Intro to 1 Timothy

Preparatory Notes to the Exposition of Timothy

1. Basic Facts

a. This is a letter written by the Apostle Paul to one of his missionary colleagues, Timothy
(1) He had led Timothy to the Lord
(2) He had discipled Timothy
(3) He knew Timothy and his family
(4) Timothy was one of the most involved of Paul’s assistants, working with Paul from the time Timothy was saved until Paul’s execution
(5) An overview of the message of Timothy

b. The time and location of the writing of this epistle can be pinpointed with great accuracy by a careful examination of Acts 19-20 and 1 Tim 1:5 and 3:14-15

c. The purpose of the letter is plainly spelled out in 1 Tim 1:3 and 3:14-15—to fight against false teachers and to finish the organization of the church in Ephesus

d. Here are the things Paul emphasized for this young missionary
(1) Preaching—4:11-16
(2) Doctrine—4:1-7, 16,
(3) Prayers—2:1-8
(4) Caring for widows and orphans—5:3-16
(5) Choosing effective and Spiritual leaders—3:1-13
(6) Organizing the church along lines that had become normal by this point.
(7) Opposing and contradicting false doctrine—1:6-20, 4:1-7, 6:3-5, 6:20-21
(8) Personal holiness—6:11-14, 4:16
(9) Spiritual Warfare—1:18, 6:12


2. Paul:

a. His Nameèsmall. Early church tradition described him as short, bow-legged, bald-headed, with a crooked nose, which would explain the charge his enemies made against him—2 Cor 10:10 “…they say, “His letters are weighty and strong, but his personal presence is unimpressive and his speech contemptible.” 11Let such a person consider this, that what we are in word by letters when absent, such persons we are also in deed when present.”

(1) Saul, Paul, his Jewish name and his Gentile name
(2) It is only during his first missionary journey (Acts 13:9) that a conscious and obvious switch is made, and after that point, he is never again referred to as Saul in the New Testament, except when he is telling the story of his conversion.

b. Paul: his background, education, and character—

(1) Background

(a) Native to Tarsus—(Acts 22:3) ""I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia…."

(i) Tarsus, a free city
(ii) Tarsus, an academic city
(iii) Tarsus, a Greek and Roman city with a vital Jewish minority

(b) A Freeborn Roman Citizen—Acts 22:25-29
(i) The Rights of Romans
(A) Not to be beaten
(B) Not to be crucified
(C) Not to be bound
(D) “A Roman’s body was not to be violated.”
(ii) Freeborn—in some manner, Tarsus had been made a free city, and Paul’s father or perhaps grandfather had been granted citizenship.

(c) A Religious Pedigree—Phil 3:1-10
(d) Raised to have a trade—every Pharisee had a trade, even if he was rich.

(2) Paul had some Greek and Roman Education

(a) Apparently educated in the Greek classics—He quoted pagan poets on Mars Hill—Acts 17:28—Tarsus was a center of academia!

(b) Intimately familiar with Roman and Greek culture, and with Jewish laws and traditions—1 Cor 9:19-23

(c) he speaks of athletic contests as if he had seen them as a boy, and he talks about shadow boxing—1 Cor 9:24-27

(d) A master of languages—He spoke in tongues more than any of them (1 Cor 14)

(3) A Roman citizen, something that was not totally unusual for a Jew of his day, but which tells us about his family—it was a family of wealth and influence.

(4) Paul’s Jewish education
(a) Paul had a strict Jewish upbringing and was trained by the greatest Rabbit of his day, Gamaliel—Acts 22:3-4
(b) He was a zealous Jew: he persecuted Christians—Acts 8:1-3, 9:1-2

c. Paul’s Providential Preparation
(1) Gal 1:13-16
(2) Prepared to defend the Gospel against Jewish legalism—Galatians, Romans (Lloyd-Jones)
(3) Prepared to preach to all the Roman world
(4) Prepared to Debate with scholars—1 Cor 2:1-6
(5) Prepared to preach to the simple—1 Cor 1:17-18,

d. Paul’s Conversion and commission—Acts 9:1-16