1 Timothy 1:1-2 – A divine partnership

The opening word, Paul, in the Pastoral Epistles has settled the question of his authorship. Adding to that, the letters to Timothy also revealed his intimate knowledge of the recipient. He knew his family background; his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice; his nature, his youthfulness and even his ordination, etc. These should adequately substantiate Paul’s authorship of the letters to Timothy. So without wasting precious time, we shall dive straight into the discussion of this letter

Paul, once again alluded to his calling as an apostle of Christ in this opening verse. In so doing, he had placed himself on par with the 12 apostles of Christ. In the way he put it, he was suggesting that he did not act presumptuously, for this call was based on the commandment of God, our Savior and Christ Jesus, Who is our hope. In essence, Paul’s apostleship was not a self-assumed position nor was the call an appointment from the church. It was Christ Who personally chose, called, commanded and commissioned him to that position.

The word commandment in verse 1 also suggests a sort of a decree that demands loyalty and one that he would obey unquestioningly. The phrase “God our Savior and Christ Jesus, Who is our hope” implies that his apostleship has a historical reference. His apostleship was based on God’s saving activities, that is, the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus. These activities will culminate in the glorious return of Christ Jesus, our blessed hope.

He then turned to address Timothy whom he called a true son in the faith. In using the word ‘true’, he was emphasizing the authenticity of Timothy’s status as a child of God. He probably had Timothy’s Greek father in mind, because the Jewish laws would never have regarded him as a legitimate child of God. So the word “true” is used here to affirm the legitimacy of Timothy’s faith and his status as a child of God. And in affirming the genuineness of Timothy’s faith, Paul had also indirectly affirmed the genuineness of his apostleship.

Having mentioned himself and Timothy, he then made reference to God as their common ground for the blessing of grace, mercy and peace. Notice the order of the blessing. In order to experience peace, one needs the mercy of God. And mercy is the by-product of God’s grace. One can never have mercy except through the grace of God.

Remember that we are all the recipients of the God’s grace hence, peace and mercy should be our constant experience. Our hope is firmly rooted in the Savior and Lord Jesus Christ, so we can confidently walk in Him and be rooted and firmly established in our faith!