1 Timothy 1
Christian Standard Bible
Greeting
1 Paul,(A) an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command(B) of God our Savior(C) and of Christ Jesus our hope:(D)
2 To Timothy,(E) my true son in the faith.
Grace, mercy, and peace from God the[a] Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
False Doctrine and Misuse of the Law
3 As I urged you when I went to Macedonia,(F) remain in Ephesus(G) so that you may instruct certain people(H) not to teach false doctrine 4 or to pay attention to myths(I) and endless genealogies. These promote empty speculations rather than God’s plan,(J) which operates by faith. 5 Now the goal of our instruction is love(K) that comes from a pure heart,(L) a good conscience,(M) and a sincere faith.(N) 6 Some have departed from these and turned aside to fruitless discussion. 7 They want to be teachers of the law, although they don’t understand what they are saying or what they are insisting on. 8 But we know that the law is good,(O) provided one uses it legitimately. 9 We know that the law is not meant for a righteous person, but for the lawless and rebellious,(P) for the ungodly and sinful, for the unholy and irreverent, for those who kill their fathers and mothers, for murderers, 10 for the sexually immoral(Q) and males who have sex with males,(R) for slave traders, liars,(S) perjurers, and for whatever else is contrary to the sound teaching(T) 11 that conforms to the gospel(U) concerning the glory of the blessed God,(V) which was entrusted to me.(W)
Paul’s Testimony
12 I give thanks to Christ Jesus our Lord who has strengthened(X) me, because he considered me faithful, appointing me to the ministry— 13 even though I was formerly a blasphemer,(Y) a persecutor,(Z) and an arrogant man.(AA) But I received mercy because I acted out of ignorance in unbelief, 14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15 This saying is trustworthy(AB) and deserving of full acceptance: “Christ Jesus came into the world(AC) to save sinners”(AD)—and I am the worst of them.(AE) 16 But I received mercy(AF) for this reason, so that in me, the worst of them, Christ Jesus might demonstrate his extraordinary patience(AG) as an example to those who would believe in him for eternal life.(AH) 17 Now to the King(AI) eternal,(AJ) immortal,(AK) invisible, the only[b] God,(AL) be honor(AM) and glory(AN) forever and ever. Amen.(AO)
Engage in Battle
18 Timothy, my son, I am giving you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies(AP) previously made about you, so that by recalling them you may fight the good fight, 19 having faith(AQ) and a good conscience,(AR) which some(AS) have rejected and have shipwrecked the faith. 20 Among them are Hymenaeus(AT) and Alexander,(AU) whom I have delivered to Satan,(AV) so that they may be taught not to blaspheme.
1 Timothy 1
Common English Bible
Greeting
1 From Paul, who is an apostle of Jesus Christ by the command of God our savior and of Christ Jesus our hope.
2 To Timothy, my true child in the faith.
Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and from Christ Jesus our Lord.
Timothy’s purpose in Ephesus
3 When I left for Macedonia, I asked you to stay behind in Ephesus so that you could instruct certain individuals not to spread wrong teaching. 4 They shouldn’t pay attention to myths and endless genealogies. Their teaching only causes useless guessing games instead of faithfulness to God’s way of doing things. 5 The goal of instruction is love from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith. 6 Because they missed this goal, some people have been distracted by talk that doesn’t mean anything. 7 They want to be teachers of Law without understanding either what they are saying or what they are talking about with such confidence. 8 Now we know that the Law is good if used appropriately. 9 We understand this: the Law isn’t established for a righteous person but for people who live without laws and without obeying any authority. They are the ungodly and the sinners. They are people who are not spiritual, and nothing is sacred to them. They kill their fathers and mothers, and murder others. 10 They are people who are sexually unfaithful, and people who have intercourse with the same sex. They are kidnappers,[a] liars, individuals who give false testimonies in court, and those who do anything else that is opposed to sound teaching. 11 Sound teaching agrees with the glorious gospel of the blessed God that has been trusted to me.
Thanksgiving
12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength because he considered me faithful. So he appointed me to ministry 13 even though I used to speak against him, attack his people, and I was proud. But I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and without faith. 14 Our Lord’s favor poured all over me along with the faithfulness and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15 This saying is reliable and deserves full acceptance: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I’m the biggest sinner of all. 16 But this is why I was shown mercy, so that Christ Jesus could show his endless patience to me first of all. So I’m an example for those who are going to believe in him for eternal life. 17 Now to the king of the ages, to the immortal, invisible, and only God, may honor and glory be given to him forever and always! Amen.
Importance of faith and a good conscience
18 Timothy, my child, I’m giving you these instructions based on the prophecies that were once made about you. So if you follow them, you can wage a good war 19 because you have faith and a good conscience. Some people have ruined their faith because they refused to listen to their conscience, 20 such as Hymenaeus and Alexander. I’ve handed them over to Satan so that they can be taught not to speak against God.
Footnotes
- 1 Timothy 1:10 Or slave dealers
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