1 Timothy 1

[Josh]

Post your comments/ questions/ discussion starters on Timothy chapter 1 as replies to this post.

1 Timothy 1

1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,

2To Timothy my true son in the faith:
Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

Warning Against False Teachers of the Law

3As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer 4nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. These promote controversies rather than God's work—which is by faith. 5The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 6Some have wandered away from these and turned to meaningless talk. 7They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.
8We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. 9We also know that law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, 10for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine 11that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.

The Lord's Grace to Paul

12I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. 13Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. 14The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
15Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. 16But 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. 17Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

18Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight, 19holding on to faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith. 20Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme.

Footnotes:
1 Timothy 1:9 Or that the law

[Josh]

Stand-outs to me upon a fresh reading:

To Timothy my true son in the faith

I think this is a great phrase illustrating how very real the familial bond of the kingdom of God is. We're aren't just "metaphorically" family- we are more truly family in Christ than even flesh and blood associations.

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.

How much patience does Jesus have? Unlimited. He wasn't just blowing hot air when he told us to forgive each other 70 times 7.
This is also a great verse for those of us who somehow consider our own sins to be especially bad and therefor hold back from embracing the forgiveness of God.

18Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight, 19holding on to faith and a good conscience.

Wonder what those prophecies were exactly? And delivered by whom?


Thoughts on chapter 1 or responses to these? Post them here!

[kraigeriginal]

not to teach false doctrines any longer ⁴nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. These promote controversies rather than God's work—which is by faith.

I have never read this (at least not whilst paying attention ). I think it funny how often we discuss things like the age of the earth, and I usually bust out the "I've done all the math according to the genealogical accounts and the earth can't be more than like 10,000 years old" routine. So this strikes me as interesting. From now on I'll just say "God doesn't want me to prove you wrong - though I could - but instead to just have faith."

⁵The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. ⁶Some have wandered away from these and turned to meaningless talk. ⁷They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.

This is also interesting (apparently all my pages of 1 Timothy must be missing or stapled together) because it shows how meaningless it is to try and strike up the answer or win an argument if you don't do it out of love. No matter how solid your point may be, love is what truly claims you victorious.

⁸We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. ⁹We also know that law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; ... and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine ¹¹that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.

What exactly should we take "the law is made not for the righteous" to mean? This seems to be in accordance with when Jesus explained that he spent time with the sinners because "a healthy person does not need a doctor" - but it also makes wonder if there is a point and purpose to church and obeying the law when I read these passages (no, I'm not a "flight risk" and don't need all the evidence thrown at me). But what I do find interesting is that if a new believer were to read these passages of Scripture, they might indeed question the purpose, leading them to stray alone and wind up too weak to press on. Just a thought.

This is good, I'm glad I flipped the button for 1 Timmy.

[Josh]

I think it funny how often we discuss things like the age of the earth, and I usually bust out the "I've done all the math according to the genealogical accounts and the earth can't be more than like 10,000 years old" routine. So this strikes me as interesting. From now on I'll just say "God doesn't want me to prove you wrong - though I could - but instead to just have faith."

You're one of these upstart young earther types, eh? (said with an elderly cowpoke accent) Well, if you want to argue with me proper, then mosey on over here to see why yer can't trust them genealogies to give yer precise datin' :

www.aletheia.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=science&action=display&thread=294

No, but, more seriously, it's true, there are so many secondary things that can cause divisions and detract our focus from what is primary.

This is also interesting (apparently all my pages of 1 Timothy must be missing or stapled together) because it shows how meaningless it is to try and strike up the answer or win an argument if you don't do it out of love. No matter how solid your point may be, love is what truly claims you victorious.

Amen.

I think it's great to debate and discuss things in order to sharpen our minds and search out the truth, but never at the cost of love and respect and the primacy of the gospel.

it also makes wonder if there is a point and purpose to church and obeying the law when I read these passages (no, I'm not a "flight risk" and don't need all the evidence thrown at me).

Quick.... lock the doors. Kraig needs a theological intervention!!!

This won't take long, son. But it might hurt a little....

Yeah, it's a risky proposition that God would be saying that the law was a "schoolmaster" for us sinners but that His final object is to make us righteous and no longer in need of the "training wheels".

[Josh]

Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith. 20Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme.

Thoughts on this?

Here are some brief observations from a longer post I made on the subject of "church discipline":

Paul used another description of the removal of Church membership- handing over to Satan.

What’s up with this ‘handing over to Satan’ business? It too easily evokes Far Side images of a red devil with a pitchfork tormenting people. Paul’s meaning is different: humans either belong under the dominion of satan or the dominion of Christ. If a Christian rejects the Lordship of Christ, then there is only one place for them to reside- the dominion of Satan, which Paul here hopes will be a last resort wake-up call causing them to return to Christ’s (and the Church’s, hopefully) loving embrace.

This is tough stuff. If you don’t find this excruciating, then something is wrong with you. But if Christ is really Who He says He is, then how could we not see the need for this kind of judgment and extreme incentive in the hopes of the return of a prodigal believer? And if, indeed, His word is "useful for teaching, rebuking, and training in righteouesness", we need to take what Scripture says seriously.

Here's a link to the fuller post on the subject:

Church Discipline: Mercy Mixed With Fear