1 Timothy 3

Chapter 3. Paul, Timothy and Their Fellow WorkersThe epistles to Timothy contain many sidelights upon the personal character of Timothy himself and his fellow-workers, and especially of Paul the great apostle.

Timothy

TimothyWe have in these epistles:

1. A Reference to His Family “I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also” (2 Timothy 1:5). He was happy in being born of a godly mother and a pious ancestry. His mother Eunice and his grandmother Lois are described as women of unfeigned faith. The reference is probably to their life before their conversion; even as Jewish believers they had genuine faith in God and were His true people, and their little son Timothy was brought up to fear and trust their God. Let us thank God if we have the same great privilege, and let us be careful to transmit to our children the same benediction.
2. A Reference to His Call Paul next refers to Timothy’s call to the ministry and his enduement with the Holy Spirit for His sacred work. “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:6-7). He had been set apart by the apostle himself, and had received in connection with his ordination the special gift of the Holy Spirit as the “Spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline [a sound mind].” This enduement is indispensable to true and effectual ministry in every age, and the blended gifts of wisdom, love and power in Timothy’s experience are well worthy of our emulation and ambition. But we see that even this precious gift had been in some measure neglected, and the apostle calls upon his son in the faith to rekindle the fire that was burning low. Let not the message be lost upon any of us, but let us stir up the gift of God that is in us. We have the Holy Spirit, but we may not have the fullness of His gifts and energies, and He is waiting to respond to our faith, our prayer and our earnest waiting upon Him for a great revival in our own hearts.
3. His Relation to Paul Paul describes Timothy as his own son. “Timothy, my dear son” (2 Timothy 1:2) and again “Timothy my true son in the faith” (1 Timothy 1:2). He had been converted during Paul’s first missionary journey in Asia Minor, and the apostle had adopted him as a spiritual son, and felt toward him an affection and confidence which no other shared. “I have no one else like him,” he writes to the Philippians, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare. For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel. (Philippians 2:20-22)
4. His Special Ministry at Ephesus Paul had left Timothy at Ephesus in charge of the great work which for three years he had carried on in that important city, the metropolis of the East. There were dangerous errors creeping up in the young church, and the apostle says: “As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines” (1 Timothy 1:3). Already some of the leading disciples had turned away, even from Paul, and still later John writes that the church at Ephesus had refused to receive him because of the jealousy of a leader who was more concerned for his own interest than for the cause of Christ (see 3 John 1:9-11).
5. His Personal Characteristics The picture which stands out from Paul’s letters to his son is not altogether free from blemishes. The Holy Scriptures do not flatter in their photographs of men and women. There is no form of literature that more impartially reveals both the strength and weakness of a man than his correspondence. We can read between the lines in Paul’s letters to Timothy a good many things which show he was indeed human. In the first place he was in feeble health and appears to have been a dyspeptic. Note the direction of Paul: “Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses” (1 Timothy 5:23). Evidently Timothy was in that unhappy class whose physical condition colors with a somber hue almost everything in their character and life. Perhaps you say he should not have continued to be an invalid, but should have taken the Lord for healing. But it is very doubtful whether Timothy’s spiritual character had yet reached that maturity which brings the faith of perfect healing, for the apostle had to admonish him about a number of things in terms which would scarcely seem necessary if he were living a wholly victorious life. “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young” (1 Timothy 4:12), he says in one place. Then he adds, “Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (2 Timothy 2:22). Again he warns him against haste in dealing with people, and partiality in relation to his flock. There appears to have been strains of softness and self-indulgence in the young minister, and Paul calls upon him to “endure hardship… like a good soldier of Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:3), to avoid entanglements with the world, to flee the love of money, and not to be “ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God” (2 Timothy 1:8).

The Companions of Paul

The Companions of Paul1. Luke We have a number of touching and graphic allusions to the men and women who stood nearest to the great apostle. One of these is Luke, who was with him at Rome in his imprisonment and loneliness. Luke was his constant companion in all his ministry among the Gentiles, and the historian of his missionary work. It was not given to him to be an apostle, or perhaps a great preacher, but to use a consecrated pen, and to be a true and helpful friend. How much we owe to the Gospel of Luke, the Acts of the Apostles, and the ministry of this modest writer, who has forever set the seal of God’s mighty blessing upon every consecrated pen. 2. Mark Mark is the next in the group. And a touching force is added to Paul’s appeal to bring Mark with him “because he is helpful to me in my ministry” (2 Timothy 4:11), when we remember that Paul himself had turned Mark down in the beginning of his career because he had deserted them in the hour of danger. Barnabas stood by Mark at that time and led him back to the path of faithfulness; and Paul, now, by a beautiful play upon his name which means profitable, intimates that the erring one has been forgiven, and that his fellowship in the Lord’s work will once more be welcomed and appreciated. 3. Priscilla The next name that shines out in this list is Priscilla (2 Timothy 4:19), the wife of Aquila. No comment is needed upon the new order of the names of these two faithful friends of the apostle of the Lord. It used to be Aquila and Priscilla, but now it is Priscilla and Aquila; and as she usually does, she has gone far ahead of her husband and fellow-worker. 4. Onesiphorus “The household of Onesiphorus” (2 Timothy 4:19) is deemed worthy of special mention and loving commendation in contrast with the others who have turned away from the old apostle. May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains. On the contrary, when he was in Rome, he searched hard for me until he found me. May the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day! You know very well in how many ways he helped me in Ephesus. (2 Timothy 1:16-18) Here is the picture of a Christian friend whose ministry was that of comfort, love and charity to a suffering servant of the Lord, both at Ephesus and at Rome. The labor of love is to meet some great reward “on that day.” 5. Trophimus We have met with Trophimus before as one of Paul’s faithful friends in the hour of his peril in Jerusalem. He is not with the apostle now, for he says, “I left Trophimus sick in Miletus” (2 Timothy 4:20). What a blending of light and shade we have in this holy volume! Here is no rose-colored teaching even of divine healing as an immediate and unfailing remedy for all diseases. Even Paul was not authorized to heal everybody, and there may have been something in Trophimus himself which delayed his immediate restoration and made it necessary that God should lay him upon his back and deal with him for a little season. This is no argument against the promises of God and the faith that claims healing, but a wise balancing of truth which always has reference to our spiritual condition quite as much as to our physical needs. 6. Demas The next picture is a sad one. “Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me” (2 Timothy 4:10). Alas, for all the Demases that have since followed in his wandering footsteps, let us hope that even Demas at last saw his error and came back before it was too late. 7. The False Teachers Finally we have a group of false teachers and enemies of the truth as typical of the future history of the Church as these brighter examples of fidelity that have just been named. There are Alexander, Hymenaeus, Philetus, Hermogenes, Phygellus, whose heresies and oppositions were but typical of the story of the Church to the end. The apostle looks upon them with sorrow, not with vindictiveness. 2 Timothy 4:14 should be translated, “The Lord will reward him according to his works.” It is not a prayer for the punishment of this man, but a prophecy. The true spirit of Paul toward his enemies comes out in the 16th verse, “May it not be held against them.”

The Picture of Paul

The Picture of PaulThis stands out bright and clear above all the other personalities of the letter.

1. His Commission We have a reference to his own commission and high calling. He is an apostle “by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope” (1 Timothy 1:1), “by the will of God, according to the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 1:1) and also a “teacher of the Gentiles” (2 Timothy 1:11).
2. His Conversion and Testimony Next we have a reference to Paul’s conversion and his testimony to the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. He does not forget the pit from whence he was dug and the rock from whence he was hewn. Rather, he bears testimony to his own unworthiness and the great mercy of God in saving and using him. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. (1 Timothy 1:13-16) How he loved to lie low at the foot of the cross, and glory in the grace of his Redeemer, using even his own shame for the encouragement of other poor sinners.
3. His Sufferings Next we get a glimpse of Paul’s afflictions, persecutions and sacrifices that he suffered for Christ’s sake. He calls himself the prisoner of the Lord (2 Timothy 1:8). He speaks of his chains (2 Timothy 1:16). He tells us that all who are from Asia have deserted him (2 Timothy 1:15). He complains that at his first defense no one stood by him, but all deserted him, and yet he prays that it would not be held against them (2 Timothy 4:16). We hear him saying, “This is why I am suffering as I am” (2 Timothy 1:12). And again, we find him a prisoner at Rome, begging Timothy to bring the cloak and scrolls that he left at Troas, and to be sure to come to him before winter (2 Timothy 4:13, 2 Timothy 4:21). And finally we catch a glimpse of him facing bloody Nero himself and barely escaping the cruel lions of the Colosseum (2 Timothy 4:17).
4. His Personal Characteristics We have also a glimpse of his patient, faithful, and holy life. “You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance” (2 Timothy 3:10). He could appeal to his most intimate friends as witnesses of his conversation and conduct among men, as well as his ministry for God.
5. His Triumphant Faith and Hope Above all, we see his triumphant faith and hope in the Lord Jesus, his heavenly Master, and the certainty of his final triumph and glorious reward. Where shall we find anything finer than the noble confession: “That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because 1 know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day” (2 Timothy 1:12). Glorious watchword for every servant of Jesus Christ and every sufferer for the Lord And where in all literature is there a more magnificent climax to any career than the triumphant shout with which he approaches the hour of martyrdom and cries, For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store 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 longed for his appearing. (2 Timothy 4:6-8) At length his course is finished, his fight is well fought, his trust fulfilled; and he is ready to lie down as a bleeding sacrifice on the altar where he has already sacrificed his glorious life. The future has no clouds for him, the martyr’s fate no terror; his crown is already won, and even in the hour of its realization, his great loving heart goes out in the longing to share it with his brethren as he tells them it is not for him only, but for all who love the Lord’s appearing. Perhaps the very finest touch in all the epistle is the picture of his standing solitary and forsaken before the tribunal of Nero while he could hear the growling of the lions that had been prepared for his martyrdom. But thinking nothing of his own fate, his sole concern was to preach the gospel to the wicked men before him, and all that vile court. His one thought was that, “the message might be fully proclaimed” (2 Timothy 4:17), and he adds as a casual and less important matter, “I was delivered from the lion’s mouth” (2 Timothy 4:17). He was not thinking of his deliverance, but of his message, and the Lord took care of him until his work was done, so that he closes his message with this triumphant assurance: “The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen” (2 Timothy 4:18). This was his last public message, his parting word to the Church of God. Surely his great ambition was fulfilled which he expressed many years before in his charge to the elders of the church at Ephesus, “However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race [the course with joy] and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace” (Acts 20:24). God help us to be as true to our trust, and to finish our course with joy.