The Pastoral Epistles: 1 Timothy 1

Pray 116.16-19.
O LORD, truly I am Your servant;
I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant;
You have loosed my bonds.
I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving,
And will call upon the name of the LORD.
I will pay my vows to the LORD
Now in the presence of all His people,
In the courts of the LORD’s house,
In the midst of you, O Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord!

Read and meditate on 1 Timothy 1.16-20.

Reflect.
1. For whom is Paul’s life a “pattern”? A “pattern” of what?

2. What “charge” (literally, commandment) did Paul commit to Timothy?

Meditate.
Paul says his experience of grace should be regarded as a “pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life” (v. 16). That includes us. What’s the pattern?

God seeks us when we are lost in sin, and brings His grace to bear upon us for salvation – for the “full cup” of salvation envisioned in Psalm 116, that “great salvation” the writer of Hebrews mentioned (Heb. 2.3), the drunk-with-the-Spirit salvation of Ephesians 5.18-21. By grace, we are forgiven of our sins (justification); by grace we are launched and sustained by God’s Word and Spirit into a life of being transformed into the image of Christ (sanctification); and by grace we are charged (commanded, v. 1) to seek the Kingdom and glory of God in everything we do (vocation: 1 Thess. 2.12; 1 Cor. 10.31). The pattern of grace that was at work in Paul, we should seek for ourselves. The more we experience grace in this way, the more we will honor and glorify God in all we do (v. 17).

As Paul’s charge came to him as a “commandment”, so he commanded (NKJV: “charged”) Timothy. This is what the Word of God required of Timothy, and what had been preached concerning him (v. 18); and Paul reminded him that his call, as much as Paul’s, was a commandment from God, to be carried out according to His Word.

The same is true for us, who have experienced the grace of God as Paul did, and are charged, like Paul, to take up our calling to follow Jesus in our own Personal Mission Field. It’s a tough slog, to be sure – a “warfare” in fact (v. 18). But, if we have faith, and if we keep our consciences clear of sin, and of whatever false teaching might distract us from our calling (v. 19), we’ll be able to go forward and realize the power of grace, issuing in love, to all the people we see each day.

Meanwhile, those who try to use faith and God’s Word for their own purposes, rather than His, are playing into the hands of the devil (v. 20). Let’s make sure we don’t fall into that snare.

Reflect.
1. Briefly summarize how you see the grace of God working in your life, according to the pattern established in Paul’s experience:

2. Have you received your calling/charge from the Lord as a commandment (v. 1)? How does that work out in your daily life?

3. We must guard against trying to use God’s grace to our own advantage – like the two men mentioned in verse 20. How can we recognize when we might be doing this? What should we do then?

The Apostle's meaning is, that, from the very beginning, God held out such a pattern as might be visible from a conspicuous and lofty platform, that no one might doubt that he would obtain pardon, provided that he approached to Christ by faith. And, indeed, the distrust entertained by all of us is counteracted, when we thus behold in Paul a visible model of that grace which we desire to see. John Calvin (1509-1564), Commentary on 1 Timothy 1.16

Lord, refresh the pattern of Your grace in my life today, so that I…

Pray Psalm 116.15-19.
Use this portion of Psalm 116 to renew your commitment to the Lord, including any vows you have taken as His servant.

Sing Psalm 116.15-19.
Psalm 116.15-19 (Mit Freuden Zart: All Praise to God Who Reigns Above)
How sweet to God when saints depart – save me, Your servant, Savior!
From sin You loosed my wand’ring heart; I praise Your Name forever!
On You I call, my vows to pay; here in Your presence I would stay,
Your praise to offer ever.

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.

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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).