Greetings

1 From:^[a] Paul, an apostle of the Messiah^[b] Jesus, by the command of God our Savior and the Messiah^[c] Jesus, our hope.

² To: Timothy, my genuine child in the faith.

May grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Messiah^[d] Jesus, our Lord, be yours!

A Warning against False Teachers

³ When I was on my way to Macedonia, I urged you to stay in Ephesus so that you could instruct certain people to stop teaching false doctrine ⁴ and occupying themselves with myths and endless genealogies. These things promote controversies rather than God’s ongoing purpose, which involves faith. ⁵ The goal of this instruction is love that flows from a pure heart, from a clear conscience, and from a sincere faith. ⁶ Some people have left these qualities behind and have turned to fruitless discussion. ⁷ They want to be teachers of the Law, yet they do not understand either what they are talking about or the things about which they speak so confidently.

⁸ Of course, we know that the Law is good if a person uses it legitimately, ⁹ that is, if he understands that the Law is not intended for righteous^[e] people but for lawbreakers and rebels, for ungodly people and sinners, for those who are unholy and irreverent, for those who kill their fathers, their mothers, or other people, ¹⁰ for those involved in sexual immorality, for homosexuals, for kidnappers,^[f] for liars, for false witnesses, and for whatever else goes against the healthy teaching ¹¹ that agrees with the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.

¹² I thank the Messiah^[g] Jesus, our Lord, who gives me strength, that he has considered me faithful and has appointed me to his service. ¹³ In the past I was a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a violent^[h] man. But I received mercy because I acted ignorantly in my unbelief, ¹⁴ and the grace of our Lord overflowed toward me,^[i] along with the faith and love that are in the Messiah^[j] Jesus. ¹⁵ This is a trustworthy saying that deserves complete acceptance:^[k]

I am the worst of them. ¹⁶ But for that very reason I received mercy, so that in me, as the worst sinner,^[n] the Messiah^[o] Jesus might demonstrate all of his patience as an example for those who would believe in him for eternal life. ¹⁷ Now to the King Eternal—the immortal, invisible, and only God—be honor and glory forever and ever! Amen.

Guidelines for Behavior in the Church

¹⁸ Timothy, my child, I am instructing you in keeping with the prophecies made earlier about you, so that by following them you may continue to fight the good fight ¹⁹ with faith and a good conscience. By ignoring their consciences,^[p] some people have destroyed their faith like a wrecked ship. ²⁰ These include Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I handed over to Satan so that they may learn not to blaspheme.