The Pastoral Epistles: 1 Timothy 1 (1)

Pray 116.12-15.
What shall I render to the LORD
Forall His benefits toward me?
I will take up the cup of salvation,
And call upon the name of the LORD.
I will pay my vows to the LORD
Now in the presence of all His people.

Read and meditate on 1 Timothy 1.1, 2.

Preparation.
1. To what work was Paul called and commanded? What did that work entail?

2. Why did Paul seek “grace, mercy, andpeace” for Timothy, and not something else?

Meditate.
As an apostle, Paul was chosen by the Lord and sent for the purpose of bringing the Gospel to the Gentiles (cf. Acts 9.1-19). He recognized that this calling was not merely an invitation to something he might find interesting or fulfilling. It wasn’t an opportunity he could work at whenever he got around to it, or when it fit neatly within his schedule. His calling to go the Gentiles was a commandment from the Lord. 

No wonder he said, “Woe is me” if he failed to carry out his calling (cf. 1 Cor. 9.16).

Timothy, “a true son in the faith”, also had a calling. Paul had left him in Ephesus as shepherd over the churches there (v. 3), to equip the believers for lives of ministry, and to help the Body of Christ grow in unity and maturity (Eph. 4.11-16). Paul’s letters to this young pastor are rich with instructions and admonitions to help him fulfill his calling from the Lord.

Each of us has a calling from the Lord, first, to the Kingdom and glory of God (1 Thess. 2.12), and next to a particular calling or condition in which we serve the Lord (1 Cor. 7.17-20; 2 Cor. 10.13-18). Each of us is sent to the world as Jesus was sent (Jn. 20.21), to bear the Good News of Jesus as His witnesses (cf. Acts 1.8). While Paul was writing to a pastor in the churches at Ephesus, he was also writing to every believer, whatever our calling. We are all called and sent to a Personal Mission Field, where God and Christ command us to let our lights shine, seek the Kingdom and righteousness of God, and be witnesses for Christ (Matt. 5.13-16; Matt. 6.33; Acts 1.8).

All who, like Timothy, are true children of the faith will receive Paul’s letter with open hearts and minds, and will take seriously his instructions for our calling. We will definitely need the grace, mercy, and peace of the Lord to fulfill our calling; happily, these are ever available to us through prayer (Heb. 4.16; Phil. 4.6, 7). 

God, our Savior and Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope, stand ready to equip us for the work to which we are sent each day – the work they command us to take up as followers and witnesses for Christ. Are we ready to obey?

Reflect.
1. Have you identified and begun working your Personal Mission Field? Watch this brief video (click here), then download the worksheet and get started today.

2. How would you explain each of the following to a new believer: grace, mercy, peace? Why are these so important? How can we secure them?

3. Why does Paul refer to God as Savior and Jesus Christ as hope? What does it mean to hope in Jesus Christ?

He calls God the Savior, a title which he is more frequently accustomed to assign to the Son; but it belongs to the Father also, because it is he who gave the Son to us. Justly, therefore, is the glory of our salvation ascribed to him. For how comes it that we are saved? It is because the Father loved us in such a manner that he determined to redeem and save us through the Son. John Calvin (1509-1564), Commentary on 1 Timothy 1.1

Heavenly Father and Lord Jesus Christ, You have called me and sent me as Your witness. Help me to be more consistent in this calling by…

Pray Psalm 116.
What shall we render to the Lord for all His benefits to us? Let His Spirit guide you as you pray and sing this psalm, and commit yourself afresh to the Lord and His calling for your life.

Sing Psalm 116.
Psalm 116.1-6 (Mit Freuden Zart: All Praise to God Who Reigns Above)
I love the Lord because He hears my cries and pleas for mercy.
Because He bends to me His ears, my prayers shall ever thus be.
The snares of death encompassed me; hell’s grip could not unloosened be;
Distress and anguish pressed me.

I called to God, “O Lord, I pray, my soul redeem with favor!”
The Lord is gracious in His way, and righteous is our Savior.
His mercy to the simple flies; He lifted me up to the skies –
I rest in Him forever!

T. M. Moore

Whatever our calling in life, we are sent to bring the joy of Christ to the people around us. Our book, Joy to Your World!, can show you how to fill your Personal Mission Field with more of the Presence, promise, and power of Christ and His Kingdom. Order your copy, as a supplement to our study of 1 Timothy, by clicking here.

Forward today’s first installment in our series on The Pastoral Epistles to some friends, and invite them to work through these studies with you.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing adapted from The Ailbe Psalter. All quotations from Church Fathers from Ancient Christian Commentary Series, General Editor Thomas C. Oden (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006).All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (available by clicking here).