Paul wrote 1 Timothy. Paul was from the city of Tarsus. He had been known as Saul in his early life. Before becoming a Christian, Paul was a Pharisee. He persecuted Christians. After he became a Christian, he traveled several times throughout the Roman Empire telling people about Jesus.
Paul had left Timothy in the city of Ephesus to help the believers there. Paul wrote this letter to instruct Timothy about various matters. The topics he addressed included church worship, qualifications for church leaders, and warnings against false teachers. This letter shows how Paul was training Timothy to be a leader among the churches.
Translators may choose to call this book by its traditional title, "1 Timothy" or "First Timothy." Or they may choose a clearer title, such as "Paul's First Letter to Timothy." (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/jit/translate-names]])
Discipleship is the process of encouraging people to live the way Jesus wants them to live, to be more like Christ. This letter gives many instructions about how a leader should train a less mature Christian. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/disciple]])
In this book, the word "I" refers to Paul. Also, the word "you" is almost always singular and refers to Timothy. The exception to this is 6:21. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-exclusive]] and [[rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-you]])
Paul meant to express the idea of a very close union with Christ and the believers. Please see the introduction to the Book of Romans for more details about this kind of expression.
For the following verse, modern versions of the Bible differ from older versions. The ULB text has the modern reading and puts the older reading in a footnote. If a translation of the Bible exists in the general region, translators should consider using the reading found in those versions. If not, translators are advised to follow the modern reading.
* "godliness is a way to get more money." Some older versions of the Bible read this way, "godliness is a way to get more money: withdraw from such things." (6:5)
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