 |  |
We shall say no more about the human authorship, believing that the author was Paul
the Apostle and that this rests upon a solid foundation.
We next give the structure of the epistle:
The structure of
I Timothy.
A | 1: 1, 2. Salutation.
B | 1: 3-20. Hetero didaskaleo, "Teach no other doctrine" (1: 3).
The King, incorruptible, invisible (1: 17).
Shipwreck (1: 19).
C | 2: 1-7. Salvation of all men (2: 4).
D | 2: 8 - 3: 15-. These things I write (3: 14).
E | 3: -15, 16. The MYSTERY of GODLINESS. Angels.
E | 4: 1-8. The APOSTACY. Doctrines of demons.
C | 4: 9-12. Saviour of all men (4: 10).
D | 4: 13 - 6: 2. These things teach (6: 2).
B | 6: 3-20. Hetero didaskaleo, "Teach otherwise" (6: 3).
The King, immortal, unseen (6: 15, 16).
Drowning (6: 9).
A | 6: 21. Salutations.
This structure shows the balance of the epistle and its leading features. The
correspondence is shown by noting the sections headed by capitals. The purpose of the
epistle was the guidance of Timothy as a Christian leader as to his attitude to those within
and those without; what his charge involved and what his personal conduct and example
should be. The same can be said of the epistle to Titus.
In the opening verses of I Timothy Paul stresses his God-given authority:
"Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God our Saviour,
and Christ Jesus our hope; unto Timothy, my true child in faith: grace, mercy, peace,
from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord" (I Tim. 1: 1, 2, R.V.).
This personal authority is in order to make unmistakable the authority of the message
he teaches and this is intensified by the expression `by the commandment of God'. He
usually says `by the will of God', but he wanted Timothy to realize afresh, and any others
who would read the epistle, that he was not expressing his own ideas, but was a man
under authority and that authority was nothing less than the authority of God Himself.
The expression "God our Saviour" may appear unusual for the Apostle, but he uses it
interchangeably with the phrase "Christ our Saviour" as the occurrences in the epistle to
Titus show:
God our Saviour 1: 3.
Christ our Saviour 1: 4.
God our Saviour 2: 10.
Our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ 2: 13.
God our Saviour 3: 4.
Christ our Saviour 3: 6.