Paul concluded his sentence in last week’s passage stressing God’s desire for all men to be saved. He continues that thought in this week’s verses, with three facts to underscore the idea. Take a look at 1 Timothy 2:5-6:

Salvation is very closely connected to a knowledge of the truth, as we saw in the previous verses. Paul underscores this with three facts about God the Father and God the Son. Whether this is Paul’s original thought, or a portion of some early creed or formula is unclear. Paul’s phraseology here bears similarity to the idea of “mediator” as seen in the letter to the Hebrews. It’s quite possible that there are some common foundations for these ideas, especially if Paul was the author of both letters.

There is one God

The unity of God is a very common theme throughout Jewish history, and calls to mind the Shema, found in Deuteronomy 6:4. The idea here is that God is the only God, over all people.

Paul began chapter two by laying out some of the basics of worship, specifically pertaining to prayer. In this week’s passage, we see that thought continued as he explains just why God wants us to pray. You can see the passage at 1 Timothy 2:3-4:

Paul starts off by stating that this is good. Prayer is good. For all the reasons he laid out in verse 2, prayer is good. And it pleases God.

The phrase “God our Savior” isn’t used by Paul outside the pastoral letters. It’s much more reminiscent of several Old Testament writings, and carries some subtle flavors of Paul’s fluency in the Judaical, Old Testament theology of God.

The next phrase has been a source of controversy for several centuries, at least since the seventeenth century, between Calvinists and Armenians. It’s obvious that God wants all men to be saved, but what does that mean? Does God save all men, or just a select few? Or is that even the issue here?

I think we can get a clear sens of what Paul is trying to communicate by taking a closer look at the word “wants”. God wants all men to be saved. Paul does not state that God wills all men to be saved. The fact that God wishes all men to be saved doesn’t mean that all men will be saved. Man has a choice in the matter, whether or not to follow God. God’s desire in no way obligates him to do something contrary to his nature, by saving those who choose not to place their trust in Christ.

In chapter two, Paul begins with a brief exhortation on the necessity of prayer. His use of the word “then” or “therefore” relates this directly back to the previous discussion on false teachers. But his use of the phrase “first of all” conveys the primacy of prayer in a believers life.

He gives us a lot of information in these two verses. Take a look at 1 Timothy 2:1-2:

Prayer is an essential part of the Christian’s life. And Paul stresses that fact with his words to Timothy here. Prayer is to be his focus, and ours. For Timothy, this directive follows the discussion on false teachers. So Timothy knew right away who to be praying for, among others.

The principles found here also provide a sort of manual for worship for the early church. In fact, there are several striking similarities here that can be seen in the writing of other early church fathers, such as Clement and others, indicating that these ideas were very widely used.

First of all, Paul uses four different words for prayer. Three of these are very similar, and the differences are subtle. Paul may not have had in mind these differences; he may have used the repetition as a means of emphasis. Prayer is important!

Let’s take a brief look at Paul’s teaching on prayer.

Paul wraps up chapter one with a short phrase that doesn’t seem to be of much consequence. But as we unpack it, we see that there is a lot going on in this verse. It’s the final piece of the of his encouragement to Timothy in this chapter to stand strong. Take a look at it in 1 Timothy 1:20:

There are three phrases in this verse that bear a look.

The first phrase mentions two men who have shipwrecked their faith: Hymenaeus and Alexander. Who were these two men? There’s not a lot of information to go on, but the name Hymenaeus is mentioned again in 2 Timothy 2:17, where his error is mentioned: he apparently taught that the resurrection was already past. He probably spiritualized it, and related it to a person’s conversion, perhaps even denying a bodily resurrection. Whatever the case, it was serious.

Alexander is the other man mentioned. This is a pretty common name, listed again in Acts 19 and in 2 Timothy 4:14. It’s not clear if either of these other two mentions refer to the same man Paul is talking about in this passage.

What seems to be certain is that these two men were probably leaders in the area Timothy was working, perhaps even elders in the church. That makes their errors significant.

In the middle of the first chapter of 1 Timothy, Paul seems to get distracted from the direction of his instructions to Timothy, and breaks into spontaneous worship. We finished memorizing that last week. Now, in verses 18-19, he gets back on track with the direction he was giving his young protege.

The word here that is translated as “instruction” is the same Greek word that is used in verses 3 and 5, where is is translated as “command.” This connects the two passages very clearly. Paul’s concern is that Timothy endure whatever circumstances may come so that he can fulfill the ministry that God has placed him there to accomplish.

Why is Paul so concerned about this young man? Because of the prophecies surrounding Timothy, quite possibly the ones Paul refers to in 4:14, when he mentions Timothy’s commission and the Spirit-bestowed gifts he received when the elders laid they hands on him.

Paul wants Timothy to stand firm, so that he can “fight the good fight.” Paul’s use of strateia here forms images of military strategy and tactics in preparation for battle. In fact, it’s the root for our English word “strategy”.

In order to fight the good fight, Timothy must hold on to faith and a good conscience. Both of these, along with a pure heart, Paul has already mentioned in verse 5. Ignoring these will result in spiritual shipwreck; and in fact, he will go on to mention two men who have done just that in the next verse, which we will examine next week.

Paul’s concern here is for Timothy. But his words ring true for all of us. Holding on to faith and a good conscience are two of the necessary tools we must have to fight the good fight ourselves. Our conscience, for example, is the compass that directs our life. Without a good conscience, it will be too easy for us to drift off course and away from the direction God would have us go. Paul’s instruction to Timothy to hold on to these things is good advice for us as well.

Fight the good fight.

Hold on to faith.

Hold on to a good conscience.

Don’t shipwreck your own faith by rejecting these.

Hold on to them.

What helps you hold on to your faith and a good conscience? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

One of the things I love about Paul’s writings is his propensity for bursting into spontaneous doxologies. And that’s exactly what he does in this week’s passage. It’s only one verse this week, found in 1 Timothy 1:17:

Because of God’s mercy, as Paul has reflected in the previous few verses, Paul feels the need to burst into this brief statement of worship in his letter to Timothy. He describes God in several different ways in this brief sentence.

• King Eternal – Paul expresses not just the eternal nature of God, but his majesty. This phrase could be easily translated as “king of the ages.” Not a huge difference, but it conveys a subtle difference.
• Immortal – Literally, this word conveys the idea of “incorruptible.”
• Invisible – God is unseen, and we must accept him by faith, and not sight. Paul uses this descriptive term elsewhere as well, such as Romans 1:20 and Colossians 1:15.
• The Only God – This phrase brings to mind the Shema, in Deuteronomy 6:4. There is no other to whom this glory is due.

On account of these characteristics of God, Paul concludes that all “honor and glory” are due to him, and him alone, for all of time and beyond. No other is worthy to receive any of God’s glory and honor. Paul’s passion leads you to conclude that he is almost as jealous for all glory and honor to be given to God as God himself is.

So should we be.

Amen.

What do you do in your life to bring all glory and honor to God? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.