Pastoral letter · 6 chapters
1 Timothy
Healthy teaching should produce love and ordered community life. Leaders, care for vulnerable members, and the danger of greed are treated as pastoral responsibilities.
Historical & literary context
Presented as Paul’s instruction to Timothy in Ephesus. Authorship and dating of the Pastoral Letters are debated.
Introduction and study notes are commentary, not Scripture.
The shape of the book
- 1 · Teaching that leads to love
- 2–3 · Worship and leadership
- 4–6 · Ministry, care, and contentment
A passage to begin with
1 Timothy 6:6-10
6Of course, godliness with contentment is great gain. 7For we brought nothing into the world, so we cannot carry anything out of it. 8But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. 9Those who want to be rich, however, fall into temptation and become ensnared by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. 10For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. By craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.
Berean Standard Bible · Public domain
Read the full chapterThink it through
How does contentment protect a community from the love of money?