Keith Essex
The “Pastoral” Epistles

Keith Essex's correlating video lecture(s) from The Master's Seminary:

• Lecture 25: Introduction of the Pastoral Epistles;
• Lecture 26: Themes, Purpose, Structure, and Interpretive Issues of the Pastoral Epistles; and
• Lecture 27: Interpretive Issues and Preaching of the Pastoral Epistles.

14. The "Pastoral" Epistles [CCC, 715-33; GNTI, 607-52; CMINT, 554-570; DPL, 658-66; BTINT, 349-56]
    1. The History of Interpretation [DTIB, 801, 804-5, 807-8; ACCSNT, vol. IX]
    2. Introduction: The Historical Background [BNTH, 365-7]
       1. The Travels of Paul
          1. Crete (Tit 1:5)
          2. Ephesus (1Ti 1:3; 3:14)
          3. Nicopolis (Tit 3:12)
       2. The Imprisonment of Paul (2Ti 1:16-17; 2:9; 4:6-8, 16-18)
       3. The Proposed Conclusions
          1. Paul was released from his first Roman imprisonment (Phil 1:18-19, 24-26; 2:24; Phm 1:22) and these 3 letters were written afterward [Knight; Mounce; Fee; Towner (?); MacArthur; EBC (?); BKC]
          2. The 3 letters were written during the time recorded in the book of Acts, possibly during a break in Paul's ministry in Ephesus on the third missionary journey (1 Tim & Tit) and his Roman imprisonment (2 Tim) [Towner (?); EBC (?)]
          3. The 3 letters are pseudepigraphical and were written at the end of the first century or the beginning of the second century
    3. Major Themes [CCC, 748-54]
       1. The False Teachers (1Ti 1:3-11, 18-20; 4:1-10; 6:3-10; 2Ti 2:16-3:9; 4:3-4; Tit 1:10-16; 3:9-11)
          {Jewish Elements: "myths" (1Ti 1:4; 4:7; 2Ti 4:4; Tit 1:14);
          "genealogies" (1Ti 1:4; Tit 3:9);
          "teachers of the Law" (1Ti 1:7);
          "those of the circumcision" (Tit 1:10)}
       2. The True Teaching [DPL, 954-55]
          1. "The faith" (1Ti 1:19; 3:9; 4:1, 6; 5:8; 6:10, 12; 2Ti 3:8; 4:7; Tit 1:13)
          2. Sound Teaching (1Ti 1:10; 6:3; 2Ti 1:13; 4:3; Tit 1:9; 2:1, 8)
          3. "The truth" (1Ti 2:4; 4:3; 2Ti 2:18, 25; 3:7; Tit 1:1)
          4. "A trustworthy statement" (1Ti 1:15; 3:1; 4:9; 2Ti 2:11; Tit 3:8)
          5. "These things" (1Ti 3:14; 4:6, 11; 5:7; 6:2; 2Ti 2:14; Tit 2:1, 15)
       3. Church Leadership (1Ti 3:1-13; Tit 1:5-9)
       4. Church Order (1Ti 2:1-15; 3:14-15; 4:13; 5:3-22; Tit 2:1-10) [DPL, 131-37]
       5. Christian Behavior [DPL, 906-16]
          1. Faith (1Ti 1:4, 19; 4:12; 2Ti 1:5; 2:22; 3:10)
          2. Faithful(ness) (1Ti 1:12; 3:11; 4:3, 10, 12; 5:16; 6:2; 2Ti 2:2)
          3. Godliness (1Ti 3:16; 4:7-8; 6:3, 5-6; Tit 1:1)
          4. Character Qualities (1Ti 3:2-12; 4:12; Tit 1:6-9; 2:7-8)
       6. The Salvation of God
          1. Savior [DPL, 867-69]
             1. The Father (1Ti 1:1; 2:3; 4:10; Tit 1:3; 2:10; 3:4)
             2. Christ Jesus (2Ti 1:10; Tit 1:4; 2:13; 3:6)
          2. Save, Salvation (1Ti 1:15; 2:4, 15; 4:16; 2Ti 1:9; 2:10; 3:15; 4:18; Tit 3:5)
    4. I Timothy [MSB, 1826-28; ESVSB, 2321-24; NIVZSB, 2455-58; RSB, 2149-54; CMINT, 571-77; RFW, 168-70; BTINT, 357-375]
       1. Date: c. AD 63
       2. Major Themes
          1. False, Diseased Teaching (1Ti 1:3-11, 18-20; 4:1-10; 6:3-10)
             1. "myths" (1Ti 1:4; 4:7)
             2. "genealogies" (1Ti 1:4)
             3. "teachers of the Law" (1Ti 1:7)
          2. True, Healthy Teaching
             1. "The faith" (1Ti 1:19; 3:9; 4:1, 6; 5:8; 6:10, 12)
             2. Sound Teaching (1Ti 1:10; 6:3)
             3. "The truth" (1Ti 2:4; 4:3)
             4. "A trustworthy statement" (1Ti 1:15; 3:1; 4:9)
             5. "These things" (1Ti 3:14; 4:6, 11; 5:7; 6:2)
          3. Church Order (1Ti 2:1-15; 3:14-15; 4:13; 5:3-16)
          4. Church Leadership (1Ti 3:1-13; 5:17-22)
          5. Christian Behavior
             1. Faith (1Ti 1:4, 19; 4:12)
             2. Faithful(ness) (1Ti 1:12; 3:11; 4:3, 10, 12; 5:16; 6:2)
             3. Godliness (1Ti 3:16; 4:7-8; 6:3, 5-6)
          6. Personal Exhortations to Timothy (1Ti 1:3, 18-20; 4:6-16; 5:23; 6:2, 11-16, 20)
       3. Purpose:
          • Paul exhorted and instructed Timothy (and the Ephesian church) to stop the influence of false teachers and restore order in the Church [see CCC, 733-34]
       4. The Literary Structure: see outline [CCC, 735-40, 741-44; VOCNT, 54]
          1 TIMOTHY

          1. The Prologue (1Ti 1:1-20)
             1. The Salutation (1Ti 1:1-2)
             2. Paul's Charge to Timothy: Withstand False Teaching and Further the Gospel (1Ti 1:3-20)
                1. The Content of the Charge: Preserve the Purity of the Gospel (1Ti 1:3-11)
                2. Paul's Conversion and Commission as an Example of the Truth of the Gospel (1Ti 1:12-17)
                3. The Renewed Charge: The Trust Given to Timothy (1Ti 1:18-20)
          2. The Body: Paul's Teaching concerning Conduct in the Church and Its Application to Timothy's Ministry (1Ti 2:1-1Ti 6:19)
             1. Paul's Instruction concerning Conduct in the Church (1Ti 2:1-1Ti 3:16)
                1. The Conduct in Public Worship (1Ti 2:1-15)
                   1. The Need for Prayer on Behalf of All Men (1Ti 2:1-8)
                   2. The Place of Godly Women: Quietly Receiving Instruction (1Ti 2:9-15)
                2. The Qualification for Church Leadership (1Ti 3:1-13)
                   1. The Qualification for the Overseers (1Ti 3:1-7)
                   2. The Qualification for the Deacons (1Ti 3:8-13)
                3. The Conduct and Confession of the Church (1Ti 3:14-16)
             2. Paul's Instruction to Timothy concerning His Personal Ministry (1Ti 4:1-1Ti 6:19)
                1. Timothy's Attention to Himself and His Teaching (1Ti 4:1-16)
                   1. Paul's Instruction concerning Timothy's Teaching (1Ti 4:1-11)
                   2. Paul's Instruction concerning Timothy's Example (1Ti 4:12-16)
                2. Timothy's Relationships with Groups in the Church (1Ti 5:1-25)
                   1. Timothy's Relationship with Older and Younger (1Ti 5:1-2)
                   2. Timothy's Relationship with Widows (1Ti 5:3-16)
                   3. Timothy's Relationship with Elders (1Ti 5:17-25)
                3. Paul's Final Instruction to Timothy (1Ti 6:1-19)
                   1. Timothy's Instruction to Slaves (1Ti 6:1-2)
                   2. Timothy's Awareness of False Teachers (1Ti 6:3-10)
                   3. Timothy's Proper Pursuits (1Ti 6:11-16)
                   4. Timothy's Instructions to the Rich (1Ti 6:17-19)
          3. The Epilogue (1Ti 6:20-21)
    5. Titus [MSB, 1853-54; ESVSB, 2345-47; NIVZSB; 2479-80; RSB, 2176-80; CMINT, 581-84; RFW, 172-4; BTINT, 393-400]
       1. Date: c. AD 66
       2. Major Themes
          1. The influence of false teachers and their teaching (Tit 1:9-16; 3:9-11)
          2. The need for order in the churches (Tit 1:5-9; 2:2-9)
          3. The need for sensible (Tit 2:2, 5, 6),
             dignified (Tit 2:2, 7),
             obedient behavior which was fitted for sound doctrine (Tit 2:1, 8, 10, 11-15; 3:1-8)
       3. Purpose:
          • Paul exhorted and instructed Titus (and the Churches of Crete) to stop false teachers in the Churches [see CCC, 735]
       4. The Literary Structure: see outline [CCC, 741, 746-48; VOCNT, 56]
          TITUS

          1. The Prologue (Tit 1:1-16)
             1. The Salutation (Tit 1:1-4)
             2. Paul's Charge to Titus: Appoint Elders Who Will Exhort in Sound Doctrine and Refute Those Who Contradict Sound Doctrine (Tit 1:5-16)
          2. The Body: Paul's Instruction to Titus concerning Conduct in the Church and in the World (Tit 2:1-Tit 3:11)
             1. The Conduct of Various Age Groups in the Church (Tit 2:1-8)
                1. Older Men (Tit 2:1-2)
                2. Older and Younger Women (Tit 2:3-5)
                3. Younger Men (Tit 2:6-8)
             2. The Conduct of Slaves (Tit 2:9-10)
             3. The Sensible, Righteous, Godly Conduct of All (Tit 2:11-15)
             4. The Submissive Conduct of All towards Rulers and Authorities (Tit 3:1-7)
             5. The Conduct toward a Factious Man (Tit 3:8-11)
          3. The Epilogue (Tit 3:12-15)
    6. 2 Timothy [MSB, 1843-44; ESVSB, 2335-37; NIVZSB, 2470-71; RSB, 2165-69; CMINT, 577-81; RFW, 170-2; BTINT, 377-91]
       1. Date: c. AD 67
       2. Major Themes
          1. Timothy's godly heritage (2Ti 1:5-7; 3:14-15);
             his future in light of Paul's death (2Ti 4:6-21)
          2. Suffer hardship for (2Ti 2:3-13; 3:10-4:2)
             and be unashamed of (2Ti 1:8-12) the gospel
          3. The continued impact of false teaching (2Ti 1:15; 2:14-26; 3:1-9; 4:3-5)
       3. Purpose:
          • Paul appealed for Timothy to carry on the ministry of the Gospel after Paul's death [see CCC, 735]
       4. The Literary Structure: see outline [CCC, 740, 742, 744-46; VOCNT, 55]
          2 TIMOTHY

          1. The Prologue (2Ti 1:1-5)
             1. The Salutation (2Ti 1:1-2)
             2. Paul's Thanksgiving for Timothy's Sincere Faith (2Ti 1:3-5)
          2. The Body: Paul's Exhortation to Timothy in View of Paul's Impending Death (2Ti 1:6-2Ti 4:8)
             1. Paul's Exhortations to Timothy concerning His Personal Steadfastness (2Ti 1:6-2Ti 2:13)
                1. Paul's Appeal to Timothy for a Spirit-given Boldness that Will Endure Suffering (2Ti 1:6-18)
                2. Paul's Appeal to Timothy to Suffer as a Good Soldier of Christ Jesus (2Ti 2:1-13)
             2. Paul's Exhortations to Timothy concerning His Public Service (2Ti 2:14-2Ti 4:8)
                1. Paul's Appeal to Timothy to Not Argue over Words (2Ti 2:14-26)
                2. Paul's Appeal to Timothy to Continue in the Teachings of the Scripture in View of the Coming Opposition to God's Truth (2Ti 3:1-2Ti 4:5)
                3. Paul's Final Testimony (2Ti 4:6-8)
          3. The Epilogue (2Ti 4:9-22)
    7. Bibliography
       1. Exegetical:
          • Knight, Commentary on the Pastoral Epistles (NIGTC).
          • *Mounce, The Pastoral Epistles (WBC).
       2. English Interpretation:
          • Fee, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus (NIBCNT).
          • *Towner, The Letters to Timothy & Titus (NICNT).
       3. Expositional:
          • MacArthur, 1 Timothy (MacNTC).
          • MacArthur, 2 Timothy (MacNTC).
          • MacArthur, Titus (MacNTC).
    8. Selected Interpretive Issues
       1. Instruction to Women (1 Tim 2:9-15) [MSB, 1832-3; ESVSB, 2328; NIVZSB, 2462-63; RSB, 2157-58; DPL, 583-92]
          1. Specific for Ephesus Only [Mounce; Fee; Towner]
          2. Universal for All Churches [Knight; MacArthur; EBC2]
       2. "Saved through the bearing of children" (1 Tim 2:15) [MSB, 1833; ESVSB, 2328; NIVZSB, 2463; RSB, 2158]
          1. Kept Safe while Bearing a Child
          2. Delivered from the Errors of 1Ti 2:11-12
          3. Saved through "The Childbirth," i.e. Jesus Christ [Knight]
          4. Saved in Being a Godly Woman, Rearing Godly Children [Mounce; Fee; Towner; MacArthur; EBC1; EBC2; BKC]
       3. "Women" (1 Tim 3:11) [MSB, 1835; ESVSB, 2330; NIVZSB, 2463-64; RSB, 2159]
          1. Deaconesses [Fee; MacArthur]
          2. Deacons' Wives [Knight; Mounce; EBC1; BKC (?)]
          3. Deacons' Female Assistants
          4. Women (who are) Deacons [Towner; EBC2]
       4. "The Savior of all men" (1 Tim 4:10) [MSB, 1836-7; ESVSB, 2331; NIVZSB, 2465; RSB, 2160, 1875]
          1. God Will Save All People
          2. God Is Desirous to Save All People [BKC]
          3. God Is the Potential Savior of All People [Fee; EBC1]
             ["God's universal salvific will is realized 'particularly' through proclamation of and belief in the gospel," Towner]
          4. God Is the Savior of All Sorts of People
          5. God Is the Preserver of All People [MacArthur]
          6. God Is the Savior of Believers ["the Savior of all men, that is, believers," Knight]
          7. God Has Provided Salvation through the Atonement Rendered by Jesus [EBC2]
       5. "Children who believe" (Tit. 1:6) [MSB, 1855; ESVSB, 2348; NIVZSB, 2481]
          1. Saved Children [Mounce (?); Fee (?); Towner; MacArthur; EBC1; BKC]
          2. Faithful Children [Knight; EBC2]
    9. Preaching 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus

Used with permission by Dr. Keith Essex. Redistribution without express permission from Dr. Keith Essex is prohibited.