1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope;

2Unto Timothy, my own son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.

3As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine,

4Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.

5Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:

6From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling;

7Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm.

8But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully;

9Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,

10For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;

11According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.

12And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;

13Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.

14And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.

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

16Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.

17Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

18This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare;

19Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:

20Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.

COMMENTARY by Dr. Dave Burnette

Written By: God through Inspiration

Penned By: Paul

Date Penned: (64 AD)

Overview: Instructions for the Early Church (c 1-3)

Theme: Instructions on the Right Belief (c 1)

Message: Paul Encourages Timothy (v 1-20)

1 Timothy 1 Commentary

(1:1-2) Greetings from Paul - Paul wrote these instructions to Timothy, a young pastor who was also Paul’s associate. But they were certainly directed to a wider audience. Paul wanted the believers in Ephesus to comply with his commands through his representative, Timothy. Because Paul addressed the requirements of various roles within the local church, his directions continue to apply to church leaders today.

(1:3-11) Warnings Against False Teachings - After communicating volumes with his brief greeting, Paul abruptly turned his attention to one of the immediate reasons for his letter—Timothy’s struggle with false teachers. Paul had left Timothy in Ephesus as a personal deterrent to those who were promoting their own brands of religion. To help Timothy, Paul reminded him of the central points in the conflict, then followed with a personal comparison between himself and the false teachers (1:12-16).

(1:12-17) Paul's Gratitude for God's Mercy - In the previous paragraph Paul included a hard listing of sinful behaviors. But his reason was not for self-righteousness—pointing out other people’s sins to make himself look better. In the face of our tendency to despair when confronted with our own sinfulness, Paul could cheerfully say, “Well, just look at how desperate I was, and what God’s mercy has done for me!” Paul was convinced that if God could save him, then God could save anyone.

(1:18-20) Timothy's Responsibility - From the high point of praise to God, Paul turned his attention back to Timothy. The young disciple faced a difficult situation in the church at Ephesus, but Paul knew he could handle the challenge. What Timothy needed in the meantime was encouragement and helpful instructions. Like a coach preparing his eager young fighter for the match of his life, Paul put an imaginary arm around Timothy’s shoulders and passed on a few last-minute instructions.

LIFE APPLICATION by Dr. Dave Burnette

Each day we walk through the Bible chapter by chapter making an application of our text to help us grow in the Lord. Many applications can be made from each day's text. Today we Start in the book of 1st Timothy with Chapter 1 and in our text we see Paul instructing Timothy on the right belief as he warns of false teachers, how the law shows us the truth that we are all sinners, and for us to cling tightly to our faith. In making application we see our humble faith should be at the forefront of all we do. We need to be aware of false principles that some teach and line our lives up with the Word of God, seeing ourselves as sinners saved by God's Grace. How about you? How do you see yourself? Let us learn from our text today and the reminder of Paul that we are all sinners saved by God's Grace in our Faith in Christ Jesus so let us live humbly before our Lord according to His Word.