1st & 2nd Timothy — Lesson 7

THE DOCTRINE OF CHRIST IN 1ST AND 2ND TIMOTHY

INTRODUCTION:

1. The doctrine of God in 1st and 2nd Timothy disclosed a God who is eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, due honor and glory for ever and ever.

2. It also disclosed a God who is our Savior. He administers his salvation through faith which is based on inspired scripture.

3. That scripture leads us to Christ Jesus through whom God the Savior has wrought salvation.

1. He brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 2 Tim. 1:10.

2. Death (physical, spiritual, and eternal) is the wages of sin. Rom. 6:23.

3. Jesus is not just a destroyer, but an illuminator.

4. He illuminates through the gospel.

5. Because Christians possess a life that cannot decay, anticipation of the accident of physical death can do nothing to destroy their confidence.

6. He accomplished it by his death; he reveals it through the gospel.

7. The gospel (scripture) makes us wise unto salvation. 2 Tim. 3:15.

1. John 12:48.

2. John 6:43.

3. Scripture is the only seed God needs; sowing it is the heart and soul of evangelism. Mark 16:15, 16.

8. Jesus is the source of the sound doctrine. 1 Tim. 6:3.

1. There is a standard of belief; it is called doctrine (1, 3b), sound doctrine (3), the truth (5), the faith (10, 12, 21), the command (14), what has been entrusted (20).

2. Healthy teaching comes from the words of Jesus.

3. It encompasses His message as revealed in Scripture – the words of Christ. Col. 3:16; 1 Thess. 1:8; 2 Thess. 3:1.

4. False teachers are not committed to the word of God.

1. It will not be the heart of their message or ministry.

2. They will add to it, subtract from it, have additional revelations, or deny it all together.

BODY: WHAT DO 1ST AND 2ND TIMOTHY REVEAL TO US ABOUT THE PERSON AND WORK OF JESUS CHRIST?

4. Christ came into the world to save sinners. 1 Tim. 1:15. (See Luke 19:10; John 3:13; 12:46; 17:18.

1. John often described Christ as “coming into the world.” John 1:9; 3:19; 6:14; 11:27; 12:46; 16:28; 18:37.

2. This is the central truth of the gospel.

3. It is true and faithful, in contrast to the nonsense of false teachers.

4. It alludes to the incarnation and the atonement, and implies his preexistence.

5. The application of the gospel is personal – of whom I am chief – even though the offer is universal – “worthy of all acceptation.”

6. This was his purpose from the beginning. Matt. 1:21.

5. He is the only source of salvation – the only mediator between God and man. 1 Tim. 2:5, 6.

1. Those who believe in him have eternal life. 1 Tim. 1:16.

2. Salvation with eternal glory is in him. 2 Tim. 2:9-13.

3. Paul’s trials are worthwhile in view of the priceless benefits obtained.

1. 2 Tim. 4:18.

2. Paul did not fear physical danger.

4. That salvation is obtained by all who are in Christ.

5. Consummation is eternal glory.

6. If we die with him we shall live with him. Rom. 6:1-7.

7. If we endure we shall reign.

8. If we deny him we will be denied. Matt. 10:23.

9. If we are faithless, he will remain faithful.

10. No bond between God and man is possible apart from Jesus Christ.

11. Christ’s humanity is brought into prominence because a mediator must be equally representative of both sides.

12. Job 9:33 – “There is no umpire between us, Who may lay his hand upon us both.”

6. He is our ransom. 1 Tim. 2:6.

1. Thinking of Christ as a mediator leads to a precise declaration regarding the atonement.

2. Paul echoes the language of Christ. Matt. 20:28; Mark 10:45.

3. Christ is pictured as an exchange price on the grounds of which freedom may be granted.

4. All will not receive the benefits of that ransom price because, though adequate for all, it requires appropriation.

5. Christ gave himself. Isa. 53:12; John 10:11, 18; (cf. Gal. 1:4; 2:20; Eph. 5:2; Tit. 2:14).

6. The Greek is an intensified form – not just paid the price, but became a victim in our place, died our death, bore our sins.

7. He is our hope. 1 Tim. 1:1; Col. 1:27.

1. The coordination of Father and Son as the sources of the apostle’s authority points to his conviction about the diety of Christ.

2. Christ claimed to be the son of God. 1 Tim. 6:13.

8. All of this was accomplished through his birth, life, death, and all that is encompassed in his nature.

1. What does this mean?

1. Some say it is chronological.

2. Some say it is two triplets.

1. First – life of the incarnate Jesus on earth.

2. Second – the life of the exalted Lord.

3. Some say it is three couplets, each contrasting the flesh and the spirit.

1. First – the revelation of Christ.

2. Second – the witnesses of Christ.

3. Third, the reception that Christ was given.

2. The application.

1. Revealed in the flesh. Phil. 2:6, 7; Heb. 2:14; 4:15.

2. Vindicated in the (S)pirit.

1. Human spirit or Holy Spirit?

1. Human – vindicated in the spiritual realm when declared to be the Son of God. Matt. 3:17.

2. Holy Spirit – the agent in vindicating the cause of the crucified, rejected Messiah. Heb. 9:14.

1. Mighty works – Mt. 12:28; John 20:30, 31; Rom. 1:4.

2. Resurrection. 2 Tim. 2:8; Rom. 1:4; 8:11.

3. Beheld by angels (obscure).

1. May refer to birth, temptation, Gethsemane, resurrection, and ascension; at all he was ministered to by angels.

2. May refer to the principalities and power that rule the unseen world; he showed himself to his spiritual enemies. Col. 2:15.

3. May refer to unfallen angels eager to receive back the exalted son of God (but see the last phrase 1 Tim. 3:16). 1 Pet. 1:12; Eph. 3:10.

4. Proclaimed among the nations – the universality of the gospel.

5. Believed on in the world – the response to the proclamation.

6. Taken up in glory.

1. Ascension.

2. Parousia and final epiphany in power and glory.

9. He is coming again.

1. 1 Tim. 6:14.

1. His return is envisaged as a definite historical event. 1 Thess. 3:13; 5:23; 1 Cor. 1:8; Phil. 2:15-16.

2. Paul is as certain of its occurrence as he is uncertain about when it will be.

1. “Until” is certain as to the event but uncertain as to time.

2. V. 15 declares that it will happen in God’s own good time.

2. He comes as our judge. 2 Tim. 4:1; Heb. 9:26.

1. He will personally appear.

2. When he appears he will judge the living and the dead. 2 Cor. 5:10.

3. He will consummate his kingdom. 1 Cor. 15:24.

4. He will reward those who love his appearing. 2 Tim. 4:8.

1. Paul looked forward to coming into Christ’s presence.

2. Phil. 3:20; 2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:21.

10. How does the salvation that is in Christ impact our lives?

1. Faith and love are found in Christ.

1. 1 Tim. 1:14.

2. 2 Tim. 1:13.

1. Faith and love refer to the manner in which we are to hold the pattern of sound words.

2. The manner in which Timothy held to otrhodoxy was as important as the orthodoxy itself.

3. Had all loyalty to sound words been tempered with these virtues, the bitterness of much disputation could have been avoided.

4. In Christ Jesus – an intimate union with Christ is necessary before faith and love are possible.

2. We acknowledge that He is the master and we are the servant, 1 Tim. 4:6, 2 Tim. 2:24; He is the commander-in-chief and we are the soldier, 2 Tim. 2:3-4; He is the coach and we are the athlete.

1. Soldier.

1. Duty takes precedence over civil affairs.

2. Renunciation of everything that hinders the real purpose of the soldier of Christ.

3. No 8 hour day; 40 hour week; we are on duty 24 hours a day.

2. Athlete.

1. Had to take an oath the he had fulfilled the required 10 months of training so that the standard of the games would not be lowered.

2. Severe penalties were imposed on those who disobeyed the rules.

3. The necessity of self-discipline is stressed.

4. Only one receives the crown. (But see 2 Tim. 4:8.)

CONCLUSION:

1. He gives us understanding.

1. 2 Tim. 2:7.

2. Understanding is achieved through the application of the mind (consider, think) to the word (what I say).

2. He is with our spirit. 2 Tim. 4:22.

God's Plan of Salvation

You Must Hear the Gospel

You must hear the gospel and then understand and recognize that you are lost without Jesus Christ no matter who you are and no matter what your background is. The Bible tells us that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) Before you can be saved, you must understand that you are lost and that the only way to be saved is by obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1:8) Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6) “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

You Must Believe

You must believe and have faith in God because “without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6) But neither belief alone nor faith alone is sufficient to save. (James 2:19; James 2:24; Matthew 7:21)

You Must Repent

You must repent of your sins. (Acts 3:19) But repentance alone is not enough. The so-called “Sinner’s Prayer” that you hear so much about today from denominational preachers does not appear anywhere in the Bible. Indeed, nowhere in the Bible was anyone ever told to pray the “Sinner’s Prayer” to be saved. By contrast, there are numerous examples showing that prayer alone does not save. Saul, for example, prayed following his meeting with Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:11), but Saul was still in his sins when Ananias met him three days later (Acts 22:16). Cornelius prayed to God always, and yet there was something else he needed to do to be saved (Acts 10:2, 6, 33, 48). If prayer alone did not save Saul or Cornelius, prayer alone will not save you. You must obey the gospel. (2 Thess. 1:8)

You Must Confess

You must confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. (Romans 10:9-10) Note that you do NOT need to make Jesus “Lord of your life.” Why? Because Jesus is already Lord of your life whether or not you have obeyed his gospel. Indeed, we obey him, not to make him Lord, but because he already is Lord. (Acts 2:36) Also, no one in the Bible was ever told to just “accept Jesus as your personal savior.” We must confess that Jesus is the Son of God, but, as with faith and repentance, confession alone does not save. (Matthew 7:21)

You Must Be Baptized for the Remission of Sins

Having believed, repented, and confessed that Jesus is the Son of God, you must be baptized for the remission of your sins. (Acts 2:38) It is at this point (and not before) that your sins are forgiven. (Acts 22:16) It is impossible to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ without teaching the absolute necessity of baptism for salvation. (Acts 8:35-36; Romans 6:3-4; 1 Peter 3:21) Anyone who responds to the question in Acts 2:37 with an answer that contradicts Acts 2:38 is NOT proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ!

You Must Be Faithful Unto Death

Once you are saved, God adds you to his church and writes your name in the Book of Life. (Acts 2:47; Philippians 4:3) To continue in God’s grace, you must continue to serve God faithfully until death. Unless they remain faithful, those who are in God’s grace will fall from grace, and those whose names are in the Book of Life will have their names blotted out of that book. (Revelation 2:10; Revelation 3:5; Galatians 5:4)

What is the church of Christ?

In Matthew 16:18, Jesus promised to build a church. In Acts 2:47, Luke tells us that people were being added to that church. Thus, we can conclude that Jesus built His church sometime between His promise in Matthew 16 and Luke’s statement in Acts 2. Indeed, a closer study of the events in Acts 2 reveals that the Lord’s church was established on that first day of Pentecost following the Lord’s resurrection when Peter preached the first gospel sermon. That church is the church of Christ.

A common misconception about the church of Christ is that “The Church of Christ” is its name. It is not. The “church of Christ” is its description. The church of Christ is the church that belongs to Christ, that was established by Christ, that was built by Christ, and that was bought by Christ. It is not our church; it is His church, the Lord’s church. We are not voted into the church by men, and we do not join a church the way some might join a country club. Instead, God adds us to His church when we obey His gospel.

Are those in the church of Christ the only people who are going to be saved? Of course they are! God adds people to His church when they are saved. If you are not in the Lord’s church, then you are not saved. If you are saved, then you are in the Lord’s church. To be saved outside of the church of Christ is to be saved outside of the body of Christ – and that can never happen. Jesus is not just a way to the Father; he is the way to the Father. As Jesus said in John 14:6, “ I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

Thus, the real question is not what is the church of Christ, but is rather how do you become a part of the church of Christ? That question was asked in the first century as it is asked today, and the answer remains the same. We are saved and added to the Lord’s church when we obey the gospel of Jesus Christ. Like the Apostle Paul, we are saved when our sins are washed away at our baptism.

There is one church of Christ. If you are a member of something else or something more or something less, then you are not serving God according to His plan or according to His will. He wants you to be a Christian and only a Christian, wearing only the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, who is the head and the savior of the church, His body.

Want to know more? Here are 10 things everyone should understand about the church, here are some common misconceptions about the church, and here is how God views the church.

What Must I Do?

What must I do? That same question was asked in Acts 2:37 at the end of the very first gospel sermon ever preached. Before we look at Peter’s answer in verse 38, let’s look at some answers Peter did NOT give.

What must I do? John Calvin answers, “Nothing!” According to Calvin, there is nothing we must do and nothing we can do. Each of us has already been personally predestined to Heaven or Hell without regard to anything we do on Earth, and so, logically, according to Calvin, the only answer to the question in Acts 2:37 is “Nothing.” But that is NOT how Peter answered that question.

What must I do? Many preachers today answer, “You must make Jesus the Lord of your life.” But that answer makes absolutely no sense then or now! Peter had just said in Acts 2:36 that “God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” Jesus was already Lord of their lives! Jesus is Lord of lords and King of kings, which means he is your Lord and your King whether or not you obey him or believe him. We obey Jesus because he is Lord and King – not to make him Lord and King.

What must I do? Many preachers today answer, “You must pray the sinner’s prayer and invite the Lord Jesus into you heart.” But no one in the Bible was ever told to do that. In fact, Paul prayed after he saw Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:11), and yet Paul was still in his sins when Ananias met him three days later (Acts 22:16). Cornelius prayed to God always (Acts 10:2), and yet there remained something he still had to do after calling for Peter (Acts 10:6). If praying the sinner’s prayer was all that Paul and Cornelius needed to do, then why were Ananias and Peter needed?

What must I do? Listen as Peter answers that question: “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” (Acts 2:38) That answer has not changed one bit in the intervening 2000 years. If your preacher is telling you something different, then you need a new preacher! “And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.” (Acts 22:16)

Want to know more? Here is God's Plan of Salvation.

1st & 2nd Timothy

These 9 lessons provide a verse by verse study of the books of First and Second Timothy.

1st & 2nd Timothy

Baptism in the Bible

Matthew 28:19

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

Mark 16:16

He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

Acts 2:38

Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Acts 8:36

And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?

Acts 22:16

And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

Romans 6:3

Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

Romans 6:4

Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

1 Corinthians 12:13

For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

Galatians 3:27

For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Ephesians 4:5

One Lord, one faith, one baptism.

Colossians 2:12

Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.

1 Peter 3:21

The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Want to Know More?

Please read this lesson on baptism from our series of lessons on Thought Provoking Questions.

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