1 TimothyChapter 1
Tap any verse to comment or suggest a better wording.
1This letter is from Paul. I am an apostle of Christ Jesus. God our Savior and Christ Jesus our hope gave the command that made me one. 2I am writing to Timothy, my true son in the faith. May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord give you grace, mercy, and peace. 3When I left for Macedonia, I urged you to stay in Ephesus. I still want you to stay there. Tell certain men there to stop teaching false things. 4Tell them not to spend their time on made-up stories and endless lists of ancestors. These things only stir up guessing. They do not help with God's work, which is done by faith. 5The goal of what we teach is love. This love comes from a pure heart, a clean conscience, and a faith that is real. 6Some people have wandered away from these things. They have turned to empty talk. 7They want to be teachers of the law. But they don't understand what they are saying. They don't understand the things they talk about so boldly. 8We know that the law is good, if a person uses it the right way. 9We know the law is not made for people who do what is right. It is made for those who break the law and rebel. It is for people who don't honor God and who sin. It is for people who are not holy and who mock holy things. It is for those who kill their fathers or mothers, and for murderers. 10It is for the sexually immoral and for men who have sex with men. It is for slave traders, liars, and those who lie under oath. And it is for anyone else who fights against true teaching. 11That true teaching agrees with the glorious good news of the blessed God. He trusted me with this good news. 12I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has made me strong. I thank him because he thought I was faithful. So he chose me to serve him. 13In the past I spoke against God. I hunted down his people, and I was violent. But God showed me mercy, because I acted without knowing better and did not believe. 14The grace of our Lord poured over me. With it came the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15This saying is true, and everyone should fully accept it: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. And I am the worst of them. 16But that is the very reason God showed me mercy. I am the worst sinner. So in me, Christ Jesus could show how perfectly patient he is. I am an example for those who will believe in him and receive eternal life. 17Now give honor and glory forever and ever to the King who lives forever. He can never die, and he cannot be seen. He is the only God. Amen. 18Timothy, my son, I am giving you this command. It agrees with the prophecies spoken about you before. Let them help you fight the good fight. 19Hold on to your faith and a good conscience. Some people have pushed these away. And so their faith has been wrecked like a ship. 20Hymenaeus and Alexander are two of them. I have handed them over to Satan. That way they will learn not to speak against God.