CHAPTER 1

(A.D. 65)

INTRODUCTION

¹Paul, an Apostle of Jesus Christ (the Office of the Apostle is, in effect, the de facto leader of the Church under Christ, and is so by the particular Message given to him by the Holy Spirit, which in Pauls case was the Message of Grace) by the Commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ (places such a calling in the very highest councils), which is our hope (Christ Alone and what He did at the Cross is our hope);

²Unto Timothy, my own son in the Faith (refers to Timothy having more than likely been saved under Pauls Ministry): Grace, Mercy, and Peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord (all made possible by the Cross).

FALSE DOCTRINE

³As I besought you to abide still at Ephesus (Paul desired that Timothy remain at Ephesus for a period of time because of false teachers attempting to spread false doctrine among the people), when I went into Macedonia (into Greece), that you might charge some that they teach no other doctrine (the Doctrine must be Jesus Christ and Him Crucified),

⁴Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies (Jewish fables and Jewish genealogies; so, the false teachers were Judaizers who insisted that Law must be added to Grace, and who placed no stock in the Cross at all; in a sense, they were very similar to the modern Word of Faith teachers), which minister questions, rather than Godly edifying which is in Faith (this speaks of the fact that Faith, not Law, is the sphere or element in which our Salvation functions; such Faith always has the Cross as its Object and, thereby, edifies): so do.(Dont leave the Cross.)

⁵Now the end of the Commandment (charge) is charity (love) out of a pure heart (which alone can produce love), and of a good conscience, and of Faith unfeigned (feigned faith is pretended faith, which means it doesnt have the Cross as its Object):

⁶From which some having swerved have turned aside (refers to missing the mark; in other words, they left the Cross) unto vain jangling (useless talk);

⁷Desiring to be teachers of the Law (refers to the Law of Moses, and speaks of the Judaizers); understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm. (These individuals claimed to be professional interpreters of the Law, when in reality they had only a surface knowledge of the Law.)

THE LAW

⁸But we know that the Law is good (the Apostle says this to show he definitely was not an enemy of the Law of Moses), if a man use it lawfully (understanding that the Law of Moses pointed strictly to Christ; when He came, He fulfilled it in totality);

⁹Knowing this, that the Law is not made for a Righteous man (should have been translated, Law is not made...; the word the was inserted by the translators, and should not have been added; consequently, the way Paul uses the word, it refers to any type of Law, whether the Law of Moses or Law made up by religious men; the Believer is not to function after Law, but rather Grace, which refers to Faith placed exclusively in the Cross), 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 (true Believers do not fall into these categories),

¹⁰For whoremongers, for them who defile themselves with mankind (homosexuality), for menstealers (slave traders), for liars, for perjured persons (those who swear falsely), and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound Doctrine (actually refers to all that is contrary to the Word of God);

¹¹According to the Glorious Gospel (refers to its moral Glory) of the Blessed God (pertains to His Blessed Gift of Forgiveness offered to all sinners who accept His Gospel of Love), which was committed to my trust. (The Lord chose Paul as the recipient and bearer of the New Covenant.)

PAUL

¹²And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, Who has enabled me (presents the One Who calls and blesses), for that He counted me faithful, putting me into the Ministry (the Lord knew Paul would be faithful, and that the Gospel committed to him would not be compromised);

¹³Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious (what he was before he was saved): but I obtained Mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief (could be translated, I was shown Mercy because, being ignorant, I acted in unbelief).

¹⁴And the Grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant (proclaims that which God stands ready to give to any honest, and earnest seeker) with Faith and Love which is in Christ Jesus (presents that which was produced in Paul, as a result of the Grace of God).

¹⁵This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation (means the Gospel of Christ dying to save sinners is worthy of being accepted by the whole world), that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners (which He did through the Cross); of whom I am chief. (What he is saying is that his offense against God had been so great, and his sin of guilt so overwhelming, that he felt himself to be the number one sinner of all time.)

¹⁶Howbeit for this cause I obtained Mercy (one might say it in this way: because Christ came to save sinners, I obtained Mercy), that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all longsuffering (the representative instance of Gods longsuffering to a high-handed transgressor), for a pattern (the Apostle is saying that if the Lord would do such for Paul, He will do it for anyone) to them which should hereafter believe on Him (on Christ and what He did at the Cross) to Life Everlasting (without beginning or end, that which has always been and always will be).

¹⁷Now unto the King eternal (the Greek says, Now, to the King of the Ages), immortal (imperishable), invisible (as it regards His Glory), the only wise God (should have been translated, the only God, with the word wise not being included in most of the Manuscripts; there is no other God), be honour and glory forever and ever. (This refers to respect and praise, and that it be done forever.) Amen (Truth).

TIMOTHY

¹⁸This charge I commit unto you, son Timothy (refers to a command or injunction), according to the Prophecies which went before on you (probably refers to the time frame of Acts 16:1-3), that you by them might war a good warfare (we arent told exactly what the Prophecies were, but that they spoke of an assignment to leadership in the army of King Jesus);

¹⁹Holding Faith (maintaining Faith in Christ and the Cross), and a good conscience (speaks of following the Word of the Lord exactly as it is given); which some having put away concerning Faith have made shipwreck (a metaphor used by Paul, pointing to those who had abandoned the Cross):

²⁰Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander (presents two examples of one not holding the Faith); whom I have delivered unto Satan (I Cor. 5:5), that they may learn not to blaspheme. (This tells us that all who depart from the Faith, which is Jesus Christ and Him Crucified, can only be concluded as blaspheming.)