In the Pastoral Epistles "Christ" is often put before "Jesus," to give prominence to the fact that the Messianic promises of the Old Testament, well known to Timothy ( 2 Timothy 3:15 ), were fulfilled in Jesus. Paul wanted to prevent the corruption that came when people gave authority to fables and endless genealogies instead of true doctrine. Without this understanding, it is easy to become shallow legalists who are only concerned with outward performance and appearance. a. was exceeding abundant--Greek, "superabounded." Which some having rejected: Some have rejected these weapons; specifically, Paul speaks of rejecting the faith; those who reject what Jesus and the apostles taught are headed for ruin (shipwreck). 15. faithful--worthy of credit, because "God" who says it "is faithful" to His word ( 1 Corinthians 1:9 , 1 Thessalonians 5:24 , 2 Thessalonians 3:3 , Revelation 21:5 , 22:6 ). Psalms 145:13 , Margin, "Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom," literally, "a kingdom of all ages." Timothy wasn’t to present the option of correct doctrine to these some in Ephesus. The "life everlasting" ( 1 Timothy 1:16 ) suggested here "the King eternal," or everlasting. questions--of mere speculation ( Acts 25:20 ), not practical; generating merely curious discussions. He was concerned that Timothy did everything he could to make sure the Ephesians continue in that doctrine. God extends His grace to men as they are guilty; His "mercy" to them as they are miserable [TRENCH]. immortal--The oldest manuscripts read, "incorruptible." However, for this reason I obtained mercy: A man as bad as Paul has obtained mercy. 10. whoremongers, &c.--sinners against the seventh commandment. i. Leadership Qualifications. Timothy had a mind to go with Paul, was loth to go from under his wing, but Paul would have it so; it was necessary for the public service: I besought thee, says he. b. 1 Timothy 1:1-20 . . The seeds, not the full-grown Gnosticism of the post-apostolic age, then existed. So TERTULLIAN [Against Valentinian, c. 3], and IRENÆUS [Preface]. It is possible that he is the Alexander, then a Jew, put forward by the Jews, doubtless against Paul, at the riot in Ephesus ( Acts 19:33 ). His prophetic bodings some years before ( Acts 20:29 Acts 20:30 ) were now being realized (compare 1 Timothy 6:3 ). Which some having rejected: “Having thrust away; as a fool-hardy soldier might his shield and his breastplate or a made sailor pilot, helm, and compass” (Clarke). Submit Feast Of … Please see our Privacy Policy for cookie usage details. b. They misunderstood the commandment and the law. 1 Timothy 1:3-4. In Paul the understanding is the seat of conscience; the heart is the seat of love [BENGEL]. The fact that some do not remain faithful to the end should give us more incentive to not give up. 1 Timothy 1:4 Parallel Verses [⇓ See commentary ⇓] 1 Timothy 1:4, NIV: "or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies.Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God's work--which is by faith." These are rarely from God. It may have been a description of Timothy’s future ministry; it may have been a warning against being timid in his work for God. a. charge" ( 1 Timothy 1:3 ), is here given, if not formally, at least substantially. Now to the King eternal: Paul could not think of how bad he was, and how great the salvation of God was, and how great the love of God was, without simply breaking into spontaneous praise. liars . 1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope, 2 To Timothy my true son in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. Faith and a good conscience: These are essential when battling for the Lord. Yet God found a way to use me, and He will use you also as you remain in Ephesus.”. men-stealers--that is, slave dealers. People began carrying around little notebooks filled with predictions that had been delivered to them by the prophets and seers. Instead of aiming at and attaining the graces above named, they "have turned aside ( 1 Timothy 5:15 , 2 Timothy 4:4 , Hebrews 12:13 ) unto vain jangling"; literally, "vain talk," about the law and genealogies of angels ( 1 Timothy 1:7 , Titus 3:9 , 1:10 ); 1 Timothy 6:20 , "vain babblings and oppositions." i. he counted me faithful--He foreordered and foresaw that I would be faithful to the trust committed to me. “There is a peculiar affectionate earnestness in this use of the personal name, here and in the conclusion of the letter” (White). It wasn’t going to be easy, or comfortable, or carefree. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. b. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners: Jesus came to save sinners, not those living under the illusion of their own righteousness. the King, eternal--literally, "King of the (eternal) ages." The punishment was a removal of protection, not an infliction of evil. He compelled others to blaspheme Jesus. ii. I cannot think with BIRKS, that this verse is compatible with his theory, that Paul did not actually visit Ephesus, though in its immediate neighborhood (compare 1 Timothy 3:14 , 4:13 ). pure heart--a heart purified by faith ( Acts 15:9 , 2 Timothy 2:22 , Titus 1:15 ). at Ephesus--Paul, in Acts 20:25 , declared to the Ephesian elders, "I know that ye all shall see my face no more." d. Understanding neither what they say nor the things which they affirm: The problem people in Ephesus did not even understand the implications of their own teaching. If you do not want that we track your visit to our site you can disable tracking in your browser here: We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. Translate as Greek, "Faithful is the saying." a. Notes on the New Testament. After a steady diet of the prophetic, some people were rapidly becoming biblically illiterate, choosing a ‘dial-a-prophet’ style of Christian living rather than studying God’s Word. i. love--in contrast to "a blasphemer, persecutor, and injurious." 13. Who was before--Greek, "Formerly being a blasphemer." Please enter your email address associated with your Salem All-Pass account, then click Continue. . The "because," &c. does not imply that ignorance was a sufficient reason for mercy being bestowed; but shows how it was possible that such a sinner could obtain mercy. put away--a wilful act. He knew God to be immortal, existing before anything else existed, and being the Creator of all things. They become a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him. It is the greatest vanity when divine things are not truthfully discussed ( Romans 1:21 ) [BENGEL]. genealogies--not merely such civil genealogies as were common among the Jews, whereby they traced their descent from the patriarchs, to which Paul would not object, and which he would not as here class with "fables," but Gnostic genealogies of spirits and aeons, as they called them, "Lists of Gnostic emanations" [ALFORD]. blaspheme--the name of God and Christ, by doings and teachings unworthy of their Christian profession ( Romans 2:23 Romans 2:24 , 2:7 ). Timothy Charged to Oppose False Teachers. BENGEL translates, "a despiser." "Jewish fables" ( Titus 1:14 ). They thrust it from them as a troublesome monitor. Our website uses cookies to store user preferences. There are worse kinds of sin; sins that harm God’s people are especially bad in God’s eyes. 8. The notebook crowd would rush forward in hopes of being selected to receive more prophecies to add to their prophetic diaries…, Not long after ‘prophecy du jour’ became the primary source of direction, a trail of devastated believers began to line up outside our pastoral counseling offices. I commit--as a sacred deposit ( 1 Timothy 6:20 , 2 Timothy 2:2 ) to be laid before thy hearers. i. We tell ourselves, “I’ll be faithful when I’m in such and such a position.” That is foolish. of Hence it is Christ's plea of intercession for His murderers ( Luke 23:34 ); and it is made by the apostles a mitigating circumstance in the Jews' sin, and one giving a hope of a door of repentance ( Acts 3:17 , Romans 10:2 ). Paul opposes to their "aeons," the "King of the aeons (so the Greek, 1 Timothy 1:17 ), whom be glory throughout the aeons of aeons." putting me into--rather as in 1 Thessalonians 5:9 , "appointing me (in His sovereign purposes of grace) unto the ministry" ( Acts 20:24 ). View 1 Timothy 1:10-11. The Lord protects us from many attacks from Satan (Job 1:10; Luke 22:31-32), and much of this protection comes to us in what we receive as we gather together as Christians. Commentaries for the book of 1 Timothy. Paul used this phrase 5 times – all in the Pastoral Epistles. Not only so (was mercy shown me), but the grace--by which "I obtained mercy" ( 1 Timothy 1:13 ). Translate, Romans 1:30 , "despiteful." Paul's thanking God for this shows that the merit of his faithfulness was due solely to God's grace, not to his own natural strength ( 1 Corinthians 7:25 ). ii. He who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men (1 Corinthians 14:3). for that--the main ground of his "thanking Christ." “Discourses that turn to no profit; a great many words and little sense; and that sense not worth the pains of hearing.” (Clarke). This description of God gave Timothy still another reason to remain in Ephesus. They understand as little about the one as the other [ALFORD]. I besought--a mild word, instead of authoritative command, to Timothy, as a fellow helper. 1 Timothy 1 - IVP New Testament Commentaries . As I besought thee to abide still--He meant to have added, "so I still beseech thee," but does not complete the sentence until he does so virtually, not formally, at 1 Timothy 1:18 . Read 1 Timothy 1 commentary using John Gill's Exposition of the Bible. The rain which falls pure from heaven will not continue pure if it be received in an unclean vessel [ARCHBISHOP WHATELY]). No stealing of a man's goods can equal in atrocity the stealing of a man's liberty. I thank--Greek, "I have (that is, feel) gratitude." If the ringleader, the chief of the gang, has been washed in the precious blood, and is now in heaven, why not I? I am--not merely, "I was chief" ( 1 Corinthians 15:9 , Ephesians 3:8 ; compare Luke 18:13 ). According to the glorious gospel--The Christian's freedom from the law as a sanctifier, as well as a justifier, implied in the previous, 1 Timothy 1:9 1 Timothy 1:10 , is what this 1 Timothy 1:11 is connected with. He knew God alone is wise, that He is God – and we are not. Or perhaps he had in mind doctrinal systems based on mystic readings of Old Testament genealogies. The sinful actions described in verses 9 and 10 are contrary to sound doctrine. d. Because I did it ignorantly in unbelief: Ignorance and unbelief never excuse our sin, but they do invite God’s mercy, because sin in ignorance and unbelief makes one less guilty than the believer who sins knowingly. Timothy's superintendence of the Church at Ephesus was as locum tenens for the apostle, and so was temporary. We should never feel that our past makes us unable to be used by God. Honor and recognition in case of success.” Thousands of men responded to the appeal because they were willing to embrace a difficult job when called to do so by a great leader. b. God our Saviour--The Father ( 1 Timothy 2:3 , 4:10 , Luke 1:47 , 2 Timothy 1:9 , Titus 1:3 , 2:10 , 3:4 , Jude 1:25 ). 1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope, 2 To Timothy my true son in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. For the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners: In Paul’s mind sound doctrine and right conduct are vitally connected. Many were left to continually live from one prophetic ‘fix’ to the next, their hope always in danger of failing because God’s voice was so specific in pronouncement, yet so elusive in fulfillment. ii. 1-Timothy 1:15 and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus. learn--Greek, "be disciplined," namely, by chastisement and suffering. And--Greek, "But." John 1:9 , Greek, "the true Light that, coming into the world, lighteth every man." Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer. We are legalists when we think what we do is what makes us right before God. c. Although I was formerly: Paul’s past did not disqualify him from serving God. iii. Our mind is always prone to dwell on our own worthiness and, as soon as our unworthiness becomes apparent, our confidence fails. This formed the transition stage between Judaism and Gnosticism. iii. warfare--not the mere "fight" ( 1 Timothy 6:12 , 2 Timothy 4:7 ), but the whole campaign; the military service. our hope--( Colossians 1:27 , Titus 1:2 , 2:13 ). If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain. He knew God to be invisible, not completely knowable by us; we can’t completely figure out God, or know all His secrets. A good conscience is joined with sound faith; a bad conscience with unsoundness in the faith (compare Hebrews 9:14 ). all long-suffering--Greek, "the whole (of His) long-suffering," namely, in bearing so long with me while I was a persecutor. "Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly … by them--Greek, "in them"; arrayed as it were in them; armed with them. They are all in the mire; but they have not all sunk to an equal depth in it” (Spurgeon). The sense of mercy was perpetual in the mind of the apostle (compare Note, on those out of the way ( Hebrews 5:2 Hebrews 5:3 ). The purpose of the commandment: The purpose of the law is found in its inward work upon the heart, not in mere outward observance. d. According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God: Though the law cannot bring righteousness, the glorious gospel of the blessed God can — a gospel that, in the words of Paul, was committed to his trust. persecutor--( Galatians 1:13 ). 4. fables--legends about the origin and propagation of angels, such as the false teachers taught at Colosse ( Colossians 2:18-23 ). The positive ground of mercy being shown to him, lies solely in the compassion of God ( Titus 3:5 ).