_Duvall_HandbookBibleNT_RH

1 Timothy

Teach the Truth

Titus

Devote Yourself to Doing Good

2 Timothy

A Final Word to a Faithful Friend

First and 2 Timothy and Titus are known as the Pastoral Letters because they are addressed to two pastors. Timothy accompanied Paul on his second and third missionary journeys and is listed as co-sender in five of his letters. He was serving as pastor of the church in Ephesus at the time of these letters. Titus, a gentile believer and one of Paul’s closest companions in ministry, was serving as pastor on the island of Crete. To these trusted and dearly loved partners in ministry, Paul writes three very significant letters for life in the local church. We will look at the letters in the order in which they were written by Paul.

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Who Wrote the Pastoral Epistles?

All three Pastoral Letters claim Paul as their author, but his authorship has been questioned by many contemporary scholars because their literary style and doctrinal emphases vary from Paul’s other letters and because there is no place in the book of Acts where the Pastorals seem to fit. For these reasons many conclude they were written years later by a disciple of Paul. Nevertheless, solid arguments remain in favor of Pauline authorship of the Pastorals. Since the letters were likely written after the story told in Acts concludes, there is no need to harmonize the chronologies. In addition, the different subject matter, purposes, and circumstances (e.g., written to individual pastors rather than to churches) accounts for many of the differences. Lastly, because of the similarities between the Pastorals and Luke–Acts, it is quite possible that Luke served as Paul’s trusted secretary and was given added freedom to compose the letters (see Paul’s statement in 2 Tim. 4:11 that “only Luke is with me”).

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A bust of Emperor Nero, the Roman emperor when Paul wrote the Pastoral Letters.

Who Is Paul’s Audience?

When the book of Acts closes, Paul is still under house arrest in Rome awaiting his trial before Caesar (Acts 28:30–31). We are not told how things turned out for Paul, but early church tradition says that Paul was released from prison, continued his ministry for a time, was imprisoned again in Rome, and was eventually martyred (see Eusebius, Hist. eccl. 2.22.2, 5). The following reconstruction of the historical setting is one way of making sense of the scriptural evidence:

First Roman imprisonment in about AD 60–62
Released from first Roman imprisonment (not recorded in Acts)
Traveled to the “limits of the West” (perhaps made it to Spain; Rom. 15:24, 28)
Went to Crete, left Titus (Titus 1:5)
Went to Miletus (2 Tim. 4:20)
Went to Ephesus, left Timothy (1 Tim. 1:3)
Went to Macedonia (1 Tim. 1:3; Phil. 2:24) and Nicopolis (Titus 3:12)
Arrested on the way to Ephesus (possibly at Troas; 2 Tim. 4:13)
Imprisoned a second time in Rome and martyred during persecution of Nero in about AD 67–68 (2 Tim. 1:16–17; 2:9; 4:6–8, 13, 20–21)

Sometime between AD 63 and 67, Paul wrote letters to Timothy (in Ephesus) and Titus (in Crete), instructing them about local church ministry and encouraging them to persevere. After he was imprisoned a second time, he wrote Timothy one final letter, a farewell to his faithful friend.

Paul had earlier warned the Ephesian elders that false teachers from their own group would distort the truth and lead people astray (Acts 20:30). According to 1 Timothy 1:3–7, that is exactly what happened. The problem in Ephesus was false teaching (1 Tim. 1:3, 7; 6:3–5), and the elders were responsible for teaching (1 Tim. 3:1–7; 5:17–25). In other words, the church in Ephesus was being threatened by some of its own leaders. Paul writes 1 Timothy to stop the false teaching and to teach the church how to conduct itself.

Paul left Titus on Crete to appoint leaders in the various house churches (Titus 1:5). The people of Crete had a reputation for dishonesty, gluttony, and laziness (1:12), so it’s no surprise that Paul’s focus in the letter to Titus is on how God’s people should live in the midst of a pagan society. Christians should devote themselves to doing what is good, and this is the main theme of the letter (Titus 1:8, 16; 2:7, 14; 3:1–8, 14).

Whereas Paul’s first Roman imprisonment was a house arrest, his second imprisonment seems more severe—in a cold, damp, hard-to-find place (2 Tim. 1:17; 4:13), deserted by some (2 Tim. 1:15; 4:10), opposed by others (2 Tim. 2:17–18; 4:14), with a sense that death is at hand (2 Tim. 4:6–8, 18). Second Timothy is Paul’s intensely personal farewell to his lifelong co-worker, a kind of last will and testament. Paul exhorts Timothy to stay faithful, proclaims the victory of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and calls Timothy to his side.

Paul writes as an apostle of Jesus Christ to Timothy, his “true son in the faith” (1:1). To the normal greeting of grace and peace, Paul adds “mercy” from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord (1:2).

Paul first charges Timothy to command certain men in the church to stop teaching false doctrines, which encourage controversies and even apostasy rather than God’s work (1:3–7). Those who claim to be experts in the law fail to realize the proper approach to the law, which Paul explains in 1:8–11. Paul offers a thanksgiving in 1:12–14 for God’s abundant grace that transformed him from a persecutor of the church to an apostle. In 1:15–17, we read the first of five “trustworthy sayings” in the Pastorals (1 Tim. 1:15; 3:1; 4:9; 2 Tim. 2:11; Titus 3:8). The core of this saying is that Christ came into the world to save sinners, and this display of unlimited patience will result in honor and glory to God.

Closing out the section, Paul again encourages Timothy to stay strong in the faith (1:18–20).

Prayer should be a priority in worship, so that believers might live peaceful and quiet lives in godliness and so that people will come to a saving knowledge of the truth revealed in our mediator and redeemer, Jesus Christ (2:1–7). In 2:8–15, Paul instructs men (or husbands) to pray without arguing and women (or wives) to dress appropriately, to learn with a respectful spirit, and to refrain from teaching or having authority over a man (most likely referring to a single function: the role of elder). Paul grounds these commands in the order of creation. In 3:1–13, which includes a second trustworthy saying, Paul provides qualifications and responsibilities of church leaders, first for the elders (3:1–7), then for deacons (3:8–13). Overseers are to live godly lives, be faithful and responsible in relationships, have a good reputation with outsiders, and be able to teach. The criteria for deacons are much the same, except the teaching responsibilities are omitted. Paul reminds Timothy (and the entire church) that his written instructions substitute for his personal presence, and he concludes with a confession of faith concerning Jesus Christ (3:14–16).

According to 4:1–5, the false teaching at Ephesus includes a strong element of asceticism (i.e., forbidding gifts from God such as marriage and certain foods). Such teachings come from hypocritical liars and have their origin in the demonic. God’s gifts are to be received with thanksgiving. Timothy’s role as a good minister of Christ Jesus is to point out the falsehoods, avoid them himself, and pursue godliness (4:6–8). The third trustworthy saying highlights the living God as the Savior of those who believe (4:9–10). Paul then encourages Timothy to be diligent, to set an example of godliness, and to teach others to do the same (4:11–16).

False teaching eventually damages relationships within the church, and Paul now offers corrective instructions for several groups. He first calls for respect for all ages, including the young and the old (5:1–2), before addressing the situation regarding widows (5:3–16).

Widows with supporting families should be cared for by those families (5:4), while the godly widows older than sixty without family support should be cared for by the church (5:3, 5–9). Those family members who fail to support widows in their families are worse than unbelievers (5:8, 16). He counsels the younger widows to remarry and focus on their family responsibilities as a way of living out their faith (5:11–15). In 5:17–25, Paul encourages financial support for those elders who direct the affairs of the church, especially those who preach and teach (Deut. 25:4; Luke 10:7). Any accusation against an elder should be brought by several witnesses, but those elders who are sinning should be reproved before everyone as a warning to all. Paul reminds Timothy not to show favoritism and not to ordain anyone too quickly to the office of elder, although it’s not always easy to tell a person’s character. Timothy should keep himself pure, but this does not prohibit taking a little wine for his health instead of only water. In 6:1–2, Paul reminds slaves to respect their masters so that God’s name may be honored rather than slandered. Slaves with Christian masters should not slough off just because they are serving fellow believers, but should instead serve them even more diligently.

Timothy should continue to teach the truth, and those who teach otherwise or disagree with the teachings of Jesus are conceited, ignorant troublemakers bent on using the faith for personal profit (6:3–5). Godliness with contentment is spiritually profitable, but those who want to get rich fall into temptation themselves that often results in ruin and destruction (6:6–9). Since “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil,” many who pursue that love suffer spiritual bankruptcy (6:10). Paul warns Timothy as a man of God to run away from such temptations and pursue “righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness” (6:11). He must fight the good fight of faith and stay true to his confession until the return of Christ, which God, who is worthy of all honor and praise, will bring about in his own time (6:12–16). Paul also commands wealthy believers not to be arrogant or to put their hope in riches but to put their hope in God, to be rich in good deeds, and to share generously (6:17–18). In this way, they will be laying up treasure for the coming age (6:19). Once again, Paul charges Timothy to stay faithful, turning away from the false teaching that leads people away from the true faith (6:20). He closes the letter with a prayer that God’s grace be with them (6:21).