The Pastoral Letters
First Timothy, Titus, and Second Timothy are called the Pastoral Letters. They were probably written in this order. They are generally viewed as Paul’s last letters and share some common characteristics. First, they were addressed to individuals, although they were also intended to be read before the churches for which Timothy and Titus were responsible. Second, Paul was especially concerned to deal with the pressing problem of false teachers who were leading believers astray. Third, they were written toward the end of Paul’s life when the need for greater ecclesiastical structure was becoming more apparent.
Author
The apostle Paul traditionally has been considered the author of the Pastoral Letters, and all three letters explicitly state that he is the author (1Ti 1:1; 2Ti 1:1; Titus 1:1). Some scholars began to question Pauline authorship in the early nineteenth century; however, these arguments can be sufficiently answered, and there is no compelling reason to doubt that Paul wrote these letters. First, while it is impossible to fit the events mentioned in the Pastorals into Paul’s career as recorded in Acts, nothing in the NT precludes his release from the Roman imprisonment of AD 60–63 (Ac 28:16–31; see Introduction: Date). Second, a church structure involving elders (also called bishops or pastors) and deacons is entirely in keeping with the situation that must have existed in Paul’s day. Third, the heresy Paul attacked is hardly the complex system of second century Gnosticism. While the heresy in the Pastorals has Gnostic elements, these elements were already present in the first century, and the heretics Paul encountered seem to be Judaizers who had linked pagan speculations with Jewish legalism (see 1Ti 1:4,7; Titus 1:14). Fourth, while it is true that Paul used a wider vocabulary and range of style in the Pastorals than he did elsewhere, this was in keeping with his high level of education, his exposure to various people groups in the Mediterranean world, and the subject matter he discussed in these letters. Further, he might have dictated these letters to an amanuensis or secretary, who, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, had some freedom in the precise wording of the letters.
Date
The Pastoral Letters are generally considered to have been written between AD 62 and 67. Paul’s first Roman imprisonment was approximately AD 60–63 (Ac 28:16–31). After this he was evidently set free, for both 1 Timothy and Titus picture Paul as traveling freely in the eastern Mediterranean region, to Ephesus (1Ti 1:3; 3:14) to Crete (Titus 1:5), and to Nicopolis in the eastern Adriatic Sea (Titus 3:12). He wrote 1 Timothy and Titus sometime during this period of freedom, probably AD 62–65. He later was imprisoned again and during this time wrote 2 Timothy. Early church tradition agrees that Paul was executed by the Roman emperor Nero in late AD 67 or early 68. The most probable date for 1 Timothy is between AD 62 and 64.
Background
Purpose
False teachers were troubling the church at Ephesus (1Ti 1:3–11; 4:1–5). Paul’s purpose in 1 Timothy was to refute their heretical doctrines and practices as well as to guard against further attacks. He accomplished this purpose through teaching correct doctrine, through advocating godly living by both elders and church members and through clarifying correct church practice.
Audience
Paul addressed this letter to Timothy, a native of the city of Lystra in Asia Minor. Although his father was a Gentile, Timothy’s mother and grandmother were Jewish, and he was taught the Scripture from an early age (Ac 16:1; 2Ti 1:5; 3:15). He probably first heard the gospel through Paul. Since Paul referred to Timothy as his spiritual child (1Co 4:17; 2Ti 2:1), he was at least Timothy’s primary mentor and quite possibly the one who led him to personal faith in Christ.
Themes
Timothy later traveled extensively with Paul and at times served as the apostle’s representative to churches, especially at Thessalonica, Corinth and Philippi (1Co 4:17; 16:10; Php 2:19–24; 1Th 3:2,6). At Ephesus, too, Timothy, though not the long-term pastor, brought doctrinal and organizational stability and provided the loving, firm direction Paul himself would have given. Thus this letter was also intended to be read aloud to the Ephesian church so that it would serve as Paul’s written authorization for Timothy to make the changes specified.
Outline
Salutation (1:1–2)
I. Sound Doctrine (1:3–20)
A. The nature of the false doctrine (1:3–11)
B. Paul’s transformation through sound doctrine (1:12–17)
C. Timothy’s responsibility to sound doctrine (1:18–20)
II. The Worship Assembly (2:1–15)
A. Prayer for all individuals (2:1–7)
B. Men and women in the worship assembly (2:8–15)
III. Church Leaders (3:1–16)
A. The character qualities of elders (3:1–7)
B. The character qualities of deacons (3:8–13)
C. The reason for writing (3:14–16)
IV. False Teachers (4:1–16)
A. The appearance of false teachers (4:1–5)
B. Timothy’s response to false teachers (4:6–11)
C. A personal encouragement for ministry (4:12–16)
V. Church Members (5:1–6:10)
A. Older and younger members (5:1–2)
B. Widows (5:3–16)
C. Elders (5:17–25)
D. Slaves (6:1–2)
E. Heretical church members (6:3–10)
VI. The Christian Servant (6:11–21)