Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary 1 Timothy 1:2

"unto Timothy, my true child in faith: Grace, mercy, peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord." — 1 Timothy 1:2 (ASV)

The letter is addressed to “Timothy my true son in the faith.” Elsewhere Paul refers to him as “my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 4:17). The word “true” (GK 1188) means “genuine, true-born.” Perhaps the thrust here is twofold: Timothy was a true believer and he was also a genuine convert of Paul’s ministry.

We first meet Timothy in Ac 16:1–3. There we are told that on Paul’s second missionary journey he found at Lystra a young disciple named Timothy, the son of a Jewish Christian mother and a Greek father. Paul was so impressed with the young man that he asked him to join the missionary party. It seems clear that Timothy had been converted under Paul’s preaching at Lystra on the first missionary journey (about A. D. 47).

He had matured so well as a Christian that only two years later (A. D. 49) he was ready to become an apprentice to the great apostle. He became one of Paul’s most trusted helpers, so that the apostle could write, “I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare” .

The life of Timothy is a constant challenge to every young Christian to imitate his devotion and faithfulness. After the name of the writer (v.1) and the recipient (v.2a) comes the greeting (v.2b). In all ten of Paul’s previous letters the greeting is twofold—“grace and peace.” Here and in 2 Timothy it is “grace, mercy and peace,” which come to us “from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Two things may have suggested the addition of “mercy” (GK 1799). One would be Timothy’s frail health ; as a loving father, the apostle wishes mercy for his son. The other would be the difficu1Ties that Timothy was encountering at Ephesus; he was in need of God’s mercy and help. “Grace” (GK 5921) is a favorite word with Paul, occurring nearly one hundred times in his letters. First meaning “gracefulness” and then “graciousness,” it is used in the NT for the divine favor that God bestows freely on all who believe.

“Peace” (GK 1645) has always been the typical greeting of the East (shalom; GK 8934). It is one of God’s best gifts to people. In a world of war, hate, and disharmony, this term is particularly significant. In Christ we have peace of heart and mind.

Paul’s Fourth Missionary Journey c. A. D. 62–68

1. Rome—released from prison in A. D. 62

2. Spain—62–64 (Romans 15:24, 28)

3. Crete—64–65 (Titus 1:5)

4. Miletus—65 (2 Timothy 4:20)

5. Colosse—66 (Phm 22)

6. Ephesus—66 (1 Timothy 1:3)

7. Philippi—66 (1 Timothy 1:3)

8. Nicopolis—66–67 (Titus 3:12)

9. Rome—67

10. Martyrdom—67/68

It is clear from Ac 13:1—21:17 that Paul went on three missionary journeys. There is also reason to believe that he made a fourth journey after his release from the Roman imprisonment recorded in Ac 28. The conclusion that such a journey did indeed take place is based on: (1) Paul’s declared intention to go to Spain (Romans 15:24, 28), (2) Eusebius’s implication that Paul was released following his first Roman imprisonment (Ecclesiastical History, 2:22.2–3) and (3) statements in early Christian literature that he took the gospel as far as Spain (Clement of Rome, Epistle to the Corinthians, ch. 5; Actus Petri Vercellenses, chs. 1–3; Muratorian Canon, lines 34–39).

The places Paul may have visited after his release from prison are indicated by statements of intention in his earlier writings and by subsequent mention in the Pastoral Letters. The order of his travel cannot be determined with certainty, but the itinerary at the right seems likely.