1 Timothy 1:1

Timothy 1:1 says, Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope;  Paul described himself as an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God.  He said God was his Savior through the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for the sins of all mankind.  He was not declaring himself to be better than anyone else, nor did he believe that he was any less an apostle than those who had physically followed Jesus.  He was an apostle by the calling of God.  No Christian is better than any other nor any less spiritually than any other since we are all saved by Jesus Christ, but God does call us to different tasks in His kingdom.  Paul said his hope was in Jesus Christ and what He did for mankind on the cross, and so should ours be as Christians.  

Verse two adds, Unto Timothy, my own son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.  Paul said that this epistle, or letter, was to Timothy, who he said was his son in faith.  I believe thus means he was converted under Paul’s preaching, but in God’s kingdom, they were brothers.  We may think that we have a special relationship with someone who comes to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior, but we will never be more than a brother or sister to them in God’s kingdom.  We may be a mentor and feel like a parent to them spiritually, as Paul did with Timothy, but God alone is the Father to all who believe in Him. 

Verse three continues, As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine,  Paul said he brought Timothy with him to Ephesus and left him there while he went on to Macedonia.  Like any father, Paul knew that he would eventually have to leave Timothy to do the work that God had called him to do.  Paul knew this was God’s plan and he carried it out.  I have to assume that Timothy also believed that it was God’s will that he remained in Ephesus while Paul went on to Macedonia.  There will come a time in the life of every Christian parent when they will need to allow their children to go wherever God leads them to do His work, yet many times if it means that they are going to be physically separated by several miles that they won’t want them to go, but this is not an attitude that we should ever have.  

Verse four concludes, Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.  Basically, Paul was telling Timothy to not get caught up in ideas that were not in accordance with God’s commandments but to teach the truth of God to edify, or build up, the faith of his fellow believers in Christ.  Many people today want to look into their genealogy for whatever reason, but if they are doing this to elevate who they are in the world, it is not in accordance with God’s will.  Paul also told Timothy to not get caught up in the fables of the world, which I believe would be anything that claimed to be the truth about the world that gives credit to anyone or anything other than God.