Grace be with you all.
Summary: As we conclude our study of 1 Timothy, Paul offers us a reminder of the goodness of God.
Well, we are finally here. We have reached the end of a long and fascinating journey through Paul’s first letter to Timothy. Along the way we have learned about Paul and Timothy as people, and also as brothers in Christ. We have also learned about the Gospel and how we are to live it.
Paul’s next-to-last sentence was especially challenging. In it, he warns about the dangers of false knowledge and cautions that there is a danger of ‘departing from the faith.’ For many of us, the idea of leaving the faith is terrifying. So frightening, in fact, that we don’t even want to consider it a possibility.
Paul understands.
We know he understands, because having made the statement about false knowledge, he ends his letter with “Grace be with you all.”
What, exactly, does that mean?
The word Paul used, charis, is a word that means things like “benefit, favor, gift, grace(- ious), joy, liberality.”* If God gives you or me grace, it means he is making allowances for who we are and what we do.
Grace is not a free pass to do whatever we please. It is more like an ointment or a salve that is applied to a wound to ease pain and speed healing.
Having God’s grace in our lives is the difference between looking over our shoulders constantly to see if we have been found out, and relaxing on the couch, confident that the cop on the street outside is there to protect us, not haul us to jail.
Paul’s passion for the Gospel is amazing. He never seems to waver in the slightest. Everything is about Jesus Christ—nothing else matters. Except that in life we have stubbed toes, parking tickets, hurt feelings, and … dare I admit it? … occasional trips to the freezer for an ice cream when no one is looking.
These things happen.
Timothy won’t always get it perfectly right. He is human. Mistakes will be made, and hopefully, lessons will be learned. The Good News is that, not only did Jesus die on the cross for our sins, but he offers us grace for our daily lives as well.
Application: Live for Jesus in the big things and the small.
Food for Thought: How does God’s grace help strengthen our faith?
*”G5485 – charis – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (NIV).” Blue Letter Bible. Web. 25 Aug, 2026. <https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g5485/niv/mgnt/0-1/>.
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