The theme of 1 Timothy is the distinction between the true children in the Household of God and false children who really belong to the household of Satan. This is seen in the fact that in the chiastic structure of the Epistle, heresy is the subject in the center (K, K’) and at the ends (B, B’). Moreover, in 1:2, Paul calls Timothy, “a true child in the Faith.” Bible translations sometimes say “my true child in the Faith,” but that is inaccurate. The Greek does not say “my”.[1] In 2 Timothy, Paul does call Timothy “my child in the Faith”[2], but here in the first letter he doesn’t. In the context of the Epistle, even within the first several verses, we see the contrast of the true child in the Faith and the false child.
Paul writes, “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope, To Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith.”[3]
Timothy is a true child of the Faith, but these men who are teaching a contrary doctrine are not. Throughout the rest of the Epistle, Paul exhorts Timothy to remain faithful in the Household of God, as “a pillar and buttress of the Truth”.[4]
What are these false children teaching? They are heeding myths and endless genealogies, stirring up debates.[5] By this, they have wandered astray, missing the mark of Love, into vain talk and teachings which they themselves don’t understand.[6] They seem to be teaching that righteousness is found in keeping the Law.[7] These false children have devoted themselves to the doctrines of demons, which calls to mind the connection Jesus makes between the doctrine of the Pharisees and Satan.[8]
In Matthew 23:15, Jesus calls the Scribes and Pharisees children of Hell. In light of that, there seems to be a connection between 4:2 (“through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared”) and John 8:44 (“You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”) The heresy involves restrictions on marriage and food.[9] These false children are “puffed up” and imagine “that godliness is a means of gain.”[10]
In light of this language of misuse of the Law, doctrine of demons, missing the mark of Love, debates, genealogies, pride, and using godliness as a means of gain there seems to be an indication that the Judaizers are the false sons that Paul is warning Timothy against. This is to be expected – Paul opposes the Judaizers in his other Epistles, especially Galatians. In Galatians, the Judaizers are inarguably the enemies.[11] By comparing the descriptions of the heresy in Galatians to that in 1 Timothy, we can support that the Judaizers are the false children here in this Epistle.
Specifically compare these passages from Galatians with 1 Timothy: 2:12 (concern for with whom one eats), 15 (genealogies), 16 (justification by faith, not by works of the Law); 4:9 (turning from knowing God); 5:15 (“bite and devour one another”, cf. 1 Timothy 6:4b-5a “which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people”); 6:3 (arrogance), 7-10 (doing good works and reaping reward, the flesh versus the spirit, and the household of faith) , 15 (the idea of new creation).
Moreover, the Judaizers (and the Jews) tried to sanctify their bodies without sanctifying their hearts. Paul writes against such in many of his epistles. For instance, in Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians 10, Paul speaks about how food regulations are not so important as giving thanks and glory to God for all things. Particularly related to our discussion here though is Romans 2:28-29: “For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.”
This speaks directly to what we see in 1 Timothy 4:1-10. The “circumcision party”, who wants to make everyone a Jew outwardly,[12] “[promote] self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh”.[13] Rather than being circumcised of the heart by the Spirit, training in godliness, and doing good works, being “generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves” in the age to come, which was dawning through Christ’s reign, “so that they may take hold of that which is truly life”,[14] the Judaizers boasted of genealogy, ceremonial laws, and above all, circumcision. This same contrast is set before us here in 1 Timothy. The “bastards” of whom Paul speaks in 1 Timothy are in the first place the Judaizers who forsake the heart of the Law, disciplining their bodies with the ceremonial laws, but not their hearts with the perfect Law of Liberty.
Thus 1 Timothy fits with Paul’s overall ministry, with Jesus’ predictions about the crises of the apostolic age, and with the gospel that announces the coming of a new covenant in a new creation.
Joseph Norris is pastoral intern at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, Alabama.
NOTES
[1] Again, thanks to Jimmy Gill for pointing out to me that this was an important fact.
[2] II Timothy 1:2, 2:1.
[3] 1:1-4.
[4] 3:15.
[5] 1:4.
[6] 1:6-7.
[7] 1:8-11.
[8] Matthew 23 and John 8:44. (etc.)
[9] 4:3.
[10] 6:4-5.
[11] Galatians 2:14.
[12] Galatians 2:14.
[13] Colossians 2:23.
[14] 6:18-19.