Paul’s first letter to Timothy was written while Timothy was a young man. He was living in a godless place, the city of Ephesus. One of the seven wonders of the world was built in Ephesus to honor the goddess Artemis/Diana, who was known as a mighty hunter and a fierce warrior. Music and art celebrated violence. Paganism was superstitious and plagued by myths and meaningless debates. Virtues like forgiveness, grace, and kindness were taken as signs of weakness. Christians were even facing increased persecution, which the apostle Paul knew from personal experience. Timothy’s responsibility was to train himself to be godly in a godless place. Godliness matters because God’s mission matters. The challenge is to train ourselves to be like Jesus, to be godly. The encouragement is that godlessness is an opportunity for the gospel to take root and grow.
Train to be Godly
March 24, 2024 • Andrew Cullen • 1 Timothy 4:1–10
Slaves and Masters
May 5, 2024 • Andrew Cullen • 1 Timothy 6:1–2
Slavery was a divisive relationship and a polarizing issue. Paul is speaking to slaves who associate the yoke of slavery with pain. Most Christians were in the lower class, which means that many early followers of Jesus were slaves themselves. The chief concern for Paul was the glory of God and the salvation of people, not freedom of the slaves or an increase in privilege for the owners. This doesn’t mean that Paul doesn’t want slaves to be free. He encourages slaves to be free if given the opportunity. This doesn’t mean that Paul is endorsing slavery. Paul “aimed to destroy slavery without waging a war to do so!” The relationship between slaves and masters should be symbiotic because all followers of Jesus are witnesses to the world of the saving, transforming power of the gospel of Jesus.
Be Generous with Honor and Grace
April 28, 2024 • Andrew Cullen • 1 Timothy 5:17–25
Those who lead, serve, and teach well should receive double honor. There are two levels of honor. (1) Honor in the sense that one who leads well is respected and appreciated, and (2) Honor in the sense that one who leads well is provided for financially. At the same time, leaders must be given grace. Grace is unnecessary favor poured out on the undeserving. Leaders will fail. Leaders will fall. As followers of Jesus, we should be generous with honor when they deserve it and we should be generous with grace when they don’t.