1Timothy 1. The Apostle Paul (Saul in Hebrew) was the foremost evangelist of the early church and probably in all church history

Transcription

1 1Timthy 1 The Apstle Paul (Saul in Hebrew) was the fremst evangelist f the early church and prbably in all church histry He was appinted by Christ t bring the Gspel t the Gentiles, which was n small task A Jewish Messiah held little attractin fr a pagan, Greek sciety And even Paul s wn fellw apstles were ppsed t the idea at least at first Nevertheless, Paul preached the Gd News faithfully, and his ministry bre extrardinary fruit by the grace f Christ Paul funded r grew majr churches in numerus Gentile cities acrss the Rman empire, including Antich, Tras, Berea, Philippi, Crinth, Thessalnica, Ephesus, Clssi and thers Paul made a ttal f 4 jurneys including his final trip t Rme And ne f Paul s mst lyal cmpanins was a yung cnvert named Timthy Paul ften wrked alne, but nt because he was a lner In fact, Paul cmmnly sught ther men t accmpany him n his lng jurneys Men like Luke, Barnabas, Mark and thers wrked with Paul, giving him supprt and encuragement in the face f many trials Sme f these men wrked with Paul fr a time but later departed frm Paul A few even turned against Paul and caused him much grief But nly ne f them has bks f scripture named after him: Timthy Paul met Timthy while n his secnd missinary jurney as he ministered in Lystra We read abut that mment in Acts Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

2 1Timthy 1 2 f 19 Acts 16:1 Paul came als t Derbe and t Lystra. And a disciple was there, named Timthy, the sn f a Jewish wman wh was a believer, but his father was a Greek, Acts 16:2 and he was well spken f by the brethren wh were in Lystra and Icnium. Acts 16:3 Paul wanted this man t g with him; and he tk him and circumcised him because f the Jews wh were in thse parts, fr they all knew that his father was a Greek. Lystra was lcated abut 100 miles nrth f the Mediterranean Sea in mdern-day Turkey When Paul arrived, the church was already present and grwing And ne f the up and cming cnverts was a yung Timthy Timthy s backgrund was f a mixed heritage He had a Greek father but a Jewish mther Mixed marriages were mre cmmn utside Judea Nevertheless, Timthy s mther and grandmther were devte Jews wh raised Timthy in the faith Ntably hwever, Timthy was nt circumcised as a child This issue became a cncern fr Paul, wh wanted Timthy t jin him n his missinary jurneys Paul desired a cmpanin wh culd mve freely between Jewish and Gentile wrlds acting as an ambassadr fr Christ Timthy was an ideal candidate, since he was the sn f a Greek father and was raised in Greek sciety Yet Timthy was als raised with Jewish traditins and culd perate within Jewish culture effrtlessly But Timthy s lack f circumcisin rendered him unapprachable amng the Jews S fr that reasn, Paul asked that if Timthy were t accmpany Paul, he must be circumcised Timthy cnsented, which was n small thing in a time withut anesthesia That was an early indicatin that Timthy was a special man 2017 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

3 1Timthy 1 3 f 19 Timthy prved himself t Paul ver the curse f several years Timthy eventually assisted Paul n several jurneys and in many places Timthy was with Paul in Tras, Philippi, Berea, Thessalnica, Athens, and Crinth He als accmpanied Paul n his third missinary jurney as well, where he ministered with Paul in Ephesus While n that jurney, Paul dispatched Timthy alne t Macednia, where he prved himself an effective evangelist Paul eventually jined Timthy in Macednia befre the tw then traveled tgether t Crinth and eventually back t Ephesus and Tras Elsewhere in Paul s letters we als hear f Timthy with Paul in Rme and Philippi After his first imprisnment, Paul left Timthy in Ephesus permanently t lead the church Paul did this likely knwing that his wn ministry was cming t an end This letter alng with Paul s secnd letter t Timthy and his letter t anther church leader, Titus, have cllectively been titled the Pastral Epistles But that term is misleading and even unhelpful Paul s ccasin fr righting these letters was less abut training up pastrs and mre abut the Church s need fr discipline and self-sacrifice First and fremst, Paul is speaking t Timthy, wh seemed uncmfrtable and even unhappy in his rle as pastr Paul asks Timthy t make persnal sacrifices in service t Christ T frg the life f a traveling evangelist that Timthy bviusly sught after, s he culd set an example f persistence, diligence and perseverance Secndly, Paul lks past the leader and speaks t the cngregatin as a whle abut subjecting persnal needs fr the needs f the bdy 2017 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

4 1Timthy 1 4 f 19 Paul address leaders, husbands, wives and children demanding gdliness, submissin t authrity, and respect fr thers In all these things Paul appeals t the church n the basis f Christ s example, s that we nt think urselves better than we ught Nevertheless, the three letters f 1 & 2 Timthy and Titus are very similar in theme 1Timthy cvers the demands f life in the bdy f Christ and the requirements fr church leadership Titus fcuses nly n the requirements fr leadership While 2Timthy fcuses nly n the life f the bdy In that sense, 1Timthy is the mst general f the three letters Mst imprtantly, they all fcus n smething Paul calls the mystery f gdliness The term refers t the means f gdliness, Christ, taught and lived ut Church leaders must teach the truth f Christ, defend the truth f Christ and mdel it in their lives While the church bdy must receive the truth f gdliness in Christ, beying that truth and witness t it Mving t the letter itself, Paul begins his letter by establishing his prphetic authrity as he usually did in his letters 1Tim. 1:1 Paul, an apstle f Christ Jesus accrding t the cmmandment f Gd ur Savir, and f Christ Jesus, wh is ur hpe, 1Tim. 1:2 T Timthy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace frm Gd the Father and Christ Jesus ur Lrd. Paul s pening is familiar ne t Bible students Paul names himself and declares his title as an apstle f the Lrd An apstle is a special ffice limited t a handful f men wh lived in the first century 2017 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

5 1Timthy 1 5 f 19 Apstles were cmmissined by a persnal appearing f Jesus Christ, either befre r after His death and resurrectin Obviusly, Paul was cmmissined after Jesus was resurrected when he encuntered Jesus n the rad t Damascus We see the uniqueness f the apstlic ffice reflected in Paul s salutatin when he declares he is an apstle by the cmmandment f Gd Gd ur Savir cmmanded that Paul be an apstle Paul ges further t name Christ Jesus separately S Gd the Father chse Paul as an apstle and Gd the Sn appeared t reveal the news t Paul But the wrd cmmandment is particularly interesting It reminds us f Jesus wrds in Acts when Paul was blinded Acts 9:15 But the Lrd said t him, G, fr he is a chsen instrument f Mine, t bear My name befre the Gentiles and kings and the sns f Israel; Acts 9:16 fr I will shw him hw much he must suffer fr My name s sake. Paul didn t apply t becme an apstle Nr did Jesus send Paul an invitatin It was a cmmand f Gd that Paul serve and suffer in this way Paul addressed his letter t Timthy, wh Paul calls his true child in the faith In the early church, it was cmmnly t refer t smene being a child in the faith t anther believer T be a child in faith r a father in faith simply referred t smene we brught t faith r wh brught us t faith S in this case, Paul is saying that he led Timthy t faith, and therefre Timthy was his child in the faith Paul extends his custmary greeting f grace and peace t Timthy But Paul adds mercy t his greeting in this letter and his secnd letter t Timthy 2017 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

6 1Timthy 1 6 f 19 The traditinal Jewish greeting was mercy and peace, s Paul includes the extra wrd fr his Jewish friend Then Paul mves quickly t his first majr pint f the letter 1Tim. 1:3 As I urged yu upn my departure fr Macednia, remain n at Ephesus s that yu may instruct certain men nt t teach strange dctrines, 1Tim. 1:4 nr t pay attentin t myths and endless genealgies, which give rise t mere speculatin rather than furthering the administratin f Gd which is by faith. 1Tim. 1:5 But the gal f ur instructin is lve frm a pure heart and a gd cnscience and a sincere faith. 1Tim. 1:6 Fr sme men, straying frm these things, have turned aside t fruitless discussin, 1Tim. 1:7 wanting t be teachers f the Law, even thugh they d nt understand either what they are saying r the matters abut which they make cnfident assertins. After Paul left Timthy in Ephesus and cntinued his jurney t Macednia, it seems Timthy became anxius t return t the rad with Paul Paul had urged Timthy t stay behind, which may indicate Timthy was reluctant t assume a lcal pastral rle Maybe Timthy didn t feel cut ut fr pastral wrk Maybe he just enjyed Paul s cmpany r liked itinerant ministry Perhaps it was a bit f everything, but whatever the reasn Paul had t cnvince Timthy t stay Since then Timthy has written back t Paul it seems asking if he can leave his pst t rejin Paul in Macednia This is Paul s respnse t Timthy Paul refused Timthy s request Then he gives Timthy encuragement and advice t stay the curse in his new pastral rle in Ephesus Paul says he left Timthy behind because Paul knew bad men were cming t Ephesus And these bad men (certain men) were ging t teach strange dctrines A single Greek wrd is translated teach strange dctrines 2017 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

7 1Timthy 1 7 f 19 It means t advcate a different truth Anything that departs frm what is prescribed by the Spirit is strange r different than the truth In Timthy s day the church in Ephesus was prbably little mre than an assciatin f huse churches meeting under humble circumstances These churches were supervised by elders, lder men wh had sme experience in the faith and the character t lead thers Timthy was nt an elder; he seems t have been a pastr serving in ne r mre f these huse churches The rle f pastr was nt a psitin f leadership s much as ne f service t the bdy in shepherding Nevertheless, Paul clearly had high expectatins fr Timthy Paul expected Timthy t defend the flck despite his yuth and inexperience Much like a yung David was expected t defend the flck frm wlves Here we find ne f the majr themes f this letter: guarding against false dctrine Any teaching that departs frm the true dctrines f the faith as revealed in scripture is false and shuld nt be heard Ntice Paul asks Timthy t instruct thse wh are spreading false teaching t cease ding s Paul desn t tell Timthy t debate them nr t cunsel them The first rder f business was t silence the false teaching This is an very plitically incrrect tactic tday, since we try t avid cnfrntatin under any circumstances Frankly, it s amazing hw much cntradictry teaching takes place in the church Churches ften tlerate teaching n multiple, cntradictry perspectives within the bdy n majr dctrines f the faith 2017 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

8 1Timthy 1 8 f 19 It s nt uncmmn t find varius Bible studies taking place simultaneusly in the same building teaching ppsite views f eschatlgy, gifts f the Spirit, marriage, church leadership, etc. This tlerance is usually explained either as an effrt t educate the bdy n the spectrum f interpretive views in the church Or especially in the case f prphecy, ppsing views t share the pulpit because we assume that certainty is unattainable Paul desn t seem t share these cncerns, because he first cncern was the silence strange dctrine in the church And f curse we apply this apprach in every ther academic pursuit What wuld a histry department chair say t a prfessr wh taught his students that the Hlcaust never happened because he preferred that viewpint? Or what wuld a science department chair say t a teacher t taught that the earth was flat because many peple still held this view? Wuld the department chairs set up a debate between the tw psitins in the spirit f fairness? Wuld the chair agree that the truth can t be knwn with certainty? Wuld the department tlerate the alternative perspectives just t avid divisin? Yet in the church, we ften respnd t false r strange teaching in these ways but Paul says we shuldn t The surces fr false teaching shuld be silenced by the church leadership Of curse, if the peple teaching are teachable, then we shuld als educate them frm scripture n the crrect interpretatins But under n circumstances shuld we permit the bdy t be cnfused by cntradictry teaching we knw t be false In the case f Ephesus, the strange teaching was a cmmn culprit in the early church 2017 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

9 1Timthy 1 9 f 19 In v.4 Paul describes the false teaching as invlving myths and endless genealgies Myths culd refer t almst anything, f curse But Paul als mentins endless genealgies And in v.7 he mentined the men teaching strange dctrines were men wh wanted t be teachers f the Law Putting all these tgether, a picture cmes int fcus Certain men, prbably leaders and pssibly elders in the church, were intrducing Jewish heresy int their teaching The myths may have been Jewish myth surrunding the Messiah r ther prphecies And genealgies were prbably ppular Jewish mythlgies invented abut bscure biblical characters These were the ear-tickling teachings f Paul s day, and they had gained an audience in Ephesus thrugh the influence f these men These men and their teaching were nt furthering the administratin f Gd which is by faith The wrd administratin in v.4 culd als be translated plan Paul s referring t the plan f salvatin, which is by faith alne But men in the church were teaching in a way that didn t further this plan in the minds f the church At best this teaching was a distractin frm understanding the grace f Gd thrugh faith in Jesus Christ And at wrst these teachers were misrepresenting salvatin, substituting a wrks salvatin r salvatin thrugh Jewish rts Instead, Paul wants Timthy t ensure the church received better teaching met three tests Paul gives in v.5 First, the teaching shuld cme frm a pure heart A pure heart refers t ur intentins tward ur students 2017 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

10 1Timthy 1 10 f 19 A pure heart is ne that genuinely desires t share the truth fr the benefit f the student The teacher isn t attempting t manipulate his audience r hurt an ppnent A pure heart has the best interests f the students in mind Secndly, the teaching cmes frm a gd cnscience A gd cnscience refers t teacher s mtives fr teaching A gd cnscience desn t teach seeking fame and frtune A gd cnscience seeks t serve Gd, t share knwledge and t further the kingdm Finally, teaching must be accmpanied by a sincere faith Sincere faith refers t a genuine brn-again relatinship with Christ by His Spirit It als refers t perating by faith in seeking t knw scripture by the cunsel f the Hly Spirit Teachers that lack sincerity f faith are either unbelievers Or they are believers wrking in their flesh absent Gd-given insight We can safely assume these qualities were lacking in the certain men Paul mentins They were teaching with false mtives, crrupt cnscience and absent sincere faith At best they were misguided, carnal Christians with egs inflated by psitins f authrity in the church Or at wrst they were unbelieving wlves in sheep s clthing deceiving the flck Either way, they needed t be silenced And we need t apply these same three tests against ur teachers If a teacher ffers intriguing biblical insight but stirs up divisin and cntrversy, walk away 2017 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

11 1Timthy 1 11 f 19 If a teacher is diligent and schlarly but ambitius fr attentin and wealth, steer clear And if a teacher s life lacks sincerity f faith, beware When these things are lacking, it s like a bat has lst its anchr in a strm as Paul says in vs.6-7 Paul says when men stray frm these things, they turn aside The Greek term fr turn aside literally means t put smething ut f jint Imagine a lng distance runner whse hip suddenly pps ut f jint The runner culdn t mve prperly much less cntinue the curse They must turn aside, leave the path This is a serius mment in a spiritual life Turning aside is much mre than simply becming cnfused r distracted The idea in the New Testament always implies a wandering away frm walking with the Lrd Nt lsing salvatin, fr that is nt pssible But still a serius impediment t btaining a gd testimny as we ll see shrtly These men turned aside t fruitless discussin We culd als translate that phrase as empty talk It s a cmplete waste f time, and if there is ne thing Christians can t affrd t waste, it s time Our time is precius, since it s the mst pwerful resurce we have t hnr and serve the Lrd As Paul says in Rmans 12 Rm. 12:1 Therefre I urge yu, brethren, by the mercies f Gd, t present yur bdies a living and hly sacrifice, acceptable t Gd, which is yur spiritual service f wrship Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

12 1Timthy 1 12 f 19 In v.7 we see where they went wrng...they didn t pssess pure hearts r gd cnsciences They wanted t be teachers f the Law A teacher f the Law is a term describing a psitin f authrity and pwer Amng Jews, the term wuld be Rabbi Tday, we might say prfessr, except in that day the term was ne f significant authrity These men were mtivated in their teaching by prestige and authrity, which meant they didn t pssess a pure heart r pure cnscience Their hearts were nt directed at the gd f their students And their cnscience was plluted by selfish desires Perhaps mst imprtantly, they lacked sincere faith cncerning the things they taught, as we see at the end f v.7 Paul says they didn t even understand the things they taught thrugh they made cnfident assertins A persn wrking in sincerity f faith will be bund by the Spirit in his teaching Sincere faith desn t assure us perfect understanding f scripture But it des guard us against making cnfident assertins abut things we knw we dn t understand yet But when yu mtives are crrupted and yur cnscience is cmprmised, yu dn t wrry abut such things Which reminds us that sincerity is never a substitute fr insight Cnfidence and sincerity desn t equal accuracy, and many false teachers are cnfident and sincere...sincerely wrng Irnically, many gd teachers take cautin with their cnclusins, nt wishing t be arrgant r ver cnfident in their interpretatins 2017 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

13 1Timthy 1 13 f 19 S if we judge teachers n sincerity r cnfidence, we re likely t fllw the wrng persn at times Always inspect a teacher s mtive, cnscience and faith Having expsed the false mtives f these men, Paul can t resist als taking a swipe at their teaching 1Tim. 1:8 But we knw that the Law is gd, if ne uses it lawfully, 1Tim. 1:9 realizing the fact that law is nt made fr a righteus persn, but fr thse wh are lawless and rebellius, fr the ungdly and sinners, fr the unhly and prfane, fr thse wh kill their fathers r mthers, fr murderers 1Tim. 1:10 and immral men and hmsexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is cntrary t sund teaching, 1Tim. 1:11 accrding t the glrius gspel f the blessed Gd, with which I have been entrusted. These teachers were teaching n the Law given t Israel, and Paul makes clear his prblem with their teaching is nt with the Law itself The Law is gd, meaning study f it is prfitable, prvided it is used lawfully, that is in the way Gd intended The Law served a certain purpse fr Israel as part f their Old Cvenant And it serves a different yet cmplimentary purpse fr thse in the New Cvenant Fr Israel, it defined and secured the natin as Gd intended And fr the NT believer, it explains the missin f ur Messiah But when we crss thse purpses, we depart frm a lawful use f the Law Specifically, we err if we teach NT believers they must live as if they were under the Old Cvenant instead Requiring believers t bserve the Law is using the Law unlawfully T prve his pint, Paul explains that the key functin f the Law bth fr Israel and fr the believer tday was t expse sin In v.9 Paul says the law was nt made fr the righteus persn 2017 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

14 1Timthy 1 14 f 19 He s referring t the essential quality f any Law Laws exist t define and expse unrighteusness There is n need fr Law amng the righteus, since they d nthing wrng Righteusness and unrighteusness are nt terms that describe behavir s much as nature Righteusness is the absence f sin while unrighteusness is the absence f perfectin We are unrighteus by nature, and this remains true whether we are currently engaged in any sin at the mment Even at rest, we are unrighteus When we sin, we are acting ut f ur unrighteus nature Thse wh are unrighteusness benefit frm living under Law, because by that Law we cme t see hw we live in unrighteus ways We nte that ur behavir departs frm the Law And that departure is a measuring stick f ur unrighteusness Our unrighteusness was always there, but the Law helped us quantify it in a sense S Paul takes this truth and turns it back upn the very men wh desired t be teachers f the Law Paul says the Law is meant fr thse wh practice lawlessness The Law acts as cnstraint n their evil And Paul lists a number f particularly serius sins as example But clearly, Paul chse the harshest examples t make an assciatin with these men In effect, Paul was saying that if these men wanted t be assciated with the Law, let that assciatin be in the way Gd intended Specifically, let the Law reveal the truth abut these men s hearts They are lawless and rebellius men 2017 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

15 1Timthy 1 15 f 19 Thugh they desired t shw themselves as better than thers by their suppsed expertise in the Law and their piety in keeping it... Let the the Law shw they are n better than ther ungdly sinners They are like the unhly and prfane, the sexually immral, the dishnest and vilent Irnically, Paul thrws these teachers in with the wrst f the law breakers They used the Law t make themselves superir which was never the purpse f the Law The chief purpse f the Law was t cnvict sin where it existed, and these men shuld have felt cnvictin, nt pride, in what they taught Ntice hw Paul ends his rgues gallery with anything cntrary t sund teaching With that statement, Paul equates the wrk f these teachers with the ther terrible sins D we need any further prf f hw Paul viewed false teaching in the church? And this perspective is nt Paul s alne Peter, Jude and Jesus Himself als criticized false teachers in equally harsh terms While we ve generally sftened ur criticism f teaching cntrary t scripture, but scripture itself rundly cndemns it Anything teaching f salvatin that is cntrary t the truth is an expressin f unrighteusness equal t the ther sins n that list In v.11 Paul says what s at risk is the glrius gspel f Jesus Christ that he preached The gspel f Jesus Christ is the nly truth, the nly message in the universe that carried the pwer t bring eternal life S hw dangerus is that thing that wuld undermine the message? 2017 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

16 1Timthy 1 16 f 19 And s Paul has psitined himself n ppsite sides frm these men In summary, Paul is cmmanding that teachers f scripture must endeavr t teach the wrd as Gd revealed it It must be taught frm a mtive f lve and a sincere desire t cmmunicate what Gd intended This is especially true when presenting prtins f scripture by itself, including larger prtins like the Law Every verse, passage, chapter and bk f scripture must be taught in light f the verall message f scripture T d therwise is t misuse scripture, misrepresent the truth and pssibly jin that rgue s gallery Nw Paul had his wn histry f cntrary teaching and behavir Paul knew that histry culd be used against him by these false teachers in defending themselves frm his charges S Paul preempts thse accusatins in vs Tim. 1:12 I thank Christ Jesus ur Lrd, wh has strengthened me, because He cnsidered me faithful, putting me int service, 1Tim. 1:13 even thugh I was frmerly a blasphemer and a persecutr and a vilent aggressr. Yet I was shwn mercy because I acted ignrantly in unbelief; 1Tim. 1:14 and the grace f ur Lrd was mre than abundant, with the faith and lve which are fund in Christ Jesus. 1Tim. 1:15 It is a trustwrthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came int the wrld t save sinners, amng whm I am fremst f all. 1Tim. 1:16 Yet fr this reasn I fund mercy, s that in me as the fremst, Jesus Christ might demnstrate His perfect patience as an example fr thse wh wuld believe in Him fr eternal life. 1Tim. 1:17 Nw t the King eternal, immrtal, invisible, the nly Gd, be hnr and glry frever and ever. Amen. Paul acknwledges he t nce taught wrngly against the very Gspel he nw cherishes He was frmerly a blasphemer, speaking against Jesus And he was a persecutr and vilent aggressr 2017 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

17 1Timthy 1 17 f 19 We remember in Acts 8 that Saul was an instigatr f Stephen s death and prbably many mre Paul had t deal with this incnvenient truth his while ministry, and yet it was als his mst pwerful defense Paul s histry validated the earnestness f his cnfessin Paul gave up everything he valued t jin the side he nce persecuted There was n earthly explanatin fr Paul s abut-face except that the message f the Gspel was true At the same time, Paul s past was a frequently tl f his critics t discredit him Hw culd they church trust the teaching f a murderer, they wuld ask? Therefre, Paul was frced time and again t explain hw the Lrd culd use ne such as himself As as we see in this passage, Paul was als hnest and humble abut his past He admitted his crimes, fr hw culd he deny them? Nevertheless, the Lrd frgave Paul and shwed him mercy Obviusly, Paul was shwn mercy n the same basis as all believers: by his faith in Christ At the end f v.13 and int v.14, Paul states clearly that he was rescued by grace thugh he was a great sinner S n the questin f Paul s guilt, he acknwledges his past, but then s must his critics acknwledge that Paul has been made righteus by faith Paul was saved like all peple Paul was a sinner needing Gd s grace, He s simply like the rest f us But Paul s is mving tward a larger questin Why did the Lrd select smene wh persecuted the church t receive such a psitin f hnr in the church? 2017 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

18 1Timthy 1 18 f 19 Paul s answer is he acted in ignrance Paul is nt suggesting his sins were frgiven because he was ignrance He s saying his pprtunity t assume high ffice was nt jepardized by his crimes, because thse crimes were cmmitted prir t faith Paul s rle as persecutr and blasphemer predated his knwledge f Gd in faith, and therefre he culdn t have been expected t be any different Paul blasphemed against Christ and he persecuted the Church ut f unbelief, therefre, thse past actins didn t disqualify him frm serving Gd Hw culd anyne serve Gd if ur resistance t Gd prir t faith were grunds fr disqualificatin? Our qualificatin fr service t Gd is measured by wh we are and what we d fllwing faith Paul is inferring smething abut the men he ppses in Ephesus The false teachers can t rest n the same excuse fr their false teaching They understand the Gspel, and therefre they are nt ignrant Yet they cntinue t teach errr S irnically Paul s critics accuse him f having disqualified himself by what he did prir t faith even as they disqualify themselves after faith Finally, Paul explains why the Lrd chse smene like him t serve the Church Paul says s that Gd culd use him as an example t ther believers Breaking it dwn, Paul says in me as the fremst He s referring back t his earlier cmment abut being the fremst sinner The wrd fremst desn t mean the greatest, fr wh can call themselves the greatest sinner? 2017 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

19 1Timthy 1 19 f 19 In a way, calling yurself the greatest sinner wuld be a sin in itself, since it wuld be a bastful statement The wrd in Greek means mre prminent, as in the persn standing first in line s that yu can t see wh is behind that persn Paul was the mst prminent sinner in the church Imagine if Hitler had becme Christian during WWII r if Stalin r sme ther famus evil persn had cnverted t the faith? That persn s crimes wuld prbably hang ver their head in the minds f the Church fr smetime They wuld be the mst prminent sinner in the church, as Paul was in his day S Paul says he was shwn mercy as the fremst sinner s that he culd serve as Christ s billbard Frever mre, Paul gave witness t hw patient and frgiving the Lrd is willing t be fr thse wh believe in Him If anyne thught themselves t evil, t far frm Gd t receive frgiveness, Paul std as Gd s cunterargument N ne is ut f reach N sin is unfrgivable in Christ Jesus S thugh Paul s critics pinted t Paul s past as evidence he culdn t trusted, since he had t much baggage Paul says his past is merely evidence f the depths f Gd s mercy in Christ And s Paul ends in a minr dxlgy, brn ut f persnal gratitude T the eternal, immrtal invisible Gd belng all the hnr, glry and praise frever and ever Amen 2017 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.