New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
1 Timothy 1
1
I, Paul, am writing this letter. I am an apostle of Christ Jesus, just as God our Savior commanded. Christ Jesus also commanded it. We have put our hope in him.
Reference
Hope
Colossians 1:27
1 Peter 1:3
References Jesus
1 Timothy 1:12
Galatians 1:1
2 Corinthians 1:1
1 Corinthians 1:1
References Lord
Acts 9:15
Salvation
Titus 1:3
Jude 1:25
2 Peter 1:1
2
Timothy, I am sending you this letter. You are my true son in the faith. May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord give you grace, mercy and peace.
Reference
Faith
Titus 1:4
1 Thessalonians 3:2
Grace
2 Timothy 1:2
Romans 1:7
1 Peter 1:2
2 Timothy 2:1
Galatians 1:3
Parallel theme
1 Timothy 1:18
3
Stay there in Ephesus. That is what I told you to do when I went into Macedonia. I want you to command certain people not to teach things that aren't true.
Reference
4
Command them not to spend their time on stories that aren't completely true. They must not waste time on family histories that never end. Things like that cause people to argue instead of doing God's work. His work is done by faith.
Reference
Faith
1 Timothy 6:20
1 Timothy 6:11
2 Timothy 2:22
Parallel theme
Titus 3:9
Titus 1:14
2 Timothy 4:4
2 Peter 1:16
Hebrews 13:9
2 Timothy 2:14
References God
1 Timothy 4:7
5
Love is the purpose of my command. Love comes from a pure heart. It comes from a good sense of what is right and wrong. It comes from faith that is honest and true.
Reference
Faith
1 Timothy 1:19
Galatians 5:22
2 Timothy 2:22
2 Timothy 1:5
Good
1 Peter 3:16
1 Peter 3:21
Love
1 Peter 1:22
2 Peter 1:7
Parallel theme
2 Timothy 1:3
Psalm 51:10
6
Some have wandered away from those teachings. They would rather talk about things that have no meaning.
Reference
7
They want to be teachers of the law. And they are very sure about that law. But they don't know what they are talking about.
Reference
Parallel theme
Romans 1:22
2 Peter 2:12
2 Timothy 3:7
Matthew 15:14
Word
1 Timothy 6:4
Galatians 3:5
Galatians 3:2
Galatians 4:21
9
We also know that the law isn't made for godly people. It is made for those who break the law. It is for those who refuse to obey. It is for ungodly and sinful people. It is for those who aren't holy and who don't believe. It is for those who kill their fathers or mothers. It is for murderers.
Reference
Parallel theme
Titus 3:3
Revelation 22:15
Revelation 21:8
References God
Romans 1:30
Titus 1:16
Righteousness
1 Peter 4:18
Word
Galatians 3:19
Romans 5:20
Galatians 5:23
Romans 6:14
10
It is for those who commit adultery. It is for those who have a twisted view of sex. It is for people who buy and sell slaves. It is for liars. It is for those who give witness to things that aren't true. And it is for anything else that is the opposite of true teaching.
Reference
11
True teaching agrees with the glorious good news of the blessed God. He trusted me with that good news.
Reference
Blessing
1 Timothy 6:15
Faith
2 Corinthians 4:4
Parallel theme
Galatians 2:7
References God
Titus 1:3
Romans 2:16
12
I am thankful to Christ Jesus our Lord. He has given me strength. I thank him that he considered me faithful. And I thank him for appointing me to serve him.
Reference
Faith
1 Corinthians 7:25
Parallel theme
Colossians 1:25
2 Corinthians 4:1
References Christ
Philippians 4:13
Acts 9:22
References Jesus
Philippians 2:11
References Lord
2 Timothy 4:17
Acts 9:15
13
I used to speak evil things against Jesus. I tried to hurt his followers. I really pushed them around. But God showed me mercy anyway. I did those things without knowing any better. I wasn't a believer.
Reference
14
Our Lord poured out more and more of his grace on me. Along with it came faith and love from Christ Jesus.
Reference
15
Here is a saying that you can trust. It should be accepted completely. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. And I am the worst sinner of all.
Reference
Faith
John 1:12
Parallel theme
Matthew 20:28
1 Timothy 1:13
Salvation
Luke 19:10
John 12:47
Matthew 1:21
Sin
Mark 2:17
Luke 5:32
1 John 3:5
John 1:29
16
But for that very reason, God showed me mercy. And I am the worst of sinners. He showed me mercy so that Christ Jesus could show that he is very patient. I was an example for those who would come to believe in him. Then they would receive eternal life.
Reference
Faith
John 20:31
John 6:40
Grace
1 Timothy 1:13
Ephesians 2:7
Isaiah 55:7
Parallel theme
Luke 7:47
2 Peter 3:15
2 Peter 3:9
Isaiah 43:25
Isaiah 1:18
17
The eternal King will never die. He can't be seen. He is the only God. Give him honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Reference
Glory
Jude 1:25
Revelation 19:1
Romans 1:23
Kingdom
1 Chronicles 29:11
Revelation 17:14
Revelation 19:16
Psalm 45:6
Matthew 6:13
Revelation 19:6
References God
Colossians 1:15
18
My son Timothy, I give you these teachings. They are in keeping with the prophecies that were once made about you. By following them, you can fight the good fight.
Reference
19
Then you will hold on to faith. You will hold on to a good sense of what is right and wrong. Some have not accepted these teachings. By doing that, they have destroyed their faith. They are like a ship that has sunk.
Reference
Creation
Hebrews 3:14
1 John 2:19
1 Corinthians 11:19
Faith
1 Timothy 3:9
Titus 1:9
1 Timothy 1:5
Parallel theme
Revelation 3:10
1 Timothy 6:9
Revelation 3:8
2 Timothy 4:4
Chapter Summary
1 Timothy 1 focuses on protecting the church from false teaching, maintaining the proper purpose of God's law, pursuing love through sincere faith and a clean conscience, and remembering God's transforming mercy, as Paul instructs Timothy to confront misleading teachers while remaining faithful to the gospel entrusted to him.
Paul begins by establishing his apostolic authority and warmly addressing Timothy as his true son in the faith, before reminding him of the responsibility he had received to remain in Ephesus and confront teachers who were promoting doctrines that distracted believers from the central message of the gospel.
These teachers were apparently fascinated by myths, genealogies, and endless arguments, but Paul explains that such discussions do not accomplish God's work because they can create speculation and division rather than producing genuine faith and spiritual maturity.
The proper goal of Christian instruction is love flowing from a pure heart, a good conscience, and sincere faith, meaning that sound teaching should ultimately transform how believers think, live, and treat other people.
Paul then addresses those who wanted to become teachers of the law without properly understanding what they were teaching, explaining that the law itself is good when it is used correctly but should not become a source of pride, speculation, or confusion.
Instead, the law exposes sinful behavior that contradicts God's purposes, while sound doctrine must remain consistent with the gospel of the glorious and blessed God.
Paul then turns from correcting others to sharing his own testimony, remembering that he had once been a blasphemer, persecutor, and violent opponent of Christians, yet Christ showed him mercy and transformed him into a servant of the gospel.
His personal history demonstrates that God's grace can completely transform even someone who has seriously opposed Him, because Paul received mercy and was given faith, love, and a new purpose through Christ.
Paul therefore describes the statement that Christ came into the world to save sinners as completely trustworthy, while calling himself the chief of sinners and explaining that God's extraordinary patience toward him became an example of Christ's mercy for future believers.
His testimony naturally leads to praise of God as the eternal King, demonstrating that the purpose of remembering personal transformation is ultimately to glorify God rather than the person who was transformed.
Paul then returns to Timothy's responsibility, charging him to remain faithful to his calling, hold firmly to faith and a good conscience, and fight the good fight rather than allowing false teaching or spiritual opposition to destroy his ministry.
The chapter ends with the serious examples of Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom Paul identifies as people who rejected the faith and faced severe church discipline, demonstrating that protecting the church from destructive teaching was not optional but an important responsibility of Christian leadership.
The central message of 1 Timothy 1 is that Christian leaders must protect the church from false and unproductive teaching while ensuring that sound doctrine produces genuine love, sincere faith, a clean conscience, and transformed lives, remembering that the gospel is centered on God's saving grace through Jesus Christ and that even the worst sinner can receive mercy and become a faithful servant when transformed by God's grace.
Paul begins by establishing his apostolic authority and warmly addressing Timothy as his true son in the faith, before reminding him of the responsibility he had received to remain in Ephesus and confront teachers who were promoting doctrines that distracted believers from the central message of the gospel.
These teachers were apparently fascinated by myths, genealogies, and endless arguments, but Paul explains that such discussions do not accomplish God's work because they can create speculation and division rather than producing genuine faith and spiritual maturity.
The proper goal of Christian instruction is love flowing from a pure heart, a good conscience, and sincere faith, meaning that sound teaching should ultimately transform how believers think, live, and treat other people.
Paul then addresses those who wanted to become teachers of the law without properly understanding what they were teaching, explaining that the law itself is good when it is used correctly but should not become a source of pride, speculation, or confusion.
Instead, the law exposes sinful behavior that contradicts God's purposes, while sound doctrine must remain consistent with the gospel of the glorious and blessed God.
Paul then turns from correcting others to sharing his own testimony, remembering that he had once been a blasphemer, persecutor, and violent opponent of Christians, yet Christ showed him mercy and transformed him into a servant of the gospel.
His personal history demonstrates that God's grace can completely transform even someone who has seriously opposed Him, because Paul received mercy and was given faith, love, and a new purpose through Christ.
Paul therefore describes the statement that Christ came into the world to save sinners as completely trustworthy, while calling himself the chief of sinners and explaining that God's extraordinary patience toward him became an example of Christ's mercy for future believers.
His testimony naturally leads to praise of God as the eternal King, demonstrating that the purpose of remembering personal transformation is ultimately to glorify God rather than the person who was transformed.
Paul then returns to Timothy's responsibility, charging him to remain faithful to his calling, hold firmly to faith and a good conscience, and fight the good fight rather than allowing false teaching or spiritual opposition to destroy his ministry.
The chapter ends with the serious examples of Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom Paul identifies as people who rejected the faith and faced severe church discipline, demonstrating that protecting the church from destructive teaching was not optional but an important responsibility of Christian leadership.
The central message of 1 Timothy 1 is that Christian leaders must protect the church from false and unproductive teaching while ensuring that sound doctrine produces genuine love, sincere faith, a clean conscience, and transformed lives, remembering that the gospel is centered on God's saving grace through Jesus Christ and that even the worst sinner can receive mercy and become a faithful servant when transformed by God's grace.