Day 346 Reading Schedule: 1 Timothy 1-3

1 Timothy 1: The Gospel of Truth to Be Guarded 

[Overview]

This chapter records Paul's exhortation to Timothy to preserve the Christian faith through the teaching of sound doctrine and the example of a righteous life. This chapter tells us that in order to uphold the truth, we must actively understand the truth of God's providence and salvation as described in the Bible, and passively avoid those who distort the Bible for personal purposes. In particular, Paul uses military terms to command Timothy and his men to realize the seriousness of their work as servants of Christ. He also clearly states that the command is 'the command of God our Savior and Christ Jesus our hope.' This chapter mainly focuses on sound doctrine and other doctrines. Therefore, he strongly emphasizes that the ministry of the church and pastors must follow this sound doctrine.  The contents of this chapter consist of a greeting (verses 1-2), an economics on false teachings (verses 3-11), the grace of the Lord toward Paul (verses 12-17), and a warning against apostates (verses 18-20). 

1 Timothy 2: Instructions for Pastoral Ministry 

[Overview]

This chapter specifically teaches us how to live a proper church life. First, it emphasizes that we must have a life of prayer. It mentions that the object of prayer is all mankind, and shows that the prayers of true saints have the power to work. It also teaches the correct division of roles between men and women in the church. It emphasizes the responsibility of prayer for men and male leaders. This command to pray without anger or quarreling is probably because men are easily excited and prone to fighting. The responsibility given to women is to keep the original position, the position of obedience, that God has placed me in. Here, we can see that what Paul was concerned about and warned against was not the ministry of women itself, but the ministry that went beyond his position, that is, the position of obedience. However, the most essential thing is that the work of the church is work in the spiritual realm, and spiritual work cannot be done without prayer.  The content of this chapter consists of teachings on intercessory prayer (verses 1-8) and on the virtues of women (verses 9-15). 

1 Timothy 3: Qualifications of Church Officers 

[Overview]

Paul teaches in this chapter about the qualifications of overseers and deacons and the nobility of all ministries. Since he discusses the qualifications of pastors as overseers and deacons in detail, this chapter provides the basis for this book to be called a pastoral letter. Paul wanted to rush to Ephesus to meet Timothy and instruct him on all matters related to pastoral ministry, but he wrote this chapter so that Timothy could manage the church well even if his arrival was delayed. In other words, he wrote this chapter for the smooth management of the church that Timothy was in charge of, and with the hope that it would become an organized and institutionalized church. The qualifications for overseers and deacons that Paul sets in this chapter are the right norms of the church political system that must be maintained regardless of region and era. Furthermore, we should not think of this as a regulation simply for the officers, but as an active norm that all believers should pursue.  The contents of this chapter consist of the qualifications of a bishop (verses 1-7), the qualifications of a deacon (verses 8-13), and the depth of the church and the gospel (verses 14-16).