1 Timothy 1

1 Timothy 1:1

Paul often referred to himself as “an apostle by the will of God” (1Co_1:1; 2Co_1:1; Eph_1:1; Col_1:1). In this case, however, he says, “It’s not just God’s will for me, but His command that I am to be an apostleone who is sent out, one who shares truth. The things we have been commanded to do can sometimes become wearying when we find ourselves in situations we weren’t anticipatinglike prison. After all, it was from a Roman prison cell that Paul wrote to Timothy. And in this, I am reminded of another prisoner… “Oh, Lord, I cannot speak. I am but a child,” Jeremiah protested when called to minister. “Before you were born, I knew you and ordained you to be a prophet,” the Lord replied. “I will put My words on your lipsand you shall go.” So Jeremiah did. And what happened? He eventually ended up in a dungeon. “Okay, Lord,” he said. “Yes, You commanded me. Yes, You anointed me. But people aren’t responding. No one is getting saved.” So Jeremiah decided to quit prophesying, to quit sharinguntil he realized that the Word of God was like fire in his bones and that he could not keep quiet (Jer_20:9). Maybe like Jeremiah, or perhaps like Paul, you feel imprisoned and are tempted to throw in the towel and to quit sharing the gospel with people, since none seem to respond. But if you do, the Word of God will burn in your heart as surely as it did in Jeremiah’s, and, like Paul, you will realize you have no choice in the matter, for you are under the command of God.

1 Timothy 1:2

Piecing the puzzle together, it seems that during his first missionary journey, Paul stayed in the home of Lois and Eunice, the mother and grandmother of Timothy. And it could very well be that at that time, Paul led a teen aged Timothy into a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. With few exceptions, Paul begins his letters pronouncing grace and peace upon his readers. But when he writes to Timothy and to Titusanother young man in the faithhe adds the word “mercy.” Why? As parents, we know our sons are in need of great mercy! And evidently Paul knew the same thing about Timothy, his son in the faith.

1 Timothy 1:3

In verses 1Ti_1:4 through 1Ti_1:19, Paul will address four areas relating to doctrine: the loss of truth, the law of God, the love of Christ, and the life of faith. Here, we see the loss of truth. Leaving Timothy to continue the work in Ephesus while he traveled on to Macedonia, Paul’s initial instruction to Timothy was to charge the Ephesian believers not to get caught up in any doctrine other than the simplicity of the gospel of Jesus Christ. As we learn the Word and share with others, there is a danger of trying to find something in Scripture no one else has ever seen before. That’s what some in Ephesus were doing as they looked into Old Testament genealogies, discussed the stories endlessly, and veered off into all sorts of vain speculations. In so doing, they missed out on solid teaching. To those who desire to be Bible teachers, I give this piece of advice: Give up trying to be creative and innovative. Instead, stick with the simple, powerful truth of the gospeland you’ll never go wrong.

1 Timothy 1:5

After talking about the loss of truth, Paul speaks of the law of Godfulfilled simply and fully in love and faith.

1 Timothy 1:6

“Let not many of you desire to be teachers,” James declares, knowing that we who are teachers shall have the greater condemnation (see Jas_3:1). If God calls you to teach, that’s terrific. But it shouldn’t be a driving desire in any man or woman because with greater responsibility comes greater potential for condemnation should a teacher swerve from the simplicity of the Word.

1 Timothy 1:8

The law definitely has its placenot to lead people off on tangents, but to bring them to Jesus (Gal_3:24).

1 Timothy 1:9

The law has one primary purpose: It’s a schoolmaster to show us our need for a Savior and to drive us to Jesus Christ (Gal_3:24). You see, contrary to the popular psychology of the day, I’m not okayand neither are you! We’re sinners in need of a Savior. Once, however, we come to that understanding, we are no longer under the demands of the law. Sometimes people say to me, “Hey, you’re laying the law down!” “You’re right!” I answer. “If you were walking righteously, I wouldn’t need to. If you were loving the Lord and enjoying Him, there would be no need for the law. But not all are righteous. Not everyone wants to walk in the Spirit. Consequently, I have no other choice but to lay down the law.” As seen in the passage before us, any culture or person involved in sin needs the law for its own welfarefor without it, sin runs unchecked.

1 Timothy 1:12

Here, Paul speaks of the love of Christ. “I was sincere when I was persecuting Christians, dragging them out of their houses to incarcerate them,” said Paul. “I was sincerebut I was sincerely wrong.” Paul’s admission sobers me greatly because the possibility exists that you and I can do wrong, all the while convinced we’re doing right. What if we’re wrong? Then God will do to us what He did to Paul: He’ll knock us down and set us straight (Act_9:4).

1 Timothy 1:15

The closer Paul drew to the Lord, the more he understood the extent of his sin. But the Good News is that sinners are the very people Jesus came to seek and to save. Ever the Good Shepherd, Jesus specializes in finding the one in the back row, on the fringe, out to lunch, off the wall. This gives me great comfort and real hope. I must accept acceptance courageously. I must accept grace graciously. Jesus Christ came to save guys like meand to keep saving me daily! The Chief of Sinners A Topical Study of 1Ti_1:15 The book, I’m OK, You’re OK, was written in 1967. Yet, it appeared on the New York Times bestseller list for two decades. Amazing. After twenty years, the book that is the prototype for the self-esteem movement was still selling like hotcakes. Yet what does the Bible say? Scriptures declare we are sinners and that all we like sheep have gone astray (Isa_53:6), that there is none righteous no not one (Rom_3:10), that there is poison under our lips, blood on our hands, and our feet are swift to walk where they ought not to walk (Pro_6:17-18). In other words, the diagnosis of the One who created us is that we are anything but okay! No one understood this better than Paul. At the outset of his ministry, he declared himself to be the least of the apostles (1Co_15:9). Later on, he saw himself as less than the least of all saints (Eph_3:8). And here in our text, toward the end of his life, what does he say? Not, “I once was the chief of sinners,” not, “I used to be the chief of sinners,” but, “I am the chief of sinners.” Paul went from being the least of the apostles, to the least of all the saints, to the chief of sinners. How can this be? Did Paul become a worse and worse person the longer he walked with God? Did he sin more and more hideously, more and more frequently? No. Paul simply discovered that the closer he drew to the Lord, the more intimate he became with the Lord, the more he realized how far he was from the holiness of the Lord. When I play hoops with a first-grader, I am awesome. My hook shots, rebounds, and lay-ups are incrediblewhen I play against a first-grader. But if I went one on one with Shaquille O’Neal on the same court with the same ball, I would be the “chief of losers”! Why? Not because I had changed, but because my standard of excellence had changed. If we compare ourselves with neighbors, friends, or even brothers and sisters in the congregation, we don’t look too bad. But when we go one on one with Jesus Christ, as we draw closer to Him and spend more time with Him, we can’t help but notice a huge difference between ourselves and the One we love. “Woe unto you, woe unto you, woe unto you,” Isaiah proclaimed to the people of Israel and the surrounding communities (see Isaiah 1-5). But then in chapter 6, we read, “In the year King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord high and lifted up. And I cried Woe is me!” In seeing the Lord, Isaiah also saw his own sin. So, too, the longer I walk with Jesus, the clearer I see my own sin and inconsistencies. And this does several things for me… Amazed by Him The more I’m aware of my sin, the more I’m amazed by this One who came to save sinners. The first time I saw the New York City skyline from an airplane, I wasn’t as impressed as I thought I would be. But when I got off the plane, into a car, drove to Wall Street, and looked up, up, up at the buildings surrounding me, I was amazed because the closer I got to the buildings, the bigger they looked. The same thing happens when I get close to Jesus. I just look at Him and say, “Wow, Lord, I’m amazed that in Your holiness and beauty and purity You would put up with a guy like me!” Thankful for Him The story is told of a rooster who arose early every morning of his life to crow. And every morning shortly thereafter, the sun would rise. As the months and years went by, the animals of the barnyard said, “Thank you for bringing the sun up every day. We’re not worthy.” But one day, not feeling well, the rooster overslept. Yet the sun came up anyway. “You fraud!” the animals said to the sleepy rooster. “You weren’t even out here today. Yet the sun came up anyway.” Although at first, the rooster was embarrassed and depressed, he was eventually relieved when he realized that, because he didn’t bring the sun up, the world didn’t depend on him. So, too, there comes a point in a believer’s life when he realizes his Christian walk isn’t dependent upon him, but solely upon Jesus. Happy is the day when he truly understands that his relationship with the Father has nothing to do with his attempts at being a spiritual rooster bringing the sun up. Instead, it has everything to do with admitting he would be in the dark were it not for the Son shining upon him all the days of his life. Such a one joins the choir of those who say, “Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power” (Rev_19:1). Why “Hallelujah”? Because halal speaks of “praise” and Yahh speaks of “God.” Therefore, it’s not “Hallelu-me” or “Hallelu-you” but “Hallelu-jah” for it is God alone who saved and continues to save us from our sin, from our stupidity, from ourselves. In Love with Him If this Man is truly a prophet, He would know what kind of woman is washing His feet with her tears and wiping them with her hair, thought Simon. “Simon,” said Jesus, “let Me ask you a question: Two men are in debt to a third man. One owes fifty million dollars, the other fifty dollars. If their creditor erases both their debts, which will love him more?” “The one forgiven millions,” Simon answered. “Right,” said Jesus. “The one who is forgiven much loves much. You sit here at this table, robed in your Pharisaical spirituality. Yet this woman, a prostitute, is the one who washed My feet. Clearly, the one forgiven much loves much” (see Luk_7:47). The person who is unaware of his sin and who thinks he’s pretty good has, at best, a limited love for the Lord. But the one who is truly aware of that which goes on in his heart, of that which comes from his lips, and of that which runs through his mind says, “I love You, Lord, because I’ve been forgiven so much.” Pleasing to Him The more clearly I see my sin, the more I desire to please Jesus. Paul tells us we are not to be those who grieve the Spirit (Eph_4:30). When I sin, it grieves the Spirit not because He’s mad at me or disappointed in me, but because He knows how sin will hurt me. When your kids make decisions you know are not wise, you don’t turn your back on themyet you know a painful process lies ahead of them. Such is the heart of our heavenly Father. And this causes me to say, “I want to walk with You, Lord. I want to do what You say because I know Your way is best.” Comfortable Around Him According to our text, Jesus Christ came to save sinners. This makes me eminently qualified to be found by Him and to hang around Him. In His own mission statement, Jesus said He didn’t come to find the self-righteous person, the one who thinks he has it all together. He came specifically for those who realize that they’re sinners, that they’re full of problems, that they’re lost. Jesus talked at length about the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son (Luke 15) because it is His delight to find that which is lost. Let Him do what He came to do. Let Him do what He wants to do. Let Him find you. Someone came to me once, brokenhearted about a serious sin in which he had been involved. “I want you to know that because Jesus Christ died on the Cross, because the price has been paid for your sin, you are totally, completely, wonderfully cleansed,” I said. And when I was through with that conversation, the Lord whispered these words in my ear: “You believe that, don’t you, Jon?” “Yes, Lord, I do,” I answered. “Good,” He said, “because it’s true. But will you accept it for yourself?” You see, it is far easier for me to tell someone else, “You’re forgiven. The price is paid. You’re free,” than it is to accept it for myself. Yet Paul said, “Jesus came to the world to save sinners. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation.” Everyone needs to accept itincluding the preacher! Will you embrace that which you share with others? It’s not only for you to witness to the unbeliever, or to share with the hurting person. It’s worthy of all acceptation. Will you accept it for yourself? So you missed devotions yesterday, for the last three days, or for the last three months. So you’ve been grumpy. Whatever your sinbe it big or small, subtle or obviousI have good news for you: Your sin is forgiven! Allow Jesus to forgive you of muchand then watch and see how much you’ll love Him.

1 Timothy 1:16

“If God saved Paul, He can save anyone!” said people of the man who had previously persecuted believers. That’s why the Lord saved you, by the wayas a pattern, as an example, so that people can look at you and say, “If he’s a Christian, I guess anybody can be one! If she can serve the Lord, I guess I can, too.”

1 Timothy 1:17

Reflecting on the grace of God in turning him from a blasphemer into a believer, Paul has no other recourse but to burst forth in praise.

1 Timothy 1:18

Finally, we see the life of faith. Words of prophecy are words of edification and exhortation, instruction and direction (1Co_14:3). “You heard such words,” Paul reminded Timothy. “Now hold on to them, for they are vital in spiritual battle.” Some say the key to a good conscience is a bad memory. In reality, however, the key to a good conscience is understanding and embracing what Christ did on the Cross of Calvary. The loss of truth, the law of God, the love of Christ, the life of faith are four areas in which Timothy was schooled by Paul at the very outset of Paul’s letter to him.

1 Timothy 1:20

We don’t know for sure what Hymenaeus and Alexander did, but Paul prayed that the Lord would remove His protective hedge from them, thereby exposing them to the Enemy. Why? His hope was that they would get burned out on their evil ways by getting a taste of the fires of hell. Paul’s purpose was not punitive. It was restorativethat Hymenaeus and Alexander might be brought back to wholeness.