1 and 2 Timothy, Titus (Understanding the Bible Commentary Series)

362 Pages·2002·2.65 MB·English

by  Gordon D. Fee

U B
NDERSTANDING THE IBLE
C S
OMMENTARY ERIES
GENERAL EDITORS
W. Ward Gasque
Robert L. Hubbard Jr.
Robert K. Johnston
1 and 2 Timothy, Titus
Gordon D. Fee
a division of Baker Publishing Group
Grand Rapids, Michigan
© 1984, 1988 by Gordon D. Fee
Published by Baker Books
a division of Baker Publishing Group
P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
www.bakerbooks.com
Previously published jointly in 1995, in the United States by Hendrickson Publishers, and in the United
Kingdom by the Paternoster Press.
Baker Books edition published 2011
Ebook edition created 2011
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior
written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
ISBN 978-1-4412-3645-6
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973,
1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
www.zondervan.com
for
David M. Scholer
and
J. Ramsey Michaels
fellow servants
and
fellow heirs
Table of Contents
Foreword
Preface to the Revised Edition
Preface to the Original Edition
Abbreviations
Introduction
1 Timothy
§1 Salutation (1 Tim. 1:1–2)
§2 The Charge: Stop the False Teachers (1 Tim. 1:3–11)
§3 A Testimony About the Gospel (1 Tim. 1:12–17)
§4 The Charge Renewed (1 Tim. 1:18–20)
§5 Proper Objects of Prayer (1 Tim. 2:1–7)
§6 Proper Demeanor in Prayer (1 Tim. 2:8–15)
§7 Qualifications for Overseers (1 Tim. 3:1–7)
§8 Qualifications for Deacons (1 Tim. 3:8–13)
§9 The Purpose of the Letter (1 Tim. 3:14–16)
§10 The False Teaching Censured (1 Tim. 4:1–5)
§11 Timothy’s Personal Responsibilities (1 Tim. 4:6–16)
§12 Responsibilities toward Believers (1 Tim. 5:1–2)
§13 Instructions for Widows (1 Tim. 5:3–16)
§14 Instructions About Elders (1 Tim. 5:17–25)
§15 Instructions for Slaves (1 Tim. 6:1–2a)
§16 Final Indictment of the False Teachers (1 Tim. 6:2b–10)
§17 Final Exhortation to Timothy (1 Tim. 6:11–16)
§18 A Word for Those Already Rich (1 Tim. 6:17–19)
§19 The Final Charge (1 Tim. 6:20–21)
Titus
§1 Salutation (Titus 1:1–4)
§2 The Appointment of Elders (Titus 1:5–9)
§3 Warnings Against False Teachings (Titus 1:10–16)
§4 Instructions for Groups of Believers (Titus 2:1–10)
§5 The Theological Basis for Christian Living (Titus 2:11–15)
§6 Instructions for Living in State and Society (Titus 3:1–8)
§7 Final Exhortations and Warnings Against Errors (Titus 3:9–11)
§8 Personal Instructions and Greetings (Titus 3:12–15)
2 Timothy
§1 Salutation (2 Tim. 1:1–2)
§2 Thanksgiving (2 Tim. 1:3–5)
§3 Appeal to Loyalty Despite Hardship (2 Tim. 1:6–14)
§4 Examples of Disloyalty and Loyalty (2 Tim. 1:15–18)
§5 The Appeal Renewed (2 Tim. 2:1–7)
§6 Basis for the Appeal (2 Tim. 2:8–13)
§7 Exhortation to Resist False Teachers (2 Tim. 2:14–19)
§8 A Supporting Analogy from Household Vessels (2 Tim. 2:20–21)
§9 Timothy’s Responsibilities in Light of the False Teachers (2 Tim. 2:22–
26)
§10 Final Indictment of the False Teachers (2 Tim. 3:1–9)
§11 Another Appeal to Loyalty and Endurance (2 Tim. 3:10–17)
§12 Final Charge to Timothy (2 Tim. 4:1–5)
§13 Paul’s Final Testimony (2 Tim. 4:6–8)
§14 Personal Words and Instructions (2 Tim. 4:9–18)
§15 Final Greetings (2 Tim. 4:19–22)
For Further Reading
Subject Index
Scripture Index
Foreword
Although it does not appear on the standard best-seller lists, the Bible
continues to outsell all other books. And in spite of growing secularism in the
West, there are no signs that interest in its message is abating. Quite to the
contrary, more and more men and women are turning to its pages for insight and
guidance in the midst of the ever-increasing complexity of modern life.
This renewed interest in Scripture is found both outside and inside the
church. It is found among people in Asia and Africa as well as in Europe and
North America; indeed, as one moves outside of the traditionally Christian
countries, interest in the Bible seems to quicken. Believers associated with the
traditional Catholic and Protestant churches manifest the same eagerness for the
Word that is found in the newer evangelical churches and fellowships.
We wish to encourage and, indeed, strengthen this worldwide movement of
lay Bible study by offering this new commentary series. Although we hope that
pastors and teachers will find these volumes helpful in both understanding and
communicating the Word of God, we do not write primarily for them. Our aim is
to provide for the benefit of every Bible reader reliable guides to the books of
the Bible—representing the best of contemporary scholarship presented in a
form that does not require formal theological education to understand.
The conviction of editor and authors alike is that the Bible belongs to the
people and not merely to the academy. The message of the Bible is too important
to be locked up in erudite and esoteric essays and monographs written only for
the eyes of theological specialists. Although exact scholarship has its place in the
service of Christ, those who share in the teaching office of the church have a
responsibility to make the results of their research accessible to the Christian
community at large. Thus, the Bible scholars who join in the presentation of this
series write with these broader concerns in view.
A wide range of modern translations is available to the contemporary Bible
student. Most of them are very good and much to be preferred—for
understanding, if not always for beauty—to the older King James Version (the
so-called Authorized Version of the Bible). The Revised Standard Version has
become the standard English translation in many seminaries and colleges and
represents the best of modern Protestant scholarship. It is also available in a
slightly altered “common Bible” edition with the Catholic imprimatur, and a
third revised edition is due out shortly. In addition, the New American Bible is a
fresh translation that represents the best of post-Vatican II Roman Catholic
biblical scholarship and in a more contemporary idiom than that of the RSV.
The Jerusalem Bible, based on the work of French Catholic scholars but
vividly rendered into English by a team of British translators, is perhaps the most
literary of the recent translations, while the New English Bible is a monument to
modern British Protestant research. The Good News Bible is probably the most
accessible translation for the person who has little exposure to the Christian
tradition or who speaks and reads English as a second language. Each of these is,
in its own way, excellent and will be consulted with profit by the serious student
of Scripture. Perhaps most will wish to have several versions to read, both for
variety and for clarity of understanding—though it should be pointed out that no
one of them is by any means flawless or to be received as the last word on any
given point. Otherwise, there would be no need for a commentary series like this
one!
We have chosen to use the New International Version as the basis for this
series, not because it is necessarily the best translation available but because it is
becoming increasingly used by lay Bible students and pastors. It is the product of
an international team of “evangelical” Bible scholars who have sought to
translate the Hebrew and Greek documents of the original into “clear and natural
English … idiomatic [and] … contemporary but not dated,” suitable for “young
and old, highly educated and less well educated, ministers and laymen [sic].” As
the translators themselves confess in their preface, this version is not perfect.
However, it is as good as any of the others mentioned above and more popular
than most of them.
Each volume will contain an introductory chapter detailing the background
of the book and its author, important themes, and other helpful information.
Then, each section of the book will be expounded as a whole, accompanied by a
series of notes on items in the text that need further clarification or more detailed
explanation. Appended to the end of each volume will be a bibliographical guide
for further study.
Our new series is offered with the prayer that it may be an instrument of
authentic renewal and advancement in the worldwide Christian community and a
means of commending the faith of the people who lived in biblical times and of
those who seek to live by the Bible today.
W. WARD GASQUE