Commentary on First and Second Timothy, Titus (Commentary on the New Testament Book #14)

Gundry, Robert H.

• Publisher: Baker Academic
• Year: 2011
• ISBN:
  9781441237712
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Commentary

Delve Deeper into God's Word In this verse-by-verse commentary, Robert Gundry offers a fresh, literal translation and a reliable exposition of Scripture for today's readers. These Pastoral Epistles were written in order to instruct and encourage the young associates of Paul, who is facing martyrdom in the near future. Gundry provides a crisp translation allowing for a smooth transition from original text to alternative and contemporary readings. Pastors, Sunday school teachers, small group leaders, and laypeople will welcome Gundry's nontechnical explanations and clarifications. And Bible students at all levels will appreciate his sparkling interpretations. This selection is from Gundry's Commentary on the New Testament.

First Timothy

This letter contains instructions on how Timothy, a young associate of Paul, is to guard against heresy and both organize and administrate the church in Ephesus, a city in western Asia Minor.

INTRODUCTION
1 Timothy 1:1–2

1:1–2: Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus in accordance with the command of God, our Savior, and of Christ Jesus, our hope, 2to Timothy, my genuine child in faith: Grace, mercy, peace from God, the Father, and Christ Jesus, our Lord. “Christ” is Greek for the Hebrew term, “Messiah,” both meaning “Anointed One”; and “apostle” refers to someone sent with delegated authority. So “an apostle of Christ Jesus” designates Paul, the author, as someone sent by the Messiah, who is Jesus, to speak and act on his behalf. This letter will therefore carry the authority of the Messiah himself. “In accordance with the command of God . . . and of Christ Jesus” coordinates God and Christ Jesus in commanding Paul to perform his apostolic function. “Our Savior” identifies God as Paul’s and Timothy’s shared Savior from sin and its eternally disastrous consequences. Since “hope” connotes confidence, “our hope” identifies Christ Jesus as Paul’s and Timothy’s shared basis of confidence of eternal life, to be entered fully at Jesus’ second coming. “My genuine child in faith” identifies Timothy, the recipient, affectionately and probably as Paul’s convert (compare Acts 14:6–23; 16:1–3 with Philemon 10), who has turned out to be true to his belief in Paul’s gospel. For “Grace” and “peace” see the comments on 1 Peter 1:2; 2 John 3. Paul inserts “mercy” in anticipation of 1:12–16 and again coordinates God and Christ Jesus, but now as the source of grace, mercy, peace. “The Father” replaces “our Savior” for a designation of God. This designation supersedes the fathering of Timothy by Paul as his child “in faith,” makes Paul as well as Timothy a child of God, and implies Jesus’ Sonship to God. “Our Lord” replaces “our hope” as a designation of Christ Jesus and thus ascribes deity to him in conjunction with God his Father.

A WARNING AGAINST HERESY, PLUS PERSONAL REMINISCENCES
1 Timothy 1:3–20

1:3–7: Just as when traveling on to Macedonia [north of Greece] I exhorted you to stay in Ephesus [near the west coast of Asia Minor] that you might order some not to teach aberrantly 4and not to be paying attention to myths and endless genealogies, which as such give rise to speculations rather than to God’s house-law in faith—. Paul leaves the foregoing sentence incomplete. 5But the goal of the order [you’re to issue] is love [originating] out of a pure heart and a good conscience and an unhypocritical faith, 6from which some, by going amiss, have veered out of [faith] into pointless talk, 7wanting to be teachers of the Law though not understanding either the things that they’re saying or [the things] about which they’re speaking confidently. Apparently Timothy wanted to go with Paul when Paul was leaving Ephesus for Macedonia. So Paul had to exhort him to stay in Ephesus for the purpose of “order[ing] some not to teach aberrantly,” that is, not to teach anything different from the apostolic tradition. Paul knew that some were in fact teaching aberrantly. He even knew that the aberrant teaching included “myths and endless genealogies,” which in view of “some . . . wanting to be teachers of the Law” point to legendary tales spun out of Old Testament genealogies which themselves were being extended to no useful end (compare Titus 1:14). The exhortation that Timothy issue an order implies authority, probably authority to issue an order on Paul’s behalf. Timothy is to issue an order not even to pay attention to the myths and genealogies, much less teach them. For their mythological character and interminability “give rise to speculations” about matters that can’t be known. “Which as such” underscores the deleteriously speculative rather than beneficially practical effect of these speculations.

“God’s house-law” contrasts with merely human speculations and refers to the practicalities of God’s dealing with the members of his household. “In faith” alludes to the members as a household of faith, for faith in Christ Jesus provides the household’s framework. That is to say, belief in God’s self-revelation through Christ Jesus trumps the speculations of “some.” The order Timothy is to issue has to do with faith/belief. But its goal has to do with conduct/behavior—in particular, with love, by which is probably meant love of one another in the Christian household (see, for example, Galatians 5:13–14). Speculations make the heart dirty by rationalizing sinful behavior, make the conscience bad by producing such behavior, and make faith hypocritical by subverting its genuineness. So love originates only “out of a pure heart and a good conscience and an unhypocritical faith.” Some have gone amiss from these and veered out of faith into “pointless talk,” which describes the speculations as aimless. They’re a bridge to nowhere. “Wanting to be teachers of the Law” describes the speculators in relation to the Mosaic law and makes a contrastive wordplay with “God’s house-law.” Thus the law of Moses stands over against the law of faith (compare, for example, Romans 3:27; Galatians 2:16). Beyond “myths and endless genealogies” Paul doesn’t identify what the speculators teach about the Law. Presumably Timothy knew what it was. Instead, then, Paul describes the speculators as “not understanding either the things that they’re saying [when quoting the Law] or [the things] about which they’re speaking confidently [when interpreting the Law].” As it often does, ignorance bred false confidence.

1:8–11: But we [Paul and Timothy] know that the Law [is] good if someone uses it lawfully 9by knowing this, [namely,] that the Law isn’t meant for a righteous person, but for lawless and rebellious people, for ungodly and sinful people, for undevout and profane people, for killers of their own fathers and killers of their own mothers, for murderers [in general], 10fornicators, sodomites, slave traders, liars, perjurers. And if anything else is opposed to healthful teaching 11in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God, with which [gospel] I was entrusted, [the Law was meant for those who engage in that “anything else”]. “But we know . . . by knowing” sets up a double contrast with the ignorance of the would-be teachers of the Law (1:7). “The Law isn’t meant for a righteous person” implies that those teachers are misusing the Law for righteous people, that is, people who are righteous by faith in Christ (Philippians 3:9). It’s by believing “the gospel of the glory of the blessed God,” not by keeping “the Law,” that people become righteous. “The Law [is] good” (compare Romans 7:12), but to teach it as the vehicle of righteousness is to use the Law unlawfully, in opposition to its own purpose and character (compare Romans 7:7–25). The lawful use of the Law, emphasized by a wordplay between “the Law” and “lawfully,” has to do with an unrighteous person. Paul doesn’t define this use (but see Romans 3:19–20; 5:20–21; Galatians 3:23–24). Here his only point is that the would-be teachers of the Law are misusing it for people already righteous through believing the gospel.

The lengthy description of unrighteous people as “lawless,” “rebellious,” “ungodly,” “sinful,” “undevout,” “profane,” and so forth has the purpose of highlighting by contrast that those who are righteous through believing the gospel don’t need the Law as a vehicle of righteousness. For they aren’t “killers of their own fathers,” “killers of their own mothers,” “murderers,” “fornicators,” “sodomites,” “slave traders,” “liars,” “perjurers,” or any of the preceding. (The inclusion of “slave traders” implies a moral condemnation of slavery.) Since the speculators want to be teachers of the Law but don’t understand what they’re saying, Paul describes and lists unrighteous people in fluctuating degrees of contrast with the Ten Commandments. “Lawless,” “rebellious,” “ungodly,” and “sinful” contrast very loosely with the commandments to have no other gods before the Lord God and not to make idols or worship them. Less loosely, “undevout” and “profane” contrast with the commandments not to take the Lord’s name in vain and to observe the Sabbath day. “Killers of their own fathers and killers of their own mothers” contrasts sharply with the commandment to honor your father and your mother. “Murderers” contrasts obviously with the commandment not to commit murder. “Fornicators” (a general term for sexually immoral people) and “sodomites” (males who play the masculine role in homosex [see Leviticus 18:22; 20:13]) contrast expansively with the commandment not to commit adultery (which means having sex with someone else’s spouse). “Slave traders,” referring to those who steal human beings, contrasts narrowly with the commandment not to steal anything at all. “Liars” and “perjurers” contrast in detail with the commandment not to bear false witness. “And if anything else is opposed to healthful teaching” would include disobedience to the commandment not to covet (though compare Jesus’ stopping short of citing this commandment in Mark 10:19; Matthew 19:18–19; Luke 18:20) and recalls the catchall phrase, “and things similar to these,” at the end of Paul’s list of “the works of the flesh” in Galatians 5:21 (compare also the catchall but affirmatory clause in Romans 13:9, “and if [there’s] any other commandment”; and see Exodus 20:3–17; Deuteronomy 5:7–21 for the Ten Commandments). “Healthful teaching” promotes moral health, and such teaching accords with the gospel in that the gospel pits the glory of God against human sinning (Romans 3:23). Paul calls God “blessed” in the sense that those who are righteous praise God for his gospel. “With which [gospel] I was entrusted” sets this gospel as a divine entrustment over against the worthless speculations of the would-be teachers of the Law.

1:12–14: I have gratitude for him who empowered me—[namely,] for Christ Jesus, our Lord—because he considered me trustworthy [compare 1 Corinthians 7:25] by putting [me] into service 13even though [I] was formerly a blasphemer and persecutor and aggressor. I was shown mercy, however, because being ignorant I acted in unbelief; 14and the grace of our Lord increased lavishly along with the faith and love that [are] in Christ Jesus. Here “our Lord” points to Christ Jesus’ divine ability and authority in empowering Paul to speak and act (often miraculously, for “miracles” means “acts of power” [see Romans 15:18–19; 2 Corinthians 12:12; Galatians 3:5]) as his apostle (1:1). Christ Jesus considered Paul trustworthy by anticipation of the effect on him of being empowered, for at the time of Christ’s “putting [him] into [apostolic] service” Paul hadn’t yet proved himself trustworthy. On the contrary, he’d been “a blasphemer [that is, a slanderer of Christ] and persecutor [of believers in Christ (see 1 Corinthians 15:9; Galatians 1:13, 23; Philippians 3:6; Acts 7:58; 9:1–2, 13–14, 21; 22:4–5; 26:9–11)] and aggressor [so that violence characterized his persecution of them].” Hence his “gratitude.” “However” contrasts the mercy shown to Paul with his former unmerciful activities. “Because I acted ignorantly in unbelief” explains why he was shown mercy and traces his acting ignorantly to unbelief. Not to believe the gospel leads to ignorant activity. Despite the ignorance of Paul as a blasphemer, persecutor, and aggressor, the Lord’s grace (= ill-deserved favor) had to increase lavishly for the empowerment of Paul as an apostle. Along with that grace, faith in Christ Jesus had to increase lavishly on the part of Paul because of his former blasphemy of Christ. So too did Paul’s love have to increase lavishly because of his former persecution of the church and aggression against it. He locates this faith and love “in Christ Jesus” because he himself is in Christ Jesus (see 2 Timothy 3:12, for example) and therefore is able to believe in him and love others who are in him by faith. The repetition of “our Lord” draws Timothy into the sphere in which Paul operates.

1:15–17: Trustworthy and deserving of total acceptance [is] the saying: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners,” of whom I am foremost. 16I was shown mercy, however, because of this: that in me [as] foremost [among sinners] Christ Jesus might exhibit total patience for an example of those who were going to believe on him for eternal life. 17And to the King of the ages, the imperishable, invisible, only God, [belong] honor and glory forever and ever. Amen! Paul starts this paragraph with the quotation of a saying that he describes as “trustworthy and deserving of total acceptance” because of his own experience of mercy and lavish grace. “Trustworthy” means “worthy of belief,” and “deserving of total acceptance” means deserving to be accepted as true without a shred of doubt that it’s true. Just as Christ Jesus considered Paul trustworthy (1:12), Paul presents this saying as trustworthy. The occurrence of “trustworthy” (Greek: pistos) in these two instances gives occasion to point up a concentration of terms all based on a Greek stem, underlined above and below, that carries the meaning of faith, belief, trust. Besides the two statements just mentioned, see 1:2, 4 (“in faith” [pistei]), 5 (“an unhypocritical faith” [pisteōs]), 11 (“I was entrusted” [episteuthēn]), 13 (“in unbelief” [apistia]), 14 (“along with faith” [pisteōs]), 16 (“those who were going to believe” [pisteuein]), 19 (“while having faith” [pistin]), plus further occurrences in the following chapters, 2 Timothy, and Titus. The play on this stem highlights the efficacy of faith, belief, trust over against Law-keeping as taught by the speculators. “Christ Jesus came into the world” means that he entered human society and implies, though it doesn’t emphasize, his preexistence outside this world (compare 2 Corinthians 8:9; Philippians 2:5–8 and the implication of Colossians 1:15–20). “To save sinners” means to save them from the wrath of God that’s directed at them because of their sin (Romans 1:16–18). “Of whom I am fo...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• First Timothy
• Second Timothy
• Titus
• Notes
• Back Cover