1
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Saviour and of
Christ Jesus our hope,
2
To Timothy my true son in the faith:
Grace,
mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
Timothy
charged to oppose false teachers
3
As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command
certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer 4 or to devote
themselves to myths and endless genealogies. Such things promote controversial
speculations rather than advancing God’s work – which is by faith. 5
The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good
conscience and a sincere faith. 6 Some have departed from these and have turned
to meaningless talk. 7 They want to be teachers of the law, but
they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently
affirm.
8
We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. 9 We also know that the
law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly
and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or
mothers, for murderers, 10 for the sexually immoral, for those practising
homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers – and for whatever
else is contrary to the sound doctrine 11 that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory
of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.
The
Lord’s grace to Paul
12
I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me
trustworthy, appointing me to his service. 13 Even though I was once a
blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I
acted in ignorance and unbelief. 14 The grace of our Lord was poured out on me
abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
15
Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came
into the world to save sinners – of whom I am the worst. 16 But for that very
reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus
might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in
him and receive eternal life. 17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible,
the only God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
The
charge to Timothy renewed
18
Timothy, my son, I am giving you this command in keeping with the prophecies
once made about you, so that by recalling them you may fight the battle well,
19 holding on to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and so
have suffered shipwreck with regard to the faith. 20 Among them are Hymenaeus
and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme
Opposing
False Teachers (1:3-5) The IVP New Testament Commentary Series
The
responsibility of opposing error in the church falls mainly to Christian
leaders. So in Ephesus it fell to Timothy. At the time Paul wrote, he planned
to visit again (or return) soon (3:14; see introduction). He had already
invested a great deal of time and effort in building this church, and he was
quite concerned about recent developments there (Acts 18:19-21; 18:24—20:1).
Ephesus was a city located on the western coast of Asia Minor (modern Turkey).
It was famed for its cult and temple dedicated to the worship of Artemis,
around which a good deal of the city's commercial interests revolved. It also
had a large Jewish colony. Ephesus presented the gospel with a formidable
challenge in that it was a center of pagan worship. From its inception here
(see Acts 19) the church was very much in the public eye.
The
IVP New Testament Commentary Series
False
Doctrine (1:3)
Paul
learned that certain men within the church were teaching false doctrines. Their
probable position as leaders or elders in the church (see introduction and
note) called for immediate action. Timothy was to command these individuals not
only to stop teaching false doctrine but also to put an end to their
speculative system of interpretation.
False
doctrines literally means "different doctrines" (compare 6:3), those
that diverged from the accepted teaching of the Old Testament, Christ and the
apostles. The little we know of the specific content of these teachers'
doctrine suggests that its central feature was a misunderstanding about the
resurrection of believers (2 Tim 2:18). Perhaps due to some confusion over the
Pauline teaching that believers even now participate in the death and resurrection
of Christ (Rom 6:4-5, 8; 2 Tim 2:11), they believed and taught that the
resurrection of believers had already occurred in a spiritual sense (see
further 2 Tim 1:5 and introduction).
That
such a mistake could be made may seem strange to us. But the fervency of the
first-generation church's hope of Christ's return and certain carryovers from
the pagan religions out of which believers came (see comment on 2 Tim 1:5)
could have led some to the conclusion that all of salvation's blessings were to
be experienced now. A modern parallel is what we might describe as Christian
triumphalism (or the "health and wealth" gospel), which tends to
present the Christian message as the quick solution to all of life's problems.
The same basic mistake seems to be involved. In any case, the heretics' special
insight into spiritual matters, which they termed "knowledge" (6:20),
also had ethical implications, as allusions to their asceticism would suggest
(4:3).
IVP
New Testament Commentaries are made available by the generosity of InterVarsity
Press.
4The
False Teachers (1:6-7)
As
Paul's analysis of the situation continues, he uses language that expresses
regret and irony to describe these disguised "wolves." There is more
to false teachers than false doctrine.
First,
they have lost their spiritual bearings. They have wandered (v. 6)—an image of
slow but steady movement away from some point. Perhaps in the beginning these
teachers only drifted aimlessly. But as they hardened in their disbelief and
became argumentative in their attempts to convince others of their views, their
lives came to be characterized not by love but by controversy, impure hearts
and ineffective consciences. They have wandered from the faith.
Second,
they speak and teach foolishness (v. 6). Having left the faith and diverged
from the standard of approved teaching, their doctrines and discussions are
meaningless talk, devoid of truth (6:4-5). In choosing the word he does, Paul
places their doctrine into the category of idolatry and paganism (compare Acts
14:15; 1 Pet 1:18).
Third,
verse 7 reveals that they claim authority for their teaching. Teachers of the
law, a title given to the rabbis (Lk 5:17; Acts 5:34), were regarded as the
authoritative interpreters of Scripture. These enthusiasts were not interested
in simply offering their ideas for consideration. Rather, they
"taught" them as God's message and expected them to be received.
Finally,
Paul's description of their "confidence" implies in this context
stubbornness, a refusal to be denied. We might say they are dogmatic, which
(along with the claim to authority) Paul regards with irony, since they have no
real understanding of the matters they teach. Error, the claim to authority and
dogmatic insecurity make a deadly combination to be sure, especially if these
heretics began from positions of leadership in the church, as may well have
been the case.
These
characteristics make a timeless portrait of the false teacher. Doctrinal
subtleties, special interpretation, spurious claims to authority, controversy
and dogmatism ought to make God's people suspicious. At the same time, evidence
of these same tendencies in our own lives ought to cause alarms to go off. From
the human perspective, it is often a deeply rooted, though sometimes
well-concealed, insecurity that drives one to take the lead in a heretical
movement. We would do well to ask ourselves whether stubborn dogmatism that
takes us beyond discussion to argument and anger is not motivated by such a
fear. No rigid doctrinal structure can dispel this fear. An awareness of God's
permanent love for us is integral to the solution, though there may be other
elements that only skilled counseling can help us address. Then, while a desire
to learn the deep truths of God's Word is commendable, if this leads us to
embrace arcane views that run counter to the main lines of biblical teaching,
we are headed for trouble. The remedy is not to stop thinking, for there is
much yet to be discovered. However, theological investigation must be done in
dialogue with the church. The individual needs the balance and testing that
discussion with other mature believers will provide.
