1 Timothy 1

Commentary: Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God our Savior, and Christ Jesus our hope;

2to Timothy, my true child in faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.💬

3As I urged you when I was going into Macedonia, stay at Ephesus that you might command certain men not to teach a different doctrine,💬

4neither to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which cause disputes, rather than God’s stewardship, which is in faith—💬

5but the goal of this command is love, out of a pure heart and a good conscience and sincere faith;💬

6from which things some, having missed the mark, have turned aside to vain talking;💬

7desiring to be teachers of the law, though they understand neither what they say, nor about what they strongly affirm.💬

8But we know that the law is good, if a man uses it lawfully,💬

9as knowing this, that law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for man slayers,💬

10for the sexually immoral, for homosexuals, for slave-traders, for liars, for perjurers, and for any other thing contrary to the sound doctrine;💬

11according to the Good News of the glory of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.💬

12And I thank him who enabled me, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he counted me faithful, appointing me to service;💬

13although I was before a blasphemer, a persecutor, and insolent. However, I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.💬

14The grace of our Lord abounded exceedingly with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.💬

15The saying is faithful and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.💬

16However, for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first, Jesus Christ might display all his patience, for an example of those who were going to believe in him for eternal life.💬

17Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.💬

18This instruction I commit to you, my child Timothy, according to the prophecies which led the way to you, that by them you may wage the good warfare;💬

19holding faith and a good conscience; which some having thrust away made a shipwreck concerning the faith;💬

20of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I delivered to Satan, that they might be taught not to blaspheme.💬

Commentary (20)

Introduction1

1 Timothy 1

1 Timothy 1

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ADDRESS: PAUL'S DESIGN IN HAVING LEFT TIMOTHY AT EPHESUS, NAMELY, TO CHECK FALSE TEACHERS; TRUE USE OF THE LAW; HARMONIZING WITH THE GOSPEL; GOD'S GRACE IN CALLING PAUL, ONCE A BLASPHEMER, TO EXPERIENCE AND TO PREACH IT; CHARGES TO TIMOTHY. (1Ti. 1:1-20)

by the commandment of God--the authoritative injunction, as well as the commission, of God. In the earlier Epistles the phrase is, "by the will of God." Here it is expressed in a manner implying that a necessity was laid on him to act as an apostle, not that it was merely at his option. The same expression occurs in the doxology, probably written long after the Epistle itself [ALFORD] (Rom 16:26).

God our Saviour--The Father (Ti1 2:3; Ti1 4:10; Luk 1:47; Ti2 1:9; Tit 1:3; Tit 2:10; Tit 3:4; Jde 1:25). It was a Jewish expression in devotion, drawn from the Old Testament (compare Psa 106:21).

our hope-- (Col 1:27; Tit 1:2; Tit 2:13).

Verse 21

1 Timothy 1:2

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my own son--literally, "a genuine son" (compare Act 16:1; Co1 4:14-17). See Introduction.

Verse 31

1 Timothy 1:3

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Timothy's superintendence of the Church at Ephesus was as locum tenens for the apostle, and so was temporary. Thus, the office of superintending overseer, needed for a time at Ephesus or Crete, in the absence of the presiding apostle, subsequently became a permanent institution on the removal, by death, of the apostles who heretofore superintended the churches. The first title of these overseers seems to have been "angels" (Rev 1:20).

Verse 41

1 Timothy 1:4

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fables--legends about the origin and propagation of angels, such as the false teachers taught at Colosse (Col 2:18-23). "Jewish fables" (Tit 1:14). "Profane, and old wives' fables" (Ti1 4:7; Ti2 4:4).

Verse 51

1 Timothy 1:5

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But--in contrast to the doctrine of the false teachers.

Verse 61

1 Timothy 1:6

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From which--namely, from a pure heart, good conscience, and faith unfeigned, the well-spring of love.

having swerved--literally, "having missed the mark (the 'end') to be aimed at." It is translated, "erred," Ti1 6:21; Ti2 2:18. Instead of aiming at and attaining the graces above named, they "have turned aside (Ti1 5:15; Ti2 4:4; Heb 12:13) unto vain jangling"; literally, "vain talk," about the law and genealogies of angels (Ti1 1:7; Tit 3:9; Tit 1:10); Ti1 6:20, "vain babblings and oppositions." It is the greatest vanity when divine things are not truthfully discussed (Rom 1:21) [BENGEL].

Verse 71

1 Timothy 1:7

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Sample of their "vain talk" (Ti1 1:6).

Desiring--They are would-be teachers, not really so.

the law--the Jewish law (Tit 1:14; Tit 3:9). The Judaizers here meant seem to be distinct from those impugned in the Epistles to the Galatians and Romans, who made the works of the law necessary to justification in opposition to Gospel grace. The Judaizers here meant corrupted the law with "fables," which they pretended to found on it, subversive of morals as well as of truth. Their error was not in maintaining the obligation of the law, but in abusing it by fabulous and immoral interpretations of, and additions to, it.

neither what they say, nor whereof--neither understanding their own assertions, nor the object itself about which they make them. They understand as little about the one as the other [ALFORD].

Verse 81

1 Timothy 1:8

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But--"Now we know" (Rom 3:19; Rom 7:14).

law is good--in full agreement with God's holiness and goodness.

if a man--primarily, a teacher; then, every Christian.

use it lawfully--in its lawful place in the Gospel economy, namely, not as a means of a "'righteous man" attaining higher perfection than could be attained by the Gospel alone (Ti1 4:8; Tit 1:14), which was the perverted use to which the false teachers put it, but as a means of awakening the sense of sin in the ungodly (Ti1 1:9-10; compare Rom 7:7-12; Gal 3:21).

Verse 91

1 Timothy 1:9

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law is not made for a righteous man--not for one standing by faith in the righteousness of Christ put on him for justification,and imparted inwardly by the Spirit for sanctification. "One not forensically amenable to the law" [ALFORD]. For sanctification, the law gives no inward power to fulfil it; but ALFORD goes too far in speaking of the righteous man as "not morally needing the law." Doubtless, in proportion as he is inwardly led by the Spirit, the jus…

Verse 101

1 Timothy 1:10

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whoremongers, &c.--sinners against the seventh commandment.

Verse 111

1 Timothy 1:11

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According to the glorious gospel--The Christian's freedom from the law as a sanctifier, as well as a justifier, implied in the previous, Ti1 1:9-10, is what this Ti1 1:11 is connected with. This exemption of the righteous from the law, and assignment of it to the lawless as its true object, is "according to the Gospel of the glory (so the Greek, compare Note, see on Co2 4:4) of the blessed God." The Gospel manifests God's glory (Eph 1:17; Eph 3:16) in acco…

Verse 121

1 Timothy 1:12

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The honor done him in having the Gospel ministry committed to him suggests the digression to what he once was, no better (Ti1 1:13) than those lawless ones described above (Ti1 1:9-10), when the grace of our Lord (Ti1 1:14) visited him.

Verse 131

1 Timothy 1:13

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Who was before--Greek, "Formerly being a blasphemer." "Notwithstanding that I was before a blasphemer," &c. (Act 26:9, Act 26:11).

Verse 141

1 Timothy 1:14

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And--Greek, "But." Not only so (was mercy shown me), but

the grace--by which "I obtained mercy" (Ti1 1:13).

was exceeding abundant--Greek, "superabounded." Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound" (Rom 5:20).

with faith--accompanied with faith, the opposite of "unbelief" (Ti1 1:13).

love--in contrast to "a blasphemer, persecutor, and injurious."

which is in Christ--as its element and home [ALFORD]: here as its source whence it flows to us.

Verse 151

1 Timothy 1:15

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faithful--worthy of credit, because "God" who says it "is faithful" to His word (Co1 1:9; Th1 5:24; Th2 3:3; Rev 21:5; Rev 22:6). This seems to have become an axiomatic saying among Christians the phrase, "faithful saying," is peculiar to the Pastoral Epistles (Ti1 2:11; Ti1 4:9; Tit 3:8). Translate as Greek, "Faithful is the saying."

Verse 161

1 Timothy 1:16

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Howbeit--Greek, "But"; contrasting his own conscious sinfulness with God's gracious visitation of him in mercy.

for this cause--for this very purpose.

that in me--in my case.

first--"foremost." As I was "foremost" (Greek for chief, Ti1 1:15) in sin, so God has made me the "foremost" sample of mercy.

show--to His own glory (the middle Greek, voice), Eph 2:7.

all long-suffering--Greek, "the whole (of His) long-suffering," namely, in bearing so long with me while I was a persecutor.

a pattern--a sample (Co1 10:6, Co1 10:11) to assure the greatest sinners of the certainty that they shall not be rejected in coming to Christ, since even Saul found mercy. So David made his own case of pardon, notwithstanding the greatness of his sin, a sample to encourage other sinners to seek pardon (Psa 32:5-6). The Greek for "pattern" is sometimes used for a "sketch" or outline--the filling up to take place in each man's own case.

believe on him--Belief rests ON Him as the only foundation on which faith relies.

to life everlasting--the ultimate aim which faith always keeps in view (Tit 1:2).

Verse 171

1 Timothy 1:17

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A suitable conclusion to the beautifully simple enunciation of the Gospel, of which his own history is a living sample or pattern. It is from the experimental sense of grace that the doxology flows [BENGEL].

Verse 181

1 Timothy 1:18

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He resumes the subject begun at Ti1 1:3. The conclusion (apodosis) to the foregoing, "as I besought thee . . . charge" (Ti1 1:3), is here given, if not formally, at least substantially.

Verse 191

1 Timothy 1:19

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Holding--Keeping hold of "faith" and "good conscience" (Ti1 1:5); not "putting the latter away" as "some." Faith is like a very precious liquor; a good conscience is the clean, pure glass that contains it [BENGEL]. The loss of good conscience entails the shipwreck of faith. Consciousness of sin (unrepented of and forgiven) kills the germ of faith in man [WIESINGER].

Verse 201

1 Timothy 1:20

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Hymenaeus--There is no difficulty in supposing him to be the HymenÃ&brvbrus of Ti2 2:17. Though "delivered over to Satan" (the lord of all outside the Church, Act 26:18, and the executor of wrath, when judicially allowed by God, on the disobedient, Co1 5:5; Co2 12:7), he probably was restored to the Church subsequently, and again troubled it. Paul, as an apostle, though distant at Rome pronounced the sentence to be executed at Ephesus, involving, probably,…