Letter 10 of 14 · Overview available
1 Timothy
Guard the faith and order God's household so the truth of the gospel is upheld.
Paul left Timothy in Ephesus to stop certain people teaching "different doctrine" (1:3). The letter addresses prayer, worship, qualifications for overseers and deacons (ch. 3), care for widows, elders, and the dangers of loving money (6:6–10).
It contains early confessional material: "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners" (1:15) and the hymn of 3:16.
- Date
- c. AD 62–64
- Written from
- Macedonia
- Recipients
- Timothy, in Ephesus
- Chapters
- 6
- Stage
- After Acts (if released)
- Author
- Paul the Apostle
Written after Paul's release from his first Roman imprisonment, while travelling in Macedonia (1 Tim 1:3).
Scholarly note: Received as Paul's by the early church (Irenaeus, Muratorian Fragment). Some modern scholars question the Pastoral Letters on grounds of vocabulary; see Towner, The Letters to Timothy and Titus. Sources
Why Paul wrote it
False teaching and the need for orderly leadership.
Why it matters today
It shapes how churches choose leaders and care for members.
Related Acts passages
- Acts 16:1–3
- Acts 20:28–31
The World Behind the Letter
Ephesus, with its wealth and religious variety.
Purpose and Problems
Literary Structure
- 1
Charge and testimony · 1:1–20
- 2
Worship and leadership · 2:1–3:16
- 3
Timothy's ministry · 4:1–16
- 4
Groups in the church · 5:1–6:2
- 5
Godliness and wealth · 6:3–21
Key passages
Passage-by-Passage
Theological Themes
Explore across letters
My Notes
Sources
- Philip H. Towner, The Letters to Timothy and Titus (NICNT, 2006)
- I. Howard Marshall, The Pastoral Epistles (ICC, 1999)