Book of 1 Timothy
Instructions for church leadership and godly living.
About the Book of 1 Timothy
First Timothy is the first of the three "Pastoral Epistles" (1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus), letters addressed not to churches but to individual church leaders. Timothy was Paul's closest protégé — described as "my true son in the faith" — who had been left in Ephesus to deal with false teachers and to establish healthy church order.
The letter covers a wide range of practical and doctrinal concerns: how to handle false teachers, instructions for prayer in worship, guidelines for the selection of elders and deacons (the character requirements of chapter 3 have shaped church leadership standards for two thousand years), how to treat different groups within the congregation, and warnings about the love of money. The famous statement appears in chapter 6: "The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil."
Throughout the letter, Paul weaves in rich theological statements: "There is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people" (2:5-6). "Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory" (3:16). First Timothy is a practical manual for church health that has never been surpassed.