1 Timothy 1

1 and 2 Timothy and Titus are often referred to as pastoral epistles. Paul gives practical, warm pastoral advice to churches in his care. Paul had visited Ephesus during his second missionary journey and spent considerable time there during his third missionary journey. In Acts 20 we read, “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; ³⁰ and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them.” (Acts 20:28-30).

Paul is an apostle so he is writing very publicly as well, through the Holy Spirit – not just to the church in Ephesus, but churches everywhere. Chapter one shows us what a spiritual healthy church looks like. It is:
1.  A gospel church,
2. A prayerful church,
3. A governed church.

A gospel church should:

1. Preach the gospel,
2. Personify the gospel,
3. preserve the gospel.

1. A gospel church should preach the gospel (verse 1-11).

False teachers were going to sneak in and act like savage wolves. They were enticing people away with unbiblical teaching. Paul says, “As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, ⁴ nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith.” (v3-4).

Deviating from gospel truth will hinder them with their walk with the Lord. It would not bring unity but division and leave the gospel in the shadows. Paul encourages Timothy and emboldens him to preach the gospel, to warn the false teachers, to avoid controversial speculations and ignore unhelpful things. The reason Paul says this to Timothy is because of love, “The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” (v5). The love Paul is commending here is love for the Lord, love for one another, love for the lost. Those who embrace the Lord will love the gospel. Gospel love comes from a cleansed love.

By contrast, we read in verse 6, “Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion.” People from church should not be characterised by this. Timothy is to restore these backsliders.

The gospel is the good news about Jesus Christ. The bad news is God is 100% perfect but you and I have not lived up to His standards. God, in His perfect heaven, cannot allow anyone not perfect in His heaven. We have broken His law and deserve His punishment. We have sinned. The wages of sin is death. It is what we deserve. However, the good news is Jesus. He left heaven, lived a perfect life, and died on the cross to take the punishment we deserve. If we trust in Him, we will be saved from sin, saved from death, saved from hell. Have you done that? Do you know Jesus Christ as your Saviour?

The wannabe teachers (v2) want to be prominent amongst the people. But Paul says, “Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully.” (v.8). These would be teachers had failed to appreciate God’s law. They had practises that were contrary to the gospel. The fake teachers wanted to take people to the Old Testament to fulfil rituals of the Old Testament. They wanted to be teachers of the law but they didn’t understand it. God’s law has the purpose of revealing sin in the hearer, so we won’t trust in our own efforts to remove sin but look to Jesus Christ. Paul reminds Timothy, the Ephesian church and us, to keep the main thing the main thing – the gospel.

2. A gospel church should personify the gospel (verses 12-17).

The greatest demonstration of the gospel is the transformed person of the believer (v.12-13). Paul was bad news to the church but through Jesus he was changed, a new creation. This changed life is through the gospel. It is not initiated through us (v.14). God had done it, “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.” (v.15). Paul considered himself to be the worst of the worst. Yet even he received mercy (v.16). Is that your testimony today?

Paul goes on to say that he is an example; if God in His grace and mercy can save the likes of you and me and Saul of Tarsus, he can save anyone on condition they believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. When they faithfully demonstrate a changed life, it will commend the gospel. The gospel is to be lived out by us, personified by us. This is the glorious gospel from God. Paul ascribes all glory and honour to God.

3. A gospel church should preserve the gospel (18-end of chapter).

For Timothy and us, we need to wage war against false teachers who will do much harm to the church (v.18). They must fight the good fight. There is no place for complacency. It is only from God that strength comes, and from Him alone. Some were turning to their own reasoning and made a shipwreck of their Christian life (v.19).

There needs to be an active response, not a passive response to false teaching. Paul gives 2 examples – he kicked two men out of the church who had departed from the gospel. Out of love, difficult things had to be done. Why did Paul take such drastic action? To preserve the gospel, to protect the flock, so that the two men might repent.

Some Christians start off well; they live the gospel but then deviate. They may go off to another church and are nowhere spiritually now. We are living in days when there is so much pressure on us to deviate from the gospel. There is pressure to water down the gospel. We are not to do that. We must remain faithful and preserve the gospel.

A healthy church is a gospel church. We all have a part to play. May the Lord help you and me, and corporately as a church, for the glory of God – to preach the gospel, to personify the gospel and to preserve the gospel.