Who Was Timothy?

Timothy was a missionary in Asia Minor and second pastor of the church of Ephesus during the first century A.D. Two of the three Pastoral epistles in the New Testament bear his name -- 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy.

The early years

Timothy is first mentioned in Acts 16. He lived in the area of Derbe and Lystra (Acts 16:1), where many disciples had been made on the Apostle Paul's first missionary journey (Acts 14:6-22). His father was Greek but his mother, Eunice, was a Jewish believer. His grandmother, Lois, was also a believer (2 Tim. 1:5). Timothy was already a believer at this time -- since the brothers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him (Acts 16:2). It could well be that he was led to faith in Christ by Paul on his first missionary journey. It could also be that his mother and grandmother were the instruments of his salvation (2 Tim. 1:5). Scripture is silent on the specifics of Timothy's conversion; nevertheless, Paul considered himself the "spiritual father" of Timothy, calling him "a true son in the faith" (1 Tim. 1:2, NKJV) and "a beloved son" (2 Tim. 1:2, NKJV). Paul selected Timothy to go on his second missionary journey. He even circumcized Timothy for fear of unnecessarily offending the Jews in that region (Acts 16:3). And it was Paul who realized Timothy's gift as a preacher (2 Tim. 1:6).

His journeys with Paul

Paul and Timothy shared a close friendship which they built through ministry experiences over many years. Leaving Lystra and Derbe, Timothy traveled with Paul throughout Asia Minor and on into Macedonia. Acts 17:10-15 records that Timothy stayed in Berea with Silas, presumably to minister and teach the word of God to the Berean believers. Later, Timothy and Silas rejoined Paul in Corinth. It appears that Timothy, among others, worked to support Paul on these journeys. When he arrived in Corinth with Silas, "Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching" (Acts 18:5, NIV) whereas Paul had previously worked as a tentmaker. On Paul's third missionary journey, Timothy was with Paul in Ephesus. Here Timothy is called Paul's "helper" (Acts 19:22) and was first sent out on a mission of his own with another disciple, Erastus, to the Macedonia churches. Paul helped Timothy reach his full potential in Christ and then established him as the pastor at Ephesus (1 Tim. 1:3).

His instructions from Paul

In 1 Timothy

The Apostle considered Timothy an equal in his ministry when using such terms as "my fellow worker" (Rom. 16:21; 1 Thes. 3:2), "our brother" (2 Cor. 1:1; Col. 1:1; 1 Thes. 3:2; Phile. 1:1; Heb. 13:23), and "Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus" (Phil. 1:1). Young Timothy's faith had been tested on the missionary field with Paul, who commended him to the church at Philippi saying, "you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel" (Phil. 2:22). In his first epistle to Timothy at Ephesus, however, we see the elder Paul writing in order to strengthen Timothy in his role as pastor. He instructs Timothy on how to lead the church as its senior spiritual leader (1 Tim. 1:18; 3:15). False teachers were spreading bad doctrine and discord and so Timothy was asked to remain there to refute them with sound doctrine (1 Tim. 1:3). Paul reminded Timothy of the need for prayer and submission (1 Tim. 2), godly leaders in the church (1 Tim. 3), godly leadership by Timothy (1 Tim. 4), godly conduct by the congregation (1 Tim. 5-6). He concludes with a reverent warning that Timothy should "guard what was committed to your trust" (1 Tim. 6:20). A key verse for Timothy (and for any young minister) is: "Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity" (1 Tim. 4:12, NKJV).

In 2 Timothy

In His second letter to Timothy (included in the canon of Scripture), Paul writes a more personal letter as it is to be his last (2 Tim. 4:6). Paul writes to Timothy to boldy and faithfully preach the word of God (2 Tim. 1:6-7, 13-14; 2:14; 4:2). Thankful to God for Timothy's upbringing in the faith, Paul exhorts Timothy to continue in what he has learned (2 Tim. 1), avoid foolish arguments (2 Tim. 2), beware of the coming apostasy and trust the word of God (2 Tim. 3), and preach God's word with faithfulness (2 Tim. 4). The key verse in this epistle is Paul's wonderful assessment of the value of God's word: "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Tim. 3:16-17).

Concluding Remarks

At some point, Timothy suffered in prison but was released (Heb. 13:23). He was a faithful missionary, evangelist, and pastor. He was Paul's closest friend, brother in the LORD, and devoted ministry helper. Of Timothy, Paul noted, "For I have no one like-minded, who will sincerely care for your state. For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus. But you know his proven character, that as a son with his father he served with me in the gospel" (Phil 2:20-22, NKJV).