1 Timothy 1:3-11

Warning Against False Teachers

3 ¹As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not ²to teach any different doctrine,

4 nor ³to devote themselves to myths and endless ⁴genealogies, which promote ⁵speculations rather than the stewardship^[a] from God that is by faith.

5 The aim of our charge is love ⁶that issues from a pure heart and ⁷a good conscience and ⁸a sincere faith.

6 Certain persons, by ⁹swerving from these, have wandered away into ¹⁰vain discussion,

7 desiring to be teachers of the law, ¹¹without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.

8 Now we know that ¹²the law is good, if one uses it lawfully,

9 understanding this, that the ¹³law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers,

10 the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, ^[b] liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to ¹⁴sound^[c] doctrine,

11 in accordance with ¹⁵the gospel of the glory of ¹⁶the blessed God ¹⁷with which I have been entrusted.

1 Timothy 1:3-11 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO 1 TIMOTHY

Timothy, to whom this epistle is written, was eminent for his early piety and acquaintance with the sacred Scriptures; his mother was a Jewess, and his father a Greek, which was the reason why he was not circumcised in his infancy. Mention is made in the second epistle to him of his mother Eunice, and grandmother Lois, as believers, and of his knowledge of the Scriptures from a child: this excellent person the apostle meeting with at Lystra, and having a good report of him from the brethren there, he chose him to be his companion in his travels, and to assist him in the spread of the Gospel; and knowing that it would be very disagreeable to the Jews to hear the word of God from the lips of an uncircumcised person, he took him and circumcised him, becoming all things to all, that he might gain some. This being done, he went along with him into several parts, and he made great use of him, in preaching the word, planting churches, and writing epistles; he sent him to various places with messages from him, to Corinth, Philippi, and Thessalonica; and now had left him at Ephesus, where he besought him to abide for a while; for that he was the bishop, pastor, or overseer of that church is not likely, since his residence here was not constant, and was afterwards called away from hence by the apostle, who desired his stay there, under whom, and by whose directions, he acted while there; and seeing that this church had elders, bishops, or overseers, whom the Holy Ghost had set over them, whom the apostle called to him at Miletus, and gave them some advice and instructions. The design of Timothy's continuance there was to check growing errors and heresies, and to take care of, and preserve the discipline of God's house; and to charge him with these things was the design of this epistle; in which he teaches him how to behave himself in the church of God, by taking heed to his doctrine and conversation; and gives rules relating to the qualifications of bishops and deacons, and to the care of widows, and with regard to church censures, and the becoming walk and conversation of all sorts of persons of every office, age, sex, rank, and order. This epistle is thought to be written about the year 55.

\\INTRODUCTION TO 1 TIMOTHY 1\\

In this chapter, after the inscription and salutation, the apostle having entreated Timothy to abide at Ephesus, observes, that his end was, that he might check the false teachers there, whom he describes; and then he gives an account of his apostleship, and also of his conversion, to the encouragement of sinners, and to the glory of the grace of God; and closes with an exhortation to Timothy to constancy and perseverance in his Christian warfare. The inscription and salutation are in 1Ti 1:1,2 and much in the common form; and whereas, when he went into Macedonia, he desired Timothy to continue at Ephesus, his end was, to restrain the false teachers from preaching the doctrine they did, which was contrary to the Gospel, fabulous, useless, and unedifying, 1Ti 1:3,4 for though these men set up for teachers of the law, they went off, and strayed from its general end, which was love with faith, through their ignorance of it, 1Ti 1:5-7 not but that the law itself was good, as Gospel ministers full well knew; which is said to prevent an objection against them, as laying it aside as useless; but the abuse of it is what is complained of, it being made for some persons, and not for others who are mentioned, between which, and the sound doctrine of the Gospel, there is an agreement, 1Ti 1:8-11 which leads on the apostle to observe his call to the office of a preacher of it by Christ, his qualification for it, and investiture with it, for which he gives thanks, 1Ti 1:12 And in order to illustrate the grace of God in converting him first, and then making him a minister of the word, he takes notice of his state and condition before conversion, what a vile sinner he had been, and of the abundant grace God bestowed on him in it, 1Ti 1:13,14 And that this case of his might not seem strange and incredible, he observes, that this is the sum of the Gospel, that Christ came into the world to save the chief of sinners, such an one as he was, 1Ti 1:15. And besides, the end of the Lord in his conversion was, by the pattern of longsuffering he showed in him, that others might be encouraged to believe in Christ also, 1Ti 1:16 and then for all this grace bestowed on him, he ascribes honour and glory to God, 1Ti 1:17 and renews his charge to Timothy to fight manfully against the false teachers, to which he should be the more induced by the consideration of the prophecies that went before of him, 1Ti 1:18 and to hold faith and good conscience, which had been dropped by some professors; of which instances are given in Hymenaeus and Philetus, 1Ti 1:19,20.

Cross References

• 1. 1:3 [Titus 1:5]
• 2. 1:3 ch. 6:3; [Gal. 1:6, 7]
• 3. 1:4 ch. 4:7; 2 Tim. 4:4; Titus 1:14; 2 Pet. 1:16
• 4. 1:4 Titus 3:9
• 5. 1:4 ch. 6:4
• 6. 1:5 2 Tim. 2:22
• 7. 1:5 1 Pet. 3:16, 21
• 8. 1:5 Rom. 12:9; 2 Tim. 1:5
• 9. 1:6 ch. 6:21
• 10. 1:6 Titus 1:10
• 11. 1:7 [ch. 6:4; Col. 2:18]
• 12. 1:8 Rom. 7:16
• 13. 1:9 Gal. 5:23
• 14. 1:10 2 Tim. 4:3; [ch. 6:3; 2 Tim. 1:13; Titus 1:13; 2:2]
• 15. 1:11 [2 Cor. 4:4]
• 16. 1:11 ch. 6:15
• 17. 1:11 Titus 1:3; See Rom. 2:16; Gal. 2:7

Footnotes

• [a] 1:4 Or 'good order'
• [b] 1:10 That is, those who take someone captive in order to sell him into slavery
• [c] 1:10 Or 'healthy'