1Timothy 1:1 - Who is Paul?
Good to see y’all tonight. Welcome to The Well Community Church. If I haven’t met you yet, I’m Brad. I’m one of the elders and the lead pastor here, and you’re stuck with me for the next thirty-five or so minutes in 1 Timothy.
If you have your Bibles, turn there. We are going to start a new series in the book of 1 Timothy. It is one of three pastoral epistles the Apostle Paul writes, and one of four letters he writes to individual people. Timothy gets two of them, which I think says a little something about who Timothy is as the recipient, but also about the challenging context in which he finds himself.
The theme of this series is essentially “Blueprints for a Gospel-Centered Church.” If you’ve ever read through 1 Timothy, you know it is chock-full of all kinds of practical insights on how the gospel changes us and calls us to live differently.
Tonight, I want to see if we can accomplish three things. First, I want to explore the unique significance of the author. Paul is fascinating, and to understand this book, we must understand him first and foremost. Second, I want to put together a biblical timeline, because where 1 Timothy lands in history and why it was written is very significant. Third and finally, we’ll see what biblical encouragement we can draw from this opening greeting.
Who Is Paul?
1 Timothy 1:1 starts as follows:
1 Timothy 1:1 (NASB)
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God our Savior, and of Christ Jesus, [who is] our hope,
“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God our Savior, and of Christ Jesus, who is our hope…”
The question we need to ask and answer right off the bat is: who the heck is Paul? Whoever this man is, he is writing a letter claiming apostolic authority. His background, his experiences, and his life story are deeply significant for understanding everything that follows.
To understand who he is, we have to go back. Keep your finger in 1 Timothy—we’ll be back there shortly—and turn to Acts chapter 5. We are going to move through several passages in Acts to build a biography of this man, Paul.
Two Rabbinic Schools and a Growing Movement
While you’re turning to Acts 5, let me give you a little historical backdrop. In the first century—during the time of Christ and the writing of the New Testament—there were two primary rabbinic schools that trained Jewish leaders: the school of Hillel and the school of Shammai. These two schools shaped the entire religious landscape of the era.
The school of Hillel tended to be more lenient and laid-back. The school of Shammai was far more strict, rigorous, and legalistic. If you are familiar with the biblical concept of the Zealots, they were closely aligned with the school of Shammai. During the life of Christ up until the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, the school of Shammai was the dominating voice. The Jewish culture was zealous: obey God, revolt against Rome, kick out the oppressor, and secure political and religious freedom, even if it takes a sword.
That dynamic shifted after Jerusalem fell in 70 AD. Shammai declined, and Hillel became the dominating rabbinic voice for the next four hundred years. Hillel himself isn’t mentioned in the Bible, but one of his chief disciples is: a man named Gamaliel, found in Acts 5:34.
To see why Gamaliel matters, remember what is happening in the Book of Acts. Jesus is crucified, buried, and resurrected. In Acts 1:8, Jesus tells the disciples that the gospel will spread from Jerusalem to Judea, Samaria, and to the remotest parts of the earth.
Acts 1:8 (NASB)
but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.’
Like a brush fire in a dry forest, that is exactly what happens. In Acts 1:15, there are 120 followers of Jesus gathered in the upper room. In Acts 2:41, three thousand people believe. Acts 2:47 tells us the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. By Acts 4:4, there are five thousand men following Jesus. It was an explosive, numerical, and geographic movement.
If you were a Jewish religious leader, this movement bothered you deeply. This rabbi from Nazareth, whose authority you rejected, was drawing thousands. In Acts 4, Peter and John are arrested. The leaders recognize they are uneducated men, but they note that they had been with Jesus. What a wonderful reputation to have—regardless of your education, to simply be recognized as someone who walks with Jesus!
The council commands them to stop speaking in Jesus’ name. Peter and John give that classic, bold response in Acts 4:19–20: “Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
Acts 4:19-20 (NASB)
But Peter and John answered and said to them, ‘Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.’
The Counsel of Gamaliel
Tension continues to boil over. The followers of Shammai believed in cutting the head off the snake: arrest the leaders, beat them, kill them, and crush the movement. So in Acts 5:18, the high priest and his associates arrest all the apostles.
They bring them before the Sanhedrin—the supreme Jewish council made up of priests, Pharisees, and Sadducees from both the schools of Hillel and Shammai. The high priest confronts them: “We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching.”
Peter and the apostles answer plainly: “We must obey God rather than men.”
Acts 5:29 (NASB)
But Peter and the apostles answered, ’We must obey God rather than men.
Peter preaches Christ right to their faces, calling them to repentance. Verse 33 says the council was cut to the quick and intended to kill them. That was the Shammai reaction: kill the opposition.
But in verse 34, Gamaliel—the disciple of Hillel—stands up. He has the apostles put outside and offers classic Hillel wisdom: “Men of Israel, be careful what you do. If this plan or action is of men, it will overthrow itself, just like the uprisings of Theudas and Judas the Galilean did. But if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found fighting against God.”
Acts 5:38-39 (NASB)
‘So in the present case, I say to you, stay away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or action is of men, it will be overthrown; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found fighting against God.’
Gamaliel’s advice sounded prudent, patient, and wise: let it play out and see what happens.
Enter Saul of Tarsus
There was just one problem. Gamaliel had a brilliant young student named Saul.
Saul was younger, impetuous, and wildly passionate. Even though he was trained in the moderate way of Hillel, his heart resonated with the aggressive zeal of Shammai. He wasn’t interested in sitting back and waiting. As he watched the apostles get flogged, rejoice, and go right back to preaching Jesus daily in the temple, Saul’s blood began to boil.
In Acts 6:7, many Jewish priests start converting to the faith. That seems to be the final straw for Saul. Shortly after, a godly deacon named Stephen is arrested and dragged before the council. Stephen gives a powerful defense of the gospel, confronting the leaders for resisting the Holy Spirit.
The council flies into a rage. They drag Stephen out of the city and begin stoning him to death. Acts 7:58 records this chilling detail: “The witnesses laid aside their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul.”
Acts 7:58 (NASB)
When they had driven him out of the city, they [began] stoning [him]; and the witnesses laid aside their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul.
Saul stepped outside the passive counsel of his mentor Gamaliel. He took matters into his own hands. Acts 8:1–3 tells us that Saul was in hearty agreement with putting Stephen to death. A great persecution broke out, and while devout men buried Stephen and wept, Saul began ravaging the church. He entered house after house, dragging off men and women, throwing them into prison.
Acts 8:3 (NASB)
But Saul [began] ravaging the church, entering house after house, and dragging off men and women, he would put them in prison.
In Acts 9, Saul takes his crusade further. Still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, he goes to the high priest and requests extradition letters to Damascus. He wants to hunt down followers of The Way, bind them, and bring them back to Jerusalem for trial and execution.
The Road to Damascus
As Saul approaches Damascus, a blinding light from heaven flashes around him. He falls to the ground and hears a voice: “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”
Saul asks, “Who are You, Lord?”
And the voice responds, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.”
Acts 9:4-5 (NASB)
and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’ And he said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He [said], ’I am Jesus whom you are persecuting,
Imagine the sheer panic and theological shock in that moment. The very One he thought was a dead blasphemer is the reigning Lord of glory.
Jesus tells him to get up and go into the city. Saul stands up, but he is completely blind. This brilliant, elite scholar has to be taken by the hand and led into Damascus like a child. For three days, he sits in darkness, neither eating nor drinking, grappling with the reality of who Jesus is.
The Lord sends a disciple named Ananias to lay hands on him. Ananias is terrified, but God tells him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine.” Ananias goes, prays for him, and immediately something like scales fall from Saul’s eyes. Saul is baptized, takes food, and immediately begins proclaiming Jesus in the synagogues, declaring, “He is the Son of God!”
Acts 9:20 (NASB)
and immediately he [began] to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, ‘He is the Son of God.’
The people are stunned. Isn’t this the man who destroyed those who called on this name in Jerusalem? Galatians 1:17 tells us that Paul spent three years in Arabia, processing the Scriptures, letting God connect the dots of the Old Testament to Jesus Christ. When he returns to Damascus to preach, the Jewish leaders plot to kill him, and he has to be lowered over the city wall in a basket by night.
Galatians 1:23 (NASB)
but only, they kept hearing, ‘He who once persecuted us is now preaching the faith which he once tried to destroy.’
The church in Jerusalem is skeptical of him until a man named Barnabas—the “son of encouragement”—steps in, vouches for him, and welcomes him. Eventually, Saul is sent back to his hometown of Tarsus for his own safety.
Years later, a massive revival breaks out among Gentiles in Antioch. The Jerusalem church sends Barnabas to investigate. Barnabas sees the harvest and realizes he needs a gifted teacher. He travels to Tarsus, finds Saul, and brings him to Antioch. For a whole year, they teach the church, and it is in Antioch that the disciples are first called Christians.
Acts 11:26 (NASB)
and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. And for an entire year they met with the church and taught considerable numbers; and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.
In Acts 13, the Holy Spirit sets apart Barnabas and Saul for missionary work. As they travel through Cyprus, Saul confronts a false prophet named Elymas and leads a Roman proconsul to faith. Right around this turning point, Scripture shifts from calling him by his Hebrew name, Saul, to his Greco-Roman name, Paul. From that moment forward, the narrative regularly refers to “Paul and Barnabas.”
A Brief Timeline of Paul’s Ministry
Paul embarks on three major missionary journeys.
On his first journey (Acts 13–14), he writes Galatians. On his second journey (Acts 15–18), he writes 1 and 2 Thessalonians. On his third journey (Acts 18–21), he writes 1 and 2 Corinthians and Romans.
At the end of Acts, Paul is arrested in Jerusalem, appeals to Caesar, and is sent to Rome. Under house arrest in Rome, he pens the Prison Epistles: Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon.
Paul is eventually released. He travels east, visits Crete (where he leaves Titus to pastor), and stops in Ephesus on his way to Macedonia. Seeing the damage caused by false teachers in Ephesus, Paul leaves his young apprentice Timothy there to shepherd the church. Soon after, Paul writes 1 Timothy to instruct him on how to lead.
Not long after, around AD 64, a massive fire destroys Rome. Emperor Nero blames the Christians, initiating brutal persecution. Paul is rearrested, thrown into a cold Roman dungeon on death row, and writes his final letter: 2 Timothy. Around AD 68, Paul is martyred for his faith.
1 Timothy comes from a seasoned, battle-tested apostle near the end of his life, passing the baton to a young pastor charged with establishing a healthy, gospel-centered church.
Gospel Priority: All Things Loss for Christ
What encouragement does Paul’s life give us today?
First, Paul never allowed his earthly pedigree to become an ultimate thing. He had an extraordinary heritage. In Acts 22:3, he boasts of his education under Gamaliel.
Acts 22:3 (NASB)
’I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated under Gamaliel, strictly according to the law of our fathers, being zealous for God just as you all are today.
In Galatians 1:14, he notes that he was advancing in Judaism beyond his contemporaries, extremely zealous for the traditions of his fathers.
Galatians 1:14 (NASB)
and I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my countrymen, being more extremely zealous for my ancestral traditions.
In Philippians 3, he lays out his resume: circumcised the eighth day, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews, as to the law a Pharisee, as to zeal a persecutor of the church, as to righteousness blameless.
Philippians 3:5-6 (NASB)
circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.
He had the elite pedigree, the family background, and the religious credentials. But look at what he says next in Philippians 3:7–8:
Philippians 3:7-8 (NASB)
But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ,
“Whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ.”
Paul never let the good things in his life eclipse the supreme thing. Once he met Jesus, the gospel became his sole treasure.
As we reflect on our lives and head into a new year, we might look back on accomplishments, family heritage, or career success. In a culture driven by curated social media profiles, follower counts, and public approval, can we hold those things with an open hand and say, “Compared to knowing Christ, all of this is rubbish”? The most important thing about you is not your job, your status, your wealth, or your background. It is Jesus Christ.
Gospel Grace: A Past Made New
There is a second lesson from Paul’s story. His life wasn’t just filled with religious accomplishments; it was also filled with deep, dark regret.
If Paul were to go through a recovery ministry like Regeneration here at The Well and write out his fourth-step moral inventory, he would have some heavy things on that paper. He calls himself a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a violent aggressor. He instigated the murder of Christians. He tore families apart. He referred to himself as the foremost of sinners.
Yet, when Paul encountered Jesus, his past was completely swallowed up by grace. As he wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:17–18:
2 Corinthians 5:17-18 (NASB)
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, [he is] a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all [these] things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,
“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.”
In Christ, you are no longer defined by the shameful, broken, or guilt-ridden chapters of your past. That is not who you are.
Paul didn’t take pride in his pedigree, because it was nothing compared to Christ. And he wasn’t paralyzed by his past, because Christ’s grace had set him free. Jesus took bolt cutters to the chains of Paul’s guilt and made him an apostle of grace.
As you reflect tonight, is there anything in your life carrying shame or guilt? Is there a secret sin, a failure, or a past mistake that makes you think, God could never love me after what I’ve done?
Let Paul’s life remind you of the truth of the gospel: God’s grace is greater than your deepest sin. When Jesus died on the cross, He paid for all of it. By faith alone in Christ alone, your slate is wiped clean. He separates your sin from you as far as the east is from the west.
Christ Jesus Our Hope
Look at how Paul opens this letter one more time:
“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God our Savior, and of Christ Jesus, who is our hope…”
Paul was an apostle not by human ambition or career choice, but by the divine command of God. His life was anchored in God our Savior, whose eternal plan was to rescue broken sinners. And his eyes were fixed on Christ Jesus, who is our living hope.
There is a world of truth packed into this single verse. Let’s carry that truth into this study and into our lives.
Let’s pray.
Father, help us to live with the priority of the gospel. Keep us from taking pride in our own achievements or earthly status, for all of it pales in comparison to the cross of Christ. Jesus, You alone are worthy.
And Lord, if there is shame, guilt, or unconfessed sin weighing down anyone here tonight, give them the courage to bring it into the light. Remind us that if we confess our sins, You are faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Cleanse our souls as we begin this new season. Anchor our hearts in Christ Jesus, our only hope. In Jesus’ name, Amen.