1 Timothy 1:3-10
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
II. Sound Teaching
Warning Against False Doctrine. 3 [a]I repeat the request I made of you when I was on my way to Macedonia,(A) that you stay in Ephesus to instruct certain people not to teach false doctrines 4 [b]or to concern themselves with myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the plan of God that is to be received by faith.(B) 5 The aim of this instruction is love from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith.(C) 6 Some people have deviated from these and turned to meaningless talk,(D) 7 wanting to be teachers of the law, but without understanding either what they are saying or what they assert with such assurance.
8 [c]We know that the law is good, provided that one uses it as law,(E) 9 with the understanding that law is meant not for a righteous person but for the lawless and unruly, the godless and sinful, the unholy and profane, those who kill their fathers or mothers, murderers, 10 the unchaste, sodomites,[d] kidnappers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is opposed to sound teaching,(F)
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- 1:3–7 Here Timothy’s initial task in Ephesus (cf. Acts 20:17–35) is outlined: to suppress the idle religious speculations, probably about Old Testament figures (1 Tm 1:3–4, but see note on 1 Tm 6:20–21), which do not contribute to the development of love within the community (1 Tm 1:5) but rather encourage similar useless conjectures (1 Tm 1:6–7).
- 1:4 The plan of God that is to be received by faith: the Greek may also possibly mean “God’s trustworthy plan” or “the training in faith that God requires.”
- 1:8–11 Those responsible for the speculations that are to be suppressed by Timothy do not present the Old Testament from the Christian viewpoint. The Christian values the Old Testament not as a system of law but as the first stage in God’s revelation of his saving plan, which is brought to fulfillment in the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.
- 1:10 Sodomites: see 1 Cor 6:9 and the note there.
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