I Timothy

Why was this book written?

      Paul wrote this first letter to Timothy because of the difficulty Timothy was having in leadership. The church in Ephesus wasn't awesome and Timothy needed some guidance on how to get things back on track. In this letter Paul gives very practical advice on how to conduct the church and give it more order so that it can function properly. Paul tells Timothy to be bold and to live a life that others look at and respect (4:11-12).

What is the main idea of this book?

       The main idea in this book is for the church to be godly and orderly. It seems like Timothy may have been taken advantage of because of his youth and the people didn't respect his leadership. Paul tells him to teach them and not to let them make fun of him (4:11-12). Paul tells Timothy to warn the people against their sinful ways (6:4). His desire was to see a pure church that worked together. Paul gives specific instructions in dealing with sin among the church (5:17-22). Again, all pointing to the fact that Paul was writing in order that the church of Ephesus would bring glory and honor to God. At the moment, there were a bit of a mess.