16 Oct. Why Paul wrote his 'pastoral letters' to Timothy and Titus
"From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, by the command of God our Saviour and Christ Jesus our hope.
To Timothy, a true child to me because you believe:
Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord."
"I asked you to stay longer in Ephesus when I went into Macedonia so you could command some people there to stop teaching false things."
"Tell them not to spend their time on stories that are not true and on long lists of names in family histories. These things only bring arguments; they do not help God's work, which is done in faith."
"The purpose of this command is for people to have love, a love that comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a true faith. Some people have missed these things and turned to useless talk. They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not understand either what they are talking about or what they are sure about."
(1 Timothy 1:1-7)
Paul’s letters to Timothy and Titus are known as ‘pastoral letters’ because they gave instructions to Paul’s fellow-workers on the pastoral care of the young churches. These letters were written towards the end of Paul’s life, probably between 63 and 67AD, after the events that are recorded in the Acts of the Apostles.
The style of these letters is more formal than the earlier letters, so they may not be in Paul’s own words. It’s possible that Paul asked a Christian friend to write his thoughts down in these letters, rather than dictating them word for word.
Paul's First Letter to Timothy was written by Paul to his young fellow-worker between 63 and 66 AD. Paul was writing from Philippi in Macedonia (northern Greece) shortly after leaving Timothy in Ephesus to take charge of the church there (see 1 Timothy 1:3). It’s not known who carried the letter from Philippi to Ephesus.
Timothy was a believer from Lystra in Galatia who was probably converted on Paul’s first missionary journey in 47 or 48AD, and joined Paul on his second missionary journey in 50-52AD. His father was a Gentile (and was probably a Roman citizen) but his mother was Jewish, so he was regarded by the Jews as Jewish – as was anyone with a Jewish mother. Paul therefore circumcised him as a Jewish believer (see Acts 16:1-3).
Timothy stayed on in Berea after Paul had been forced to escape from the mob, but he later re-joined Paul in Athens (see Acts 17:14-16). Paul then sent Timothy back to Thessalonica (see 1 Thessalonians 3:1-5) but he re-joined Paul in Corinth (see 1 Thessalonians 3:6 & Acts 18:5).
Timothy accompanied Paul to Ephesus on his third missionary journey in 53-57AD, and was sent on ahead to Philippi in Macedonia (northern Greece) (see Acts 19:22) before travelling on to Corinth in Achaia (southern Greece) (see 1 Corinthians 4:17 & 16:10). He returned to Macedonia with Paul en route to Jerusalem (see Acts 20:4).
Timothy later stayed with Paul during his house arrest in Rome in 60-62AD (see Colossians 1:1, Philemon 1:1 & Philippians 1:1). After Paul’s release following his hearing before Emperor Nero in 62 or 63AD, Timothy accompanied him to Ephesus (see 1 Timothy 1:3). He was later imprisoned and then released, probably during the persecution of Christians by Nero following the Great Fire of Rome in 64AD (see Hebrews 13:23).
In his letter, Paul warns Timothy about false teachings and advises him about Christian worship and church administration.
He begins by greeting Timothy as “a true child to me because you believe” (1 Timothy 1:2). He asks Timothy to stay on in Ephesus, as he had requested him to do when he left him there en route to Macedonia.
He warns Timothy about the false doctrines that are circulating amongst the believers in Ephesus and emphasises that God’s work is achieved by faith, not by following genealogies that establish Jewish heritage or by keeping the Jewish law.
The photo shows the 4th century church of Hagia Maria in Ephesus, from where Paul wrote his First Letter to Timothy.
You can read more from the letter @ https://www.thebiblejourney.org/…/pauls-1st-letter-to-timo…/