1 Timothy 1:16

1 Timothy 1:16 says, Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting. Paul said that God’s longsuffering with him had been so that he could be an example for others.  If Paul, with all the sinful things he did with pride, could be saved, then so can anyone.  We may not be the chief of sinners, but no matter how good or bad we may be, when we put our faith in Jesus Christ, we should live our life so that we can be an example for others.  When we fail, as inevitably we will, then we must repent and put our faith in God once more, again setting the example for others who may sin.  

Verse seventeen adds. Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.  Paul listed several attributes of God which apply to Him alone.  God is eternal, without beginning or end, immortal, incapable of being killed, invisible.  We cannot see God, though He was seen in the life of Jesus Christ, but even then, it was not in His full glory, and He is the source of all wisdom.  We may know a lot of facts, but true wisdom comes from God alone.  There is no other source of wisdom and everlasting power.  

Verse eighteen adds, This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare;  Paul said that he committed these truths to Timothy so that he might fight a good fight against evil in the world.  We as followers of Christ have these same truths committed to us, and we must live by them if we are going to fight a good fight against evil in the world.  

Verse nineteen continues, Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:  Paul said that Timothy was to hold on to His faith in Jesus Christ, which some who were supposed to be followers of Christ had made a shipwreck of.  Some people today who profess to be Christians have made a shipwreck of faith, adding to or taking away from what it means to be a Christian.

Verse twenty concludes, Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.  Paul then named two individuals who had been guilty of blasphemy that he said he had delivered to Satan.  I believe that he meant he had removed them from the church family so that they would do no more harm than they already had.  Sometimes, if people will do nothing but blaspheme God, we need to remove ourselves from their company.

1 Timothy 1:12

1 Timothy 1:12 says, And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;  Paul said he thanked Jesus Christ for seeing him as worthy to proclaim the gospel.  Paul had spent his early years learning the law and persecuting those who did not obey it, but then he encountered the resurrected Lord on the road to Damascus, and he was never the same after that.  As Christians, we had to have encountered Jesus Christ at some point in our life and put our faith in Him as our Savior and Lord, and once we do, we should never be the same again.  

Verse thirteen adds, Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.  Paul said that he had been a blasphemer, persecutor, and had been injurious to Christians when he was trying to live by the law of God as he understood it.  The law was to condemn others and to glorify himself as he zealously did what he thought the law of God called on him to do.  We can be very zealous about God’s law and still be lost.  Paul said that after He encountered the grace of God, he realized that what he had been doing before was based on ignorance and unbelief.  Once we accept God’s gracious gift of salvation, we should realize how wrong we were to try to justify ourselves by any other means.  

Verse fourteen continues, And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.  Paul said that God’s grace was abundant in faith and love, which were all exemplified in Jesus Christ.  He didn’t say that God’s grace and love called for him to judge and condemn others.  We likewise should never attempt to use God’s grace and love for us to judge and condemn others.  

Verse fifteen concludes, This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.  Paul then said that this was a good saying worthy of all acceptance, that Jesus Christ came to save sinners.  If we are to be a part of God’s kingdom, we must accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.  Paul said that he was the chief of sinners, even when he thought he was faithfully carrying out God’s law.  It doesn't matter how sinful we have been as for as being saved is concerned. The smallest of sin separates us from God, and we can do nothing by our own ability to be redeemed. 

1 Timothy 1:9

1 Timothy 1:9 says, Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,  Paul  stated that the law was not made for the righteous man, but for the unrighteous man.  The righteous man would know what to do and do it without needing instructions about what is right or wrong.  Of course, we are told that none is righteous, no not one.  This means that we must rely on the righteousness of Christ and when we do, we are no longer under the law, but under grace. 

Verse ten adds, For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;  Paul continues to list those who are under the law, and once more it is sinners who have not accepted God’s gift of grace.  This makes me wonder why we want to post the Ten Commandments, the heart of the law of God, instead of posting the two that Jesus said were the greatest, which is that we are to love God with all our heart and we are to love our neighbor as ourselves.  Posting or reciting the Ten Commandments with hatred for anyone in our heart does us no good, just as trying to justify ourselves by how well we obey them does us no good.  If it did, we would be saved by works and not by grace.  

Verse eleven continues, According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.  Paul then began to list what sound doctrine is, and that is the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ.  Paul said this gospel was entrusted to him to share, as it is for every Christian today.  We are called on to proclaim salvation through faith in Jesus alone, but we are often more interested in proclaiming God’s law instead of proclaiming His grace.

 

1 Timothy 1:5

1 Timothy 1:5 says, Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:  Paul summed up what those who had put their faith in Jesus Christ should do.  They should love others out of a pure heart which would leave them with a clear conscience from real faith and not just a faith that was faked.  This applies to all Christians for all time.  We must love our fellowman with a pure heart and never from an attitude of selfishness.  Our faith in God must be real.

Verse six adds, From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling;  Paul said that some of those who had professed to be following Christ had turned away from Him by vain jangling.  I believe this means trying to live by God’s commandments while trying to live by the world’s standards as well.  If we are following Jesus Christ, we must do so with all our heart, mind, and soul.  The is no room for trying to live by both standards.  

Verse seven continues, Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm.  Paul said some who were claiming to be Christians were trying to be teachers of God’s commandments when they didn’t even know them.  They didn’t even understand what they affirmed to believe.  There are still many people today who want to be teachers and sometimes even preachers, who don’t understand what God’s word teaches, yet they want people to put their faith in their teaching and preaching. 

Verse eight concludes, But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully;  Paul said that God’s law is good if people use it lawfully, but some of these teachers weren’t doing that.  I believe that some were teaching that a person had to follow God’s law as well as putting their faith in Jesus Christ in order to be saved, instead of just putting one’s faith in Jesus Christ to be the only requirement for salvation.  I believe that others were teaching that when a person accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord that they no longer had to follow God’s laws at all.  Both of the teachings are wrong.