The Epistles To Evangelists – Textbook

I. Salutation – I Timothy 1:1-2
1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus
Christ, [which is] our hope; 2 Unto Timothy, [my] own son in the faith: Grace, mercy, [and]
peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.
Verse 1. This letter was written by Paul. He was writing in his official capacity as an apostle. He
identified himself as an apostle of Christ. This was in contrast to apostles of men. The Greek word
for “apostle”, apostolos, simply means “one sent forth with orders”. In this broad sense of the word,
Barnabas was an apostle – Acts 14:14. By referring to himself as an apostle of Christ, Paul was
using the word in reference to the “office of apostle”. He makes a similar distinction in Gal. 1:1.
Paul’s apostleship was not based upon the command of men, but the command of God.
Paul further showed that God is our savior, our Lord, Jesus Christ, and our hope. This
attests to the deity of Christ. He names God our Savior and Lord as Jesus Christ who is our hope.