“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,” (1 Timothy 1:1 (ESV)
As was the case with all of his epistles, the Apostle Paul immediately identified himself as its author. A salutation is a greeting immediately preceding the contents of a letter. It may contain various introductory words such as “good morning,” or even the word “greetings.” Today’s text is Paul’s salutation to Timothy.
Acknowledging Paul’s authorship should not negate the Holy Spirit’s role in divine inspiration and biblical revelation (2 Tim.3:16-17; 2 Peter 1 :20-21). There is a dual authorship involving the divine and the human.
Paul identified himself as an apostle of Christ Jesus. An apostle (ἀπόστολος; apostolos) was a special messenger. It was “generally restricted to the immediate followers of Jesus Christ, but also extended, as in the case of Paul, to other early Christians active in proclaiming the message of the gospel.” [1]
However, the word apostle also refers to a select number of individuals who held the office of apostle. It was a select and restricted group, of which the exact number varied (Matthew 10:2; Acts 1:2, 26; Acts 14:14; 1 Corinthians 12:28, 29). It also should be noted that the office and responsibility of an apostle was sourced and originated from God alone. The phrase of Christ Jesus meant Paul was solely an apostle sent by and belonging to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul’s self-identification as an apostle was not the only title he used. Note the following New Testament (NT) references from the Pauline epistles.
- “Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God.” (Romans 1:1).
- “Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus,” (I Corinthians 1:1).
- “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,” (2 Corinthians 1:1).
- “Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— “(Galatians 1:1).
- “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,” (Ephesians 1:1).
- “Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,” (Philippians 1:1).
- “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,” (Colossians 1:1).
- “Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,” (1 Thessalonians 1:1).
- “Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,” (2 Thessalonians 1:1).
- “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,” (1 Timothy 1:1).
- “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God according to the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus,” (2 Timothy 1:1).
- “Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness,” (Titus 1:1)
- “Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother,” (Philemon 1).
Paul then described by whose authority he was an apostle of Christ Jesus. He wrote, “by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,” Command (ἐπιταγὴν; epitagen) refers to an order, a decree or instruction. The phrase God our Savior refers to God the Father. This title for the first person of the Trinity is found only in the Pastoral Epistles but has its roots in the Old Testament (Ps. 18:46; 25:5; 27:9; Micah 7:7; Hab. 3:18). God the Father by nature is a saving God and the source of the sinner’s salvation from eternity past (Rom. 8:29-30; Eph. 1:3-6; I Tim. 4:10; 2 Thess. 2:13; I Peter 1:1-2).
Additionally, Paul spoke of Christ Jesus our hope. The title Christ Jesus obviously refers to the second person of the Trinity. The word hope (ἐλπίδος; elpidos) refers solely to the confident expectation each believer has in the Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, the salvation God promised to accomplish by the Lord Jesus He will fulfill.
Dr. William Hendriksen explains, “The fact that here in the Pastorals the name Savior is frequently applied to God is, after all, not at all surprising, for even in his earlier epistles Paul frequently ascribes the work of saving man to “God. “For example, “It was God’s good-pleasure through the foolishness of the preaching to save those who believe” (1 Cor. 1:21); “but God … made us alive together with Christ … for by grace have you been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Eph. 2:4, 5, 8); “your salvation, and that from God” (Phil. 1:28). To “God” he also ascribes the distinct acts in the program of salvation. It is God who spared not his Son but delivered him up for us all. It is God who sets forth his Son as a propitiation for our sins. It is he who commends his love toward us. It is God who blesses us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. Foreknowledge, foreordination, calling, justification, glorification are all ascribed to him. It is he who chose us. It is he who causes the gospel to be proclaimed. It is he who bestows his grace upon us. Faith is his gift,” [2] (See Rom. 1:16; 3:24–26; 4:17; 5:8, 15; 8:3, 4, 11, 28–30, 31–33; 9:10, 11; 15:5, 13; 1 Cor. 1:9, 26–31; 15:57; 2 Cor. 2:14; 4:7; 5:5, 8, 19, 20, 21; 9:15; Gal. 1:15; 3:26; 4:4–7; Eph. 1:3–5; 2:4, 5; Phil. 2:13; 3:9; Col. 3:3).
“In view of all this we can almost say that it would have been strange if somewhere in his epistles the apostle would not have called God “our Savior.” Calling God “our Savior” is entirely proper. And since for Paul God ever saves through Christ, verse 1 is also a fitting prelude to verse 15: “Christ Jesus came into the world sinners to save.”[3]
Dr. Hendriksen concludes by saying, “Amid circumstances which to man might seem hopeless Christ Jesus is pictured as “our Hope,” that is, the very foundation for our earnest yearning, our confident expectation, and our patient waiting for the manifestation of salvation in all its fulness (cf. 1:16; 6:14–16, 19). It is he who made this hope possible and actual. It is he who revitalizes it from day to day. The Source as well as the Object of this hope is he (cf. Acts 28:20; Col. 1:27).[4]
Have you repented of your sin and received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? Hope for deliverance from sin’s penalty, power and eventual presence is found solely in Him.
Mat the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.
Soli deo Gloria!
[1] Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 541.
[2] William Hendriksen and Simon J. Kistemaker, Exposition of the Pastoral Epistles, vol. 4, New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953–2001), 52.
[3] William Hendriksen and Simon J. Kistemaker, Exposition of the Pastoral Epistles, vol. 4, New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953–2001), 52–53.
[4] William Hendriksen and Simon J. Kistemaker, Exposition of the Pastoral Epistles, vol. 4, New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953–2001), 53.
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