GROUP GUIDE: 1 Timothy 1:1-2

First Timothy is a letter written to Timothy, by the Apostle Paul. Paul referred to Timothy as his “true child in the faith” (1 Tim. 1:2). The letter serves as Timothy’s marching orders and how he is to address the church at Ephesus.Recent events had created a number of issues that were plaguing the church and Paul instructed Timothy to address these issues in order that the church might know how to behave in a manner that would glorify God (1 Tim. 3:15).It was a huge assignment for the young Timothy.

The main issue with the church in Ephesus was the false teachers that had gained a following and to make matters worse, some of these teachers were elders in the church. We can’t be sure exactly what they were teaching but it was causing confusion and spiritual decay. What we do know is that they were not teaching “the glorious gospel of the blessed God” (! Tim. 1:11). Paul instructed Timothy to put a stop to their teaching (1 Tim. 1:3-4).

We also know that there was confusion and disagreement over the roles of men and women within the church that added to the church’s problems. Paul gave Timothy specific instructions in how to address this issue (1 Tim. 2:9-15). This was, and remains, a sensitive issue that has the potential of creating divisions and factions.

We further discover that Timothy was to address the care and oversight of the widows of the church, some of whom were probably being neglected and uncared for and some who were getting more attention than they should (1 Tim. 5:3-16).

And if all of that wasn’t enough, Timothy was instructed to correct certain members in the church that had made getting rich a priority in their life. Paul knew that the gospel, when genuinely embraced, changed everything in a person’s life, including how they looked at material things such as money.

From a mere human perspective, Timothy was an unlikely candidate for such an assignment. In 1 and 2 Timothy we discover several things about Timothy that might cause us to question Paul’s faith in him. Timothy was young and inexperienced and perhaps prong to be intimidated without the more experienced Paul by his side (1 Tim. 4:2).He also has a tendency to be timid and reluctant. Paul had to remind him that God did not give him a spirit of fear (2 Tim. 1:7). On top of that, Timothy was fragile and physically sickly. He had some type of nagging stomach issues (1 Tim. 5:23). From a human perspective, Timothy wasn’t this alpha male that was oozing with natural abilities and loads of self-confidence. However, Timothy was a man of faith.

The gospel had greatly altered the heart and mind of Timothy. Paul wrote to the church at Philippi that he hoped to send Timothy to them because “I have no one of else of kindred spirit who will genuinely be concerned for your well-being. For they all seek after their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:20-21). In human terms, Timothy was a nobody. But spiritually, he was grounded in the faith, changed by the gospel, and would be used by God to strengthen both the church and God’s Kingdom.