The books of First Timothy, Second Timothy, and Titus have been called the Pastoral Epistles because in them Paul gave instructions to his young associates as to how they should maintain the spiritual oversight or pastoral care of their respective churches. Timothy and Titus were not pastors per se; rather, they were apostolic representatives sent to Ephesus and Crete respectively to supervise the proper organization and function of the churches under the trained leadership of pastors and deacons. In the personal charges given to them, however, are principles applicable to local church leaders of all generations.

Of all the thirteen Pauline Epistles, the authorship of these three has been questioned most severely by modern critics. This has been done in spite of the strong testimony of the Church Fathers. These accepted the books as canonical and as written by Paul: Ignatius, Polycarp, Justin Martyr, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, and Irenaeus. They were also listed in the Pauline section of the Muratorian Canon. The Fathers’ decisions reflect the internal witness of the books. All three books begin with the claim that the writer was Paul the apostle (1 Tim. 1:1; cf. 2:7; 2 Tim. 1:1; Titus 1:1). The author’s analysis of his spiritual past agrees with the Book of Acts (1 Tim. 1:11–15). His identification of Timothy and Titus as his "sons" in the faith is definitely a Pauline designation (1 Tim. 1:2, 18; 2 Tim. 1:2; 2:1; Titus 1:4).

Some who have rejected Pauline authorship view the Pastorals as pseudonymous writings, written either by a second-century opponent of Gnosticism or by a follower of Paul who incorporated genuine Pauline material after the martyrdom of the apostle. However, this position is highly subjective. Who determines what is authentic? Why are the genuine passages mostly found in Second Timothy? Why did the pseudonymous writer compose three books? Could he not have achieved his purpose by writing merely one? Would not the writing of three pseudonymous books be more suspect than the writing of one? Actually, pseudonymous writings were rejected by the early church, not accepted. Although it may have been an acceptable literary style of the pagan world, it did not meet the standard of honesty and authenticity required of canonical books. Paul warned against such forgeries carrying his name (2 Thess. 2:3). Authorship by an apostle or by an authoritative associate of an apostle was deemed necessary as the basis of acceptance by the church.

The arguments set forth against Pauline authorship are many. First, the rejection of these books by some second-century Church Fathers (Basilides, Tatian, and Marcion) has caused some to doubt. However, these men were Gnostic heretics who disagreed with some of the content of these letters. When Paul stated that the law was good (1 Tim. 1:8) and that Timothy should avoid "profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called" (1 Tim. 6:20), he mentioned concepts contrary to the philosophy of Marcion. It is no wonder that they rejected them.

Second, critics believe that there are some discrepancies between the historical data in the Pastorals and that recorded in Acts and found in the recognized Pauline writings. However, this charge is based upon the assumption that Paul experienced only one Roman imprisonment. Paul’s release from his first internment at Rome, a subsequent ministry of two or three years, and a second imprisonment at Rome can easily account for the difference in historical data. Paul did expect to be released from his first imprisonment (Phil. 1:25; Philem. v. 22) and he apparently was released. Some Church Fathers (Clement of Rome, Eusebius) mentioned a Pauline ministry in the West, possibly as far as Spain (cf. Rom. 15:24). This could have been accomplished in the interval between the two imprisonments. The Pastorals describe the historical movements of Paul after the history of Acts was recorded (a.d. 30–61; cf. a.d. 61–64). In these closing years Paul visited Ephesus (1 Tim. 1:3), Crete (Titus 1:5), Nicopolis (Titus 3:12), Corinth (2 Tim. 4:20), Miletus (2 Tim. 4:20), and Troas (2 Tim. 4:13), and was finally taken to Rome (2 Tim. 1:17).

Third, some have claimed that the local church organization as described in the Pastorals is too advanced for the actual time of Paul’s ministry. However, the appointment and the assigned responsibilities of the bishop-pastor-elder were an integral part of Paul’s ministry of edification (Acts 14:23; 15:2–6; 20:17–28) and of Peter’s admonitions (1 Peter 5:1–4). The concept of the function of the deacon developed very early in the church (Acts 6:1–6; cf. Phil. 1:1). Women always played an important role in church life (Acts 9:36–39; 16:14–15; Rom. 16:1). The care of a designated group of widows is what prompted the creation of the diaconate initially (Acts 6:1–6). Proper order within worship services had developed before the writing of the Pastorals (1 Cor. 11–14).

Fourth, critics believe that the false teaching attacked by the Pastorals is the Gnostic heresy of the second century. They point out that abstinence from marriage and a vegetarian diet (1 Tim. 4:3) were common characteristics of advanced Gnosticism. However, the heresy faced by the Pastorals still had a strong Jewish influence (1 Tim. 1:3–10; Titus 1:10, 14; 3:9). This corresponds more to the incipient Judaistic Gnosticism refuted in Colossians than to the mature philosophical Gnosticism of the second century.

The fifth proposed argument is that the style, vocabulary, and doctrinal outlook in the Pastorals are radically different from that in the other Pauline Epistles. It is a fact that there are 175 words in the Pastorals that are not found elsewhere in the New Testament. However, the difference in subject matter would account for most of this. A man’s style normally changes with increasing age and experience. Actually, this is an argument in reverse for Pauline authorship. Would a forger have incorporated so many unique words if he were trying to pass the books off as Pauline originals? Would he have dared to call the beloved apostle Paul the "chief" of sinners?

The arguments proposed against the Pauline authorship of the Pastorals are not as strong as they appear initially. Evangelical answers are readily available. Until better evidence is forthcoming, it must be concluded that both the external and the internal evidence supports the Pauline authorship of these books.

A native of Lystra, Timothy was the son of a Greek father and a Jewish mother (Acts 16:1). In his early youth he was influenced by the godly lives of his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice (2 Tim. 1:5; 3:15). He apparently was converted to Christ by Paul during the latter’s first missionary journey (1 Tim. 1:2, 18; cf. Acts 14:6–23). Because of his spiritual gifts and rapid Christian maturity, he was selected by Paul during the latter’s second journey to become an associate in the missionary enterprise (Acts 16:1–3). At that time he was circumcised and ordained (Acts 16:3; 1 Tim. 4:14; 2 Tim. 4:5).

He shared in the establishment of the works at Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea (Acts 16:1–17:14). When he rejoined Paul at Athens, he was sent back to Thessalonica to continue the edification of that church (Acts 17:14–16; cf. 1 Thess. 3:1–2). He later returned to Paul at Corinth and assisted the apostle in the founding of that church (Acts 18:5). The Biblical record is silent as to whether Timothy traveled with Paul from Corinth to Ephesus to Caesarea to Jerusalem to Antioch and finally back to Ephesus (Acts 18:18–19:1). However, he did work with Paul at Ephesus (Acts 19:22). Paul then sent him into the provinces of Macedonia and Achaia to minister to the churches in those areas and to prepare the way for a proposed visit by Paul (Acts 19:22; cf. 1 Cor. 4:17; 16:10). Before Paul left Ephesus, Timothy rejoined him in that city (2 Cor. 1:1, 19; Rom. 16:21). He then traveled with Paul from Ephesus to Macedonia to Achaia back to Macedonia and on to the province of Asia (Acts 20:1–5). Again, the Biblical record is silent about the presence of Timothy with Paul on the latter’s trip to Jerusalem, his arrest at the holy city, his two-year imprisonment at Caesarea, and his voyage to Rome (Acts 21:1–28:16). However, since Timothy was with Paul at Rome (Phil. 1:1; 2:19; Col. 1:1; Philem. v. 1), he probably also was with him during those silent years. If he was not, then he must have rejoined Paul at Rome in the early months of the apostle’s imprisonment. From Rome he may have been sent to Philippi (Phil. 2:19–24), although Paul’s release may have stopped that desire from being fulfilled. After Paul’s release, he journeyed with the apostle to Ephesus where he was left to care for the church (1 Tim. 1:3). He was not with Paul when the latter was arrested and quickly taken to Rome. However, Paul requested that he come to Rome (2 Tim. 4:9). It is difficult to say whether Timothy did go to Rome and whether he arrived before the apostle’s martyrdom. If Paul wrote Hebrews, there is some speculation that Timothy went to Rome, was imprisoned, and was later released (Heb. 13:23–24). Tradition states that Timothy was martyred during the reign of either Domitian or Nerva.

After Paul was acquitted by the Emperor and released from his first Roman imprisonment (a.d. 61), he resumed his missionary activities, accompanied by Timothy, Titus, Luke, and possibly some others. Contrary to his earlier thinking, he was able to return to Ephesus; there he left Timothy in charge while he moved on to Macedonia (1 Tim. 1:3; cf. Acts 20:25, 37–38). Paul expected to rejoin Timothy at Ephesus, but he was not sure about the time of his arrival (3:14; 4:13). Thinking that he might be delayed longer than he had expected, Paul thus wrote to Timothy to encourage and to instruct him in his many tasks: "But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth" (3:15). The book therefore was written from Macedonia about a.d. 62, although some have suggested either a.d. 63 or 64.

Because Paul’s approach was very methodical, the purposes in writing are clearly discernible. He wanted to charge Timothy to oppose the false, legalistic teachers (1:1–20), to outline the nature and purposes of prayer in the public worship service (2:1–8), to discuss the spiritual responsibilities of women (2:9–15), to list the qualifications of the bishop-pastor-elder (3:1–7) and of the deacons (3:8–13), to explain his plans for rejoining Timothy (3:14–16), and to give guidance to Timothy about the latter’s personal conduct (4:1–6:21). In these last three chapters Paul charged his young associate to warn the church about the future moral and doctrinal apostasy (4:1–6), to develop spiritual maturity for his own benefit and that of his congregation (4:7–16), to provide financial care for the elderly Christian widows within the church (5:1–16), to exercise wisdom in the ordination, support, and discipline of elders (5:17–25), to counsel the Christian slaves about their relationships to their masters (6:1–2), to withdraw himself from false, greedy teachers (6:3–10), to avoid their errors and to develop a positive Christian life (6:11–16), to admonish the wealthy believers to be good stewards of God’s money (6:17–20), and to avoid philosophical speculation (6:20–21).

Salutation (1:1–2)

Paul had personally warned the Ephesian church about the rise of false teachers that would occur during his absence from them (Acts 20:29–31), and it happened. After Paul’s release from Rome, he journeyed to Ephesus, left Timothy there, and went on to Macedonia. Right at the beginning of this Epistle, he reminded Timothy why he was left at Ephesus. The apostle wanted him to charge those who desired to be teachers of the law "that they teach no other doctrine neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies" (1:3–4). Paul claimed that such teachers were ignorant of the real purpose of the law. The law had a good, lawful use if one employed it to control lawlessness and to bring a sense of guilt and condemnation to those who violated it. The law was not designed to save a sinner or to sanctify a righteous person; men are saved by trusting Christ and then they walk by faith under the control of the Holy Spirit.

Paul then cited himself as one who loved the law, taught it, and tried to keep it to gain a righteous standing before God. However, his zeal for the law caused him to become "a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious" (1:13). His love for the law made him into a hater of Christ and Christians. He then admitted: "… but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief" (1:13). The false teachers at Ephesus were in the same spiritual plight: "… understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm" (1:7). Paul argued that if God could save him, the chief of sinners, He could save anyone else, even the Ephesian false teachers. Paul saw in his conversion "a pattern to them which hereafter believe on him to life everlasting" (1:16). He expressed thanks that Christ enabled him and called him into the ministry because he had been faithful. He reiterated his charge to Timothy to fulfill the expectations of his ministry (1:18–20).

In the next two chapters Paul discussed the order of the local church. He exhorted that four types of prayer should be made for all men. Specifically, they were to pray for all men, including civil authorities, for two basic reasons. First, "… that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty" (2:2). A peaceful environment would assist in the pursuit of the holy life. Second, they were to pray for all men because God wanted "all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth" (2:4). Since Christ was the only mediator between God and man, they were to testify to that fact in their civil deportment, witness, and prayers. Even after Paul had been held in prison for four years in Caesarea and Rome by Roman officials, he wanted Christians to pray for them that the government might not oppress the advance of Christianity.

He then exhorted that Christian women should be marked by the inner adornment of the soul, not by the outward dress of the body. Their lives should express modesty and good works. In the organizational structure of the local church, the woman was not to have an administrative, authoritative teaching position over the man. The priority of man’s creation and the curse placed upon the woman after her sin (Gen. 2:21–23; 3:16; cf. 1 Cor. 11:2–16) established the authoritative headship of man over the woman both in the home and in the church. The woman, however, has been saved from spiritual uselessness in that she can have an authoritative, teaching position over the children within her family and in the church. She can also teach other women (cf. Titus 2:3–5).

The main church leader was designated by three terms, used interchangeably of the same person: bishop, pastor, and elder (Acts 20:17, 28; 1 Tim. 3:1–2; Titus 1:5, 7; 1 Peter 5:1–2). He was to be blameless in four areas: personal life (3:2–3), family supervision (3:4–5), spiritual development (3:6), and reputation before the unsaved (3:7). He was to be an experienced, tested man.

The deacons were also to be blameless in their personal lives (3:8), in their orthodoxy (3:9), and in their family supervision (3:12). The character of their wives apparently was also to be considered as one of the bases for their selection (3:11). They were to be proved or examined before they could begin the privileged responsibilities of the office of deacon (3:10, 13).

Paul then informed Timothy that he expected to rejoin the latter at Ephesus; however, in anticipation of a delay, he wanted to give Timothy written instructions about his ministerial conduct in the church. Paul identified the local church, the visible functioning unit of the universal church, as the "pillar and ground of the truth" (3:15). The local church was to be the guardian and the propagator of the mystery of godliness. It was her job to proclaim the truth of Christ’s incarnation, His earthly life, His death, resurrection, and ascension, and the necessity of believing faith.

The last three chapters emphasize Timothy’s walk and work within the church. Paul wanted Timothy, as a good minister, to warn the church against the future moral and doctrinal apostasy. This defection from the faith, not from personal faith, would be characterized by six features: deception by evil spirits, commitment to demonic doctrines, hypocritical lies, seared consciences or amoral values, rejection of the institution of marriage, and a vegetarian diet. Paul explained that the eating of meat was perfectly acceptable if done with thanksgiving.

Paul remarked that a good minister would be "nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine" (4:6). Both his life and his knowledge should reflect spiritual maturity (4:16). In a series of ten imperatives, Paul gave guidelines so that Timothy would achieve the above goals: refuse, exercise, let no man despise, be thou an example, give attendance, neglect not, meditate, give thyself wholly, take heed, and continue. Only in so doing could Timothy guarantee that both he and the congregation would be delivered from the moral and the doctrinal errors that would mark the coming apostasy (4:16).

Paul wanted Timothy to conduct himself within the church in the same way as he would within a family. He was to treat a man older than himself as a father, an older woman as a mother, younger men as his brothers, and younger women as his sisters in all sexual purity.

Widows were to be honored. Widows who had believing relatives were to be supported financially by those relatives. In order for a widow to be cared for by the church membership, she had to meet eight qualifications (5:9–10). Younger widows were encouraged to remarry and to be blameless in their social conduct (5:11–15). Paul explained that the church should not undertake a financial responsibility that should rightfully be borne by the family (5:16).

Paul instructed Timothy that elders who ruled and taught well should be given double remuneration. Both testaments taught that spiritual work should be rewarded with material pay. Accusations against elders had to be brought with two or three witnesses; those who brought false complaints were to be publicly rebuked. In the ordination of elders, Timothy was not to show personal preference or to ordain men without proper investigation of the person’s background. Although a church leader was to abstain from wine (3:3, 8), Paul advised Timothy to take some for medicinal reasons. He then warned that both the sins and good works of the elders would be made manifest at the judgment seat of Christ.

Timothy was to exhort Christian slaves to honor their unsaved masters as a testimony for God and the gospel. He was also to teach other Christian slaves not to despise their Christian owners, but to obey them. No doubt some Christian slaves had become bitter because their Christian masters had not set them free.

The apostle then admonished Timothy to withdraw himself from those who taught contrary to the words of Christ and to godly doctrine. Apparently, these false teachers measured their spirituality by the size of the financial gifts received through their teaching (6:5). Paul stated that Timothy should be content with the basic necessities of life (6:6–8). He further claimed that those teachers who desire to be rich, marked by a love for money, will err from the faith and will be stricken with emotional regrets (6:9–10).

Although Timothy was young, Paul called him a "man of God." As such, he was to flee the greedy ambitions of the false teachers, to follow the godly life, to fight for the truth, and to keep the charge of Paul until the return of Jesus Christ. At all times the young associate was to be aware of the fact that he was performing his ministry both before God and Christ.

Timothy was then commanded to warn the wealthy Christians not to be proud nor self-sufficient, but to trust in God. The rich were to recognize that their money was a divine gift of stewardship entrusted to them. With it they were to do good, to be rich in good works, to give, to share, and to invest in heavenly values.

Finally, Paul reiterated his charge to Timothy to "keep that which is committed to thy trust" (6:20; cf. 2 Tim. 1:14) and to avoid erroneous philosophical speculation that ruined the ministries of some others.