The letters to Timothy and Titus are different from Paul's other letters. These letters were written not to a church but to a person. They were personal. Timothy was Paul's young assistant who had accompanied him for years and acted as his liaison to a number of churches. Timothy whose name means “one who honors God” was Paul’s “beloved son in the faith.” Timothy’s conversion to Christianity was produced by Paul’s ministry during his first missionary endeavor (Acts 14:6-18) to Lystra, the home town of young Timothy. Though Lystra was a city full of false religions, Timothy’s mother Eunice and grandmother Lois had raised him to be a Hebrew as they were (2 Tim. 1:5, Acts 16:1). Timothy’s father -being a Greek- refused for Timothy to be circumcised, but no doubt Timothy’s mother and grandmother taught him the history of their faith (2 Tim. 3:15) and instilled a faithfulness to the Lord. Timothy had a good report of the Christians that were in that city, and Paul then took Timothy with him on his missionary journeys. Timothy was Paul’s “true child in the faith.” (1 Tim. 1:2)
Ephesus was
a proud, rich city with a busy port at the end of the caravan route of Asia. It
was the fourth largest city in the Roman empire. This was a large city
containing a theatre that could seat upwards of 25,000 people. The city of
Ephesus was littered with temples, libraries, and public baths. Ephesus had a
town square with a market place. Despite the growth of Christianity in the city
of Ephesus, this city was still filled with pagan ideology. The worship of the
goddess Diana/Artemis was prevalent in this city. The temple of Diana/Artemis
was built in this city and was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the
World, it was four times larger than the Parthenon. The trade of Ephesus was
very important in this hustle and bustle land. While Christianity was on the
rise in Ephesus, the silversmiths and makers of silver shrines for Diana grew
weary of losing their precious income (Acts 19:23-41). Before Ephesus became a hub for Christendom, it was once the epicenter
for the cult worshippers of Diana. According to Greek mythology Diana was
considered the fertile goddess. Ephesus was so inundated with false doctrine,
that when they went to persecute Alexander who was a Jewish Christian, they chanted
for two hours straight “Great is Diana of the Ephesians” (Acts 19:34).
When Paul
visited Ephesus in Acts 20:17, he reminded
the Ephesian elders of his preaching of repentance and faith towards Jesus
Christ(Acts 20:19-21). It was this preaching that had converted many
from worshipping false idols and turning to Jesus Christ as their Lord and
Savior. The apostle then warned them of false teachers, who would come into the
flock of God as grievous wolves (Acts 19:29). Such a warning was relevant to the church of God in Ephesus,
considering that such false doctrine abounded in their city. Warning the church
of false teachers was of upmost importance to Paul, for we see many times in
Paul’s letter to Timothy to warn many of false doctrine, and to heed to the
truth (1 Tim 1:3-4, 4:1-2, 16, 6:3-5, 20, 1 Tim 1:13-14, 2:15-18, 4:1-4).
Timothy
traveled with Paul to Berea (Acts 17:14), Athens (Acts 17:15, Corinth (Acts 18:5 2 Cor. 1:19), to Jerusalem (Acts 20:4). Timothy was imprisoned with Paul in Rome (Phil. 2:19-23). Paul
believed in Timothy’s ministry and ability that the apostle would send Timothy
to be his representative to various churches (1 Cor. 4:17; 16:10; Phil. 2:19; 1 Thess. 3:2). And here in these letters we find that Paul had
left Timothy in help guide and lead the church in Ephesus. Timothy was present
with Paul when he penned the letters to the churches of the Thessalonians and
the Corinthians (1 Thess. 1:1,2; 2 Thess. 1:1; Acts 19:22; 2 Cor. 1:1). Paul left
in the care of Timothy the church in Ephesus while he went on to Macedonia (1 Tim. 1:3). Paul had done some of his greatest work in
Ephesus. Some four years after Paul had left Ephesus he wrote them the letter
which we call the Epistle to the Ephesians around A.D. 62.
The first letter Paul wrote Timothy may have been considered personal, but it included instructions to the church as a whole in Ephesus. Paul addressed Timothy, but also includes his apostolic credentials. This gives us the clue that Paul was addressing Timothy and to the churches in Ephesus.
The theme
throughout the epistle is the command for Timothy to “teach no other doctrine.”
There arose some in Ephesus who were desiring to be “teachers of the law” but
they did not understand what they were teaching. Paul had to correct the idea
of teaching the law in retrospect to the Gospel of Jesus (1 Tim 1:3-11). With Ephesus indoctrinated with
pagan religion and an ungodly culture, it was inevitable for there to arise
teachers proclaiming a false doctrine. With false teachers and false doctrine
becoming an issue within the churches in Ephesus, Paul had to set in order the
organization of church leadership. Paul
gives the qualifications for elders and deacons in overseeing the life of the
church. (1 Tim. 3:1-13) Apparently the dissension of false teachers
was arising from those less than qualified within in the current church. Paul
states that a elder must not be a “new convert, lest he became conceited and
fall into the condemnation of the devil.” (1 Tim 3:6)
Our purpose today is the same plea, to fight for and contend for the faith. What has been entrusted to us has to be kept. Timothy may have been young, but Paul trusted him with the Gospel. You and I are being handed the glorious gospel that saves sinners. The gospel of Jesus Christ that was preached to us and led to our salvation, must be cherished and held onto. Any corrupters of pure doctrine must be opposed. Embracing culture and loosening our grip on doctrine will shipwreck the church. We are a light set on a hill, we must shine with the radiance of the Gospel. The church and it’s doctrine will not be accepted by the world, it’s not our duty to water down the truth that saves. Truth that does not lead to deliverance is not truth at all. The truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ sets people free from the bondage of sin. If chains are not being broken, lives being restored and made holy, then we are preaching another gospel. The same Gospel that delivered us and freed us from sin, will be the same Gospel that will bring revival to our cities and world.
Part 2 to be continued on 2 Timothy
Robert Prater
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