At a Glance
1 Timothy at a Glance
First Timothy is one of three letters called the Pastoral Epistles, with 2 Timothy and Titus. They were written to pastors, not churches. Here Paul writes to his own son in the faith (1 Timothy 1:2), a young man he had left in a hard place.
- Author. Paul (1 Timothy 1:1). We hold that Paul wrote all thirteen letters that carry his name, the Pastorals included.
- Date. About AD 62–64, after Paul's release from his first imprisonment in Rome, probably from Macedonia (1 Timothy 1:3).
- Written To. Timothy, whom Paul had asked to abide still at Ephesus (1 Timothy 1:3), and through him the church there.
- Setting. False teachers at Ephesus were taking up fables and endless genealogies (1 Timothy 1:3–4). Timothy was young and needed encouragement (1 Timothy 4:12).
- Key Verse. that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth (1 Timothy 3:15).
- Key Word or Theme. Order and godliness in the church.
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Further reading
For Deeper Study
- Be FaithfulAmazon Warren W. WiersbeA warm, practical study of the Pastoral Epistles by a premillennial Bible teacher.
- Exploring the Pastoral EpistlesAmazon John PhillipsA readable expository commentary on 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus from a dispensational, premillennial writer.
- First TimothyAmazon D. Edmond HiebertA careful, readable commentary in the Everyman's Bible Commentary series.
- Foxe's Book of MartyrsAmazon John FoxeThe classic Protestant record of those who died for the faith, from the early church to the English Reformation.
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How the Bible Fits Together
The Bible is sixty-six books written by about forty men over some fifteen hundred years, yet it tells one story of God's redemption from creation to the new earth, and its center is Jesus Christ.
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