Hi! And welcome to afaithtalk. I’m glad you’re here.
I was reading in first Timothy the other day and I knew there was something here we needed to delve into a little deeper. So I’m glad to have you join me on this deep dive into a few verses in this precious letter from Paul to Timothy.
Before we begin, let’s pray.
Lord Jesus, thank You for providing these wonderful words to learn from and to excite our faith. Please come and show us what You want us to see so that our faith is encouraged and the Spirit You’ve given is fanned into a raging fire. All for You, with You and through You. In Your name, I pray. Amen.
1 Timothy 1:1-2
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, in keeping with the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus,
To Timothy, my dear son:
Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
How tender this greeting is. How full of wonder and love too.
This letter is about ‘keeping with the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus,’ The promise of life…
John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
John 11:25-26 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
The promise of Life is found only in Christ Jesus. And it’s way more than normal life. It’s abundant life, it’s eternal life, it’s immortality, it’s His life in us.
And the blessing given at the start? Grace, Mercy and Peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Let that sink in. You are given each of these things through Jesus. Though Peace is nearly the only one you can feel, He can and does provide it. So stop. Close your eyes. Take a few deep breaths and than thank Him for His closeness and that peace.
1 Timothy 1:4b-5
I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy.I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.
Have you ever longed to see someone simply because doing so would encourage your faith and bring you joy? Sincere faith is rarer than you might think. Yet every word of the Gospel is true and all these Scriptures are given to encourage and teach and ensure what we believe is true. In this letter Paul is longing because he loves Timothy as a son, but in Romans, he says the same thing to those he hasn’t even met yet. “I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong—that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each others faith.” Romans 1:11-12 His longing was for all people to have true faith. It’s mine to assist in that. To share my faith and grow yours and in that way encourage us both.
1 Timothy 1:6a-7
For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.
The gift of God: the Spirit within you, is perfectly capable of being fanned into a raging fire within you. It’s your responsibility to exercise your faith in such a way as to fan that flame. Because that Spirit does not make us timid, it gives us power, love and self-discipline.
Self-discipline, hmm, prayer, faith exercising, writing, it’s all part of the discipline which fans the flame within me. I am so grateful that in all of Paul’s letters, he is so gushing with encouragement for faith. Everything we read here depends on faith. You have to have Faith.
1 Timothy 1:8
So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God.
There is a definite difference between ordinary suffering and suffering for the gospel. Jesus himself mentions it in
Matthew 5:10-12
“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
The power of God indwells the Spirit within you. You have to fan the flame to experience it.
1 Timothy 1:9-10He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.
Christ Jesus has brought life and not just life, but eternal, immortality to light through the gospel. The gospel of God is Jesus. Jesus is the only way to have any of this. Jesus is Life. Do not be ashamed, do not recoil in disgust at what he went through to save you. He did it because He loves you. He gave up His life to give you Eternal Life. And blessing beyond imagination too. And the promise of rewards when time reaches its fulfillment.
1 Timothy 1:11-12
And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher.That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.
Let that sink in… Do you know Who you have believed? Are you convinced that he is able to guard what you have entrusted to him until that day? What have you entrusted?
These verses positively sing they’re so beautiful. In fact, I’m certain a song exists with those words in it. The chorus, I think it is goes something like this:
I know Whom I have believed
and am persuaded,
that He is able,
to guard that
which I’ve committed
unto him against that day.
Granted, my favorite way to read this verse is using the words entrusted and until, but committed and against also work. Reminds me of Romans 4:18 Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”
Both are about trust. Both contain faith. Have you been persuaded to entrust your very life to Him?
1 Timothy 1:13-14
What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus.Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.
Guard your faith. Grow your faith. The Holy Spirit will help.