The First Epistle of Paul to Timothy
1Ti 1:11 Paul
[ par. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 ]
1Ti 1:11 [1] First Timothy unveils to us God’s economy concerning the church, 2 Timothy inoculates us against the decline of the church, and Titus is concerned with maintaining the order of the church. These are three aspects of one purpose, that is, to preserve the church as the proper expression of the Triune God, as symbolized by the golden lampstands in the ultimate portion of the divine revelation (Rev. 1:12, 20). For the accomplishing of this purpose, the following basic and crucial matters are stressed repeatedly in these three books:
1Ti 1:11 [2] (1) The faith, the contents of the complete gospel according to God’s New Testament economy. It is objective and is mentioned in 1 Tim. 1:4, 19; 2:7; 3:9, 13; 4:1, 6; 5:8; 6:10, 12, 21; 2 Tim. 3:8; 4:7; and Titus 1:1, 4, 13.
1Ti 1:11 [3] (2) The truth, the reality of the contents of the faith, mentioned in 1 Tim. 2:4, 7; 3:15; 4:3; 6:5; 2 Tim. 2:15, 18, 25; 3:7, 8; 4:4; and Titus 1:1, 14.
1Ti 1:11 [4] (3) Healthy teaching, in 1 Tim. 1:10, 2 Tim. 4:3, and Titus 1:9; 2:1; healthy words, in 1 Tim. 6:3 and 2 Tim. 1:13; healthy speech, in Titus 2:8; and healthy in the faith, in Titus 1:13; 2:2. All these are related to the condition of life.
1Ti 1:11 [5] (4) Life, the eternal life of God, in 1 Tim. 1:16; 6:12, 19; 2 Tim. 1:1, 10; and Titus 1:2; 3:7.
1Ti 1:11 [6] (5) Godliness, a living that is the expression of God, mentioned in 1 Tim. 2:2, 10 (godly); 3:16; 4:7, 8; 5:4 (respect); 6:3, 5, 6, 11; 2 Tim. 3:5, 12 (godly); and Titus 1:1; 2:12 (godly). The opposite, ungodliness, is mentioned in 1 Tim. 1:9 (ungodly), 2 Tim. 2:16, and Titus 2:12.
1Ti 1:11 [7] (6) Faith, our act of believing in the gospel, in God, and in His word and deeds. It is subjective and is mentioned in 1 Tim. 1:2, 5, 14, 19; 2:15; 4:12; 6:11; 2 Tim. 1:5, 13; 2:22; 3:10, 15; and Titus 2:2; 3:15.
1Ti 1:11 [8] (7) The conscience, the leading part of our spirit, which justifies or condemns our relationships with God and with man. It is mentioned in 1 Tim. 1:5, 19; 3:9; 4:2; 2 Tim. 1:3; and Titus 1:15.
1Ti 1:11 [9] The faith equals the contents of the economy, the household administration, the dispensation, of God. The truth is the contents, the reality, of the faith according to God’s economy. Healthy teaching, healthy words, and healthy speech are the ministry of the truth, ministering to people the reality of the divine truths. Eternal life is the means and power to carry out the divine realities of the faith. Godliness is a living that expresses the divine reality, an expression of God in all His riches. Faith (subjective) is the response to the truth of the faith (objective); such faith receives and participates in the divine realities. The conscience is a test and a check to preserve us in the faith.
1Ti 1:1a apostle Acts 14:14; 1 Cor. 9:1-2, 5; 2 Cor. 11:5
1Ti 1:1b according Titus 1:3; cf. 2 Tim. 1:1; Titus 1:1
1Ti 1:12c command John 13:34; Acts 1:2; Rom. 16:26; Titus 1:3; 1 John 2:3; 3:23-24
It was according to the command of God and of Christ that Paul became an apostle. In his earlier Epistles he told us that he was an apostle through the will of God (1 Cor. 1:1; 2 Cor. 1:1; Eph. 1:1; Col. 1:1). The command of God is a definite expression, a further direction, of the will of God.
1Ti 1:13d God 1 Tim. 4:10; Titus 2:13; 1 Tim. 2:3; Titus 1:3; 2:10; 3:4; Jude 25; Psa. 65:5
God our Savior here and like titles in 2:3; 4:10 and Titus 1:3; 2:10, 13; 3:4 are particular titles ascribed to God in the three books of 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus, which take God’s salvation as a strong base for the teachings concerning God’s New Testament economy (1:15-16; 2:4-6; 2 Tim. 1:9-10; 2:10; 3:15; Titus 2:14; 3:5-7). It was according to the command of such a saving God, a Savior God, not according to the command of the law-giving God, a demanding God, that Paul became an apostle.
1Ti 1:14e hope Col. 1:27; Titus 1:2; 2:13; 3:7
Christ Jesus is not only God’s Anointed (Christ) to be our Savior (Jesus) that we might be saved to gain the eternal life of God, but also our hope to bring us into the full blessing and enjoyment of this eternal life. The hope of eternal life revealed in Titus 1:2, which was the base and condition of Paul’s apostleship, and the blessed hope revealed in Titus 2:13, which we are awaiting as the appearing of the glory of the great God and our Savior, are intimately related to the person of God’s Messiah, our Savior. Hence, He Himself is our hope, the hope of glory (Col. 1:27). It was according to the command not only of our Savior God but also of the One who saved us with eternal life and will bring us into the glory of this life that Paul became an apostle. His command is of the eternal life and is to be fulfilled by the eternal life, in contrast to the command of the law-giving God, which was of letters and was to be fulfilled by human effort, without the supply of eternal life.
1Ti 1:21a Timothy Acts 16:1-3; 1 Cor. 4:17
The Greek word is composed of honor and God. Thus, the name means to honor God.
1Ti 1:2b child 1 Tim. 1:18; 2 Tim. 1:2; 2:1; 1 Cor. 4:17, 15; cf. Titus 1:4; Philem. 10
1Ti 1:22 faith
Timothy became a genuine child of Paul not by natural birth but in faith (i.e., in the sphere and element of faith), not physically but spiritually.
1Ti 1:2c mercy 1 Tim. 1:13, 16; 2 Tim. 1:2, 16, 18; Titus 3:5; Rom. 9:15, 18
1Ti 1:31 going
This must have been after the apostle was liberated from his first imprisonment in Rome (see note 62 in 2 Tim. 4). He probably wrote this Epistle from Macedonia (today’s northern Greece and southern Bulgaria).
1Ti 1:3a Macedonia Acts 16:9, 12; 20:1, 3
1Ti 1:3b Ephesus Acts 18:19, 24; 19:1
1Ti 1:32 certain
Certain dissenting ones, such as those mentioned in v. 6 and Gal. 1:7; 2:12.
1Ti 1:33c different 1 Tim. 6:3
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1Ti 1:33 [1] To teach different things was to teach myths, unending genealogies (v. 4), and the law (vv. 7-8). All such teaching was vain talking (v. 6), differing from the apostles’ teaching, which was centered on Christ and the church, that is, on the economy of God.
1Ti 1:33 [2] Paul’s Epistles are the completion of the divine revelation concerning God’s eternal purpose and economy (Col. 1:25). His ministry completes the revelation concerning the all-inclusive Christ and His universal Body, the church as His fullness to express Him. Concerning the church as the Body of Christ there are two sides: life and practice. From Romans through 2 Thessalonians a full revelation is given concerning the life of the church, including the nature, responsibility, and function of the church. Now, from 1 Timothy through Philemon a detailed revelation concerning the practice of the church is presented. This pertains to the administration and shepherding of a local church. For this, the first thing needed is to terminate the different teachings of the dissenters, which distract the saints from the central line and ultimate goal of God’s New Testament economy (vv. 4-6). The different teachings in vv. 3-4, 6-7; 6:3-5, 20-21 and the heresies in 4:1-3 are the seed, the source, of the church’s decline, degradation, and deterioration dealt with in 2 Timothy.
1Ti 1:41a myths Titus 1:14
The same word is used in 4:7 and 2 Tim. 4:4. It refers to words, speeches, and conversations concerning such things as rumors, reports, true or false stories, and fictions. It might include Jewish stories of miracles, rabbinical fabrications, etc. These were profane and old-womanish myths (4:7) and Jewish myths (Titus 1:14).
1Ti 1:42b genealogies Titus 3:9
Probably referring to Old Testament genealogies adorned with fables (Titus 3:9).
1Ti 1:4c questionings 1 Tim. 6:4; 2 Tim. 2:23; Titus 3:9
1Ti 1:43d economy Eph. 1:10; 3:9; Col. 1:25; 1 Cor. 9:17
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1Ti 1:43 [1] The Greek word means household law, implying distribution (the base of this word is of the same origin as that for pasture in John 10:9, implying a distribution of the pasture to the flock). It denotes a household management, a household administration, a household government, and, derivatively, a dispensation, a plan, or an economy for administration (distribution); hence, it is also a household economy. God’s economy in faith is His household economy, His household administration (cf. note 101 in Eph. 1; Eph. 3:9), which is to dispense Himself in Christ into His chosen people that He may have a house to express Himself, which house is the church (3:15), the Body of Christ. The apostle’s ministry was centered on this economy of God (Col. 1:25; 1 Cor. 9:17), whereas the different teachings of the dissenting ones were used by God’s enemy to distract His people from this economy. In the administration and shepherding of a local church, this divine economy must be made fully clear to the saints.
1Ti 1:43 [2] In the first chapter of this book the apostle Paul presented God’s economy in opposition to different teachings. God’s economy is in faith (v. 4), whereas the different teachings are based on the principle of the law and centered on the law (vv. 7-10). Hence, faith is versus the law, as dealt with in Gal. 3 (vv. 2, 5, 23-25). Any teaching that is based on the principle of the law and centered on the law is unhealthy (v. 10). Only God’s economy, which is in faith, in opposition to the teachings that are based on the principle of the law and centered on the law, is healthy and can make it possible for people to believe on Christ unto eternal life (v. 16) and to thus participate in God’s eternal plan, God’s economy, which is in faith. This is the gospel of glory with which the blessed God entrusted the apostle Paul (v. 11). If anyone thrusts away such faith and a good conscience, regarding the faith he becomes shipwrecked on a deep sea (v. 19).
1Ti 1:44e faith 1 Tim. 2:7; 3:9; 4:1, 6; 5:8; 6:10, 12, 21; 2 Tim. 3:8; 4:7; Titus 1:13; Gal. 1:23
The economy of God is a matter in faith, i.e., a matter that is initiated and developed in the sphere and element of the faith. God’s economy, which is to dispense Himself into His chosen people, is not in the natural realm nor in the work of law but in the spiritual sphere of the new creation through regeneration by faith in Christ (Gal. 3:23-26). By faith we are born of God to be His sons, partaking of His life and nature to express Him. By faith we are put into Christ to become the members of His Body, sharing all that He is for His expression. This is God’s plan (dispensation), which is carried out in faith, according to His New Testament economy.
1Ti 1:51 charge
Referring to the charge in v. 3.
1Ti 1:52a love John 13:34; Gal. 5:13-14
The different teachings of the dissenting ones, mentioned in v. 3, caused envy and discord among the believers, which are contrary to love, the end of the apostle’s charge. To carry out the apostle’s charge, love, which is out of a pure heart, a good conscience, and unfeigned faith, is needed.
1Ti 1:53b pure 2 Tim. 2:22; Matt. 5:8; 1 Pet. 1:22; Psa. 24:4; 73:1
A pure heart is a single heart without mixture, a heart that seeks only the Lord and takes the Lord as the unique goal. A good conscience is a conscience without offense (Acts 24:16). Unfeigned faith, related to the faith mentioned in v. 4, is faith without pretense or hypocrisy, faith that purifies the heart (Acts 15:9) and operates through love (Gal. 5:6). In the trend of the church’s decline and in dealing with the different teachings, all these attributes are required for us to have a pure, true, and genuine love.
1Ti 1:5c conscience 1 Tim. 1:19; 3:9; 4:2; 2 Tim. 1:3; Titus 1:15; Acts 23:1; 24:16; Heb. 9:14; 1 Pet. 3:16, 21
1Ti 1:5d faith 2 Tim. 1:5; Gal. 5:6
1Ti 1:61a misaimed 1 Tim. 6:21; 2 Tim. 2:18
I.e., missed the mark, swerved, deviated.
1Ti 1:62b vain Titus 1:10; Eph. 5:6
Composed of myths and genealogies (v. 4) and the law (vv. 7-8).
1Ti 1:71a teachers Luke 5:17; Acts 5:34
Teachers of the law, who teach people what to do and what not to do, are different from ministers of Christ (4:6), who minister His riches to others.
1Ti 1:72b confidently Titus 3:8
Or, strongly affirm, emphatically affirm. The same word is used in Titus 3:8. See note 3 there.
1Ti 1:8a law Rom. 7:12, 16; Titus 3:9
1Ti 1:9c ungodly 2 Tim. 2:16; Titus 2:12; 1 Pet. 4:18; Jude 15
1Ti 1:9d unholy 2 Tim. 3:2
1Ti 1:9e profane 1 Tim. 4:7; 6:20; 2 Tim. 2:16
1Ti 1:91 strike
Or, kill.
1Ti 1:10a homosexuals Lev. 18:22; 1 Cor. 6:9
1Ti 1:101b healthy 2 Tim. 4:3; Titus 1:9; 2:1; 1 Tim. 6:3; 2 Tim. 1:13; Titus 2:8; 1:13; 2:2
Healthy implies the matter of life. The sound teaching of the apostles, which is according to the gospel of the glory of God, ministers the healthy teaching as the supply of life to people, either nourishing them or healing them; in contrast, the different teachings of the dissenting ones (v. 3) sow the seeds of death and poison into others. Any teaching that distracts people from the center and goal of God’s New Testament economy is not healthy.
1Ti 1:111b gospel 2 Cor. 4:4
The gospel of the glory of the blessed God is an excellent expression. It refers to God’s economy, mentioned in v. 4. The gospel with which the apostle Paul was entrusted is the effulgence of the glory of the blessed God. By dispensing God’s life and nature in Christ into God’s chosen people, this gospel shines forth God’s glory, in which God is blessed among His people. This is the commission and ministry the apostle received of the Lord (v. 12). This gospel should be commonly taught and preached in a local church.
1Ti 1:11c blessed 1 Tim. 6:15; Rom. 9:5
1Ti 1:11d entrusted Gal. 2:7; Titus 1:3
1Ti 1:121a empowers 2 Tim. 4:17; Phil. 4:13
The Lord not only appointed the apostle to the ministry and commissioned him with God’s economy outwardly but also empowered him inwardly to carry out His ministry and fulfill His commission. This is altogether a matter of life in the Spirit.
1Ti 1:12b faithful Matt. 24:45; 25:21, 23
1Ti 1:12c appointing 1 Tim. 2:7; 2 Tim. 1:11
1Ti 1:12d ministry Acts 20:24; 2 Cor. 4:1
1Ti 1:131 blasphemer
A blasphemer is one who blasphemes God, and a persecutor is one who persecutes man. Saul of Tarsus, a strict Pharisee (Acts 22:3; Phil. 3:4-5), could never have blasphemed God. But he did speak evilly of the Lord Jesus. Here he confessed that this was blasphemy. This indicates that he believed in the deity of Christ.
1Ti 1:13a persecutor 1 Cor. 15:9; Phil. 3:6
1Ti 1:132 insulting
Saul of Tarsus persecuted the church in an insulting, destructive way (Acts 22:4; Gal. 1:13, 23), just as the insulting Jews persecuted the Lord Jesus (Matt. 26:59, 67).
1Ti 1:133b mercy 1 Tim. 1:2; 1 Cor. 7:25; 2 Cor. 4:1
Saul, a blasphemer and a persecutor, first was shown mercy and then received grace (v. 14). Mercy reaches farther toward the unworthy one than grace does. Because Saul was one who blasphemed God and persecuted man, God’s mercy reached him before the Lord’s grace did.
1Ti 1:134c ignorant Luke 23:34; Acts 3:17
To be ignorant is to be in darkness, and unbelief comes from blindness. Saul of Tarsus was in darkness and acted in blindness when he opposed God’s New Testament economy.
1Ti 1:134d unbelief Matt. 13:58; Mark 6:6; Rom. 11:20, 23
See note 134.
1Ti 1:141a grace 2 Tim. 1:9; 2:1; Titus 2:11; 3:7; John 1:17; 1 Cor. 15:10; 2 Cor. 12:9; 13:14
The Lord’s grace, coming after God’s mercy, visited Saul of Tarsus and not only abounded but superabounded in him with faith and love in Christ. Faith and love are products of the Lord’s grace. Mercy and grace come to us from the Lord; faith and love return to the Lord from us. This is a spiritual traffic between the Lord and us.
1Ti 1:14b superabounded Rom. 5:20
1Ti 1:142c faith 1 Tim. 2:15; 2 Tim. 1:13; 1 Thes. 5:8; 3:6; 1:3
Through faith we receive the Lord (John 1:12), and through love we enjoy the Lord whom we have received (John 14:21, 23; 21:15-17).
1Ti 1:15a Faithful 1 Tim. 3:1; 4:9; 2 Tim. 2:11; Titus 3:8; Rev. 21:5
1Ti 1:151 came
Christ came into the world by incarnation to be our Savior (John 1:14). He was God incarnated to be a man that He might save us through His death and resurrection in His human body. In a local church this should be constantly announced as the glad tidings.
1Ti 1:15b sinners Matt. 9:13
1Ti 1:16a mercy 1 Tim. 1:2, 13
1Ti 1:161 pattern
Saul of Tarsus, the foremost among sinners, became a pattern to sinners, showing that sinners can be visited by God’s mercy and saved by the Lord’s grace.
1Ti 1:16b believe John 3:15-16
1Ti 1:162c eternal 1 Tim. 6:12, 19; 2 Tim. 1:1, 10; Titus 1:2; 3:7
The uncreated life of God, the ultimate gift and topmost blessing given by God to those who believe on Christ.
1Ti 1:171 Now
Paul’s praise to God in this verse is related to the decline of the church. The church may decline, deteriorate, and become degraded, but God is incorruptible. He remains the same. He is the King of eternity. In spite of the church’s decline, Paul had a strong faith with an absolute assurance that the very God in whom he believed, the One who had entrusted him with the gospel, is the King of the ages, incorruptible, unchangeable, and worthy of honor and glory.
1Ti 1:17a King 1 Tim. 6:15; Rev. 15:3; Psa. 10:16
1Ti 1:17b incorruptible Rom. 1:23
1Ti 1:17c invisible John 1:18; Col. 1:15; Heb. 11:27; 1 John 4:12
1Ti 1:17d only Rom. 16:27; Jude 25
1Ti 1:172e honor 1 Tim. 6:16; Rev. 4:11; 7:12
See note 92 in Heb. 2.
1Ti 1:17f glory 1 Chron. 29:11
1Ti 1:181a charge 1 Tim. 5:21; 6:13; 2 Tim. 4:1
To war the good warfare by the prophecies previously given.
1Ti 1:18b child 1 Tim. 1:2
1Ti 1:182c prophecies 1 Tim. 4:14
It might be that some prophetic intimations were made concerning Timothy when he was admitted into the ministry (Acts 16:1-3).
1Ti 1:183d war 1 Tim. 6:12; 2 Tim. 4:7
To war the good warfare is to war against the different teachings of the dissenters and to carry out God’s economy (v. 4) according to the apostle’s ministry concerning the gospel of grace and eternal life, that the blessed God may be glorified (vv. 11-16).
1Ti 1:19a Holding 1 Tim. 3:9; 6:12, 19; 2 Tim. 1:13; Titus 1:9; Eph. 4:15; Col. 2:19
1Ti 1:191b faith 1 Tim. 1:14
Faith and a good conscience (see note 53) go together. Whenever there is an offense in our conscience, there will be a leakage, and our faith will leak away. A good conscience accompanying faith is needed for warring the good warfare (v. 18) against the different teachings (v. 3) in a troubled local church.
1Ti 1:19c conscience 1 Tim. 1:5
1Ti 1:192 shipwrecked
This shows the seriousness of thrusting away faith and a good conscience. To hold faith and a good conscience is a safeguard for our Christian faith and life. The word shipwrecked implies that the Christian life and the church life are like a ship sailing on a stormy sea, needing to be safeguarded by faith and a good conscience.
1Ti 1:193d faith 1 Tim. 1:4
The faith here is objective, referring to the things in which we believe (see note 232 in Gal. 1), whereas faith at the beginning of this verse is subjective, referring to the act of our believing.
1Ti 1:201a Hymenaeus 2 Tim. 2:17
A heretical teacher (2 Tim. 2:17).
1Ti 1:202b Alexander 2 Tim. 4:14; cf. Acts 19:33
An opposer and attacker of the apostle (2 Tim. 4:14-15).
1Ti 1:20c delivered 1 Cor. 5:5
1Ti 1:203 disciplined
I.e., punished. It may refer to the destruction of their physical body (cf. 1 Cor. 5:5). To deliver persons like Hymenaeus and Alexander to Satan was to exercise the authority that the Lord had given to the apostle and the church (Matt. 16:19; 18:18) for the administrating of the church to counter Satan’s evil plot.
1Ti 1:20d blaspheme 1 Tim. 1:13; Acts 13:45; 18:6
1Ti 2:11a petitions Eph. 6:18; Phil. 4:6
A prayer ministry is the prerequisite for the administrating and shepherding of a local church. Concerning the difference between petitions and prayers, see note 62 in Phil. 4.
1Ti 2:12 intercessions
The Greek word denotes an approaching of God in a personal and confiding manner, i.e., an intervening, an interfering, before God in others’ affairs for their benefit.
1Ti 2:1b all 1 Tim. 2:4, 6
1Ti 2:21 quiet
A quiet and tranquil life is one that is peaceable, still, and without disturbance, not only outwardly in circumstances but also inwardly in our heart and spirit. Such a life enables us to have an enjoyable church life in godliness and gravity.
1Ti 2:22b godliness 1 Tim. 2:10; 3:16; 4:7, 8; 5:4; 6:3, 5, 6, 11; 2 Tim. 3:5, 12; Titus 1:1; 2:12; cf. 1 Tim. 1:9; 2 Tim. 2:16; Titus 2:12
Godlikeness, being like God, expressing God. The Christian life should be a life that expresses God and bears God’s likeness in all things.
1Ti 2:23c gravity 1 Tim. 3:4; Titus 2:7
A quality of human character that is worthy of reverence; it implies dignity and inspires and invites honor (see note 82 in Phil. 4). Godliness is the expression of God; gravity is toward man. Our Christian life should express God toward man with an honorable character that invites man’s reverence.
1Ti 2:3a acceptable 1 Tim. 5:4
1Ti 2:3b Savior 1 Tim. 1:1
1Ti 2:41a all 1 Tim. 2:1, 6; 4:10
We should pray on behalf of all men (v. 1) because God our Savior desires all men to be saved and know the truth. Our prayer is required for the carrying out of God’s desire.
1Ti 2:42c full 2 Tim. 2:25; 3:7; Titus 1:1
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1Ti 2:42 [1] God desires all the saved ones to have the full knowledge of the truth. Truth means reality, denoting all the real things revealed in God’s Word, which are mainly Christ as the embodiment of God and the church as the Body of Christ. Every saved person should have a full knowledge, a complete realization, of these things.
1Ti 2:42 [2] The object of the two Epistles to Timothy is to deal with the church’s decline. In the first Epistle the decline crept in subtly through different teachings (1:3), and in the second it had developed openly and was worsening through heresies (2 Tim. 2:16-18). To deal with such a decline, the truth must be maintained. The first Epistle emphasizes that God desires all His saved ones to have the full knowledge of the truth and that the church is the pillar and base of the truth (3:15). The second Epistle stresses that the word of the truth should be rightly unfolded (2 Tim. 2:15) and that the ones who have deviated should return to the truth (2 Tim. 2:25).
1Ti 2:4d truth 1 Tim. 2:7; 3:15; 4:3; 6:5; 2 Tim. 2:15, 18, 25; 3:7, 8; 4:4; Titus 1:1, 14
1Ti 2:51a one Rom. 3:30; 1 Cor. 8:4, 6; Isa. 45:5, 6, 21
Although God is triune—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit—He is still the one God, not three Gods, contrary to what is mistakenly recognized and believed by many Christians.
1Ti 2:52b Mediator Heb. 8:6; 9:15; cf. 1 John 2:1
A go-between.
1Ti 2:53c man Zech. 6:12; John 19:5
The Lord Jesus was God from eternity (John 1:1). In time He became a man through incarnation (John 1:14). While He was living on earth as a man, He was also God (3:16). After His resurrection He is still man, as well as God (Acts 7:56; John 20:28). Hence, He is the only One qualified to be the Mediator, the go-between, of God and men.
1Ti 2:61 gave
Christ gave Himself for the accomplishing of redemption for all men. This was necessary in order that He might be our Mediator. He is qualified to be the Mediator between God and man, not only in His divine and human person but also in His redemptive work. Both His person and His work are unique.
1Ti 2:62a ransom Matt. 20:28; Titus 2:14
The Greek word means ransom paid in recompense.
1Ti 2:6b all 1 Tim. 2:1, 4
1Ti 2:63c testimony 1 Cor. 1:6; 2 Thes. 1:10
The fact that Christ gave Himself a ransom for all men becomes the testimony to be borne in its own times. Whenever this fact is proclaimed, it is borne to men as a testimony in its own times.
1Ti 2:6d its 1 Tim. 6:15; Titus 1:3
1Ti 2:7a appointed 1 Tim. 1:12; 2 Tim. 1:11
1Ti 2:71 herald
A herald is a proclaimer of the gospel of Christ, an official reporter of God’s New Testament economy; an apostle is one sent by God with a divine commission to set up churches for God, an ambassador from God to the world for the carrying out of His purpose; and a teacher is a tutor who teaches, defines, and explains the contents of God’s eternal purpose and His New Testament economy. Paul had such a triple status and commission for the Gentiles. See note 112 in 2 Tim. 1.
1Ti 2:72 teacher
I.e., one who teaches the Gentiles how to receive the faith and know the truth.
1Ti 2:7c Gentiles Acts 9:15; Rom. 11:13; Eph. 3:8
1Ti 2:73d faith 1 Tim. 1:4
The faith here refers to the faith in Christ (3:13; Gal. 3:23-25), and truth refers to the reality of all the things in the economy of God revealed in the New Testament (see note 42). This corresponds with 4:3. It was in the sphere and element of this faith and truth, not in that of the law, types, and prophecies of the Old Testament, that Paul was appointed a herald, an apostle, and a teacher of the New Testament.
1Ti 2:7e truth 1 Tim. 2:4
1Ti 2:81 pray
In a local church the leading ones must have a prayer life, as charged in vv. 1-2, to set an example of prayer for all the members to follow by praying always in every place.
1Ti 2:8a lifting Psa. 63:4; Isa. 1:15
1Ti 2:82 holy
See note 751 in Luke 1.
1Ti 2:83b hands Job 17:9; Psa. 24:4
Hands symbolize our doings. Hence, holy hands signify a holy living, a living that is pious and that belongs to God. Such a holy life strengthens our prayer life. If our hands are not holy, our living is not holy and is not for God; we then have no supporting strength to pray, no holy hands to lift up in prayer.
1Ti 2:84 wrath
Wrath and reasoning kill our prayer. Wrath is of our emotion, and reasoning is of our mind. To have a prayer life and pray unceasingly, our emotion and mind must be regulated to be in a normal condition, under the control of the Spirit in our spirit.
1Ti 2:85c reasoning Phil. 2:14
Disputatious reasoning.
1Ti 2:9a adorn 1 Pet. 3:3; cf. Isa. 3:18-23
1Ti 2:91 proper
Proper denotes fitting to the sisters’ nature and position as saints of God. In Greek the word for clothing implies deportment, demeanor. A sister’s demeanor, of which clothing is the main sign, must befit her saintly position.
1Ti 2:92 modesty
Lit., shamefastness; i.e., bound or made fast by an honorable shame (Vincent), implying not forward or overbold but moderate, observing the proprieties of womanhood.
1Ti 2:93b sobriety 1 Tim. 2:15
Sobermindedness, self-restraint; the restricting of oneself soberly and discreetly. The sisters in a local church should clothe themselves with these two virtues—shamefastness and self-restraint—as their demeanor. So also in v. 15.
1Ti 2:101b godly 1 Tim. 2:2
The Greek word has the same base as the word for godliness. It denotes reverence toward God, a revering and honoring of God, as is fitting for one who worships God.
1Ti 2:111a quietness 1 Cor. 14:34
Silence. For sisters to learn in silence and to be in all subjection is for them to realize their position as women. This safeguards the sisters from the presumption of overstepping their position in the local church.
1Ti 2:112b subjection Eph. 5:24; Titus 2:5
The Greek word denotes mainly submission. So also in 3:4.
1Ti 2:12a woman 1 Cor. 14:34
1Ti 2:121 teach
To teach here means to teach with authority, to define and decide the meaning of doctrines concerning divine truth. For a woman to teach in this way or to exercise authority over a man is to leave her position. In God’s creation man was ordained to be the head, and woman to be in subjection to man (1 Cor. 11:3). In the church this ordination should be kept.
1Ti 2:122 quietness
I.e., silence, abstention from speaking.
1Ti 2:131 Adam
This brings us to the beginning. God always wants to bring us back to His beginning (Matt. 19:8).
1Ti 2:132 formed
Lit., molded; the verb means to mold (the dust) into a shape (Gen. 2:7).
1Ti 2:141 Adam
Verse 13 gives the first reason that woman should subject herself to man. Here the second is presented.
1Ti 2:142 woman
Eve was deceived by the serpent (Gen. 3:1-6) because she did not remain in subjection under the headship of Adam but overstepped her position to contact the evil tempter directly without her head being covered. This is the strong ground for the apostle not to permit the sisters in a local church to teach with authority and to assert authority over men. Rather, the apostle directed them to learn in silence and to remain in all subjection. Man’s headship is woman’s protection.
1Ti 2:14a deceived Gen. 3:13; 2 Cor. 11:3
1Ti 2:151 childbearing
Childbearing is a suffering. Suffering restricts and protects the fallen one from transgression.
1Ti 2:152a faith 1 Tim. 1:14
[ par. 1 2 ]
1Ti 2:152 [1] Faith is for receiving the Lord (John 1:12), love is for enjoying Him (John 14:21, 23), and holiness is for expressing Him through sanctification. By faith we receive the Lord and thereby please God (Heb. 11:6); by love we enjoy the Lord and thereby keep His word (John 14:23); and by holiness we express the Lord and thereby see Him (Heb. 12:14).
1Ti 2:152 [2] The first two chapters of this book give the practical instructions for having a proper local church: (1) terminate the distraction of different teachings (1:3-11); (2) emphasize God’s economy, making it the central line and goal of the Christian life (1:4-6); (3) preach Christ to save sinners (1:12-17); (4) war a good warfare for God’s New Testament economy by holding faith and a good conscience (1:18-19); (5) deal with the heretical teachers and the opposers of the apostle (1:20); (6) let the leading ones take the lead to have a prayer life, interceding for all men that Christ’s redemption may be testified in due time (vv. 1-7); (7) let the brothers follow the pattern of prayer, praying at all times (v. 8); and (8) let the sisters adorn themselves in proper deportment and subject themselves to the brothers, remaining in quietness, faith, love, and holiness with sobriety (vv. 9-15).
1Ti 2:15b holiness 1 Thes. 4:3-4
1Ti 2:15c sobriety 1 Tim. 2:9
1Ti 3:1a Faithful 1 Tim. 1:15
1Ti 3:11 aspires
Aspiration with a pure motive differs from ambition with an impure motive.
1Ti 3:12 overseership
A Greek word composed of over and sight; hence, overseership, denoting the function of an overseer.
1Ti 3:2a The vv. 2-7: Titus 1:5-9
1Ti 3:21b overseer Acts 20:28; Phil. 1:1
The Greek word is composed of over and seer; hence, overseer. An overseer in a local church is an elder (Acts 20:17, 28). The two titles refer to the same person, elder denoting a person of maturity, and overseer denoting the function of an elder. It was Ignatius in the second century who taught that an overseer, a bishop, is higher than an elder. From this erroneous teaching came the hierarchy of bishops, archbishops, cardinals, and the pope. Also, this teaching was the source of the episcopal system of ecclesiastical government. Both the hierarchy and the system are abominable in the eyes of God.
1Ti 3:22 without
This does not denote being perfect in the eyes of God, but being in an irreproachable condition in the eyes of man.
1Ti 3:23 husband
This implies the restraining of the flesh, which is highly required of an elder. It keeps an elder in a simple and pure married life, free from the tangle of a complicated and confused marriage.
1Ti 3:2c one 1 Tim. 3:12; cf. 1 Tim. 5:9
1Ti 3:24d temperate 1 Tim. 3:11; Titus 2:2
Self-controlled, moderate.
1Ti 3:25 of
Not only keen but also discreet in the understanding of matters.
1Ti 3:2e sober 2 Tim. 1:7; Titus 1:8; 2:2, 5-6; 1 Pet. 1:13; 4:7
1Ti 3:26 orderly
Decorous; meaning fitting the situation.
1Ti 3:27f hospitable 1 Tim. 5:10
Hospitality requires love, care for people, and endurance. All these virtues are required for an elder to be qualified.
1Ti 3:28 apt
Teaching here is similar to parents’ teaching of their children. An elder must be apt to render this kind of home teaching to the members of a local church.
1Ti 3:2g teach 1 Tim. 5:17; 2 Tim. 2:24
1Ti 3:31 Not
This requires strong self-control.
1Ti 3:3a excessive 1 Tim. 3:8; Titus 2:3
1Ti 3:32 not
This demands a strong restraining of the temper.
1Ti 3:33b gentle Titus 3:2; Phil. 4:5
Yielding, approachable, mild, reasonable, and considerate in dealing with others, without strictness.
1Ti 3:34c not 2 Tim. 2:24; Titus 3:2
Not quarrelsome; peaceable.
1Ti 3:35 not
Money is a test to all men. An elder must be pure in matters related to money, especially since the church fund is under the elders’ management (Acts 11:30).
1Ti 3:3d fond 1 Tim. 6:10; 1 Pet. 5:2; Heb. 13:5
1Ti 3:41a manages 1 Tim. 3:12
This is proof that one is qualified to take the oversight of a local church.
1Ti 3:42b gravity 1 Tim. 2:2
See note 23 in ch. 2. So also for grave in vv. 8 and 11.
1Ti 3:5a church Acts 20:28
1Ti 3:61 new
Lit., newly planted one; denoting a person who has recently received the Lord’s life but has not yet grown and developed in it.
1Ti 3:62a blinded 1 Tim. 6:4; 2 Tim. 3:4
Lit., beclouded with smoke. Pride here is likened to smoke that beclouds the mind, making it blind, besotted with the self-conceit of pride.
1Ti 3:63 judgment
The judgment suffered by Satan because he was proud of his high position (Ezek. 28:13-17).
1Ti 3:71a good Acts 6:3
A walk and living that issue from living out Christ and expressing Christ and are appreciated and praised by others.
1Ti 3:72 those
An elder must be right with himself, with his family, with the church, and with those outside—the society. And, according to the context, an elder must be right in intention, in motive, in character, in attitude, in word, and in deed.
1Ti 3:73b snare 2 Tim. 2:26; 1 Tim. 6:9
Falling into the judgment suffered by the devil is due to the pride of the elder himself; falling into the snare of the devil is occasioned by the reproach from the outsiders. An elder should be alert not to be proud, on the one hand, and not to be reproachable, on the other, that he may avoid the devil’s entanglement.
1Ti 3:74 devil
See note 101 in Rev. 2.
1Ti 3:81a Deacons Phil. 1:1
I.e., the serving ones. The overseers take care of the church; the deacons serve the church under the direction of the elders. These two are the only offices in a local church.
1Ti 3:82 not
A serpent is double-tongued. A deacon in a local church, rendering service to all the saints, may easily be double-tongued in contacting the saints. In being such, he lives out the nature of the devil and brings death into the church life.
1Ti 3:83 not
Being addicted to much wine is a sign of being unable to control oneself. A deacon in the local church service must exercise self-control in a full way.
1Ti 3:8b addicted 1 Tim. 3:3; Titus 2:3; Lev. 10:9; Ezek. 44:21
1Ti 3:84 not
A deacon should not seek gain from his rendering of service to the saints. To seek such gain is to be greedy for base gain (cf. 6:5b).
1Ti 3:8c greedy 1 Tim. 3:3
1Ti 3:9a Holding 1 Tim. 1:19
1Ti 3:91b mystery 1 Tim. 3:16
The faith here, as in 1:19 and 2 Tim. 4:7, is objective, referring to the things we believe in, the things that constitute the gospel. The mystery of the faith is mainly Christ as the mystery of God (Col. 2:2) and the church as the mystery of Christ (Eph. 3:4). A deacon in a local church should hold the mystery of the faith with full understanding in a pure conscience for the Lord’s testimony.
1Ti 3:9c faith 1 Tim. 1:4
1Ti 3:92d pure 2 Tim. 1:3; cf. 1 Tim. 1:5
A pure conscience is a conscience purified from any mixture. To hold the mystery of the faith for the Lord’s testimony, a deacon needs such a purified conscience.
1Ti 3:101 be
This may imply some apprenticeship.
1Ti 3:10a proved 2 Cor. 8:22
1Ti 3:102 minister
I.e., serve; service is the function of a deacon.
1Ti 3:103b unreprovable Titus 1:6-7
Or, blameless.
1Ti 3:111 Women
Referring to deaconesses (Rom. 16:1).
1Ti 3:112 not
Corresponding with not double-tongued in v. 8. The devil is a slanderer (Rev. 12:10). To slander is to live out the nature of the evil slanderer. A sister who is a deaconess, a serving one in a local church among many other sisters, should flee slander, the evil act of the devil.
1Ti 3:11a slanderers 2 Tim. 3:3; Titus 2:3
1Ti 3:113b temperate 1 Tim. 3:2; Titus 2:2
See note 24.
1Ti 3:114 faithful
Corresponding with not greedy for base gain in v. 8. A sister who is a deaconess needs to be faithful, trustworthy, in all things, especially in things concerning gain.
1Ti 3:121 husbands
See note 23.
1Ti 3:12a one 1 Tim. 3:2
1Ti 3:122b managing 1 Tim. 3:4
For a brother to manage his children and his own house well proves that he is capable of serving the church.
1Ti 3:131 ministered
I.e., served.
1Ti 3:132 good
Referring to a firm and steadfast standing as a believer and a saint before God and man. To serve the church well as a deacon strengthens one’s Christian standing.
1Ti 3:133 much
Or, much confidence. To serve the church well also strengthens the boldness, the confidence, of one’s Christian faith.
1Ti 3:13a faith 1 Tim. 1:4
1Ti 3:151 how
This indicates that this book gives instructions concerning the way to take care of a local church.
1Ti 3:152a house Eph. 2:19; Heb. 3:6
Or, household; the same word as in vv. 4, 5, and 12 (houses). The household, the family, of God is the house of God. The house and the household are one thing—the assembly that is composed of the believers (Eph. 2:19; Heb. 3:6). The reality of this house as the dwelling place of the living God is in our spirit (Eph. 2:22). We must live and act in our spirit so that in this house God can be manifested as the living God.
1Ti 3:15b church 1 Tim. 3:5; 1 Cor. 10:32
1Ti 3:153c living Matt. 16:16; 1 Tim. 4:10
The living God, who lives in the church, must be subjective to the church rather than objective. The idol in the heathen temple is lifeless. The God who not only lives but also acts, moves, and works in His living temple, the church, is living. Because He is living, the church too is living in Him, by Him, and with Him. A living God and a living church live, move, and work together. The living church is the house and the household of the living God. Hence, it becomes the manifestation of God in the flesh.
1Ti 3:154d pillar 1 Kings 7:21; Gal. 2:9; Rev. 3:12
This is metaphoric speaking. The pillar supports the building, and the base holds the pillar. The church is such a supporting pillar and holding base of the truth.
1Ti 3:155e truth 1 Tim. 2:4
The truth here refers to the real things revealed in the New Testament concerning Christ and the church according to God’s New Testament economy. The church is the supporting pillar and holding base of all these realities. A local church should be such a building that holds, bears, and testifies the truth, the reality, of Christ and the church.
1Ti 3:161 confessedly
Or, by common acknowledgment, beyond reasoning, without controversy.
1Ti 3:162a mystery 1 Tim. 3:9
According to the context, godliness here refers not only to piety but also to the living of God in the church, i.e., to God as life lived out in the church. This is the great mystery confessed universally by believers in Christ.
1Ti 3:16b godliness 1 Tim. 2:2
1Ti 3:163 He
According to unconfirmed historical accounts, these six lines of poetry made up a song that the saints in the early church loved to sing. He refers to Christ, who was God manifested in the flesh as the mystery of godliness. The transition from the mystery of godliness to He implies that Christ as the manifestation of God in the flesh is the mystery of godliness (Col. 1:27; Gal. 2:20). This mystery of godliness is the living of a proper church, and such a living also is the manifestation of God in the flesh.
1Ti 3:164c manifested 1 John 1:2; 3:5, 8
Through incarnation and human living (John 1:1, 14). In the flesh means in the likeness, in the fashion, of man (Rom. 8:3; Phil. 2:7-8). Christ appeared to people in the form of man (2 Cor. 5:16), yet He was God manifested in man.
1Ti 3:16d flesh John 1:14; Rom. 8:3; Heb. 2:14
1Ti 3:165 Justified
Or, vindicated. The incarnated Christ in His human living was not only vindicated as the Son of God by the Spirit (Matt. 3:16-17; Rom. 1:3-4) but also justified, proved, and approved as right and righteous by the Spirit (Matt. 3:15-16; 4:1). He was manifested in the flesh but was vindicated and justified in the Spirit. He appeared in the flesh, but He lived in the Spirit (Luke 4:1, 14; Matt. 12:28) and offered Himself to God through the Spirit (Heb. 9:14). His transfiguration (Matt. 17:2) and His resurrection are both justifications in the Spirit. Furthermore, in resurrection He even became the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45; 2 Cor. 3:17) to dwell and live in us (Rom. 8:9-10) for the manifestation of God in the flesh as the mystery of godliness. Hence, now we know Him and His members no longer according to the flesh but according to the Spirit (2 Cor. 5:16). Since the manifestation of God in the flesh is justified in the Spirit, and the Spirit is one with our spirit (Rom. 8:16), we must live and behave in our spirit that this justification may be accomplished.
1Ti 3:166 Seen
Angels saw the incarnation, human living, and ascension of Christ (Luke 2:9-14; Matt. 4:11; Acts 1:10-11; Rev. 5:6, 11-12).
1Ti 3:167 Preached
Christ as God’s manifestation in the flesh has been preached as the gospel among the nations, including the nation of Israel, from the day of Pentecost (Rom. 16:26; Eph. 3:8).
1Ti 3:168 Believed
Christ as the embodiment of God in the flesh has been believed on, received as Savior and life, by people in the world (Acts 13:48).
1Ti 3:169 Taken
This refers to Christ’s ascension into glory (Mark 16:19; Acts 1:9-11; 2:33; Phil. 2:9). According to the sequence of historical events, Christ’s ascension preceded His being preached among the nations. However, it is listed here as the last step in Christ’s being the manifestation of God in the flesh. This must indicate that the church too is taken up in glory. Hence, it implies that not only Christ Himself as the Head but also the church as the Body are the manifestation of God in the flesh. When a church is well taken care of according to the instructions given in the first two chapters, with the oversight of the episcopate and the service of the deacons fully established, as revealed in ch. 3, the church will function as the house and household of the living God for His move on the earth, and as the supporting pillar and holding base of the truth, bearing the divine reality of Christ and His Body as a testimony to the world. Then the church becomes the continuation of Christ as the manifestation of God in the flesh. This is the great mystery of godliness—Christ lived out of the church as the manifestation of God in the flesh!
1Ti 4:11 But
What follows is in contrast to what is mentioned in 3:16.
1Ti 4:12a Spirit Rev. 2:7
This is the Spirit who dwells in our spirit and speaks to us there (Rom. 8:9-11, 16). In order to listen to the Spirit’s speaking and be kept from the deceiving spirits and teachings of demons, we need to exercise our spirit that it may become keen and clear.
1Ti 4:13 later
Referring to times after the writing of this book, differing from the last days in 2 Tim. 3:1, which denotes the closing period of this age.
1Ti 4:1b depart 1 Tim. 6:10; 2 Thes. 2:3
1Ti 4:14c faith 1 Tim. 1:4
Objective faith, the contents of our belief. See notes 193 in ch. 1 and 91 in ch. 3.
1Ti 4:15 deceiving
The deceiving spirits are in contrast to the Spirit, as mentioned in 1 John 4:2, 6. These are the fallen angels, who followed Satan in his rebellion and became his subordinates who work for his kingdom of darkness (Matt. 25:41; Eph. 6:12 and note 2).
1Ti 4:1d spirits 1 John 4:6; Rev. 16:14
1Ti 4:16e demons James 3:15; Rev. 9:20
These are the unclean and evil spirits (Matt. 12:22, 43; Luke 8:2) of the races that lived on earth in the preadamic age and that joined Satan’s rebellion and were judged by God (see Life-study of Genesis, Message Two). After being judged, they became demons, who work on earth for Satan’s kingdom. They are different from the deceiving spirits.
1Ti 4:21 By
This phrase modifies teachings of demons in v. 1. The teachings of demons are carried out by means of the hypocrisy of men who speak lies. This indicates that demons and those who speak lies collaborate to deceive people.
1Ti 4:2a hypocrisy Matt. 23:13, 15
1Ti 4:2b lies 2 Thes. 2:11
1Ti 4:22c branded Eph. 4:19
The conscience of hypocritical liars has lost its sense, as if branded with a hot iron. This book strongly stresses the conscience. In the church life the love that is contrary to envy and discord is out of a good conscience (1:5). Those who thrust away a good conscience become shipwrecked regarding the faith (1:19). The serving ones in the church must hold the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience (3:9). To keep a good and pure conscience is to keep the conscience sensitive in its function. This will safeguard us from the demonic and hypocritical teachings of deceiving liars.
1Ti 4:23 hot
A hot iron that brands the slaves and cattle of a certain owner.
1Ti 4:31a marriage cf. Heb. 13:4
Marriage and eating were ordained by God. Eating is for the existence of mankind, and marriage is for the continuation and multiplication of mankind. On the one hand, Satan causes men to abuse these two things in the indulgence of their lustful flesh; on the other hand, he overstresses asceticism in forbidding men to marry and in commanding men to abstain from certain foods. This is a demonic teaching!
1Ti 4:3b abstaining Col. 2:20-23
1Ti 4:31c foods Gen. 1:29; 9:3; 1 Cor. 8:8; Col. 2:16
See note 31.
1Ti 4:32 God
All edible things were created by God for men to live on. We should partake of them with thanksgiving to God out of a grateful heart.
1Ti 4:3d thanksgiving Rom. 14:6; 1 Cor. 10:30
1Ti 4:33e believe John 20:31
To believe is to be saved and thus begin the spiritual life; to have full knowledge of the truth is to realize God’s purpose in His economy and to grow unto maturity in the spiritual life.
1Ti 4:34f full 1 Tim. 2:4
See note 42 in ch. 2.
1Ti 4:41 every
This is contrary to Gnosticism, which teaches that some created things are evil, and to certain ascetic teachings that command men to abstain from certain foods.
1Ti 4:4a good Gen. 1:25, 31; Rom. 14:2, 14, 20; Titus 1:15
1Ti 4:51a sanctified cf. Acts 10:15
Separated unto God for His purpose.
1Ti 4:52 word
The word of our prayer addressed to God, of which part could be quotations from the Scriptures, and part could be messages we hear and read.
1Ti 4:53b intercession 1 Sam. 9:13; Matt. 14:19; 15:36; Acts 27:35
See note 12 in ch. 2. Here intercession refers to our prayer to God for the food we eat, which separates our food from being common and sanctifies it unto God for His purpose, i.e., to nourish us so that we may live for Him.
1Ti 4:61a minister 2 Cor. 11:23
A minister of Christ is one who serves people with Christ, ministering Christ as Savior, life, life supply, and every positive thing to people. He differs from the teacher of the law and of other things (1:7, 3).
1Ti 4:62 being
Or, nourishing yourself. Being nourished is for growth in life, which is a matter of life; it differs from being merely taught, which is a matter of knowledge. To minister Christ to others requires that first we ourselves be nourished with the words of life concerning Christ.
1Ti 4:63b faith 1 Tim. 1:4
See note 14. The words of the faith are the words of the full gospel concerning God’s New Testament economy.
1Ti 4:64 good
The words of the good teaching are the sweet words that contain and convey the riches of Christ to nourish, edify, and strengthen His believers.
1Ti 4:65 have
We must first closely follow the words which we would teach others.
1Ti 4:6c closely 2 Tim. 3:10
1Ti 4:71a profane 1 Tim. 1:9; 6:20; 2 Tim. 2:16
Touching and being touched by worldliness; contrary to being holy.
1Ti 4:72b myths 1 Tim. 1:4; 2 Tim. 4:4; Titus 1:14
See note 41 in ch. 1.
1Ti 4:73 refuse
Or, reject, avoid.
1Ti 4:74 exercise
As in gymnastics. Unto godliness means with a view to godliness. Godliness is Christ lived out of us to be the manifestation of God (see notes 162 and 163 in ch. 3). Today this very Christ is the Spirit dwelling in our spirit (2 Cor. 3:17; Rom. 8:9-10; 2 Tim. 4:22). Hence, to exercise ourselves unto godliness is to exercise our spirit to live Christ in our daily life.
1Ti 4:7c godliness 1 Tim. 2:2
1Ti 4:81 a
In contrast to all things. Denoting a few things, to a small part of our being.
1Ti 4:8a godliness 1 Tim. 2:2; 6:6
1Ti 4:82b all Rom. 8:28
Things that are not only of one part of our being but of all parts—physical, psychological, and spiritual, temporal and eternal.
1Ti 4:83 promise
The promise of the present life, a life that is in this age, is like the promises in Matt. 6:33; John 16:33; Phil. 4:6-7; 1 Pet. 5:8-10; etc. The promise of the coming life, a life that is in the next age and in eternity, is like those in 2 Pet. 1:10-11; 2 Tim. 2:12; Rev. 2:7, 17; 21:6-7; etc. A promise like that in Mark 10:29-30 is of both the present life and the coming life.
1Ti 4:9a Faithful 1 Tim. 1:15
1Ti 4:10b hope 1 Tim. 5:5; 6:17
1Ti 4:101c living Dan. 6:20, 26; Matt. 16:16; 1 Tim. 3:15
Because our God is living, we can set our hope on Him.
1Ti 4:10d Savior 1 Tim. 1:1; John 4:42
1Ti 4:10e all 1 Tim. 2:4
1Ti 4:10f especially cf. Gal. 6:10
1Ti 4:11a Charge 1 Tim. 5:7; 6:17; 2 Tim. 2:14
1Ti 4:11b teach 1 Tim. 4:13
1Ti 4:12a despise Titus 2:15; 1 Cor. 16:11
1Ti 4:121b youth 2 Tim. 2:22
Although Timothy was young, he was charged by the apostle to bear the responsibility of caring for the building up of a local church and appointing elders and deacons. For the carrying out of such a responsibility, he was charged not to be childish but to be a pattern to the believers.
1Ti 4:12c pattern Titus 2:7; 1 Pet. 5:3
1Ti 4:122 word
Or, utterance.
1Ti 4:123d purity Phil. 4:8
Pure in motive and action, without mixture.
1Ti 4:131a reading Acts 13:15; 2 Cor. 3:14
Reading not in the sense of study but aloud in public. According to the context, this kind of public reading may be for exhortation and teaching.
1Ti 4:13b exhortation 1 Tim. 6:2; 2 Tim. 4:2
1Ti 4:13c teaching 1 Tim. 4:11; 6:2
1Ti 4:141a gift 2 Tim. 1:6
Probably a teaching gift, according to the context of vv. 11, 13, and 16. The following verses also may confirm this: 1 Tim. 1:3; 4:6; 5:7; 6:2, 12, 20; 2 Tim. 1:13-14; 2:2, 14-15, 24-25; 4:2, 5.
1Ti 4:142 in
This indicates that the gift mentioned here is not an outward endowment but the inward ability of life that enables one to minister to others. It is not a miraculous gift, such as speaking in tongues and healing (1 Cor. 12:28), but a gift of grace, such as teaching and exhorting (Rom. 12:7-8).
1Ti 4:143b prophecy 1 Tim. 1:18
See note 182 in ch. 1.
1Ti 4:144c laying 2 Tim. 1:6; 1 Tim. 5:22; Acts 6:6; 8:17; 19:6
The laying on of hands has two functions: one for identification, as in Lev. 1:4, and the other for impartation, as here. Impartation is based on identification; without identification, there is no basis for imparting something. Through identification, signified by the laying on of the hands of the elders and the apostle Paul (2 Tim. 1:6), the gift of grace was imparted to Timothy.
1Ti 4:145d presbytery Acts 20:28; 1 Pet. 5:1
Meaning not merely the elders but the body of elders, the elderhood, implying that they were in one accord, all acting as one. The elders, who are the overseers (3:2), represent a local church, which is the expression of the Body of Christ. The laying on of the hands of the presbytery signifies that the Body of Christ participated with God in imparting the gift of grace to Timothy. This was not a personal matter but a Body matter.
1Ti 4:151 be
I.e., be immersed in.
1Ti 4:152 progress
Or, advancement.
1Ti 4:161a Take Acts 20:28
Or, pay close attention to.
1Ti 4:16b yourself Ezek. 33:9
1Ti 4:16c those Rom. 11:14; 1 Cor. 9:22; James 5:20
1Ti 5:11 upbraid
Rebuke sharply.
1Ti 5:1a elderly Titus 2:2; Lev. 19:32
1Ti 5:31 Honor
The stress is on the supplying of material things.
1Ti 5:3a widows 1 Tim. 5:5, 9, 16; Acts 6:1
1Ti 5:41 show
The verb form of the Greek word for godliness. See note 162 in ch. 3.
1Ti 5:4a respect 1 Tim. 2:2
1Ti 5:42 return
Requital, recompense, offered to show gratitude to one’s parents.
1Ti 5:4c acceptable 1 Tim. 2:3
1Ti 5:5a hope 1 Tim. 4:10
1Ti 5:7a charge 1 Tim. 4:11
1Ti 5:81 his
I.e., his relatives. All the instructions in this chapter are very human, normal, and ordinary; nothing is special, miraculous, or supernatural, including even the matter of healing. The whole book is written in the same principle. This is necessary for the church life.
1Ti 5:8a denied Titus 1:16; 2 Pet. 2:1; Jude 4
1Ti 5:82 faith
See notes 193 in ch. 1 and 91 in ch. 3.
1Ti 5:9a wife 1 Tim. 3:2, 12
1Ti 5:101 Well
See note 71 in ch. 3.
1Ti 5:10a hospitality 1 Tim. 3:2; Titus 1:8
1Ti 5:10b washed Gen. 18:4; 19:2; Luke 7:44; John 13:14
1Ti 5:10c assisted 1 Tim. 5:16
1Ti 5:10d good 1 Tim. 6:18
1Ti 5:121 pledge
Lit., faith; denoting a pledge, a promise. This indicates that some promised, pledged, to devote themselves in their widowhood to some service of the church.
1Ti 5:13a busybodies 2 Thes. 3:11; 1 Pet. 4:15
1Ti 5:13b things Titus 1:11
1Ti 5:141 younger
The word in 1 Cor. 7:8 was the apostle’s wish in his earlier ministry. In this verse is the apostle’s advice in his later ministry, given according to his experiences concerning young widows.
1Ti 5:14a marry 1 Cor. 7:9
1Ti 5:142 bear
Childbearing and housekeeping are a rescue and safeguard to the idle busybodies (v. 13). This is God’s ordination in order to restrict and protect fallen women (Gen. 3:16).
1Ti 5:15a Satan 1 Tim. 1:20
1Ti 5:16a widows 1 Tim. 5:3, 5
1Ti 5:17a elders Acts 11:30
1Ti 5:17b take Rom. 12:8; 1 Thes. 5:12; Heb. 13:7
1Ti 5:171 honor
The noun form of honor in v. 3. According to v. 18, the emphasis here is on material supply.
1Ti 5:172 especially
All elders should be able to take the lead in a local church, but some, not all, have a special capacity for teaching.
1Ti 5:173 word
Word here denotes the general speaking of doctrines; teaching denotes special instruction concerning particular things.
1Ti 5:18a You Deut. 25:4; 1 Cor. 9:9
1Ti 5:18b The Lev. 19:13; Matt. 10:10; Luke 10:7
1Ti 5:191 receive
Timothy was charged by the apostle Paul to receive an accusation against an elder. This indicates that after they have appointed men as elders, the apostles still have the authority to deal with the elders.
1Ti 5:19a witnesses Deut. 19:15; Matt. 18:16
1Ti 5:201a reprove Titus 2:15
This too indicates the apostles’ authority over the elders.
1Ti 5:202 all
Referring to the whole church. A sinning elder should receive public reproof because of his public position.
1Ti 5:21a charge 1 Tim. 1:18
1Ti 5:211 angels
The elders in a local church are God’s deputy authority. Dealing with the elders is a solemn thing before God. Hence, the apostle solemnly charged Timothy before God, Christ, and the angels to carry out such a dealing, that the chosen angels, the good angels with God’s authority, might see that His authority was established and was being maintained among His redeemed people on earth.
1Ti 5:212 prejudice
Prejudgment, condemnation, formed or applied before hearing the case.
1Ti 5:213 partiality
Inclination, favor, bias. Without prejudice implies that no prejudgment should be made to the credit of the accuser; nothing by way of partiality implies that no perverted favor should be shown to the accused (elder).
1Ti 5:221a Lay 1 Tim. 4:14
See note 144 in ch. 4. According to the context of the previous verses, the laying on of hands here refers primarily to the laying of hands on the elders.
1Ti 5:222 quickly
Or, hastily.
1Ti 5:22b participate 2 John 11
1Ti 5:22c keep James 1:27; 1 John 5:18
1Ti 5:231 No
According to the context, this verse implies that the state of one’s physical health may affect his dealing with others spiritually.
1Ti 5:232 illnesses
Or, weaknesses.
1Ti 5:241 sins
This word indicates that v. 24 is a continuation of v. 22. It explains that the sins of some people are openly manifest earlier, and the sins of others, later. Hence, one should not lay hands on people in haste.
1Ti 5:242 manifest
What is mentioned here concerning the judging of sins is a principle that is applicable to both man’s judgment and God’s.
1Ti 5:243 they
Referring to sins.
1Ti 5:244 also
The sins of others also will be manifest, going to judgment later.
1Ti 5:251 good
The implication of the apostle’s charge to Timothy in these two verses is that one should not approve a person hastily because his sins are not openly manifest, nor condemn a person in haste because his good works are not manifest.
1Ti 5:25a hidden Matt. 10:26
1Ti 6:1a slaves Titus 2:9; 1 Pet. 2:18; Eph. 6:5
1Ti 6:1b name Isa. 52:5; Rom. 2:24
1Ti 6:11 our
Lit., the teaching; referring to the teaching of the apostles (Acts 2:42).
1Ti 6:12 blasphemed
Ill spoken of, reproached.
1Ti 6:2a brothers Philem. 16; Matt. 23:8
1Ti 6:21 serve
Lit., serve as slaves.
1Ti 6:2b teach 1 Tim. 4:11, 13
1Ti 6:2c exhort 2 Tim. 4:2
1Ti 6:31a different 1 Tim. 1:3
See note 33 in ch. 1.
1Ti 6:32b healthy 2 Tim. 1:13; 1 Tim. 1:10
See note 101 in ch. 1. The words of our Lord Jesus Christ are words of life (John 6:63); hence, they are healthy words.
1Ti 6:33c godliness 1 Tim. 2:2
See notes 22 in ch. 2, 162 and 163 in ch. 3, and 74 in ch. 4. The healthy words of the Lord are the source of the teaching that is according to godliness. When the Lord’s words of life are taught, particularly in certain aspects, they become the teaching that is according to godliness. The living words of the Lord always bring forth godliness—a life that lives Christ and expresses God in Christ.
1Ti 6:41a blinded 1 Tim. 3:6; 2 Tim. 3:4
See note 62 in ch. 3. Teachings that differ from the healthy words of the Lord always issue from people’s pride and self-conceit, which blind them.
1Ti 6:4b nothing 1 Cor. 8:2
1Ti 6:42 diseased
To question and contend about words is a disease. Diseased here is in contrast to healthy in v. 3.
1Ti 6:4c questionings 1 Tim. 1:4; 2 Tim. 2:23; Titus 3:9
1Ti 6:4d contentions 2 Tim. 2:14, 23; Titus 3:9
1Ti 6:4e envy Titus 3:3; Gal. 5:21
1Ti 6:4f strife Titus 3:9; 2 Cor. 12:20; Gal. 5:20
1Ti 6:43 slanders
Lit., blasphemies; referring here, as in Col. 3:8, to slanders and railings toward man, not blasphemies toward God.
1Ti 6:51 Perpetual
Or, incessant quarrels.
1Ti 6:5a corrupted 2 Tim. 3:8; Eph. 4:22
1Ti 6:52 deprived
Or, bereft, destitute. The Greek here implies that they had once possessed the truth, but that now it was put away from them. Hence, they were destitute of the truth.
1Ti 6:53 truth
See note 155 in ch. 3.
1Ti 6:54 supposing
Making godliness a way to gain (material profit), a gain-making trade.
1Ti 6:5b godliness 1 Tim. 2:2
1Ti 6:5c gain Titus 1:11; 2 Pet. 2:3
1Ti 6:6a godliness 1 Tim. 2:2
1Ti 6:61b contentment Phil. 4:11; Heb. 13:5
“An inward self-sufficiency, as opposed to the lack or the desire of outward things. It was a favorite Stoic word” (Vincent).
1Ti 6:62c great 1 Tim. 4:8
I.e., the best way to gain. The word gain here refers mainly to the blessings in this age—godliness plus self-sufficiency and the ability to dispense with greediness and the cares of this age.
1Ti 6:71 we
This is wisely ordained by God that we may trust in Him for our needs and live by Him in order to express Him, without preoccupation or distraction.
1Ti 6:7a nothing Job 1:21; Eccl. 5:15
1Ti 6:7b neither Psa. 49:17
1Ti 6:8a food Gen. 28:20; Prov. 30:8
1Ti 6:81 covering
Although this refers to clothing, it may include a dwelling.
1Ti 6:82b content 1 Tim. 6:6; Heb. 13:5
Sufficiently provided for.
1Ti 6:91 intend
With a strong desire to be rich. This is the love, not the possession, of riches, which leads the avaricious into temptation. Some are actually rich; some desire to be rich. This evil desire ruins and destroys them.
1Ti 6:9a rich Prov. 15:27; 28:20; Matt. 13:22; James 5:1-3
1Ti 6:9b snare 1 Tim. 3:7; 2 Tim. 2:26
1Ti 6:92 desires
Lustful desires, lusts.
1Ti 6:93 plunge
Or, drown, sink.
1Ti 6:94 destruction
Destruction implies ruin, and ruin implies temporal and eternal perdition.
1Ti 6:10a love 1 Tim. 3:3; Col. 3:5
1Ti 6:101 a
Not the only root.
1Ti 6:102 aspiring
Craving for, longing for.
1Ti 6:103 been
Or, wandered.
1Ti 6:10b led 1 Tim. 4:1
1Ti 6:104c faith 1 Tim. 1:4
See note 91 in ch. 3. So also in vv. 12, 21.
1Ti 6:111a man 2 Tim. 3:17
One who partakes of God’s life and nature (John 1:13; 2 Pet. 1:4), thus being one with God in His life and nature (1 Cor. 6:17) and thereby expressing Him. This corresponds with the mystery of godliness, which is God manifested in the flesh (3:16).
1Ti 6:11b flee 2 Tim. 2:22; cf. 2 Tim. 2:16; Titus 3:9; 1 Tim. 6:20; 2 Tim. 3:5
1Ti 6:11c pursue 2 Tim. 2:22; Rom. 14:19; Heb. 12:14; Phil. 3:12, 14
1Ti 6:112d righteousness Prov. 15:9
To be right with people before God according to His righteous and strict requirements.
1Ti 6:113e godliness 1 Tim. 2:2
To live a daily life that manifests God. See note 162 in ch. 3.
1Ti 6:114f faith 2 Tim. 3:10
To believe in God and His word and to trust in Him and His word.
1Ti 6:115 love
To love others by the love of God (1 John 4:7-8, 19-21).
1Ti 6:116 endurance
To endure sufferings and persecutions.
1Ti 6:117 meekness
A proper attitude in facing opposition. See note 51 in Matt. 5.
1Ti 6:121a Fight 1 Tim. 1:18; 2 Tim. 4:7
Lit., Struggle the good struggle of the faith.
1Ti 6:12b faith 1 Tim. 1:4
1Ti 6:12c hold 1 Tim. 6:19; 1:19
1Ti 6:122 eternal
I.e., the divine life, the uncreated life of God, which is eternal. Eternal denotes the nature more than the time element of the divine life. To fight the good fight of the faith in the Christian life, and especially in the Christian ministry, we need to lay hold on this divine life, not trusting in our human life. Hence, in 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus, eternal life is stressed again and again (1:16; 6:19; 2 Tim. 1:1, 10; Titus 1:2; 3:7). To carry out God’s economy concerning the church, as seen in 1 Timothy, to confront the downward trend of the church’s decline, as seen in 2 Timothy, and to maintain good order in the church, as seen in Titus, this life is a prerequisite.
1Ti 6:123 to
Lit., into; i.e., to participate in, to enjoy. We have been called into the eternal life of God. We were born of the human natural life, but we were reborn of the divine eternal life when we were called by God in Christ.
1Ti 6:12d called 2 Tim. 1:9; Rom. 8:30; Eph. 1:18; 1 Cor. 1:9; Col. 3:15; 1 Pet. 5:10
1Ti 6:124e confessed 2 Cor. 9:13
The good confession refers to the good faith, the full gospel that Christians believe. Probably at his baptism, Timothy confessed the good confession, confessing to the eternal life before many witnesses, believing and being assured that he had received the life of God. We all should confess such a good confession.
1Ti 6:12f witnesses 2 Tim. 2:2
1Ti 6:13a charge 1 Tim. 1:18
1Ti 6:13b testified Rev. 1:5; 3:14
1Ti 6:13c Pontius Luke 3:1; Acts 4:27
1Ti 6:141 the
This commandment should refer to the charge in vv. 11-12.
1Ti 6:142b appearing 2 Tim. 4:1, 8; Titus 2:13; 2 Thes. 2:8; Heb. 9:28; cf. 2 Tim. 1:10
I.e., the Lord’s second coming.
1Ti 6:151 Which
Referring to appearing in v. 14.
1Ti 6:15a its 1 Tim. 2:6; Titus 1:3
1Ti 6:152 the
Referring to God the Father, according to Acts 1:7.
1Ti 6:15b blessed 1 Tim. 1:11
1Ti 6:15c only 1 Tim. 1:17
1Ti 6:15d King Rev. 17:14; 19:16
1Ti 6:15e Lord Deut. 10:17; Psa. 136:3
1Ti 6:16a immortality 1 Cor. 15:53-54
1Ti 6:16b light Psa. 104:2; James 1:17; 1 John 1:5
1Ti 6:16c no Exo. 33:20; John 1:18
1Ti 6:16d honor 1 Tim. 1:17
1Ti 6:16e might 1 Pet. 4:11; 5:11; Rev. 1:6
1Ti 6:17a Charge 1 Tim. 4:11
1Ti 6:17b present 2 Tim. 4:10; Titus 2:12; Matt. 12:32
1Ti 6:17c high-minded Rom. 11:20; 12:16
1Ti 6:17d hope Job 31:24; Psa. 52:7; Mark 10:24; cf. 1 Tim. 4:10
1Ti 6:17e uncertainty Prov. 23:5; Matt. 13:22
1Ti 6:17f affords Eccl. 5:18-19; Acts 17:25
1Ti 6:181a good 1 Tim. 5:10; Heb. 13:16
Referring to the distributing of material things readily to the needy, and to the sharing of riches willingly with them.
1Ti 6:182b rich Luke 12:21; James 2:5
Not merely rich in material things but rich in good works according to God’s pleasure (Eph. 2:10).
1Ti 6:18c distribute Rom. 12:8
1Ti 6:19a Laying Matt. 6:19-20; Luke 16:9
1Ti 6:19b foundation Luke 6:48
1Ti 6:19c treasure Matt. 19:21
1Ti 6:191 future
The future here refers to the next age (as compared with the present age in v. 17), the kingdom age, when the overcoming saints will enjoy the Lord’s reward. For this we all need to lay a good foundation in the present age as a treasure for us to enjoy in the future.
1Ti 6:19d hold 1 Tim. 6:12
1Ti 6:192 that
I.e., the eternal life referred to in v. 12. Material riches are for the human natural life in this age, a life that is temporal and, hence, not real. If we do good with material things, we will accomplish something for the real life, laying away a treasure for our enjoyment in the eternal life in the next age. This requires that we lay hold on God’s eternal life, which is the real life. Otherwise, we will lay hold on our human natural life in laying away a treasure of material riches in this age for a life that is not real. We should care for the eternal life rather than the natural life. Both v. 12 and this verse stress the eternal life of God. This indicates that the divine life is a factor that is crucial and vital to our Christian life.
1Ti 6:20a guard 2 Tim. 1:14; cf. 2 Tim. 1:12
1Ti 6:201 deposit
That which was committed and entrusted to Timothy, the healthy words that he received from Paul, not only for himself but also for others. See note 141 in 2 Tim. 1.
1Ti 6:20b turning 2 Tim. 3:5; Rom. 16:17
1Ti 6:20c profane 1 Tim. 4:7
1Ti 6:20d vain 2 Tim. 2:16; 1 Tim. 1:6; Titus 1:10; Col. 2:8
1Ti 6:202 what
The teaching of the false teachers, which they called knowledge (probably related to Gnostic knowledge). Such teaching replaced the genuine knowledge of the healthy word of God that was entrusted to Timothy.
1Ti 6:211a misaimed 1 Tim. 1:6; 2 Tim. 2:18
Missed the mark, as in shooting.
1Ti 6:21b faith 1 Tim. 1:4
1Ti 6:21c Grace 2 Tim. 4:22