Coworker and Protégé

Today, on the podcast, we’ll begin the first of two letters written by Paul to his coworker and protégé Timothy.  

Timothy was a disciple of Paul’s, but he was more than that.  In the opening of this chapter, Paul describes him as “…my true son in the faith.”  He was a constant companion of Paul and worked side by side with him in many places such as Macedonia, Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens and Corinth.  Timothy eventually became the leader of the church at Ephesus. He is believed to have been martyred in the year AD 97.

The contents of this letter are at times very personal and likely intended for Timothy only.  However, it may also have been that Paul intended the letter to be read to the entire congregation at Ephesus.  In this way, Paul could deal with two matters at once.  He could use his authority to install Timothy as pastor over the church in Ephesus and at the same time, deal with the infiltration of false teachers in the church.

Practical Instruction

The book is full of practical, pastoral instruction for Timothy on subjects such as prayer, men and women in the church, qualifications for overseers and deacons, and instructions on ministry.  As such, it is an excellent guide for new ministers and the establishment of a new church body.

It should be pointed out that 2 Timothy – which we will read next – is believed to be Paul’s last letter from prison before being executed.  There is argument about how much time passed between the two letters.  Some say they were written very close together. Others that 1 Timothy must have been written much earlier because there is no hint that Paul was in prison.

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