Lesson One of the Letters to Timothy

“A Warning”

Most of us know to move out of the way when a Mac Truck comes barreling towards us. All of our senses scream at us to “GET OUT OF THE WAY!” The sound of the big semi and its big engine, the smell of the diesel, the sight of its grill and headlights warn us to MOVE!! It’s easy to see and hear the warning of danger in this situation but in some situations we don’t because of their subtly or our desires to get closer and experience the danger. 

Paul warns Timothy, his beloved prodigy, about false doctrines (beliefs) that rob Christians of truth found solely in the Good News of Jesus. Teaching of false doctrines is not something of the past. It is very prevalent today and the warning of the Apostle Paul should be heeded now. He warns us of the approaching “Mac Semi Truck” of false teaching barreling towards the Church.

Read 1 Timothy 1: 3-4. What did the Apostle Paul urge Timothy to do?

Why did Paul think it was so urgent?

The blaring warning Paul gives Timothy screams to all Christians down through the ages. Today some people who call themselves “Evangelical Christians” are teaching heresy. Their blinding false teaching is polluting many people, distracting them from the truth of the Scriptures. To me it seems as if they are trying to make apologies for the Bible, or when the Bible doesn’t line up with what they want or can’t explain they decide the entirety of God’s Word isn’t true.

“Each generation of Christians faces its own set of theological challenges. For this generation of Evangelicals, the question of beginnings is taking on a new urgency. In fact, this question is now a matter of Gospel urgency. How are we to understand the Bible’s story, if we can have no confidence that we know how it even begins?” Dr. R. Albert Mohler Jr.President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Just like Paul and Timothy faced theological challenges, each generations has their own set of challenges. It’s how we face it and who we believe that matters. Today’s controversies within the Church are not new by any means, but have increased in intensity over that last few years. Three of the issues include the “inerrancy versus the fallibility of the Bible”; “Were Adam and Eve the real parents of mankind”; “is hell real?.... One popular writer, speaker speaks to the topic of whether there is a hell or not:

"A staggering number of people have been taught that a select few Christians will spend forever in a peaceful, joyous place called heaven, while the rest of humanity spends forever in torment and punishment in hell with no chance for anything better. It’s been clearly communicated to many that this belief is a central truth of the Christian faith and to reject it is, in essence, to reject Jesus. This is misguided and toxic and ultimately subverts the contagious spread of Jesus’ message of love, peace, forgiveness, and joy that our world desperately needs to hear." Rob Bell  from"Love Wins"

Rob Bell is a false teacher. We need only read the words of Jesus Himself to know that Hell is a real place and that we should fear it. God’s doesn’t want to see anyone end up there, rather, He made a way for us to be with Him through the ultimate sacrifice of His Son Jesus for our sins.

Read Matthew 10:28. What does Jesus say about Hell in this verse?

People like Rob Bell don’t want the message of the Bible to be scary, threatening or off-putting. Instead they water down the truth of what Christ came to earth to do. His life was a purposeful thirty-three years leading us into a real relationship with God. Our relationship with God was marred from the moment sin entered this world in the Garden of Eden when Eve ate the “apple” and shared it with her husband. It took a Savior to take on our penalty for sin, death itself. Why would He need to die if there was no penalty? No hell? No punishment?

Liberal theology, false doctrine, down-right perversion of the Scriptures has no place in a believer’s life. We don’t have to make excuses for God’s Word or explain away those hard things we read in it. God calls us to believe Him and gave us the supernaturally inspired and inerrant Bible to live our lives by.

Read Romans 16:17-20. What does the Apostle Paul say “to watch out for”? 

Who are these people serving?

How do they deceive others?

What does he want the Roman Church to be wise about? To be innocent about?

What is the promise and blessing Paul gives to the Church in verse 20?

Satan wants nothing more than to destroy God’s beloved ones. He will use any means available to accomplish this. Sometimes what seems like a good idea is really evil. There are many smooth talking pastors and teachers who persuade the innocent to go down rabbits trails away from the Truth of God’s Word. Some of these pastors and teachers are popular evangelists, lead large prosperous churches and are charismatic in their teaching. They have been deceived. Sometimes they are deceived because traditional Christianity seems too strict and narrow-minded. They want to make Christian faith more palatable so people will come back to Church. Instead they are causing people to stumble.

Read Matthew 7:13-14. Where does Jesus say the “broad gate and path” leads to?

How many will enter this way?

Where does He say the “narrow path” leads to?

Who will find this narrow path?

Have you ever heard the phrase, “the path of least resistance”? It is used in nature. For example, water flowing down from the top of a mountain will take the path going downhill not uphill because gravity pulls it down. It is also used to describe human behavior. It is often used as a metaphor for personal effort or confrontation; a person taking the path of least resistance avoids these things. So when we hear of an easier way to get right with God, it is easier to take it and a better way. This is what false teachers do. They point people down a path that appears to lead to God and is easier to follow but in truth leads to destruction. 

Read Mark 8:34-38. What does Jesus say about following Him?

What does a person have to give up to receive true life in Jesus? Why?

Answer the questions Jesus poses in verse 37?

What does Jesus say will happen if we are ashamed of Him?

Following the “path of least resistance” by listening to and believing those false teachers who, point people down easier paths and teach false doctrines making excuses for the Word of God’s position on sin, will find themselves in a world of hurt. Laying down our propensity to sin and taking up our cross of repentance in the Name of Jesus, is the only way to be saved. There is no other way.

Read Proverbs 16:25. How does this proverb apply to our lesson today?

The writer of this proverb tells us the path we often choose seems right in man’s eyes because it looks easier and doesn’t require sacrifice on our part. Jesus tells us the road to God, through Him, requires us to give up our right to live our lives for ourselves. It’s not easy. There is no room for sin on this path. He has made it possible to follow Him by forgiving us of our sins against God by sacrificing Himself on the Cross of Calvary.

The Apostle Paul firmly warns Timothy of the false teachers of his day. God in His great wisdom and mercy has allowed this warning to reach our ears today. Watch out! Choose the narrow way. Don’t follow the crowd to the path of least resistance. Move out of the path which leads to destruction. Stand up for what the Bible teaches. Believe it in its entirety for it truly is the Word of God. We aren’t called to make the Bible fit or make excuses for it. We are called to believe and trust it. 

Study of First and Second Timothy

Introduction to 1st and 2nd Timothy

The two letters to Timothy deal with special instructions given for the Church to chose leaders. It is believed they were written around 66 BC a little before Paul was executed. Each letter feels like Paul is preparing for others to take over his ministry as he awaits the day he will be reunited with his Lord Jesus.

Timothy was very special to Paul, almost like a son. He was a native to Lystra, a Roman colony, that served as a market town of Lycaonia in south central modern-day Turkey.  Paul preached here on his first missionary journey (Acts 14:6-22). Interestingly, Timothy’s mother was a Jewess and his father was a Greek. Timothy, more than likely, became a believer of Jesus during one of Paul’s missionary trips there. He had been instructed in the Scriptures (The Old Testament) by his Mother and Grandmother.

Paul took Timothy with him after his second mission trip to Lystra. Wanting to avoid criticism from other Jews, Paul circumcised Timothy. Timothy grew in his faith and Paul trusted him and sent him out as his representative to various places when Paul couldn’t go himself. Timothy was also with Paul while he was imprisoned in Rome. After Paul was released, he went on to further the Gospel in the East and left Timothy to deal with false teachers, watch over public worship, and assist the church in appointment of their leaders. It was Paul’s hope to reunite with Timothy there, but wrote a letter to him just in case he was delayed. Paul sent a second letter to Timothy after he was re-arrested and put on trial for his life.

Timothy faced arrest himself later on, but not much is known about him after these letters were written. Paul wrote to instruct Timothy on how to deal with false teachers who were infiltrating the Ephesian Church. Paul had warned this would happen five years prior. He encouraged Timothy, though young, to be bold and withstand these evil men by upholding the Truth of God’s Word and the Gospel of the Lord Jesus.

Read 1 Timothy 1: 1-3. How does Paul describe himself? Who’s authority does he say he is under?

How does Paul describe Timothy? What words does he use to bless Timothy with?

Paul greets Timothy by stating who he is and who’s authority he is under. Notice how the salutation includes this? Paul knew the importance of Christ’s authority in his life. He also tells Timothy how precious he is to him. Most importantly, Paul blesses him with the wonderful truth of Christ’s grace, mercy and peace. Now that’s a great intro to any letter isn’t it?

Take the time to define each of the following words, first with your own definition and then second by looking each word up in a bible dictionary. You can use biblegateway.com if you would like:


Grace: Your definition:




Bible dictionary definition:




Mercy: Your definition:




Bible dictionary definition:




Peace: Your definition:




Bible dictionary definition:




Did your first definition match the bible dictionary definition? If so, how was it different?


Sometimes we have a different understanding of what something means. That’s ok, but, as you are studying the Bible is it good to look at what things may mean from a trustworthy source such as a dictionary, to see if you are on the right track. I often look at the Hebrew (Old Testament) and Greek (New Testament) definitions to go even deeper. Below are the Greek translations of the three words we are looking at:

Grace: (charis-pronounced khar-is) That which affords joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm, loveliness: grace of speech.


Mercy: (eleemosyne-pronounced el-eh-ay-mos-oo'-nay) Compassion, pity.


Peace: (eirene-pronounced i-ray'-nay) It denotes a state of untroubled, undisturbed, well-being.

Grace, mercy and peace - these three words should be common words to believers. I contend they are words which go deeper and mean more than we afford them. God’s grace is an invitation to delight in Him, to find pleasure in our relationship with Him through Jesus. It is a lovely, sweet, charimg, yet powerful place to be. In His grace we are thoroughly filled by Him. God’s mercy affords us this grace. He doesn’t have to give anything to us or forgive us. But, God in His unexplainable mercy, His compassion, took pity on us and invites us to Him. In the arena of His grace and mercy, He gives us His perfect peace. God’s peace is untroubled, undisturbed and we have a sense of well-being as our lives encounter rocky areas. This isn’t like the peace of this world. It is a peace, despite the troubles we face, allows us to live our lives knowing God is in control of all things good or bad.

Read Ephesians 1:5-7. How are we “adopted” into the family of God?




What does “pleasure” mean in verse 5?




Who is God’s grace poured out on? Why?




How do we afford God’s grace? In other words, how do we experience this wonderful gift from God?


The Most Holy One, God Himself, decided long ago He would extend His grace to people even though sin had marred us beyond recognition. He found, and still finds, pleasure in extending this grace to us through His Son Jesus. Those who accept His Son as God and Savior, experience this unfathomable grace. If you are a believer, you have been given this wonderful gift. We enter into the delight of God. We should immerse ourselves in this delight. This isn’t the giddy emotion of the world. It is the confidence in knowing we have a relationship with the Creator of the Universe through Jesus. It is knowing we have a place in eternity with Him. It is knowing Jesus will return and set up His perfect Kingdom on this earth. It is knowing this life is but a puff of smoke leading to the next life, more real and vibrant than where we live now.

Read Ephesians 2:4. What is God “rich” in? And what does this lead to?


What does it mean to be “dead in our transgressions”?


How are we “made alive”?

I’ve never really thought much about God pitying me. He felt for me. He knew I was doomed to eternal death without His great compassion and pity. Sometimes I just take the eternal life I have through Jesus for granted. His passion and pity is given beyond all reason. It is important to know, when we accept God’s forgiveness, because of what Jesus sacrificed for us, it is because of God’s mercy, His pity, His compassion for us, we can have a relationship with Him which leads us to eternity with Him. I praise Him for this wonderful life and relationship with and through Jesus.

Read John 16:33. In Whom do we find peace? Why?


What does Jesus mean by “I have overcome the world”?

Christ’s peace is nothing like the peace this world affords. The world’s peace, the view of mankind’s peace, has to do with pseudo calmness and security. It lulls us into thinking we will never face trouble and have our feathers ruffled. Christ’s peace tells us He will get us through the inevitable tough times we will experience in our lives on this fallen world.

An example of the world’s peace would be like a glassy lake in the mountains, with nothing disturbing it except an occasional deer getting a sip of water or trout jumping out of it. It’s not a bad picture at all. I am attracted to this kind of peace. The problem with it is, it is not an attainable picture in this fallen world.

“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” John 16:31

Jesus spoke the truth when He said we would have trials and sorrows while we live on this sin-ridden soil. He didn’t leave us alone but came here to make things right for those who choose Him. Christ’s peace is more like a mountain river. It takes us over the boulders we encounter. We never stop flowing, but continue on with our journey in this life toward the end of our river when we flow out into His perfect eternity.

Christ’s peace is perfect, lifting us, moving us, flowing with us as we abide in Him. When we aren’t in His will we get stagnant because we are hung up on a problem we won’t allow Him to solve or we are disobedient to His perfect will and don’t flow with His life-giving Spirit.

Read Isaiah 48:17-18. What does the Holy One do for us? (Verse 17)


How can we have “peace like a river”? (Verse 18)


How does He describe righteousness?

Did you notice the powerful picture we get of peace and righteousness? They are active words, moving towards something, not placid. The vision we see is of God’s mighty power moving in our lives as we remain in constant obedience to Him. Faith is an active word. Our faith doesn’t remain still, it moves us down on our knees in prayer and up in active obedience to our God.

Where are you in your pursuit of God’s peace through Christ Jesus? Has your view of peace changed since studying this lesson? Explain.

Like Timothy, we too have a mission in this life and it is only by remembering and actively believing in God’s grace, mercy and peace, we can get through this our time on earth and glorify Him. It is a humble person who can lay down their view of these three words ... mercy, grace and peace...and take up the supernatural definitions of God. Let’s take hold of His truth and live a life focused on Jesus and live according to His perfect plan and purpose for our lives. His mercy... His grace...His peace.