1 Timothy — Working for Order in God's Household

            Each of the three Pastoral Epistles takes the form of a letter from the Apostle Paul.[1] 1 Timothy is Paul’s letter to his younger coworker, Timothy, in which he gives instructions about how to minister within the church and how to deal with false teachers. Yet the last word of the letter — “Grace be with you [plural]” (1 Tim. 6:21) — indicates that the letter is meant to be overheard by the whole church in Ephesus so that all may benefit from Paul’s counsel to Timothy.

            Because the letters share some common themes, we will combine our discussion of related passages among the letters. The themes will be explored according to the order they first arise in the Pastoral Epistles.