Timothy & Titus Intro

The letters of 1st and 2nd Timothy and Titus stand alone among Paul’s letters as having been written to individual coworkers, rather than to churches. We have come to know these letters as pastoral epistles.

Neither Timothy or Titus were pastors in the sense we think of pastors today. They functioned more as an apostle’s representative who spoke with the authority of Paul on matters of doctrine and practice. These letters were written to men who had spiritual oversight of the churches in Ephesus and Crete. These three letters address the issues that confront pastors in their ministries.

These three letters all claim to have been written by Paul and there are several reasons that exist that lead to this conclusion.

All three make this direct claim (1st Timothy 1:1, 2nd Timothy 1:1, and Titus 1:1)

All three have been consistently accepted as Paul’s writing for 1800 of the last 2,000 years.

The historical circumstances fit perfectly in the times of the early church.

These letters are too personal and too historically specific to have been written by others.

The theology fits well within the overall teaching of Paul, meaning they are more like Paul than any other NT writer.

The teachings here face the heresy known in the early churches. The false teachers confronted in both Ephesus (1st & 2nd Timothy) and on Crete (Titus) were bringing doctrine which appears to have been formed by Jewish & Greek (gentile) thought. Other epistles reflect such issues as those described for us here. Those false teachings appear later for us in Acts 20:28-31.

Paul expected the contents of the letters to be shared within the churches these men led. Proof is found in the plural “you” word found in “grace be with you” in 1st Timothy 6:21 & 2nd Timothy 4:22 and “grace be with you all” in Titus 3:15.

Who were these two men?

Timothy seems to have been a man younger than Paul. A deep and spiritually intimate love grew between the two. Timothy’s father was a gentile (Acts 16:1) and his mother, Eunice, was Jewish. She and her own mother, Lois, apparently came to faith in Jesus and both had a profound effect on Timothy (2nd Timothy 1:5). Their foundation in teaching him the Hebrew scriptures was an essential element in his faith later and his effectiveness in his ministry for the Lord (2nd Timothy 3:15). Paul found Timothy to be a disciple on his return to Lystra in Acts 16:1-2. We have no details given of the conversion of Timothy. He was known as a strong believer in his hometown which is the same town where Paul was stoned and left for dead. 

Paul became the spiritual father Timothy never had. Paul uses words of deep affection for this younger man. He called him “my beloved and faithful child in the Lord” (1st Cor 4:17), “my true child in the faith” (1st Timothy 1:2), “my son” (1st Timothy 1:18, and “my beloved son” (2nd Timothy 1:2). Paul called Timothy “my fellow worker” in Romans 16:21).

Titus does not receive as much attention, yet he was a trusted and proven coworker of the Apostle Paul. He was a gentile by birth and it seems likely his conversion came under the teaching of Paul. He traveled with Paul and Barnabus to Jerusalem where pressure was put on Paul to circumcise him. Paul refused (Gal 2:1-3). Titus played a key part in Paul’s ministry to the church in Corinth (2nd Cor 2:13) especially in collecting funds for the poor. Titus later shared in evangelistic ministry with Paul on the island of Crete and was then left there by Paul to care for the believers (Titus 1:5). Later he would go without Paul to Dalmatia to spread the Word (2nd Timothy 4:10). He later seemed to have returned to Crete and tradition says he became the first bishop of the island and died there as an old man. Titus is designated by Paul as “my true child in a common fight” (Titus 1:4). He was a genuine spiritual child of the Apostle Paul.

When were the letters written?

Precise dating cannot be found but it seems 1st Timothy and Titus were written between 63 & 65 A.D. 2nd Timothy seems to have been written nearer to 66 & 67 A.D.

Why were they written?

1st Timothy indicates it was written to enable and empower Timothy in his dealings with the false teachers in Ephesus and the letter also explains how believers should conduct themselves as God’s household. 1st Timothy 3:15 explains that it was written in case there was delay in Paul’s return to Ephesus.

Titus was written to enable and empower Titus to establish churches on Crete and in appointing elders in those churches (Titus 1:5). Paul is concerned to make certain the believers on Crete understand the importance of healthy doctrine (1:9 & 13) and healthy living (2:1).

2nd Timothy was written as a plea for Timothy to quickly come to Paul’s side in Rome (1:4 & 4:9 & 4:21) once his replacement arrived in Ephesus. He longed for Timothy and also wanted him to bring Paul’s warm cloak and reading material (4:13). Beyond these needs, Paul wanted to encourage Timothy to remain faithful  to Christ and the ministry of the gospel, even if it caused heartache and suffering (1:8 & 2:3 & 4:5). 2nd Timothy is known for its revealing Paul’s final words before departing this life.

Each of the letters was likely written with the intent that they would bring strength to Timothy and Titus as personal representatives of Paul in dealing with authority in matters confronting the early churches.

What do these letters teach us?

1st Timothy stresses right doctrine while Titus stresses right living. Timothy is more intimate and Titus is more businesslike. The battle against false teaching seems more desperate in 1st Timothy than in Titus.  As we trace how the Holy Spirit moved Paul to guide Timothy and Titus in the issues they were facing, we find in these letters an accurate, reliable, and sufficient guide for our lives.