Bible Study

By: Daniel Goepfrich The Personal Letter The short letter to Philemon is the most personal of all of Paul’s preserved writings. In his three decades of ministry, Paul certainly wrote many other short notes and personal letters, but God chose to preserve only this one for our benefit. Although nowhere does this letter give the location of Philemon, Colossians 4:7-18 provides a list of names almost identical to those in Philemon, including Philemon’s slave, Onesimus. It seems that Paul sent Tychicus and [...]

By: Daniel Goepfrich Godly Living Towards Unbelievers Titus 3 concludes this short letter with two more exhortations to godly living. Building on the practical situations from chapter two, which were focused on our actions toward fellow believers, the first few verses of chapter three show that this extends to unbelievers and even governing officials as well (Titus 3:1-2). It seems that part of Paul’s normal teaching was that Christians are not to be trouble-makers in this world. Instead, by praying for our [...]

By: Daniel Goepfrich A Lifestyle Based on Sound Doctrine Titus 2 picks up the theme of good works from chapter one. Rather than false doctrine, Titus was to “COMMUNICATE THE BEHAVIOR THAT GOES WITH SOUND TEACHING” (Titus 2:1). The word translated “sound” means “healthy.” Paul used it eight times, all in 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus and all related to correct doctrine, except Titus 1:13 and 2:2, where it refers to a healthy Christian faith. However, even those are in the [...]

By: Daniel Goepfrich Titus Overview Titus is one of three letters Paul wrote specifically to individual co-workers in his ministry. (The others were both to Timothy. Philemon was not a co-worker.) Although he is never mentioned in the book of Acts, we can piece together some information about Titus from 2 Corinthians, Galatians, and 2 Timothy. Before Paul left him on the island of Crete, Titus served as an itinerant apostle under the authority of Paul in Corinth and Dalmatia (northeast of [...]

By: Daniel Goepfrich The Worldly Church 2 Timothy 3 begins with a sad look at the state of the Church which is falling further and further from Christ (2 Timothy 3:1-9). This passage is often used to describe the modern world in which we live, and there are certain similarities. However, it is more accurately a description of the Church that is influenced by the world. Most people of the world have no interest in maintaining even “THE OUTWARD APPEARANCE OF RELIGION,” [...]

By: Daniel Goepfrich Enduring to the End 2 Timothy 2 continues with a few analogies, a few commands, and a few reminders. First, Paul used the analogies of a soldier and a farmer to illustrate the focus required to serve God well (2 Timothy 2:1-7). Just like a soldier cannot be concerned with things around him when he is in training or battle, so Timothy must not let his circumstances take him off mission. Just like a farmer receives the first benefit [...]

Overview of 2 Timothy Probably within about two years after writing 1 Timothy, Paul was once again arrested and taken to Rome. This would be his final journey because he was beheaded there under Nero’s growing persecution of Christians and Christianity. Paul wrote 2 Timothy from a Roman prison around A.D. 66, the last preserved writing we have from his hand and possibly the last letter he ever wrote. Second Timothy is a personal farewell note from an old mentor to his [...]

Slaves and Masters 1 Timothy 6 addresses three more specific groups within the church and Timothy himself again. First, Paul gave instructions for slaves (1 Timothy 6:1-2). Similar to the instructions in Ephesians 6:5-7 (written just a couple of years earlier), Paul told Timothy that Christian slaves should respect their masters and work well for them because this glorifies God and keeps a good reputation in the community. For those who have “BELIEVING MASTERS,” this is true “ALL THE MORE.” Sadly, it [...]

Caring for the Widows of the Church 1 Timothy 5 returns to instructions about certain groups in the church, specifically widows and elders. The church is to be a family of families, meaning that we should relate to each other as fathers, mothers, brothers, and sisters (1 Timothy 5:1-16). Like one would take care of an aging grandparent, Paul said that the congregation is responsible for widows in their church family, but only under certain conditions. First, if the widow has family [...]

1 Timothy 4 is different from the other chapters around it because Paul broke from his instructions to groups so he could focus on Timothy again. In this chapter, he gave Timothy three sets of warnings or encouragements. Expose False Teachers First, Timothy was to watch out for false teaching that would arise within the congregation (1 Timothy 4:1-5). Even though elders and deacons should have godly character traits, Paul had already warned the original Ephesian elders that “wolves” would enter the [...]