1 TIMOTHY

Confused by all the letters of Paul’s and the order they are in? Well, after Corinthians, you’ve got Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians. Some remember that by this phrase: General Electric Power Company. Then you have alphabetical order–Thessalonians, Timothy, Titus. OK, then it gets tough with Philemon. But at least I hope there is some hope with the above help.

Most critics believe Paul wrote 1st and 2nd Timothy between 62-66 A.D. The recipient, Timothy, was with Paul on his second missionary trip (see Acts 20) and later became leader at the church of Ephesus. Because Paul mentions details concerning pastoral duties, 1 and 2 Timothy, as well as Titus, have been called the pastoral letters, written to specific leaders rather than to churches in general.

Why did Paul write 1 Timothy? See 1:3 and 3:14, 15. Paul complains about false teachers. Since we get only one side in the issue, we have to read Paul’s complaints to see what he was opposing. What seems to be their beliefs? See 1 Timothy 1:3-7; 4:1-8; 6:3-5, 20-21. Explore 1 Timothy 2:1-15 to see what the church looked like. How organized was it? Was it more tightly organized than the church we saw in Acts? What are the qualifications for church leadership Paul lays out in 1 Timothy 3:1-13 and 5:17-25? Are any qualifications left out that you feel should have been included?