. Towner, The Letters to Timothy and Titus (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2006), p.366.

[193] See the Muratorian Fragment (AD 170); Irenaeus, Against Heresies 3.1.1; Origen, Church History 6.25.4.

^[194] Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 156.

^[195] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 312.

^[196] Ralph Earle, “1 Timothy,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians through Philemon, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 11 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 381.

^[197] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 314.

^[198] Ralph Earle, “1 Timothy,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians through Philemon, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 11 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 381.

^[199] Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 158.

^[200] Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 14, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 123.

^[201] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 327.

^[202] Mounce holds that this expression merely refers to the gospel. William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 337.

^[203] Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 14, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 126.

^[204] Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 14, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 126.

^[205] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 339.

^[206] Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 167.

^[207] Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 168-169.

^[208] Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 14, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 128.

^[209] Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 172.

^[210] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 356.

^[211] Ralph Earle, “1 Timothy,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians through Philemon, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 11 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 386.

^[212] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 359.

^[213] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 366.

^[214] Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 176.

^[215] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 371.

^[216] Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 177.

[217] We should note, however, that this same language appears in Paul’s house arrest as well: “I am an ambassador in chains” (Eph. 6:20).

[218] Sreechinth C, Scripted Words of Alfred Hitchcock (CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2018), p.27.

[219] Michael B. Becraft, Steve Jobs: A Biography (ABC-CLIO, LLC, 2017), p. 185.

[220] Ian Littlewood, Critical Assessments—Volumes 1-4 (Helm Information, 1998), p.341.

[221] Joe Guse, The Tragic Clowns-An Analysis of the Short Lives of John Belushi, Lenny Bruce, and Chris Farley (CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2009), p.106.

[222] Sreechinth C, Powerful Quotes of Winston Churchill (UB Tech, 2016), p.162.

[223] David Shields, The Thing About Life Is That One Day You’ll Be Dead (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2008), p.196.

^[224] See footnote. Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 184.

^[225] Ralph Earle, “1 Timothy,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians through Philemon, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 11 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 394.

^[226] Ralph Earle, “1 Timothy,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians through Philemon, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 11 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 394.

^[227] Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 187.

^[228] Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 14, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 143.

^[229] Cited in Ralph Earle, “1 Timothy,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians through Philemon, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 11 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 395.

^[230] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 476.

^[231] Mounce states that this is a more “natural reading of the text.” But we wonder what we would say to those people who have not been given such a generic human spirit? We are inclined to hold to the view that this refers to the Holy Spirit. William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 477.

[232] Robert L. Leahy, The Worry Cure: Seven Steps to Stop Worry from Stopping You (New York: Three Rivers Press, 2005), pp.18-19.

[233] Alison Wood Brooks, “Get Excited: Reappraising Pre-Performance Anxiety as Excitement.” Journal of Experimental Psychology: General 143, no. 3 (2014): 1144-58.

[234] Albert Ellis, How To Control Your Anxiety Before It Controls You (Citadel Press, 2000).

[235] David Burns, Feeling Great (Eau Claire, WI: PESI Publishing and Media, 2020), p.69.

^[236] Ralph Earle, “2 Timothy,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians through Philemon, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 11 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 396.

^[237] Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 14, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 149.

^[238] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 488.

^[239] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 488.

^[240] Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 14, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 149.

^[241] Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 197.

^[242] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 493.

^[243] Phylegus is mentioned as a hypocrite and flatterer alongside Demas in the second century Acts of Paul and Thecla. But this is an apocryphal and unreliable historical source and “obviously has little basis in fact.” William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 499.

^[244] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 492.

^[245] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 497.

^[246] Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 201.

^[247] Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 14, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 155.

^[248] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 504.

^[249] Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 201-202.

[250] I’m indebted to my friend Gary DeLashmutt for this insight, as well as many others from this section.

[251] “Lance Armstrong: USADA report labels him ‘a serial cheat.’” BBC News (October 11, 2012).

^[252] Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 14, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 159.

^[253] Ralph Earle, “2 Timothy,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians through Philemon, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 11 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 399.

^[254] Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 14, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 159.

^[255] Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 204.

^[256] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 514.

^[257] Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 207.

^[258] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 516.

^[259] Ralph Earle, “2 Timothy,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians through Philemon, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 11 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 402.

^[260] Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 14, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 165.

^[261] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 524.

^[262] Ralph Earle, “2 Timothy,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians through Philemon, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 11 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 402.

^[263] Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 14, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 166-167.

^[264] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 528.

^[265] Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 217.

^[266] Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 14, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 167.

^[267] Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 218.

^[268] Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 14, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 169.

^[269] Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 221.

^[270] Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 221.

^[271] Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 221.

^[272] Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 223.

^[273] Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 14, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 174.

^[274] Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 224.

^[275] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 544-545.

^[276] Ralph Earle, “2 Timothy,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians through Philemon, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 11 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 406.

^[277] Gerhard Delling, “Ἀλαζών, Ἀλαζονεία,” ed. Gerhard Kittel, Geoffrey W. Bromiley, and Gerhard Friedrich, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1964-), 226.

^[278] Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 225.

^[279] Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 14, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 174.

^[280] Ralph Earle, “2 Timothy,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians through Philemon, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 11 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 407.

^[281] Ralph Earle, “2 Timothy,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians through Philemon, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 11 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 407.

^[282] Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 227.

[283] Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on Exod 7:11.

[284] Zadokite Document (also called the “Damascus Document”) in the Dead Sea Scrolls mention Johana (Jannes) as an opposer of Moses (5:17-19).

[285] Pliny, Natural History 30.2.11.

[286] Origen, Against Celsus 4.51.

^[287] Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 14, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 180.

^[288] John R. W. Stott, Guard the Gospel the Message of 2 Timothy, The Bible Speaks Today (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1973), 94.

^[289] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 557.

^[290] Ralph Earle, “2 Timothy,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians through Philemon, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 11 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 409.

[291] Emphasis mine. Charles Templeton, Farewell to God: My Reasons for Rejecting the Christian Faith (Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1996).

^[292] Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 241.

^[293] Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 243.

^[294] Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 14, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 185.

^[295] Ralph Earle, “2 Timothy,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians through Philemon, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 11 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 411.

^[296] Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 14, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 186.

^[297] Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 244.

^[298] Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 14, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 186.

[299] I am indebted to Dennis McCallum for this insight.

^[300] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 578.

^[301] Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 247.

^[302] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 578-579.

^[303] Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 14, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 188.

^[304] Ralph Earle, “2 Timothy,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians through Philemon, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 11 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 413.

^[305] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 589.

^[306] Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 252.

^[307] Ralph Earle, “2 Timothy,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians through Philemon, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 11 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 414.

^[308] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 590.

^[309] Ralph Earle, “2 Timothy,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians through Philemon, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 11 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 414.

^[310] Ralph Earle, “2 Timothy,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians through Philemon, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 11 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 414.

^[311] Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 14, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 191.

^[312] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 592.

[313] The term biblia can simply refer to letters or a “certificate” (cf. Mt. 19:7; Mk. 10:4).

^[314] Ralph Earle, “2 Timothy,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians through Philemon, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 11 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 415.

[315] Michael Kruger, Canon Revisited: Establishing the Origins and Authority of the New Testament Books (Wheaton, IL. Crossway. 2012), 252.

[316] Kruger adds, “If parchment rolls were meant, then the term diphtheria would surely have been used.” Michael Kruger, Canon Revisited: Establishing the Origins and Authority of the New Testament Books (Wheaton, IL. Crossway. 2012), 252.

[317] Richards, E. Randolph. “The Codex and Early Collection of Paul’s Letters.” Bulletin for Biblical Research 8 (1998) 151-166.

^[318] Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 14, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 191-192.

^[319] Ralph Earle, “2 Timothy,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians through Philemon, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 11 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 415.

^[320] Ralph Earle, “2 Timothy,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians through Philemon, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 11 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 416.

^[321] Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 14, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 195.

^[322] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 597.

^[323] Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 257.

^[324] Ralph Earle, “2 Timothy,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians through Philemon, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 11 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 417.

^[325] Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 14, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 198.

^[326] Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 14, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 198.

Download a free mp3 teaching series on 1 Timothy here

Table of Contents

Authorship: Internal Evidence

ARGUMENT #1: Paul mentions events in the Pastoral Epistles that are not recorded anywhere in the book of Acts

ARGUMENT #2: The Pastoral Epistles mention church leadership, which wasn’t developed until the second century

ARGUMENT #3: The Pastoral Epistles contain words and theology not used by Paul in the rest of his letters

Authorship: External Evidence

Counterarguments considered

Conclusion

Location

Date

What was the False Teaching in Ephesus?

Who was Timothy?

How to use this commentary well

Consulted Commentaries

Commentary on 1 Timothy

1 Timothy 1

1 Timothy 1:1-5 (Timid Timothy)

1 Timothy 1:6-20 (The Proper Use of the Law)

The true gospel

Questions for Reflection

1 Timothy 2

1 Timothy 2:1-8 (Petitionary Prayer)

Questions for Reflection

1 Timothy 2:9-15 (Women in Leadership?)

Questions for Reflection

1 Timothy 3

1 Timothy 3:1-16 (Recognizing Leaders)

Overseers

Deacons

The Church

Romans 1:3-4

1 Timothy 3:16

Questions for Reflection

1 Timothy 4

1 Timothy 4:1-5 (False teachers)

1 Timothy 4:11-16 (Leadership principles)

Questions for Reflection

1 Timothy 5

1 Timothy 5:1-17 (How to Fight Poverty Well)

Those Eligible for Financial Assistance

Eligible

Ineligible

1 Timothy 5:17-23 (How to properly pay elders)

What should we do if an elder is morally disqualified?

Questions for Reflection

1 Timothy 6

1 Timothy 6:1-2 (Slavery)

1 Timothy 6:3-21 (The Hidden Costs of Materialism)

Conclusion

Questions for Reflection

Commentary on 2 Timothy

2 Timothy 1

2 Timothy 1:1-7 (Boldness)

What are some ways to “rekindle” your zeal if you’ve lost it?

What are healthy ways to battle fear?

2 Timothy 1:8-18 (Standing for Jesus’ message of love and forgiveness)

Being ashamed of the gospel: A negative example

Being ashamed of the gospel: A positive example

Questions for Reflection

2 Timothy 2

2 Timothy 2 (Soldier, farmer, athlete)

Soldier, Athlete, and Farmer

1. Soldier

With this in mind, why does Paul compare serving Christ to serving as a soldier in war? In what ways are these similar?

2. Athlete

With this in mind, why does Paul compare serving Christ to being a competitive athlete? In what ways are these similar?

3. Farmer

With this in mind, why does Paul compare serving Christ to being a farmer? In what ways are these similar?

Conclusion

2 Timothy 2:8-26 (How much do you value truth?)

(1) Some ideas are worth living and even dying for

(2) Some ideas are worth fighting for

(3) Living out our ideas consistently

(4) Be gentle with people, but tough on ideas

Questions for Reflection

2 Timothy 3

2 Timothy 3:1-9 (Battle falsehood)

Proselytizing zeal

2 Timothy 3:10-17 (Stand on God’s Word)