The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown (151 page)

In addition to providing qualifications for church leaders, 1 Timothy and the other Pastorals provide insight into many areas of congregational life, such as the role of women (1 Tim 2:9-15),
⁸⁰
caring for widows (1 Tim 5:1-16), dealing with sinning elders (1 Tim 5:17-25), or exhorting wealthy church members (1 Tim 6:2-10,17-19). All in all, the Pastorals are a treasure trove for the training of church leaders for the ministry. Timothy and Titus serve as representative figures for any aspiring pastor who would enter into the venerable tradition of those who over the centuries have served Christ in local church ministry.

Salvation
Frequent reference is made in the Pastorals to God (or Christ) as Savior and to the salvation he provides in Christ.
⁸¹
Paul identified himself immediately as “an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the command of God our Savior” (1 Tim 1:1). He used the phrase “God our Savior” later on when he spoke of “God our Savior who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim 2:3—4). A third time in 1 Timothy, Paul referred to God, “the Savior of everyone, especially of those who believe” (1 Tim 4:10). In addition, in one of the trustworthy sayings in the Pastoral Epistles, he asserted that “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Tim 1:15).

In 2 Timothy, Paul spoke of “God, who has saved us” (2 Tim 1:8—9), and in the same context he referred to “the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus” (2 Tim 1:10). He also asserted that “salvation is in Christ Jesus,” a salvation that, while secured in the past, will be consummated in the future, necessitating faithfulness and perseverance in the faith (2 Tim 2:10). The source of knowledge regarding this salvation through faith in Christ Jesus is the Holy Scripture, that is, the OT, which spoke prophetically of him (2 Tim 3:15). Several passages also speak of believers' safe preservation in this life and their safe passage into the next (1 Tim 2:15; 4:16; 2 Tim 4:18).
⁸²

In the introduction of his letter to Titus, Paul referred to both “God our Savior” (1:3) and “Christ Jesus our Savior” (1:4), putting God the Father and Jesus Christ on par with regard to their role as Savior of mankind. This teaching is further developed in the body of the letter, where Paul spoke of “the teaching of God our Savior,” according to which “the grace of God has appeared, with salvation for all people” teaches them to live righteous and godly lives in the present while waiting for the return of “our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:10-13).

Also, in a remarkable trinitarian passage, Paul asserted that

when the goodness and love for man appeared from God our Savior, He saved us—not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit. This Spirit He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that having been justified by His grace, we may become heirs with the hope of eternal life (Titus 3:4—7).

Again, it is evident that Paul considered God the Father and Jesus Christ on par as to their role as Savior of humanity, for he understood the triune Godhead as integrally involved in providing and applying this salvation.

How are we to account for the frequency of the “Savior/salvation” word group in the Pastorals? Most likely, the reason is that Paul sought to present Jesus as Savior in contrast to other gods or the emperor. Evidence is strong that in Ephesus especially the title “Savior”
(sōter)
was used as “a title of description of gods, emperors, provincial proconsuls, and local patrons,”
⁸³
so it is possible that Paul was responding to that false teaching perpetrated in Ephesus. Rather than salvation being found by adhering to various myths and genealogies, Paul contended that it was for “all” people (1 Tim 2:4) and came through Christ the Savior (1 Tim 1:15; 2:3-4; 4:10; Titus 2:10-11; cf. Titus 3:2,4).

The Preservation of Believers
The Pastorals exhibit a consistent concern for believers' preservation from Satan or demonic forces.
⁸⁴
In 1 Tim 1:20, Paul said that he has delivered two false teachers over to Satan in order for them not to blaspheme. He mentioned that Eve was deceived at the fall and provided instructions for women on how to escape a similar fate (1 Tim 2:14—15; cf. 5:14—15 with reference to young widows). He warned against appointing new converts to positions of church leadership, lest they become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil (1 Tim 3:6). This also requires that candidates for ecclesiastical office be above reproach and enjoy a good reputation with those outside the church (1 Tim 3:7).

Paul also denounced those who taught others to refrain from marriage or to abstain from certain foods because of a false dichotomy between material and spiritual things described as “teachings of demons” (1 Tim 4:1—3). Another area from which believers need to be preserved spiritually is the desire to get rich (1 Tim 6:9—10; see 2 Tim 2:26). Paul warned Timothy to guard himself against “irreverent, empty speech and contradictions from the ‘knowledge’ that falsely bears that name” (1 Tim 6:20). This apparently relates to an early form of Gnosticism, which taught a dualism between matter and spirit, disparaging all things created (see 1 Tim 2:14-15; 4:1—3).

Paul explained that the false teachers have been ensnared by the devil and held captive to do his will (2 Tim 2:26). In contrast to these heretics, Timothy was repeatedly exhorted to guard what had been entrusted to him (1 Tim 6:12; 2 Tim 1:12,14; 4:7,15,18) so that he may “escape” (author's translation) the grasp of the errorists and “pursue” Christian virtue (1 Tim 6:11; 2 Tim 2:22). As Paul's apostolic delegate, he is to be conscientious about himself and his teaching and to persevere in these things, for by doing so he would “preserve” (NASB) both himself and his hearers (1 Tim 4:16). By contrast, the false teachers have “wandered away from the faith,” having “strayed” or “turned aside,” so that their faith suffered “shipwreck” (see 1 Tim 1:6,19; 5:13,15; 6:9,10,21).

The Trustworthy Sayings
Five statements in the Pastorals (at least one in each letter) are designated by the author as “trustworthy sayings” (
pistos ho logos
, lit. “trustworthy [is] the saying”; see the chart below).
⁸⁵
This interesting feature, together with other linguistic, literary, and theological elements, provides a degree of coherence for this body of literature. Beyond this there is considerable variety among these five “trustworthy sayings.” The first such saying (1 Tim 1:15) is reminiscent of Jesus' statement in Luke 19:10 and is accompanied by the phrase that “deserves full acceptance” (as in 1 Tim 4:9), which is also attested in Hellenistic literature (see Philo,
Flight
129;
Rewards
13).

In the second “trustworthy saying” (1 Tim 3:1), Paul underscored the propriety of aspiring to the office of overseer and the nobility of the task, similar to Jesus' solemn affirmation, “I assure you” (
amen, amen;
see John 1:51). The third saying (1 Tim 4:8) is surrounded by scholarly controversy. Some claim that the “trustworthy saying” occurs in verse 10, not in verse 8.
⁸⁶
On balance, however, verse 8 is to be preferred for the following reasons: (1) verse 8 has the form of a proverbial saying; (2)
gymnasia
(“training”; once in the NT) and
somatike
(“of the body”; twice in the NT) are rare words, which makes adaptation as a
“trustworthy saying” more likely; (3) verse 8 (but not verse 10) speaks of an action that verse 9 seems to call for; and (4) verse 8a can be better explained as part of a saying.

The fourth saying (2 Tim 2:11—13) focuses on the rewards of suffering while affirming that God remains faithful even if his servants are not. In light of the numerous Pauline parallels (see esp. Rom 8:28—39), the saying was most likely coined by Paul himself. The statement consists of four conditional clauses, the first two on faithful service, the last two on denying Christ. The last clause features an added reason: “For He cannot deny Himself.” The cadence makes for an interesting dynamic, especially the breaking of the pattern in the last element where an expected negative statement is replaced by a positive one. The fifth saying (Titus 3:4—7) constitutes a summary of Paul's soteriology in highly condensed form and in trinitarian import, centering on God's salvation of believers through Christ and his regenerating work through the Holy Spirit.

Hence the range of “trustworthy sayings” in the Pastorals includes (1) a possible adaptation of a saying of Christ (1 Tim 1:15); (2) a solemn apostolic affirmation about church leadership (1 Tim 3:1); (3) an apostolic pronouncement about the value of godliness (1 Tim 4:8); (4) a hymn-like, artistically crafted affirmation of God's faithfulness in the face of human faithlessness (2 Tim 2:11—13); and (5) a summary of Paul's soteriology in trinitarian terms (Titus 3:4—7). Also, two of the five have the formula after the referent (1 Tim 4:8; Titus 3:4-7).

Table 15.1: The “Trustworthy Sayings” in the Pastorals

CONTRIBUTION TO THE CANON

• God our Savior and salvation in Christ (1 Tim 2:3-4; 4:10; 2 Tim 1:10; Titus 1:3-4)
  
• Qualifications for church leaders (1 Tim 3:1—12; Titus 1:6—9) and the role of women in the church (1 Tim 2:9-15)
  
• Preservation of sound doctrine and refutation of false teachers (see 1 Tim 4:16)
  
• The importance of pursuing godliness, self-control, and Christian virtues (see 1 Tim 4:11-16;
  6:6; 2
  Tim 2:22)
  
• Trustworthy sayings (see Table 15.4 above)
  

STUDY QUESTIONS

1. Is it proper to call 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus “Pastoral Epistles”?
   
2. Which Pastoral Epistle was written from prison?
   
3. When did scholars begin to question Paul's authorship of these epistles?
   
4. What is the genre of the Pastoral Epistles, and what implications does this have?
   
5. What is “Early Catholicism”?
   
6. How many church offices are prescribed in the Pastoral Epistles?
   
7. What is the likely meaning of the phrases “the husband of one wife” (1 Tim 3:2) and “husbands of one wife” (1 Tim 3:12; Titus 1:6)?
   
8. What is the best description of Timothy's and Titus's ministry assignments?
   
9. Which important theme in the Pastorals helps the reader understand Paul's reference to women being “saved through childbearing” (1 Tim 2:15)?
   
10. What are the qualifications of church leaders (1 Tim 3:1—7; Titus 1:5—9)?
    
11. What is meant by the authors' designation “trustworthy sayings”?
    
12. What contributions do the Pastorals make to the canon?
    

FOR FURTHER STUDY

Barclay, W.
The Letters to Timothy, Titus and Philemon.
Philadelphia: Westminster, 1960.

Barrett, C. K.
The Pastoral Epistles.
New Clarendon Bible. Oxford: Clarendon, 1963.

Baugh, S. M. “1, 2 Timothy, Titus.” Pages 444—511 in vol. 3 of
Zondervan Illustrated Bible Background Commentary.
Edited by C. E. Arnold. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001.

Brand, C. O., and R. S. Norman, eds.
Perspectives on Church Government: Five Views of Church Polity.
Nashville: B&H, 2004.

Calvin, J.
1 and 2 Timothy and Titus.
1556, 1549. Repr. ed. Wheaton: Crossway, 1998.

Carson, D. A. “Pseudonymity and Pseudepigraphy.” Pages 856—64 in
Dictionary of New Testament Background.
Edited by C. A. Evans and S. E. Porter. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2000.

Cowan, S. B., gen. ed.
Who Runs the Church? 4 Views on Church Government.
Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2004.

Dever, M. E.
Nine Marks of a Healthy Church.
2d ed. Wheaton: Crossway, 2004.

Dibelius, M., and H. Conzelmann.
A Commentary on the Pastoral Epistles.
Hermeneia. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1972.

Earle, R.
1, 2 Timothy.
Expositor's Bible Commentary 11. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1978.

Ellis, E. E. “Pastoral Letters.” Pages 658—66 in
Dictionary of Paul and His Letters.
Edited by G. F. Hawthorne and R. P. Martin. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1993.

Fee, G. D.
1 and 2 Timothy, Titus.
New International Biblical Commentary on the New Testament 13. Peabody: Hendrickson, 1988.

Gorday, J.
The Pastoral Epistles.
Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2000.

Guthrie, D.
The Pastoral Epistles.
Tyndale New Testament Commentaries. 2d ed. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1990.

Hanson, A. T.
Studies in the Pastoral Epistles.
London: SPCK, 1968.

Hiebert, E.
Titus.
Expositor's Bible Commentary 11. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1978.

Hughes, R. K., and B. Chapell.
1 and 2 Timothy and Titus.
Wheaton: Crossway, 2000.