Evangelical pastors and teachers sometimes assume that preaching from New Testament Epistles is easy. Paul’s first letter to Timothy illustrates the shaky foundation of that assumption.

Along with 2 Timothy and Titus, 1 Timothy rounds out the Pastoral Epistles which were written to Paul’s apostolic legates Timothy and Titus, located respectively in Ephesus and Crete.

1 Timothy communicates ideas and commands that often offend modern sensibilities and is similar to Titus in its direct approach and no-nonsense tone. 1 Timothy conveys a sense of other-ness because it refuses to say what we, as contemporary listeners, might want to hear. This is true not only because of its famous—or infamous—text regarding the role of women in the church (2:9-15) but also because of the letter’s rigorous insistence on church structure (3:1-13; 5:1-6:2), orthodox teaching (1:3-11; 4:1-9; 6:3-5), and Christian ethics (4:10-16; 5:8-15; 6:11-15). Yet the letter is also filled with an equal emphasis on the love and grace of God (1:12-17; 2:1-7; 3:16), who is the Savior of all people and gave his only begotten Son as the ultimate expression of that (2:5-6; 4:9-10). Moreover, as Paul fervently communicates, our God richly provides for us both materially and spiritually and calls us to join his redemptive mission to the world (2:1-7; 4:4; 6:3, 17).

For these reasons, and others as well, 1 Timothy beckons pastors and teachers to preach it carefully and clearly in order to promote the spiritual health of their listeners, churches, and themselves.

Historical Background

Church tradition says that following his release from house arrest in Rome (Acts 28:16), Paul journeyed to Spain but swiftly returned to the Eastern Mediterranean where he had previously planted a number of churches and oversaw their spiritual development (see Acts 16-20). While it’s uncertain that he centered his apostolic operations in the city of Ephesus during this later period, Paul left Timothy in charge of the church there as he made his way once again to Macedonia (1 Tim. 1:3). Thus, given all the external and internal evidence, the best contemporary scholarship argues that Paul wrote 1 Timothy sometime around 62-63 AD.

As Paul’s apostolic delegate to the Ephesian church, Timothy’s task was formidable. The church was infected with heretical teachers who needed correction or excommunication and its infrastructure needed to be reinforced with wise and godly leadership (1:3-7; 1:18-20; 3:1-16; 6:3-5). To address these problems and provide the necessary solutions, Paul commanded Timothy to give special attention to his own life, teaching, and leadership (3:1-14; 4:11-16; 5:21-25; 6:11-16; 6:20-21). If these things are diligently pursued, then God would endow him with the credibility to move the church towards spiritual health and vitality.

The revitalization of the Ephesian church was essential not only for the well-being of its own members, but also for its effectiveness in reaching out with the gospel to the surrounding culture (2:1-4; 7; 3:16). This mission was rooted in the love of God for sinners as demonstrated by Christ’s atoning death (1:12-16; 2:5-6) and, in order to be attractive to those on the outside, the church needed to be orderly, ethical, and generous (2:8-15; 5:3-16; 6:17-19). Only by living in a godly and loving manner could the members of the Ephesian church make a positive spiritual impact on their city (1:5; 2:1-2; 5:11-20; 6:1-2).

Sermon Series

Like all of the Epistles in the New Testament, 1 Timothy is an occasional letter which makes it a challenge to preach. As previously noted, this letter is specifically addressed to the leader of a church consumed by some significant internal problems and located in a notoriously pagan culture. The letter also contains some interesting exegetical and hermeneutical issues related to gender roles, church structure, family life, and money. For most contemporary congregations, the most daunting of these have to do with the role of women (2:9-15), Paul’s commands about widows and families (5:3-16), and the apostle’s view of money and its use (6:6-10; 17-19).

Thus, my first suggestion to those preparing to preach 1 Timothy is to give due diligence to these texts and then come to some practical conclusions about how Paul’s instructions relate to church life and Christian practice in one’s own context.

My second suggestion is to give a significant number of weeks to the public proclamation of this book, probably at least ten but more likely fifteen weeks. While that may sound like a long time to some pastors, the book’s inherent characteristics demands careful and sensitive exposition.

I would suggest using one of the following outlines and freely adjusting it according to the needs and context of one’s particular congregation.

15 Week Outline

A fifteen week expository series that covers the overall content and flow of the book by focusing sequentially on the following texts and their application to contemporary life inside and outside the church.

Text: 1 Timothy 1:1-11

• Title: The Goal of Good Teaching that is Rooted in the Gospel
• Big Idea: Love rooted in the gospel is at the heart of Christian ministry.

Text: 1 Timothy 1:12-17

• Title: God’s Grace for Us as Exemplified in the Gospel
• Big Idea: God saves us by grace and is glorified thru our ministry of grace to others.

Text: 1 Timothy 1:18-20

• Title: The Need for Good Pastoral Leadership in Contrast to Errant Teaching and Teachers
• Big Idea: Consistent spiritual maintenance is essential for a lifetime of godly ministry.

Text: 1 Timothy 2:1-7

• Title: The Church’s Mission of Proclaiming God’s Love to a Lost Culture
• Big Idea: Pray for all and preach to all because God loves all.

Text: 1 Timothy 2:8-15

• Title: The Necessity of Appropriate Behavior by Christian Men and Women in Order to Impact the Culture With the Gospel
• Big Idea: In order to promote the gospel, the church should articulate biblically rooted and culturally relevant roles for both men and women.

Text: 1 Timothy 3:1-16

• Title: The Qualifications for Leadership in the Church
• Big Idea: Christian leadership for both men and women is based on godly character.

Text: 1 Timothy 4:1-10

• Title: The Need to Teach Good Theology in Order to Combat Bad Theology
• Big Idea: A healthy church counters false teaching with God’s truth that is centered on his goodness and love for all people.

Text: 1 Timohty 4:11-16

• Title: The Spiritual Focus of Godly Leaders
• Big Idea: If Christian leaders give proper attention to their own lives and teaching, the church will bear spiritual fruit.

Text: 1 Timohty 5:1-16

• Title: The Responsibilities of Christian Families and the Church’s Care for Those in Need
• Big Idea: Church relationships and responsibilities must be based on what’s best for all involved.

Text: 1 Timothy 5:17-25

• Title: The Responsibilities of Leaders to the Church Body and to Each Other
• Big Idea: Church leaders are to be respected, remunerated, and held responsible.

Text: 1 Timothy 6:1-2

• Title: Leveraging Culturally Defined Social Arrangements for Gospel Advancement
• Big Idea: Unsavory social relationships can be redeemed for gospel advancement.

Text: 1 Timothy 6:3-10

• Title: The Godly View of Money and its Application to Church Leaders
• Big Idea: Financial gain can never be the bottom line when leading and teaching God’s people.

Text: 1 Timothy 6:11-16

• Title: God’s Ongoing Call of Faithfulness to Church Leaders, Both Young and Old
• Big Idea: "Faithful to the End Christians" rely on God’s presence and provision.

Text: 1 Timothy 6:17-19

• Title: Sanctifying Money and its Power in Our Lives
• Big Idea: Since God generously provides for us, let’s generously share our resources with others.

Text: 1 Timothy 6:20-21

• Title: Protecting the Church and Promoting the Faith
• Big Idea: The ultimate calling of Christian leaders is to protect the church and promote the faith.

11 Week Outline

An eleven-week series focused on the controversial texts and key theological themes of the book. Each two-week segment is focused on either a text or theme with the final week being devoted to an exposition of the three "poetic" sections of the book which focus on Christ’s kingly ministry.

• Weeks 1 and 2: The Theological Theme of God’s Grace in Christ as the Foundation for Our Lives and Our Ministries (1:12-17; 3:16-4:10)
  • Week 1 is devoted to the visible expression of God’s grace for us in Christ Jesus.
  • Week 2 is devoted to how God’s grace should shape our church, our lives, and our ministries.
• Weeks 3 and 4: The Controversial Text on Women in the Church (2:9-15)
  • Week 3 is devoted to exegesis and exposition of this unusual text in light of the ancient world.
  • Week 4 is devoted to the application of this text to one’s contemporary church context.
• Weeks 5 and 6: The Controversial Text on Families and Widows (5:1-16)
  • Week 5 is devoted to exegesis and exposition of this text in light of the ancient world.
  • Week 6 is devoted to the application of this text to one’s contemporary church context.
• Weeks 7 and 8: The Challenging Texts on Money and Its Appropriate Use (6:6-10; 17-19)
  • Week 7 is devoted to an exposition of the core values of the Christian life in light of money’s enormous power (6:6-10)
  • Week 8 calls on church leaders and members to be generous in their use of money both individually and collectively as a congregation
• Weeks 9 and 10: The Theological Theme of God’s Mission of Love to a Lost World thru His Church (2:1-7; 6:1-3)
  • Week 9 is devoted to God’s love for all people as demonstrated in the atoning death of Christ for sinful humanity
  • Week 10 is devoted to corporate prayer and cultural flexibility in order to extend the gospel to the lost world around us
• Week 11: The Underlying Foundation of all the themes and instructions in 1 Timothy is the incarnation, grace, and the return of King Jesus—the Sovereign Savior of the World—as communicated by Paul in a series of poetic exaltations (1:16-17; 3:16; 6:13-16)

Application

The application of 1 Timothy to a 21st century congregation in contemporary western society makes for some interesting challenges. Its ongoing emphasis on true doctrine and godly church leadership, as well as its apparent restrictions on the roles of women in church and family, has an innate tendency to offend modern sensibilities. Moreover, Paul’s views on family responsibilities, the need for church organization, and the ever present power of money also makes the book feel rigid and "counter-cultural."

Yet the apostle consistently grounds his instructions in the grace and love of God for sinful humanity in general and his people in particular. God has consistently demonstrated this love in the Incarnation, ministry, and promised second coming of Christ. Thus, 1 Timothy is an invaluable conduit of the Holy Spirit on how to promote human flourishing via the application of the gospel to our lives and congregations.

Given that, I’d like to offer the following suggestions for application when preaching this great book.

At the beginning of this letter, Timothy is instructed to challenge and correct the false teachers of legalism by rooting his own ministry in the sound doctrine of the gospel. But what sometimes gets overlooked is the goal of this command: love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith (1:5). False teaching is unloving because it eventually corrupts the heart, conscience, and faith of those who hear it as well as those who promote it (1:18-20). If pastors and teachers are to be effective servants of God and others, they will consistently communicate orthodox, apostolic doctrine rooted in the love of God and the love of others as expressed in the gospel (1:3, 5, 8-11 and 12-17).

A second application revolves around the need for ongoing leadership development based on godly character. There is a never-ending need for good leadership in the local church but it must be based on the qualifications laid down in 1 Timothy 3. Moreover, as Paul noted in 1 Timothy 5, church leaders are to be respected and remunerated as necessary, but also held accountable for their spiritual and ecclesial responsibilities. This requires preachers to teach thru these texts in a clear and deliberate manner, stressing the need for spiritually mature people to be placed in positions of leadership.

A third application relates to Paul’s apparent restrictions on women in church leadership and even, to some degree, within family systems (2:9-15; 5:11-15). Evangelicals take different views of these texts and their application to contemporary life, but pastors always need to keep in mind that Paul’s instructions were rooted in what God thought was best for individuals and families as well as the church’s mission to the lost. Obviously, the cultural landscape of 21st century America is distinctly different from that of first century Asia. Given that historical divide, as well as the apostle’s desire to promote what was best for all, pastors need to exercise some flexibility in their application of these texts. What this looks like in various contexts will probably differ, but our goal as leaders should be to promote the spiritual health of God’s people and the relevance of the gospel to unbelievers.

A fourth prominent element in 1 Timothy that should be stressed is the church’s mission to those outside the faith. Paul instructions in 1:12-15, 2:1-7, 4:5-10, 5:14, 6:1-2, and 6:18 make it clear that Christians are to be concerned about those who are in close proximity to the church but do not know Christ. Pastors would be wise to communicate that we, as the church, are to be "on mission with Jesus" in our local contexts. It should be emphasized that while the methodologies of the mission will vary from time to time and place to place, the message of God’s love in Christ for all of humanity always stays the same.

As archaeology, history, and the testimony of the New Testament have shown, Ephesus was a very prosperous city, noted for its commercial affluence and cultural vitality. Paul was not disturbed or offended by those realities. He did, however, exhort those Ephesian Christians of means not to trust in their wealth but generously leverage it as a sign of eternal life in God’s kingdom (6:17-19). While many pastors are reluctant to preach on money and giving, this text provides a marvelous opportunity to do so! Statistics on giving in churches still reflect the sad fact that only about 40% of believers give on a consistent basis and that 60% give either inconsistently or nothing at all. Therefore, pastors and teachers who preach on 1 Timothy have a tremendous opportunity to help their parishioners grow in God’s grace in this crucial area of Christian living.

Theological Themes

The Gospel

There are a number of prominent theological themes in 1 Timothy, beginning with a clear and emphatic presentation of the gospel in Paul’s personal testimony (1:12-17). This is a very moving and personal statement of God’s love for sinners as expressed in the person of Christ. This concept is developed in detail in 2:3-6, where Christ is said to have given his life as a ransom for all people because God wants all to be saved. God, in Christ, as the Savior of humanity is perhaps the key theological theme that underlies the entire letter.

Christology

A related theological theme involves Christology, specifically the Deity of Christ as expressed in Paul’s poetic statements about his appearing (3:16) and his return (6:13-14). The former speaks of Christ’s Incarnation, a necessary precondition for him to function as our Savior (2:3). This salvation will come to completion in his return as the Sovereign and Divine ruler of all people (4:10; 6:13-16).

Ecclesiology

A third, major theological theme of 1 Timothy is its robust ecclesiology. Over the years, some scholars have questioned Pauline authorship of the letter for this very reason, believing that Spirit-led ministry cannot possibly align itself with church structure. But Paul knew the church needed to institutionalize if it was to have a long-term impact on the Roman world as well as on the other cultures where it would eventually situate itself. Therefore, he devotes significant attention to the church’s structure as reflected in its leadership, teaching, organizational management, and spiritual focus (3:1-14; 4:1-16; 5:1-21; 6:3-21). While the apostle’s application of these principles to the Ephesian context are, to some degree, culturally defined, the principles themselves are trans-historical and contain a singular importance for the 21st century church with its notorious weak ecclesiology.

Soteriology

A fourth theological theme of great importance revolves around soteriology. 1 Timothy contains numerous directives about teaching good doctrine in order to promote the faith among congregants as well as opposing false doctrine and heretical teaching (1:8-11; 4:1-7; 6:3-5; 6:20-21). Paul writes all this because the salvation of men, women, and the church is at stake! Salvation comes only by the grace of God in Christ and that truth is to be protected and proclaimed at all costs (1:12-20; 6:20-21).

Ethics

A fifth theme revolves around the direct connection between doctrine and ethical behavior. Like 2 Timothy and Titus, 1 Timothy has a strong emphasis on Christian living. Not only are Timothy and Titus to pursue godliness, but so are the church leaders and church members (1:5; 1:18-19; 2:8-10; 3:1-12; 4:12; 5:1-15; 6:3-10; 6:17-19). All of these ethical exhortations are interwoven with an emphasis on orthodox teaching. For Paul, and subsequently for Timothy and those under his care, good doctrine and righteous living were to go hand in hand.

My Encounter with 1 Timothy

I have read and studied 1 Timothy consistently since I was a junior in college, now over forty years ago. I have also preached or taught thru all or parts of the book on numerous occasions over the past few decades in both church and seminary settings. I continue to be challenged and convicted by its insistence on good character for all Christian leaders as well as its emphasis on good doctrine. Theological truth and godly living matter for pastors and parishioners alike!

My prayer is that I’ll have at least one more opportunity to practice what I’ve tried to do in this short essay: preach through 1 Timothy over a long number of weeks, exhorting, encouraging, and instructing my audience and myself on what God desires for all of us—and for our world—in the coming years of the 21st century.

Commentaries

In my opinion, there are some exceptionally fine commentaries on 1 Timothy. The four that I have found to be most helpful for preaching and teaching are:

John R.W. Stott, Guard the Truth: the Message of I Timothy and Titus (Downers Grove: IVP, 1996).

Over the course of his long and fruitful ministry, Stott became a master commentator on the Pastoral Epistles. This volume is exceptionally valuable because of its exegesis on the numerous difficult texts in both 1 Timothy and Titus. Readers may not always agree with his conclusions or applications but, in my opinion, this commentary is essential when researching and preaching these books.

Walter Liefeld, The NIV Application Commentary on 1 & 2 Timothy/Titus (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1999).

Liefeld’s commentary is tremendous for its organization, interaction with the text, and clarity of thought. Following the format of the NIV Application Series, each section of Scripture under discussion is divided into: a) the Original Meaning, b) Bridging Contexts, c) Contemporary Significance. Once again, while pastors and teachers may not always agree with his conclusions, they can gain some solid insights and useful suggestions on how to preach the text of 1 Timothy in a relevant way.

Philip H. Towner, 1 & 2 Timothy & Titus (Downers Grove: IVP, 1994).

Towner’s academic forte is his work on the Pastoral Epistles. This book is very clear, easy to access, and provides a clear outline of Paul’s thought in 1 Timothy. Moreover, he grasps the strong missional intent of the letter and brings that out wherever he legitimately can.

Gordon D. Fee, 1and 2 Timothy, Titus (Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, 1988).

Fee has been one of Evangelicalism’s finest New Testament scholars over the last generation and this commentary illustrates exactly why. His stress on the utter importance of true and godly teaching in 1 Timothy reflects the apostle’s concerns as well or better than any other commentary. Moreover, Fee is exceptionally good at highlighting why Timothy’s pastoral ministry in Ephesus was so important both temporally and eternally.

Scott Wenig is associate professor of applied theology at Denver Seminary in Denver, Colorado, and author of Straightening the Altars.