What Is The Purpose Of The Book Of 1st Timothy? A Bible Study

Why did Paul write the Book of 1st Timothy? What was his express purpose? Was it only for Timothy?

The Author

We know this was Paul that wrote the Book of 1st Timothy as he begins “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope, To Timothy, my true child in the faith” (1st Tim 1:1-2a). This was the next to the last letter that Paul would ever write (2nd Timothy is the last) and so this wasn’t written until around AD 63-65. It was called Timothy because it was written to Timothy. Much earlier, Paul had led Timothy to saving faith in Jesus Christ and so Paul referred to Timothy as “my true child in the faith.” Shortly after that, he began to mentor this young evangelist and part of that mentoring process was the Book of 1st Timothy and later, the Book of 2nd Timothy.

The Purpose

Paul was mentoring Timothy through personal encounters with him but when he couldn’t be with him, Paul wrote letters. One thing that Paul was concerned about was the state of the church so he warned Timothy that “the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared” (1st Tim 4:1-2) so be on the lookout in case “anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness” (1st Tim 6:3). Part of Paul’s purpose for writing this letter to Timothy was for him to know how to select pastors and deacons and what the biblical qualifications are.

Church Leadership Qualifications

Paul also wanted to makes sure that qualified, biblically solid pastors would be selected and for that reason Paul gives Timothy and really, the church, the qualifications for being a pastor and for being a deacon that has been used as the watermark for church leadership the past 2,000 years. For example, Paul writes in 1st Timothy3: that a pastor (overseer) must be “above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? He must not be a recent convert” (1st Tim 3:2-6a). It is not enough to want to be a church leader. The question is, do they qualify in God’s Word to be one?

The Focal Point

Paul is trying to help a young pastor or evangelist in Timothy. I believe Paul does something that is lacking in today’s church and that every believer should have and that is a mentor but also to be a mentor. Paul is mentoring Timothy and really, every Timothy needs a Paul in their life. Every man and woman needs to have a mentor they can turn to and confide in and seek counsel from their biblical wisdom and experience but in turn, they need to be mentoring someone younger than they are. Even though I’m in my 60’s, I have an older pastor who cannot preach anymore due to health issues so he has the time to help me and mentor me. I need it too. He loves me enough to speak the truth to me, even if it hurts. I would rather be corrected than incorrect.

Conclusion

Paul’s next to last letter is a beneficial one for us and for the church and not just for church leadership. We must find a mentor and be a mentor. We should understand what God expects out of church leadership and to see if they even qualify for it. And finally, we must know that there are those who will and in fact, already have, departed from the faith. They are teaching fables, abstaining from marriage, and avoiding certain foods so these teachers must be avoided at all costs, including being excluded from the church, because they are “devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons” (1st Tim 4:1) and that’s the last thing the church of Jesus Christ needs.

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren Church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Teaching Children the Gospel available on Amazon.