1 Timothy 1:1-2 1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the command of God our Savior, and of Christ Jesus our hope, 2To Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
This is the first canonical letter of Paul to Timothy. Paul begins the letter like his other letters with his name and then the self-designation of an apostle of Christ Jesus. Jesus called Paul to be an apostle on the road to Damascus when Paul was set on arresting believers in that city. From that point on, Paul’s world changed. An apostle is someone sent out on a mission. Jesus chose certain individuals in the early church as leaders, who were recognized authorities and preservers of orthodoxy. Paul was an apostle by God’s command. Paul believed he had been set aside in his mother’s womb for this special service to God (Galatians 1:15). Paul may appeal to his authority and commission in this opening verse because these will be useful in dealing with the heresies in Ephesus. Although Paul was close to Timothy, like father and son, this letter would be read out loud to the church, and so his authority would be useful as Timothy confronted the false teachers.
The command comes from two sources. The first source of Paul’s apostleship and message is God our Savior. The theme of God as Savior occurs ten times in the Pastor Epistles. God the Father is the initiator of salvation, and Jesus is the one through whom salvation is experienced (2 Timothy 1:10; Titus 1:4; 2:13; 3:6). The second source is Christ Jesus our hope. The salvation provided by God gives hope through Jesus Christ. There is no hope outside of Christ (John 14:6; Acts 4:12). He is our hope of glory (Colossians 1:27). Verse one focuses the attention of Timothy and, by extension, the Ephesian church on the source and outcome of the gospel.
Verse 2 states to whom the letter was written. No one mentioned in the New Testament had a closer relationship to Paul than did Timothy. Paul highlights this with the description of my true child in the faith. True (gnēsios) has the sense of legitimate or genuine. It hints at the close bond between Paul and Timothy. What brings them together is their common faith in Jesus Christ. Faith could refer to their individual faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior or the Christian faith as a whole. Paul was Timothy’s spiritual father and mentored him in ministry. Paul met him on the second missionary journey (Acts 16:1-3). Acts does not say that Timothy became a believer because of Paul, but he certainly grew in his faith and ministry skills as Paul mentored him.
Next, Paul gives his typical greeting but adds the word mercy to grace and peace. Grace (charis) is God’s gift of himself in love through Jesus Christ. Grace offers salvation to those who believe. We do not deserve God’s gift of grace, but God gives it to us because God loves even the worst of sinners. Mercy (eleos) is compassion or pity to someone in need. God gives us forgiveness when we deserve judgment. Mercy is the extension of God’s grace and the only way we can experience salvation. Peace (eirēnē) results from reconciliation between two enemies. It brings new life and hope. In Paul’s writings, peace is an important attribute of God (Romans 15:33; 16:20; Philippians 4:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; 2 Thessalonians 3:16) and is experienced through the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22). Peace is the outcome of God’s grace and mercy. The key for all of these is faith in Jesus Christ. These are gifts from God the Father and are experienced most fully through Christ Jesus our Lord.
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