1 Timothy 1:1-11 Notes & Questions

1 Timothy 1:1-11

Notes:

The first of Paul’s letters to Timothy begins with a charge to Timothy regarding adherence to sound doctrine:

1. Greetings. (vs. 1-2)
2. The need for sound doctrine. (vs. 3-4)
3. Love, Law, and Grace. (vs. 15-12)

Greetings

Paul greets Timothy by way of introduction and establishing his position in the ministry. (vs. 1-2)

• From Paul:
• Paul identifies himself as an apostle of Jesus Christ.
• He notes his call by God and the hope that is in Christ.
• To Timothy:
• He identifies Timothy as his son in the faith.
• He calls upon God for grace, mercy and peace.

• There was a need for sound doctrine in Ephesus.
• Timothy was to avoid false doctrine and vain preaching.
• He was to spend his time building up the faith.
• Paul uses two examples of getting off track in the preaching of the Word:
• Story-telling (fables)
• Discussing ancestry (endless genealogy)
• These things can result in too many questions, rather than the desired result, which is building up the faith.

Love, Law, and Grace

Paul explains his call for sound doctrinal preaching by describing the misunderstanding / ignorance of many concerning the application of the Law:

• The proof of the Law is Love. (v. 5)
• As demonstrated by: 
• A pure heart
• Good conscience
• Genuine faith
• For believers, the purpose of the Law is to be cognizant of sin. The revelation of sin in the life of a believer should lead to repentance out of a love for the Lord.
• In the case of the lost, the Law holds them accountable, until they recognize their accountability and accept the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, who bore every believer’s and every lost person’s sin on the cross.
• The demonstration of love would not be feigned or an act… it would be very real coming from the believer who loves Jesus Christ, His Word, and His people.
• Ignorance of the Law’s purpose. (vs. 6-8)
• As evidenced by:
• Teaching the law instead of the gospel.
• Unawareness of the truth concerning the Law.
• Some in Ephesus had concentrated on teaching the Law in detail, to the confusion of those who heard. 
• They taught the Law, not according to its purpose, but in a manner based on it’s prior application, in a vain attempt to appear to have great knowledge, albeit  in their “ignorance”.
• These teachers knew neither what they taught and
• They knew not what it was based on.
• While teaching the Law was not wrong in itself, the manner in which it was taught was wrong.
• The Law is not for the righteous person (one who is clothed in the righteousness of Christ). (vs. 9-11)
• The law is for:
• The lawless.
• The unrighteous.
• The disobedient.
• The ungodly.
• Unsaved sinners.
• The unholy.
• The profane.
• Murderers.
• Man-slayers.
• Whore-mongers.
• Those defiled through unnatural attractions to their own gender.
• Man-stealers.
• Liars.
• The perjured persons.
• Anyone contrary to the preaching of sound doctrine or to the gospel of Christ or to anything that Christ represents through His church.
• Paul gives a detailed list of those accountable under the Law.  As is customary for Paul in his epistles, he allows the Holy Spirit of God to guide his words to spell out those things that displease God, even to the point of being an abomination to God.
• Most of what is mentioned in the list is self-evident, but there are a few that merit some elaboration:
• The unrighteous – anyone who is not born again through the blood of Jesus Christ.
• The profane – anyone who shuns God and the Christian faith, refusing to acknowledge God, much less worship His Son. These are given over to lies and deception of other religious systems or pagan devices.
• Those defiled – This much accepted alternative lifestyle of the modern day still displeases God and those who practice it are accountable under the Law.
• Man-stealers- those who practice the abominable trade of human beings. Whether for purposes of slavery, kidnapping or abuse, these will be accountable to God.
• Perjured persons – those who have willfully lied in a situation where an oath was taken.
• It should be noted that anyone who repents and turns from these sins to Jesus Christ, before it is everlasting too late, would then be clothed in the righteousness of Christ.  The Law would be of no effect in that case.

Questions:

1. What makes Paul an apostle of Christ?
2. Based on Paul’s greeting to Timothy, what kind of relationship do you think he had with Timothy?
3. What was Paul’s primary charge to Timothy?
4. Why do you think churches tend to drift away from “sound doctrine”?
5. As a Christian teen, it’s important for you to know doctrinal truth.  Timothy was not much older than most of the teens in your youth group, and Paul stressed doctrinal truth to Timothy.  That being said, how can you learn doctrinal truth and know whether you are hearing the right kind of message?
6. What are three characteristics of the love that should come from a Christian?
7. What were the leaders of the church at Ephesus doing that was drifting away from sound doctrine?
8. Even though the Law is not for those saved by grace through Jesus Christ, it is still important for a Christian to know and understand the Ten Commandments. Why do you think this is so?
9. Who is accountable under the Law today?
10. What hope does a lost person have if they are accountable to the Law?