Karsten Miller

UNDERSTANDING THE LETTER OF 1ST TIMOTHY

As you’ve been reading through this series here, have you figured out my position on 1st Timothy 1:19? Well, I would not make an assumption too early. Doing that surmises a danger of reading what you think I believe into the text. Let the text speak for itself. My motive is to present you with some guidance into studying complicated or controversial issues in a biblical manner. My heart is to keep you from concluding too early without examining the evidence yourself. What happens many times (and we all do this) is we jump to a side which best fits the theory we believe. Why do we do this when we have not explored the truth fully? We need to thoroughly examine the biblical data. We should labor to look for words and themes which the author repeats or stresses ideal importance on. This only helps into further apprehending the truth behind what the intended meaning of the text is.

Important Repeated Words and Themes:

Imagine if you are writing some material. Would you not want someone to understand exactly what you are writing? Of course you would, and you obviously would place many repeated words and themes in order to help someone understand what you’vw written. It’s the natural approach to comprehending literature.

Well, we can understand scripture in like manner. Although some parts of scripture present difficulty in interpretation; understanding is still attainable. With the Epistle of Timothy, there is no difference. Paul makes his purpose and reason known using themes and repeated words to capture the truth God is saying. One of the repeated words we discover from reading the letter of Timothy is the word ‘faith’. Paul uses faith (pistis) in 1st Timothy over 20 times. In Chapter 1, faith is referenced at least 6 times.

Now, and let me address this faithfully; if you see on YouTube and Facebook discussions certain individuals leaving long messages about how they’ve studied the Greek word etc; do not be fearful. Do not accept their many words as truth. Many times these people have no clue as to how a word in Greek can mean different things in different passages. They are normally cherry picking verses and ideas which they have adopted from other people. Don’t let the fact someone says they’ve researched a word’s meaning scare you off. Go around their hoopla quickly. I have experienced this several times with the subject area of spanking children. Some people have claimed to looked up the words in Hebrew and then made the claim because of how the word is used in another text, it couldn’t mean the same in this text. People right away jumped in and agreed, but the readers with common sense researched such findings and found otherwise. It was simply the person brought their own opinion to the text and tried to justify it using some so-called big techniques. They failed in understanding context, context, and context!!!!

Again, faith occurs at least six times in Chapter 1. Faith can have several meanings which coincide with the context of the passage. Let’s explore the Greek Word an get an idea of a few of its meanings:

πίστις (pistis) –
(ETYMOLOGY
ROOT WORD– πείθω (peithō) – to persuade, to be persuaded or to trust)

πίστις (pistis)

-to trust, faith (Romans 3:25)

TDONT says: “this word means “faithfulness” and more commonly (religious) “trust” or “faith” usually in the absolute

Here are a few usages:

1. faith

faith, that is to say firm persuasion, the conviction which is based upon hearing, not upon sight, or knowledge; a firmly relying confidence in what we hear from God in His Word. (Matthew 8:10, Luke 5:20, Luke 7:50)

2. believe -ed, -est, -eth, -ing – to believe, Its chief significance is a conviction respecting God and His Word and the believer’s relationship to Him.

3. assurance

faith, the trust which one entertains or puts in a person or thing. Parallel to this is the meaning of conviction; a conviction based upon trust, not upon knowledge; a persuasion fortified by faith. A firmly relying confidence. A confidence cherished by firm conviction. Acts 17:31

4. belief

the trust which I entertain or put in a person or thing, the persuasion which I have, the conviction which I cherish. It implies a conviction which is based upon trust, not upon knowledge

5. fidelity –
a pledge of fidelity, plighted faith 1 Timothy 5:12

6. The Faith
Christianity as either being a Christian or as the Christian message or teaching

So, faith is a term which can take on several meanings (note: I did not list all the meanings of faith, please research pistis in your personal study). What are the meanings in line with the context seen here in Chapter 1? That will help us indefinitely transcend the meaning of v19 (I will place the Greek below the English text (NASB) for all you Greek gurus):

1st Occurrence – Verse 2
To Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

Timotheōi gnēsiōi teknōi en pistei; charis, eleos, eirēnē apo theou patros kai Christou Iēsou tou kuriou hēmōn.

So what does it mean here? First note that the definite article (the) is not following pistis in the Greek. It is italized in the English text to help with translation. It is well known that if the definite article is not following, faith is not referring to general Christian doctrine being taught in the church (cf. Acts 16:5 where the article is used). Is this saving faith then? No, and we can derive this from Paul’s use of the noun teknōi. Teknōi means that which is born of something. It can be a term of endearment towards a child. That rules out the possibility of saving faith then. Also, gnēsiōi is an adjective which speaks of something being genuine, and is used a times to properly identify children. Since Timothy is a son, or child, this indicates he is saved and a child of something. You are not child of saving faith; you become a son through saving faith. Paul speaks here of Timothy already being a child, not becoming one. Saving faith again is ruled out.

To find the meaning of faith, we need to ask the question, “what is Timothy a gnēsiōi teknōi of?” Returning to the meaning of teknōi, we find some insight by the common use of this term. It is used in the same sense with Hebrew, Syriac, Arabic, and Persian leaders/teachers. Paul is using the term ‘child’ in an affectionate address to Timothy, showing Timothy to be a disciple shaped and molded by the instruction of Paul concerning the message of Christ. Similar use of term is found in the following texts:

1 Corinthians 4:17 For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, who is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, and he will remind you of my ways which are in Christ, just as I teach everywhere in every church.

2 Timothy 2:1-2You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

2 The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these tofaithful men who will be able to teach others also.

SEE ALSO: Philemon 10; 2 Timothy. 1:2; 3 John 4; 1 Timothy 1:18.

So, it is safe to conclude this is a Christian faith that is taught about the Lord Jesus Christ. These are attitudes and physical attributes which can be seen by Timothy’s own eyes and confirmed through his own ears. Hence that is why Paul could say to Timothy with boldness:

2 Timothy 3:10-11 Now you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, perseverance, persecutions, and sufferings, such as happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium and at Lystra; what persecutions I endured, and out of them allthe Lord rescued me!

Timothy learned this Christian faith is a faith in Jesus Christ, a faith tangible and observable to onlookers. So Christ is the centrality of this particular faith. His message and doctrine is what is taught by an individual to all people (not the general Christian doctrine taught within the church Acts 16:5). Timothy is a genuine child because he is convinced and maintains a strong conviction about Jesus in what he had seen taught through Paul. Again, it is not saving faith. In fact, one lexicon makes it clear one must reject an interpretation alluding to Jesus being the author of this. So again, I repeat that saving faith is not in view. The text is developing our thinking to see what context Paul has in mind here. Teaching by teachers seems to be a developing theme that Paul shows Timothy was a genuine child dedicated to Paul’s true instruction. This will jump start us into text occurrences of the word “faith”.

2nd Occurrence – Verse 4:
Nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the administration of God which is by faith.

mēde prosechein muthois kai genealogiais aperantois, haitines ekzētēseis parechousimallon ē oikonomian theou tēn en pistei,—

Again, the same faith is in view from verse 2. Note, the instructions about Christ are now contrasted with myths and endless genealogies which false teachers and heretics relish in. Saving faith is no where in sight in this particular text again. We see the same definite article missing which also excludes general church teaching. Instead, pistis here is a faith in Christ (Christ being the central focus again) as a way and means of salvation alone. The text is indicating the false teachers teaching diverted men away from being convinced of the truths of Jesus. Their lifestyles as well added much confirmation to that (cf. Titus 1:16)

3rd Occurrence – Verse 5
But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.
to de telos tēs parangelias estin agapē ek katharas kardias kai suneidēseōs agathēs kai
pisteōs anupokritou,

What is ‘faith’(pisteōs) mean here? Now, this particular verse has some difficulties in translation. It’s safe to assume the same faith is in view but with an added stress on the necessity of faith. Objectors tend to argue Paul would never attribute love (agapē) in this manner (love seems to come from a good conscience, pure heart and faith here). Faith is seen in 1 Corinthians 13:13 being birthed out of love, not the supposed opposite. But, again instruction on Christ is contextually still in view. It’s the adjective anupokritou which rules out saving faith. A human’s responsibility for faith in Christ needs the support which is unfeigned. Anupokritou means without hypocrisy, not playing a part, not disguised. Timothy had this within himself and it worked itself out as noted it being in his mother and grandmother (2 Timothy 1:5). It’s best to understand this faith as spiritual character in a sense. The context indicates Paul is showing true teaching about Jesus produces an inward quality and outward exuberance for Jesus! For example Paul’s suffering for Jesus caused men to see that Christ followers would suffer; and in the end produced the disciple not to be ashamed (2 Timothy 1:7-8).

Before we end up for now, I want to stress the bible is not teaching believers lose this type of faith. For they do keep it; and it comes from staying in the Word of the Lord. Along with saving faith, arrives a faith in Christ message which the believer will maintain throughout his Christian experience. This faith is seen in the disciple, where he is dedicated fully to believing the Word of God and teachings of Jesus Christ. This faith is the reality of the verse I will conclude today’s article with:

John 8:31-32So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”