Off the Shelf Sunday School--1 Timothy

Background

This epistle was likely written by Paul around 64AD, in the final years of his life. Paul writes to Timothy, who represents the next generation of leadership. The themes are church order, soundness of doctrine and discipline.    

Introduction and Warning (1:1-11)

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope, To Timothy my true son in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. These promote controversies rather than God’s work—which is by faith. The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Some have wandered away from these and turned to meaningless talk. They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm. We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for adulterers, and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.

1.     Paul begins formally, by stating the authority for this letter comes from his apostleship. What he is about to say must be taken seriously. He also talks of God and Jesus as one being, but different persons, which is the basis for the doctrine of the Trinity (Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit). (2 Cor 13:14)

2.     Paul wishes grace, peace and mercy for Timothy (and all Christians). Grace is what God gives to save and empower us to become like him. Peace comes from our being forgiven and adopted as his children. It also continues to be an experience of the presence of God as we follow his revealed will. Mercy is extended to born-again Christians when we are saved by faith and when we fail to follow God’s will thereafter. Therefore, Paul is reminding them of God’s complete and continuing blessings that are bestowed upon believers. These blessings should be always in our minds and inspire rejoicing and thanksgiving.

3.     Paul warns about false teachers who use myths and genealogies to lead Christians astray. What false religions use tales of mystical revelations and stress the importance of genealogies? How do such teachings cause controversies, rather than simply relying on faith in Jesus for salvation?

4.     When Paul says that the laws of God are not made for the righteous, he means that born-again Christians have been forgiven, and so the penalty for breaking God’s laws have been satisfied by the sacrifice of Jesus. However, God’s laws apply to sinners who do not believe in Jesus. How do the laws of God encourage religious people to live moral lives? What are some basic moral laws found in the Ten Commandments that are commonly found in every culture and government? (Dt 5:6-21)

5.     Paul says that sound doctrine depends upon adhering to the gospel. This is why it is essential to study the Bible and follow its teachings. Those who say that the Bible is not inspired or authoritative, soon wander from the truth and teach false doctrines. Some false teachers say that what the Bible teaches does not apply today, because the culture has changed. Others have said that you can’t rely on the Bible, because of copying and translation errors. Do you know some examples of Christians who have started false religions or have false doctrines, because they do not closely follow the Bible?