Daily Meditations on the Bible / We stand with Israel
…and of Christ Jesus our hope,
Summary: Paul’s words are carefully chosen, and as we look at them, we are able to catch a glimpse of how Paul sees his Lord and Savior.
Let’s begin our meditation with a review of Paul’s entire opening words so far:
“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope …”
Continue reading “1 Timothy 1:1d – Our Hope”
…by the command of God our Savior …
Summary: Being an apostle is not all it’s cracked up to be. The work is hard, and the pay is lousy — at least from a worldly perspective.
Why would anyone become an apostle of Jesus Christ?
Does being an apostle give you status? Are people impressed by you being an apostle?
Continue reading “1 Timothy 1:1c – God’s Command”
…an apostle of Christ Jesus …
Summary: As we begin our study of Paul’s letter to Timothy, we are immediately confronted by a word that people argue over, even today. Clarifying what we mean by the word we choose helps resolve conflict and restore unity.
It is always helpful, when embarking on a discussion of any serious nature, to define terms.
Continue reading “1 Timothy 1:1b – Apostle”
Paul …
Summary: As we begin to explore Paul’s first letter to Timothy, it is interesting to note the relationship between Paul and Timothy. Paul’s adoption of Timothy as a son colors everything we will read here.
Paul begins his letter to Timothy in the formal style of his day. If you squint your eyes when you look at his letter, it really isn’t much different from our letters today.
Continue reading “1 Timothy 1:1a – Father Paul”