F
I R S T T I M O T H Y
CHAP. I.
After
the inscription (ver. 1, 2) we have, I. The charge given to Timothy, ver. 3,
4. II. The true end of the law (ver. 5-11), where he shows that it is entirely
agreeable to the gospel. III. He mentions his own call to be an apostle, for
which he expresses his thankfulness, ver. 12-16. IV. His doxology, ver. 17. V.
A renewal of the charge to Timothy, ver. 18. And of Hymenæus and Alexander,
ver. 19, 20.
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The
Inscription and Apostolic Benediction.
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A. D. 64.
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1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the
commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our
hope; 2 Unto Timothy, my own son in the faith: Grace,
mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.
3 As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia,
that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine,
4 Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister
questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.
Here is, I. The inscription of the epistle, from whom it is sent: Paul an
apostle of Jesus Christ, constituted an apostle by the commandment of
God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ. His credentials were
unquestionable. He had not only a commission, but a commandment, not only from
God our Saviour, but from Jesus Christ: he was a preacher of the gospel of
Christ, and a minister of the kingdom of Christ. Observe, God is our
Saviour.--Jesus Christ, who is our hope. Observe, Jesus Christ is a
Christian's hope; our hope is in him, all our hope of eternal life is built
upon him; Christ is in us the hope of glory, Col. i. 27. He calls Timothy his
own son, because he had been an instrument of his conversion, and because he
had been a son that served him, served with him in the gospel, Phil. ii. 22.
Timothy had not been wanting in the duty of a son to Paul, and Paul was not
wanting in the care and tenderness of a father to him.
II. The benediction is, grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father.
Some have observed that whereas in all the epistles to the churches the
apostolical benediction is grace and peace, in these two epistles to
Timothy and that to Titus it is grace, mercy, and peace: as if
ministers had more need of God's mercy than other men. Ministers need more
grace than others, to discharge their duty faithfully; and they need more
mercy than others, to pardon what is amiss in them: and if Timothy, so eminent
a minister, must be indebted to the mercy of God, and needed the increase and
continuance of it, how much more do we ministers, in these times, who have so
little of his excellent spirit!
III. Paul tells Timothy what was the end of his appointing him to this office:
I besought thee to abide at Ephesus. Timothy had a mind to go with
Paul, was loth to go from under his wing, but Paul would have it so; it was
necessary for the public service: I besought thee, says he. Though he
might assume an authority to command him, yet for love's sake he chose rather
to beseech him. Now his business was to take care to fix both the ministers
and the people of that church: Charge them that they teach no other
doctrine than what they have received, that they do not add to the
Christian doctrine, under pretence of improving it or making up the defects of
it, that they do no alter it, but cleave to it as it was delivered to them.
Observe, 1. Ministers must not only be charged to preach the true doctrine of
the gospel, but charged to preach no other doctrine. If an angel from
heaven preach any other doctrine, let him be anathema, Gal. i. 8. 2. In
the times of the apostles there were attempts made to corrupt Christianity (we
are not as many, who corrupt the word, 2 Cor. ii. 17), otherwise this
charge to Timothy might have been spared. 3. He must not only see to it that
he did not preach any other doctrine, but he must charge others that they
might not add any thing of their own to the gospel, or take any thing from it,
but that they preach it pure and uncorrupt. He must also take care to prevent
their regarding fables, and endless genealogies, and strifes of words.
This is often repeated in these two epistles (as ch. iv. 7; vi. 4; 2
Tim. ii. 23), as well as in the epistle to Titus. As among the Jews there were
some who brought Judaism into Christianity; so among the Gentiles there were
some who brought paganism into Christianity. "Take heed of these,"
says he, "watch against them, or they will be the corrupting and ruining
of religion among you, for they minister questions rather than edifying."
That which ministers questions is not for edifying; that which gives occasion
for doubtful disputes pulls down the church rather than builds it up. And I
think, by a parity of reason, every thing else that ministers questions rather
than godly edifying should be disclaimed and disregarded by us, such as an
uninterrupted succession in the ministry from the apostles down to these
times, the absolute necessity of episcopal ordination, and of the intention of
the minister to the efficacy and validity of the sacraments he ministers.
These are as bad as Jewish fables and endless genealogies, for they involve us
in inextricable difficulties, and tend only to shake the foundations of a
Christian's hope and to fill his mind with perplexing doubts and fears. Godly
edifying is the end ministers should aim at in all their discourses, that
Christians may be improving in godliness and growing up to a greater likeness
to the blessed God. Observe, further, Godly edifying must be in faith: the
gospel is the foundation on which we build; it is by faith that we come to God
at first (Heb. xi. 6), and it must be in the same way, and by the same
principle of faith, that we must be edified. Again, Ministers should avoid, as
much as may be, what will occasion disputes; and would do well to insist on
the great and practical points of religion, about which there can be no
disputes; for even disputes about great and necessary truths draw off the mind
from the main design of Christianity, and eat out the vitals of religion,
which consist in practice and obedience as well as in faith, that we may not
hold the truth in unrighteousness, but may keep the mystery of the faith in a
pure conscience.
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Timothy
Reminded of His Charge.
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A. D. 64.
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5 Now the end of the commandment is charity out
of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith
unfeigned: 6 From which some having swerved have turned aside unto
vain jangling; 7 Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding
neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm. 8 But we know that
the law is good, if a man use it lawfully; 9 Knowing this,
that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and
disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for
murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, 10
For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for
menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing
that is contrary to sound doctrine; 11 According to the glorious
gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.
Here the apostle instructs Timothy how to guard against the judaizing
teachers, or others who mingled fables and endless genealogies with the
gospel. He shows the use of the law, and the glory of the gospel.
I. He shows the end and uses of the law: it is intended to promote love, for
love is the fulfilling of the law, Rom. xiii. 10.
1. The end of the commandment is charity, or love, Rom. xiii. 8. The
main scope and drift of the divine law are to engage us to the love of God and
one another; and whatever tends to weaken either our love to God or love to
the brethren tends to defeat the end of the commandment: and surely the
gospel, which obliges us to love our enemies, to do good to those who hate us
(Matt. v. 44) does not design to lay aside or supersede a commandment the end
whereof is love; so far from it that, on the other hand, we are told that
though we had all advantages and wanted charity, we are but as sounding brass
and a tinkling cymbal, 1 Cor. xiii. 1. By this shall all men know that you
are my disciples, if you love one another, John xiii. 35. Those therefore
who boasted of their knowledge of the law, but used it only as a colour for
the disturbance that they gave to the preaching of the gospel (under pretence
of zeal for the law, dividing the church and distracting it), defeated that
which was the very end of the commandment, and that is love, love out of a
pure heart, a heart purified by faith, purified from corrupt affections.
In order to the keeping up of holy love our hearts must be cleansed from all
sinful love; our love must arise out of a good conscience, kept without
offence. Those answer the end of the commandment who are careful to keep a
good conscience, from a real belief of the truth of the word of God which
enjoins it, here called a faith unfeigned. Here we have the
concomitants of that excellency grace charity; they are three:-- (1.) A pure
heart; there it must be seated, and thence it must take its rise. (2.) A good
conscience, in which we must exercise ourselves daily, that we may not only
get it, but that we may keep it, Acts xxiv. 16. (3.) Faith unfeigned must also
accompany it, for it is love without dissimulation: the faith that works by it
must be of the like nature, genuine and sincere. Now some who set up for
teachers of the law swerved from the very end of the commandment: they set up
for disputers, but their disputes proved vain jangling; they set up for
teachers, but they pretended to teach others what they themselves did not
understand. If the church be corrupted by such teachers, we must not think it
strange, for we see from the beginning it was so. Observe, [1.] When persons,
especially ministers, swerve from the great law of charity--the end of the
commandment, they will turn aside to vain jangling; when a man misses his end
and scope, it is no wonder that every step he takes is out of the way. [2.]
Jangling, especially in religion, is vain; it is unprofitable and useless as
to all that is good, and it is very pernicious and hurtful: and yet many
people's religion consists of little else but vain jangling. [3.] Those who
deal much in vain jangling are fond and ambitious to be teachers of others;
they desire (that is, they affect) the office of teaching. [4.] It is too
common for men to intrude into the office of the ministry when they are very
ignorant of those things about which they are ton speak: they understand
neither what they say nor whereof they affirm; and by such learned ignorance,
no doubt, they edify their hearers very much!
2. The use of the law (v. 8): The law is good, if a man use it
lawfully. The Jews used it unlawfully, as an engine to divide the church,
a cover to the malicious opposition they made to the gospel of Christ; they
set it up for justification, and so used it unlawfully. We must not therefore
think to set it aside, but use it lawfully, for the restraint of sin. The
abuse which some have made of the law does not take away the use of it; but,
when a divine appointment has been abused, call it back to its right use and
take away the abuses, for the law is still very useful as a rule of life;
though we are not under it as under a covenant of works, yet it is good to
teach us what is sin and what is duty. It is not made for a righteous man,
that is, it is not made for those who observe it; for, if we could keep the
law, righteousness would be by the law (Gal. iii. 21): but it is made for
wicked persons, to restrain them, to check them, and to put a stop to vice and
profaneness. It is the grace of God that changes men's hearts; but the terrors
of the law may be of use to tie their hands and restrain their tongues. A
righteous man does not want those restraints which are necessary for the
wicked; or at least the law is not made primarily and principally for the
righteous, but for sinners of all sorts, whether in a greater or less measure,
v. 9, 10. In this black roll of sinners, he particularly mentions
breaches of the second table, duties which we owe to our neighbour; against
the fifth and sixth commandments, murderers of fathers and mothers, and
manslayers; against the seventh, whoremongers, and those that defile
themselves with mankind; against the eighth, men-stealers; against
the ninth, liars and perjured persons; and then he closes his account
with this, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound
doctrine. Some understand this as an institution of a power in the civil
magistrate to make laws against such notorious sinners as are specified, and
to see those laws put in execution.
II. He shows the glory and grace of the gospel. Paul's epithets are expressive
and significant; and frequently every one is a sentence: as here (v.
11), According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God. Let us learn
hence, 1. To call God blessed God, infinitely happy in the enjoyment of
himself and his own perfections. 2. To call the gospel the glorious gospel,
for so it is: much of the glory of God appears in the works of creation and
providence, but much more in the gospel, where it shines in the face of Jesus
Christ. Paul reckoned it a great honour put upon him, and a great favour done
him, that this glorious gospel was committed to his trust; that is, the
preaching of it, for the framing of it is not committed to any man or company
of men in the world. The settling of the terms of salvation in the gospel of
Christ is God's own work; but the publishing of it to the world is committed
to the apostles and ministers. Note here, (1.) The ministry is a trust, for
the gospel was committed unto this apostle; it is an office of trust as well
as of power, and the former more than the latter; for this reason ministers
are called stewards, 1 Cor. iv. 1. (2.) It is a glorious trust, because the
gospel committed to them is a glorious gospel; it is a trust of very great
importance. God's glory is very much concerned in it. Lord, what a trust is
committed to us! How much grace do we want, to be found faithful in this great
trust!
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Perverters
Reproved.
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A. D. 64.
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12 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath
enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the
ministry; 13 Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and
injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in
unbelief. 14 And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with
faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. 15 This is a
faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into
the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. 16 Howbeit for this
cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all
longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to
life everlasting. 17 Now unto the King eternal, immortal,
invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever.
Amen.
Here the apostle, I. Returns thanks to Jesus Christ for putting him into the
ministry. Observe, 1. It is Christ's work to put men into the ministry, Acts
xxvi. 16, 17. God condemned the false prophets among the Jews in these words, I
have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet
they prophesied, Jer. xxiii. 21. Ministers, properly speaking, cannot make
themselves ministers; for it is Christ's work, as king and head, prophet and
teacher, of his church. 2. Those whom he puts into the ministry he fits for
it; whom he calls he qualifies. Those ministers who are no way fit for their
work, nor have ability for it, are not of Christ's putting into the ministry,
though there are different qualifications as to gifts and graces. 3. Christ
gives not only ability, but fidelity, to those whom he puts into the ministry:
He counted me faithful; and none are counted faithful but those whom he
makes so. Christ's ministers are trusty servants, and they ought to be so,
having so great a trust committed to them. 4. A call to the ministry is a
great favour, for which those who are so called ought to give thanks to Jesus
Christ: I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath put me into the ministry.
II. The more to magnify the grace of Christ in putting him into the ministry,
he gives an account of his conversion.
1. What he was before his conversion: A blasphemer, a persecutor, and
injurious. Saul breathed out threatenings and slaughter against the
disciples of the Lord, Acts ix. 1. He made havoc of the church, Acts viii. 3.
He was a blasphemer of God, a persecutor of the saints, and injurious to both.
Frequently those who are designed for great and eminent services are left to
themselves before their conversion, to fall into great wickedness, that the
mercy of God may be the more glorified in their remission, and the grace of
God in their regeneration. The greatness of sin is no bar to our acceptance
with God, no, nor to our being employed for him, if it be truly repented of.
Observe here, (1.) Blasphemy, persecution, and injuriousness, are very great
and heinous sins, and those who are guilty of them are sinners before God
exceedingly. To blaspheme God is immediately and directly to strike at God; to
persecute his people is to endeavour to wound him through their sides; and to
be injurious is to be like Ishmael, whose hand was against every one, and
every one was against him; for such invade God's prerogative, and encroach
upon the liberties of their fellow-creatures. (2.) True penitents, to serve a
good purpose, will not be backward to own their former condition before they
were brought home to God: this good apostle often confessed what his former
life had been, as Acts xxii. 4; xxvi. 10, 11.
2. The great favour of God to him: But I obtained mercy. This was a
blessed but indeed, a great favour, that so notorious a rebel should
find mercy with his prince.
(1.) If Paul had persecuted the Christians wilfully, knowing them to be the
people of God, for aught I know he had been guilty of the unpardonable sin;
but, because he did it ignorantly and in unbelief, he obtained mercy. Note,
[1.] What we do ignorantly is a less crime than what we do knowingly; yet a
sin of ignorance is a sin, for he that knew not his Master's will, but did
commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes, Luke xii.
48. Ignorance in some cases will extenuate a crime, though it do not take it
away. [2.] Unbelief is at the bottom of what sinners do ignorantly; they do
not believe God's threatenings, otherwise they could not do as they do. [3.]
For these reasons Paul obtained mercy: But I obtained mercy, because I did
it ignorantly, in unbelief. [4.] Here was mercy for a blasphemer, a
persecutor, and an injurious person: "But I obtained mercy, I a
blasphemer," &c.
(2.) Here he takes notice of the abundant grace of Jesus Christ, v. 14.
The conversion and salvation of great sinners are owing to the grace of
Christ, his exceedingly abundant grace, even that grace of Christ which
appears in his glorious gospel (v. 15): This is a faithful saying,
&c. Here we have the sum of the whole gospel, that Jesus Christ came
into the world. The Son of God took upon him our nature, was made flesh,
and dwelt among us, John i. 14. He came into the world, not to call the
righteous but sinners to repentance, Matt. ix. 13. His errand into the
world was to seek and find, and so save, those that were lost, Luke xix.
10. The ratification of this is that it is a faithful saying, and worthy of
all acceptation. It is good news, worthy of all acceptation; and yet not
too good to be true, for it is a faithful saying. It is a faithful saying, and
therefore worthy to be embraced in the arms of faith: it is worthy of all
acceptation, and therefore to be received with holy love, which refers to the
foregoing verse, where the grace of Christ is said to abound in faith and
love. In the close of the verse Paul applies it to himself: Of whom I am
chief. Paul was a sinner of the first rank; so he acknowledges himself to
have been, for he breathed out threatenings and slaughter against the
disciples of the Lord, &c., Acts ix. 1, 2. Persecutors are some of the
worst of sinners: such a one Paul had been. Or, of whom I am chief,
that is, of pardoned sinners I am chief. It is an expression of his great
humility; he that elsewhere calls himself the least of all saints (Eph.
iii. 8) here calls himself the chief of sinners. Observe, [1.] Christ Jesus
has come into the world; the prophecies concerning his coming are now
fulfilled. [2.] He came to save sinners; he came to save those who could not
save and help themselves. [3.] Blasphemers and persecutors are the chief of
sinners, so Paul reckoned them. [4.] The chief of sinners may become the chief
of saints; so this apostle was, for he was not a whit behind the very chief
apostles (2 Cor. xi. 5), for Christ came to save the chief of sinners. [5.]
This is a very great truth, it is a faithful saying; these are true and
faithful words, which may be depended on. [6.] It deserves to be received, to
be believed by us all, for our comfort and encouragement.
(3.) The mercy which Paul found with God, notwithstanding his great wickedness
before his conversion, he speaks of,
[1.] For the encouragement of others to repent and believe (v. 16): For
this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth
all long-suffering, for a pattern to those who should hereafter believe.
It was an instance of the long-suffering of Christ that he would bear so much
with one who had been so very provoking; and it was designed for a pattern to
all others, that the greatest sinners might not despair of mercy with God.
Note here, First, Our apostle was one of the first great sinners
converted to Christianity. Secondly, He was converted, and obtained
mercy, for the sake of others as well as of himself; he was a pattern to
others. Thirdly, The Lord Jesus Christ shows great long-suffering in
the conversion of great sinners. Fourthly, Those who obtain mercy
believe on the Lord Jesus Christ; for without faith it is impossible to please
God, Heb. xi. 6. Fifthly, Those who believe on Christ believe on him to
life everlasting; they believe to the saving of the soul, Heb. x. 39.
[2.] He mentions it to the glory of God having spoken of the mercy he had
found with God, he could not go on with his letter without inserting a
thankful acknowledgment of God's goodness to him: Now unto the King
eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever
and ever. Amen. Observe, First, That grace which we have the
comfort of God must have the glory of. Those who are sensible of their
obligations to the mercy and grace of God will have their hearts enlarged in
his praise. Here is praise ascribed to him, as the King eternal, immortal,
invisible. Secondly, When we have found God good we must not forget to
pronounce him great; and his kind thoughts of us must not at all abate our
high thoughts of him, but rather increase them. God had taken particular
cognizance of Paul, and shown him mercy, and taken him into communion with
himself, and yet he calls him the King eternal, &c. God's gracious
dealings with us should fill us with admiration of his glorious attributes. He
is eternal, without beginning of days, or end of life, or change of time. He
is the Ancient of days, Dan. vii. 9. He is immortal, and the original of
immortality; he only has immortality (1 Tim. vi. 16), for he cannot die. He is
invisible, for he cannot be seen with mortal eyes, dwelling in the light to
which no man can approach, whom no man hath seen nor can see, 1 Tim. vi. 16.
He is the only wise God (Jude 25); he only is infinitely wise, and the
fountain of all wisdom. "To him be glory for ever and ever,"
or, "Let me be for ever employed in giving honour and glory to him, as
the thousands of thousands do," Rev. v. 12, 13.
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Paul's
Charge to Timothy.
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A. D. 64.
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18 This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy,
according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them
mightest war a good warfare; 19 Holding faith, and a good
conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made
shipwreck: 20 Of whom is Hymenæus and Alexander; whom I have
delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.
Here is the charge he gives to Timothy to proceed in his work with resolution,
v. 18. Observe here, The gospel is a charge committed to the ministers
of it; it is committed to their trust, to see that it be duly applied
according to the intent and meaning of it, and the design of its great Author.
It seems, there had been prophecies before concerning Timothy, that he should
be taken into the ministry, and should prove eminent in the work of the
ministry; this encouraged Paul to commit this charge to him. Observe, 1. The
ministry is a warfare, it is a good warfare against sin and Satan: and under
the banner of the Lord Jesus, who is the Captain of our salvation (Heb. ii.
10), and in his cause, and against his enemies, ministers are in a particular
manner engaged. 2. Ministers must war this good warfare, must execute their
office diligently and courageously, notwithstanding oppositions and
discouragements. 3. The prophecies which went before concerning Timothy are
here mentioned as a motive to stir him up to a vigorous and conscientious
discharge of his duty; so the good hopes that others have entertained
concerning us should excite us to our duty: That thou by them mightest war
a good warfare. 4. We must hold both faith and a good conscience: Holding
faith and a good conscience, v. 19. Those that put away a good
conscience will soon make shipwreck of faith. Let us live up to the directions
of a renewed enlightened conscience, and keep conscience void of offence (Acts
xxiv. 16), a conscience not debauched by any vice or sin, and this will be a
means of preserving us sound in the faith; we must look to the one as well a
the other, for the mystery of the faith must be held in a pure conscience, ch.
iii. 9. As for those who had made shipwreck of the faith, he specifies two, Hymeneus
and Alexander, who had made a profession of the Christian religion, but
had quitted that profession; and Paul had delivered them to Satan, had
declared them to belong to the kingdom of Satan, and, as some think, had, by
an extraordinary power, delivered them to be terrified or tormented by Satan, that
they might learn not to blaspheme not to contradict or revile the doctrine
of Christ and the good ways of the Lord. Observe, The primary design of the
highest censure in the primitive church was to prevent further sin and to
reclaim the sinner. In this case it was for the destruction of the flesh, that
the spirit might be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus, 1 Cor. v. 5. Observe,
(1.) Those who love the service and work of Satan are justly delivered over to
the power of Satan: Whom I have delivered over to Satan. (2.) God can,
if he please, work by contraries: Hymeneus and Alexander are delivered to
Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme, when one would rather think they
would learn of Satan to blaspheme the more. (3.) Those who have put away a
good conscience, and made shipwreck of faith, will not stick at any thing,
blasphemy not excepted. (4.) Therefore let us hold faith and a good
conscience, if we would keep clear of blasphemy; for, if we once let go our
hold of these, we do not know where we shall stop.
Contents
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