The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown (149 page)

Titus
Paul's letter to Titus was most likely written around the same time as 1 Timothy and for similar reasons. In Titus's case, the occasion is stated in Titus 1:5 as follows:
“The reason I left you in Crete was to set right what was left undone and, as I directed you, to appoint elders in every town.” This is followed by a set of qualifications for elders in Titus 1:6—9. While initially given to provide guidance for Titus, this passage is hardly limited to the original occasion but continues to have relevance for the church today as it ensures that its leaders meet biblical requirements. Beyond this immediate purpose, Paul provided a variety of other instructions for Titus in overseeing the life of the church. He articulated a series of important and abiding Christian doctrinal truths, such as salvation not by works, the regeneration of believers by the Holy Spirit, justification by grace, and so on (see Titus 3:4—7).

LITERATURE

Genre

The Pastoral Epistles conform to the standard format of the ancient letter, including an opening salutation, a body with features such as a thanksgiving and the main content, and a closing greeting. Beyond this, the Pastorals are often identified as exemplars of the paraenetic (hortatory) letter, which contained a series of exhortations to its recipients. Since 2 Timothy was Paul's last recorded letter—written from a second and much more severe Roman imprisonment with Paul's martyrdom apparently imminent—it thus takes on the character of a last testament (similar to 2 Peter).
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Yet the Pastorals are much more than a mere letter written by one individual to another for the purpose of conveying exhortation and information. As T. D. Gordon observed, “The Pastoral Epistles are the only New Testament writings that are expressly written with the purpose of providing instructions for ordering churches at the close of the apostolic era.”
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He continued:

The very apostle who had established churches and provided for their continued oversight, doctrinal purity, and worship, now gives instructions to his co-workers regarding the organization of churches in subsequent generations. The norms and principles he himself had observed in the ordering of his churches, Paul makes explicit to his colleagues so that they, too, might order their churches correctly.
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Hence the genre of the Pastorals is inextricably bound to the historical life-setting of Paul's ministry as set forth in Acts and Paul's letters.

Hermeneutically, the important implication from this understanding of the genre of the Pastoral Epistles is that “[t]hese letters contain norms that are especially germane to
the issues of life in the church, the ‘household of God’” (see 1 Tim 3:14—15).
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As Gordon noted, “The instructions in these letters, far from being primarily of local significance, are significant wherever there is concern for the proper ordering of God's house. Indeed, as instructions given to postapostolic ministers, the instructions contained in the Pastoral Epistles are particularly germane to other postapostolic churches.”
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Literary Integrity

R. van Neste summarized the state of scholarship on the Pastorals this way: “Until recently, one of the widely accepted tenets of modern scholarship regarding the Pastoral Epistles was that they lacked any significant, careful order or structure.”
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This was not confined to liberal critics; even an otherwise conservative commentator such as D. Guthrie wrote, “There is a lack of studied order, some subjects being treated more than once in the same letter without apparent premeditation. …These letters are, therefore, far removed from literary exercises.”
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A. T. Hanson, an opponent of the Pauline authorship of the Pastorals, maintained, “The Pastorals are made up of a miscellaneous collection of material. They have no unifying theme; there is no development of thought.”
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But in the last decade the pendulum has swung away from such assessments. Against those who have argued against the literary unity and integrity of the Pastoral Epistles, van Neste demonstrated, in the most careful study of the topic to date, that there is “evidence of a high level of cohesion in each of the Pastoral Epistles” and that “[a] 11 three letters show evidence of care in their design.”
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I. H. Marshall also noted that “[t]here is a growing body of evidence that the Pastoral Epistles are not a conglomerate of miscellaneous ideas roughly thrown together with no clear plan, purpose or structure. On the contrary, they demonstrate signs of a coherent structure and of theological competence.”
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In light of assessments such as these, it appears that the literary integrity and coherence of the Pastoral Epistles has been amply rehabilitated against charges of incoherence by their critics. In what follows, the literary plan for each of the Pastorals is briefly discussed. As the above quotes demonstrate, the question of the literary unity of the Pastorals and their theological coherence are closely intertwined. For this reason the discussion of major theological themes following the study of the literary dimension of the Pastorals will contribute to a further adjudication of the topic as well.

Literary Plan

1
Timothy

W. D. Mounce divided the structure of 1 Timothy as follows:

1. SALUTATION (1:1-2)
   
2. THE EPHESIAN PROBLEM (1:3-20)
   
3. CORRECTION OF IMPROPER CONDUCT IN THE EPHESIAN CHURCH (2:1-4:5)
   
4. PERSONAL NOTES TO TIMOTHY (4:6-16)
   
5. HOW TIMOTHY IS TO RELATE TO DIFFERENT GROUPS IN THE CHURCH (5:1-6:2A)
   
6. FINAL INSTRUCTIONS (6:2B-21).
   ⁶³
   

On the whole, this outline is sound, especially in drawing a line of demarcation between 1:20 and 2:1
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and in identifying 5:1—6:2a as a separate literary unit. However, it seems preferable to see 3:16 as concluding Paul's instructions that began in 2:1
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and to see him as starting a new major unit in 4:1 with reference to the last days.
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If so, the discussion of the literary plan of 1 Timothy may proceed as follows.
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Paul's first letter to Timothy immediately turns to the subject at hand: the need for Timothy to “command certain people not to teach other doctrine” in the church at Ephesus (1:3—4). Paul's customary thanksgiving follows after his initial comments regarding these false teachers, which is in fact a thanksgiving to God for Paul's own conversion since he himself at one point persecuted the church of God (1:12—17). At the end of the first chapter, Paul mentioned two of these false teachers by name: Hymenaeus and Alexander (1:20).

After this, Paul transitioned (“First of all, then,” 2:1) to a section where he set forth instructions for the church, in keeping with his purpose: “I write these things to you, hoping to come to you soon. But if I should be delayed, I have written so that you will know how people ought to act in God's household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth” (3:14—15). This makes clear that 2:1—3:16 constitutes a section apart from chap. 1 on the one hand and chaps.
4—6
on the other, both of which are dominated by Paul's concern with the false teachers. While not completely absent from
chaps. 2—3, these chapters are taken up with Paul's more positive instructions to Timothy on how to govern the church. This includes instructions on prayer (2:1—8), women's roles in the congregation (2:9—15), and qualifications for church leadership, both overseers (3:1—7) and deacons (3:8—13). The section concludes with a presentation of the “mystery of godliness,” possibly drawing on a piece of liturgy (3:16).

Chapter 4 opens with the dramatic phrase, “Now the Spirit explicitly says” (4:1), setting the work of the false teachers squarely in the context of the end time, during which things would go from bad to worse. In this context, Timothy was to set himself apart by giving close attention both to his personal life and to his doctrine, thus preserving both himself and his hearers (4:11—16). Additional instructions are given regarding the care of widows (5:3—16); dealing with elders, including those who had sinned (5:17—25); the proper conduct of Christian slaves (6:1-2); and the rich (6:3-10,17-19). Timothy, on the other hand, is to guard what has been entrusted to him, as Paul's final charge makes clear (6:11-16, 20-21).

2 Timothy

P. H. Towner's structure of 2 Timothy is as follows:

1. OPENING GREETING (1:1-2)
   
2. BODY OF THE LETTER (1:3-4:8)
   
   1. Call to Personal Commitment (1:3-18)
      
   2. Call to Dedication and Faithfulness (2:1-13)
      
   3. The Challenge of Opposition (2:14-26)
      
   4. Prophecy, Commitment, and Call (3:1-4:8)
      
3. FINAL INSTRUCTIONS (4:9-18)
   
4. CLOSING GREETINGS (4:19-22)
   ⁶⁸
   

This structure is much to be preferred over Mounce, who rather idiosyncratically provided the following breakdown:

1. SALUTATION (1:1-2)
   
2. THANKSGIVING (1:3-5)
   
3. ENCOURAGEMENT TO TIMOTHY (1:6-2:13)
   
4. INSTRUCTIONS FOR TIMOTHY AND OPPONENTS (2:14-4:8)
   
5. FINAL WORDS TO TIMOTHY (4:9-22)
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The following discussion of the literary plan for 2 Timothy proceeds with a slightly modified version of Towner's outline.
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Paul's second letter to Timothy opens with the customary greeting and thanksgiving (1:1—7), followed by an exhortation for Timothy not to be ashamed of Paul who is now in prison (1:8—12). After contrasting various coworkers, Paul instructed Timothy on the nature of Christian ministry by way of three metaphors: the soldier, the athlete, and the farmer. Each one has important lessons to teach regarding the proper disposition of the Lord's servant (2:1—7). Paul used three additional metaphors for Christian ministry: the workman, various instruments, and the servant (2:14—26). Further charges, recent news, and a concluding greeting round out the letter (chaps. 3—4).

Titus

Once again, the various proposals regarding the structure of Titus reveal a certain amount of consensus as well as differences in the details. Towner proposed the following outline:

1. OPENING GREETING (1:1-4)
   
2. BODY OF LETTER (1:5-3:11)
   
   1. Instructions to Titus (1:5-16)
      
   2. Instructions for the Church (2:1-3:11)
      
3. PERSONAL NOTES AND INSTRUCTIONS (3:12-14)
   
4. FINAL GREETINGS AND BENEDICTION (3:15).
   ⁷¹
   

Towner's outline is similar to Mounce's, who breaks down 1:5—16 further into 1:5—9 and 1:6—16 but keeps 3:12—15 together as a unit.
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The structural proposal set forth below differs only slightly from these two major commentators.
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Similar to 1 Timothy, Paul went straight to the point by reminding Titus why Paul left him in Crete: “to set right what was left undone and…to appoint elders in every town” (1:5). Also similar to 1 Timothy, Titus received various instructions on how to correct the enemies of the gospel while himself staying above the fray. Christians are to “adorn the teaching of God our Savior in everything” (2:10) and to devote themselves to “every good work” (3:1). In keeping with the personal nature of the letter, Paul concluded with some final instructions and a closing greeting (3:12—15).

OUTLINE

1 Timothy

1. OPENING (1:1-2)
   
2. PERSONAL CHARGE (1:3-20)
   
   1. The Challenge of the False Teachers (1:3—11)
      
   2. Paul's Testimony (1:12-17)
      
   3. Exhortation to Timothy (1:18-20)
      
3. CONGREGATIONAL MATTERS (2:1-3:16)
   
   1. On Prayer (2:1-8)
      
   2. Regarding Women (2:8-15)
      
   3. Qualifications for Leaders (3:1-13)
      
      1. Overseers (3:1-7)
         
      2. Deacons (3:8-13)
         
   4. Purpose of Paul's Letter and Concluding Confession (3:14-16)
      
4. FURTHER CHARGES (4:l-6:2a)
   
   1. Latter-day Apostasy (4:1-5)
      
   2. Being a Good Servant of Jesus Christ (4:6-16)
      
   3. Further Congregational Matters, including Instructions about Widows (5:l-6:2a)
      
      1. Relating to Older and Younger Men, Older and Younger Women (5:1-2)
         
      2. Ministering to Widows (5:3-16)
         
      3. Dealing with Elders (5:17-25)
         
      4. Instructions for Slaves (6:1—2a)
         
5. EXTENDED FINAL EXHORTATION (6:2b-19)
   
6. CLOSING (6:20-21)
   

2 Timothy

1. OPENING (1:1-2)
   
2. THANKSGIVING AND PERSONAL EXHORTATION (1:3-18)
   
   1. Thanksgiving (1:3-7)
      
   2. Call to Suffering and Faithfulness (1:8-14)
      
   3. Faithless and Faithful Coworkers (1:15-18)
      
3. MINISTRY METAPHORS, PAUL'S GOSPEL, AND A TRUSTWORTHY SAYING (2:1-26)
   
   1. Three Ministry Metaphors: Soldier, Athlete, Farmer (2:1-7)
      
   2. A Trustworthy Saying (2:8-13)
      
   3. Three More Ministry Roles: Workman, Instrument, Servant (2:14-26)
      
4. FURTHER CHARGES (3:1-4:8)
   
   1. Latter-day Apostasy (3:1-9)
      
   2. Stay the Course (3:10-17)
      
   3. Preach the Word (4:1-8)
      
5. RECENT NEWS (4:9-18)
   
6. CLOSING GREETINGS (4:19-22)
   

Something to Think About: Remember His Mercy

W
hen Paul wrote his first letter to Timothy, he had planted dozens of churches, masterminded the early Christian mission almost single-handedly, and orchestrated the astonishing growth of a worldwide movement that had been spawned by a humble Galilean who met an ignominious death on a Judean cross. If ever anyone were entitled to a dose of self congratulatory satisfaction or legitimately could have rested on his laurels, it was the apostle to the Gentiles. But Paul remembered his roots; he remembered his former pride and sin. Do you and I remember that if it were not for the mercy and grace of God, we would still be in our sins?

In the first chapter of 1 Timothy, Paul devoted the customary thanksgiving section to an acknowledgment of his blasphemous past
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how he had persecuted God's people until on the road to Damascus he met the risen Christ. Humbly, he acknowledged that he was the worst of sinners, so that he might serve as an example to other believers. So when Paul went on shortly thereafter in the letter to expose the false teachers Hymenaeus and Alexander (1 Tim 1:20), he did so cognizant of the fact that in himself he was no better than them or anyone else. It was by the grace of God that he was who he was. The same is true for you and me.