During the lifetime of the Apostle Paul, the Gospel was preached and ecclesias established in much of the Roman Empire. One of those who assisted in this task was Timothy. The epistles of Paul to Timothy were written after many years spent in the work to which they both dedicated their lives.
The beginning of the association of Paul and Timothy is recorded in the 16th chapter of Acts. We are here being told of Paul’s second missionary journey. It was his second visit to the cities of Derbe & Lystra in Asia Minor in what is now a part of the nation of Turkey. At that time the population of this area was largely Greek, but many Jews had migrated there after the dispersal. This region was of course under Roman rule, being part of the Roman Empire. The seed of Christianity had been sown there by Paul in his first visit. We will remember that it was here that Paul aroused the jealousy of the heathen priests who incited the people to stone him and cast him out of the city for dead. We are not informed as to whether Timothy personally heard the preaching of Paul at this time or whether he heard the Gospel from other converts, but we are told that Lois his grandmother and Eunice his mother were also numbered among the believers.
It was probably his early training in the Jewish scriptures which provided the background for his acceptance of the gospel later, as Paul reminds him in the II Tim. 3:15, ”From a child thou hast known the holy scriptures which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus”. The young man Timothy must have displayed great earnestness and zeal, for his reputation was known not only in Lystra but also in Iconium a city perhaps 50 miles distant.
Now Paul in his second visit to this place recognized the value of this young man to the proclamation of the truth. The fact that his father was a Greek and his mother a Jewess, also may have been considered an asset in view of the conditions that prevailed among the people to whom Paul was called upon to preach the Gospel. Paul’s mission was to preach to the Jew first and then to the Gentile. Many of these Jews had a great jealousy on the subject of their ancient divine law, so that in dealing with two such diverse groups brought together in the common recognition of Christ, a great deal of caution and discretion was required. So possibly Timothy was recognized as one naturally suited to bridge the gap between Jew and Gentile in Christ.
Thus Timothy became one of the pioneers of the faith, traveling with Paul and Silas, first to revisit some of the ecclesias established on Paul’s first journey. then in obedience to the call of the spirit, pressing on into new territory in Macedonia. He no doubt assisted in the establishing of the ecclesias at Philipi, Thessalonica, and Berea. Then he followed Paul down into Greece and joined him again at Corinth.
In sharing the hardships of travel as it was in those days and the persecutions from place to place, the Apostle must have gained a deep affection for this earnest and talented young man. Twenty years later in writing to him he addressed him as “Timothy, my dearly beloved Son.” The epistles he *rote to Timothy refleet the concern he felt not only for Timothy himself but also for the many converts to the truth who had increased rapidly during this time. From time to time difficulties had arisen, and heresies had been brought in to the churches. But Timothy was one of those that could be relied upon to hold fast to the things that he had received of Paul. Therefore Paul in writing these epistles to Timothy was probably doing so, not so much for Timothy’s benefit, but that there might be documentary backing for the stand that he might have to take against these false teachers. The church would be more likely to receive the various rules for their proper conduct if they could be heard directly from the pen of the Apostle. Timothy’s influence and authority would be strengthened by explicit instructions direct from the hand of Paul. Also these things were recorded by inspiration that others of later times might receive their message which can be applied to any age and any time.
The first epistle to Timothy indicates some of the conditions that were beginning to prevail in the ecclesias. Evil and false doctrines were increasing to an alarming degree. This is indicated in I Tim 1 :3, “As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine, neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions rather than Godly edifying which is in faith”.
In the churches at that time there were certain ideas being brought in which were contrary to the teachings of scripture. These were derived from Greek philosophy and Oriental mysticism which were both prevalent in the eastern Mediterranean area due to the travel and commerce that were carried on so freely at that time. The same conditions that helped to spread the Gospel rapidly throughout the Roman Empire was also favorable to the spread of other doctrines and ideas which were at variance with the divinely inspired teaching of the Apostles. Much of this was probably what Paul referred to as “Science, falsely so called”. That some of these teachings took hold is evident by the widespread apostasy which soon settled on the church.
It is evidence of the hand of God at work that even though the teachings of the church became so corrupt, yet the true, divinely inspired writings were preserved so, that those with a desire to do so might obtain the precious knowledge necessary to salvation. The counsel and warnings recorded here apply equally to the 20th century as they did in the 1st century. The need to guard against the influence of false but attractive doctrines is something of which we must always be aware, and the counsel that Paul gave to Timothy is one that is equally applicable to us, “To give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine”. The scriptures are the only safe and sure guide, like a beacon guiding us on our course, and if we will honestly and sincerely allow it to guide us without letting prejudice or our own natural desires sway our judgment then we can be sure that we have a firm basis for our faith.
It was to Timothy that Paul made the statement that has become such a familiar passage. Using now the Standard Revised version II Tim 3:14 we read, “continue in what you have learned and firmly believe, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings which are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work”.
The man of God that is equipped with a thorough knowledge of God’s word will be better able to discern the truth ; not only from the standpoint of doctrine but also of practice. The one must accompany the other ; they are inseparable. It is easy to become so concerned with fine points of doctrine and yet to overlook an equally serious failure in ourselves to observe the principles of the proper practical application in our lives. The reverse can be an equally grave error. The idea that we needn’t be concerned about principles if we have the right attitude and good works is just as unsafe for one to follow.
We know that our own minds are but leaky vessels and to rely solely on their reasoning on a subject is extremely foolish when we consider that what comes from the best minds of one generation may be considered foolishness in another. We must realize that the only source of spiritual enlightenment is the word of God. Any other ideas which we receive should be tested to be sure that they are compatible with that which is given us as the standard.
The scriptures are the standard not only of doctrine but also of conduct, both personal and ecclesial. Thru it we can comprehend that which is obscured in the world by the philosophies and false teachings of men. The word of God is to us a light which guides us thru the darkness of the world and leads us toward the brightness of the kingdom.
Continuing the first epistle to Timothy we find many rules of conduct and guidance by which we are to regulate our ecclesial life. In the second chapter prayers and thanksgiving are enjoined for those in authority that enable us to lead a quiet and peaceable life. He recommends that “men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands without wrath and quarreling.” He calls upon women to dress modestly and in good taste. He then goes on to the qualifications for offices and positions of authority in the church. These recommendations should be just as applicable now as then in those whom we choose to lead us in our ecclesial life. Those holding office must be capable of setting an example of good character for others to follow. The standard set is high, but we should approach as near to it as possible. Guidance is also given regarding other matters of ecclesial life such as proper treatment of widows, the administration of rebukes, the selection of helpers, and the relation of the believers to the world.
Along with this Timothy is given numerous personal exhortations as to his character and conduct. He is told, “Be thou an example to the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity”.
As the second epistle is written to Timothy, Paul is again a prisoner in Rome. The freedom which he enjoyed after his first trial does not appear to have lasted long. He writes that only Luke was with him. Paul recognized that the favorable results of the former trial were not likely to be repeated. He writes as an aged and broken man. It is from this letter that we get the only information we have concerning the end of the Apostle’s career.
Paul was separated from his beloved Timothy and earnestly desired to see him. He asks him to come and bring certain books and parchments with him and a cloak that he had left at Troas. His request for the cloak probably indicates a condition of suffering. He is asked to “do diligence to come before winter,” possibly on account of the need for the cloak in the cold prison cell. Whether Timothy reached him before the end we are not informed, but we do know that Paul was filled with hope and confidence as he approached it because he wrote to Timothy, “For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight. I have finished my course, I have kept the faith : Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day : and not to me only but unto all them also that love his appearing”. What became of him after this we have no record. We are told by tradition that he was beheaded and this could quite possibly have been the case. His life was one of complete devotion to the work that he was given to do and he met with a measure of success in the immediate task as well as in his ultimate goal of having laid up a crown of righteousness.
What further inspiration could Timothy have received than this second epistle, written at the end of the life of the Apostle who still charged him to “hold fast the form and sound words which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love, which is in Christ Jesus.” And for us as for those in the first century, Paul’s exhortation comes in those wonderful words, “Therefore, my beloved Brethren, be ye steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord”.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One