Reading Timothy and Titus With John StottSample

Threefold Greeting

The beginning of Paul’s first letter to Timothy is conventional. Paul announces himself as the author, Timothy as his correspondent, and God as the source of the grace, mercy, and peace which Paul wishes Timothy to enjoy. He is not content, however, with a bare greeting like “Paul to Timothy: Grace.” Instead, each of the three persons involved is elaborated.

As in nine of his thirteen New Testament letters, Paul designates himself “an apostle of Christ Jesus.” Paul claims to be an apostle of Christ on a level with the Twelve Jesus had named “apostles,” with all the teaching authority this represented. He was an apostle of Christ, chosen, called, appointed, equipped, and authorized directly by Christ. To put the matter beyond dispute or misunderstanding, Paul adds that God the Father was involved with Christ Jesus in commissioning him; it was by their command that he was an apostle.

Further, Paul locates his apostleship in a historical context whose beginning was the saving activity of “God our Savior” in the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus and whose culmination will be “Christ Jesus our hope,” his personal and glorious coming, which is the object of our Christian hope and which will bring down the curtain on history.

Paul then designates Timothy as “my true son in the faith.” Spiritually, Timothy is Paul’s genuine child, partly because he was responsible for his conversion and partly because Timothy has faithfully followed his teaching and example. By affirming Timothy’s genuineness, Paul aims to reinforce his authority in the church.

After describing himself and Timothy, Paul refers to the God who binds them together in his family. What unites them is their common share in “grace, mercy and peace.” Each word tells us something about the human condition. Grace is God’s kindness to the guilty and undeserving, mercy is his pity on the wretched who cannot save themselves, and peace is his reconciliation of those who were previously alienated from him and from one another. All three issue from the same source: “God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.” Father and Son are bracketed as the single source of divine blessing, as they were in verse 1 as the single author of the divine command which constituted Paul an apostle.

From Reading Timothy and Titus with John Stott by John Stott with Dale and Sandy Larsen.