1 Timothy 1:1-2 - The Object of Our Hope

The apostle Paul makes a hard-hitting statement about when sin entered the world. He says, “The creation was subjected to futility.” Our world was put under a kind of emptinessness that brought tragic limitations. Think about it: our planet is so majestic, yet something holds it back from all it could be. Beautiful plants and awe-inspiring animals are subject to disease and death.Natural disasters can destroy everything in their path.

But why is the world this way? Paul says, “because of Him who subjected it.” Certainly, Adam broke the covenant with God, and sin entered the world. But in this verse, Paul is referring to a different “him.” Paul says it was God who put the world under the effects of sin –  though not without purpose. He says God did so “in hope” – hope “that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption.”

This means that when God cursed the world, He didn't do so in a hopeless way. He did so with redemption in view: with the expectation of freedom from the curse for the creation and for sinners. This freedom comes only through Jesus Christ. And God calls us to live by faith in Him and put our hope in Him.

But that’s not always easy, is it? Where do you place your hope each day? One way to tell is to ask yourself what you are most afraid of losing in this life. Often, we aren’t hoping in Christ as much as we’re hoping in success, prosperity, or comfort. But even with success, prosperity, and comfort – and we’ve all had some – life still has so many struggles, and it winds down in a difficult and often tragic way. We suffer, we hurt, we fear, – eventually, we die.

It’s interesting, though – when we feel the futility, we try to manage it somehow. We try to distract ourselves, or throw ourselves into achievement. We focus on things we can control in our lives, or we just tell ourselves that things will eventually work out. But those strategies don’t remove the futility. They only mask it.

However, we can be hopeful, and we can live by faith. We have not been subjected to sin’s futility without hope. God provides what we need to keep looking to Christ, living by faith, and hoping in Him. These opening verses of 1 Timothy emphasize that God has provided two things: ordained leaders to shepherd His people toward Christ, and covenant blessings to save and sanctify His people through Christ.

Look again at verse [1]. Paul says he is, “an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope.” An apostle was a man set apart by Christ, an eyewitness of His ministry, and someone given authority from Christ for a foundational role in the church. Ephesians 2 says that the church is “the household of God built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone.”

“Apostle” is a church office that is now closed. There are no more living apostles, but their ministry carries on through the NT church they established and the written Word of God they recorded. We refer to the time in which they ministered and wrote Scripture as “the Apostolic era.” That era is over. The foundation is laid and now complete.

And since that time, Christ has been building on the foundation. He does so by His Word and Spirit, and through His people. And He gives shepherds to His people to care for and lead them because we are prone to forget, prone to drift, and prone to look for hope in the wrong places – even after we believe.

Notice again Paul says he’s an apostle “by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope.” “Command” could be translated as “decree.” Paul is referring here to the first and second persons of the triune God – the Father and the Son, who are, respectively, the Source and the Mediator of salvation.

The apostle Peter also speaks this way. For example, in 1 Peter 3, he writes, “Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God.” Of course, Christ is God, but only the Son serves between God and mankind.

Now, interestingly, Paul calls the Father “our Savior.” Over and over, we see that God the Father sent the Son to save His people. If you wonder why Paul says “God” and not “the Father,” it seems that Paul means to use language here that keeps monotheism in view while also honoring the distinct roles of the Father and Son in our salvation. We worship one God, yet the one true God exists in three distinct persons, each fully God, equal in power and glory.

So, God the Father is our Savior, and “Christ Jesus [is] our hope.” This means that Christ is the source of our expectation. So what do we expect? Well, in Christ, we expect that along with creation and all God’s people, we will be redeemed on the Last Day.

This also means that Christ is the source of our confidence. What are we confident in? We are confident that we have been set free from sin’s curse. We are confident that the wrath of God is no longer against us. We are confident that we are no longer dead in our sins. We are confident that we have a spotless record before the holy and only God.

Paul’s apostleship was authorized by the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. But maybe you wondered, “Why doesn’t he mention the Holy Spirit here?” Where’s the third person of the Trinity in this introduction? Paul honors the Spirit later on in the book, but a Trinitarian roll call isn’t necessary every time. The Spirit’s role in our salvation is the application of it, as we proclaimed earlier. He applies the redemptive work of Christ. He spiritually unites us with Christ. Paul seems content only to acknowledge the Father as the Source of salvation, and Christ as the One who performed that saving work, but the full Trinitarian work is assumed here.

Now look at verse [2]. Paul says, “To Timothy, my true child in the faith.” Since we’re beginning a new book of Scripture, let me give you some background. Paul wrote this letter from Macedonia to Timothy, whom he had left in Ephesus to help establish the church, and to guard it against false teaching while he continued gospel ministry elsewhere.

Timothy was from a smaller town called Lystra in the region known as Galatia – (modern-day central Turkey). His father was a Gentile and his mother was a Jew. It seems that his father didn’t become a Christian, but his mother and grandmother did – and they had a tremendous influence on him, as moms and grandmas often do.

Paul doesn’t appear to have led Timothy to Christ, but God raised up Timothy as a representative prepared by Paul to serve in the church in at least four places:
Thessalonica, Corinth, Philippi, and Ephesus. Paul and Timothy's relationship was a pastoral mentorship-type relationship. It’s important to remember that as we read this letter. This was the nature of their father/son type bond, and through their relationship, we learn a great deal about what a pastor is and does.

But also, there are signs that this letter was to be read to whole congregations. And so the truth contained in 1 Timothy belongs to all the people of God, though some commands are given only to the shepherds of the church. This letter was intended to strengthen the hope of Timothy and the church.

In Ephesus, where Timothy was, even with their successes, prosperity, and comforts, life was difficult. They too suffered, hurt, feared, struggled, and eventually, would die. And so Paul wrote this to strengthen their trust in Christ,and to help them live by faith, and so to strengthen their church. This is why Paul assigned Timothy to Ephesus.

Even the greatest athletes need a coach. Even the best students need a teacher. Coaches and teachers are essentially servants in place to help others grow. God’s ordained leaders are servants as well. Paul and Timothy were servants, as so are the shepherds of the church today. And like the person who brings the mail, or the waiter who brings your meal, or the doctor who prescribes your medication and treatment. God’s ordained leaders are servants authorized to deliver to you what you need.

Faithful ministers are not called to generate hope for you. Rather, they fulfill their calling to point you again and again to the hope that is in Christ. The shepherds of God’s people – these men set apart to lead the church – lead God’s people to where they are nourished – to Jesus. This is God’s design. He gives ordained leaders to shepherd His people toward Christ. And like Paul and Timothy, God’s ordained leaders today are a key provision of God to help His people look to Christ, live by faith, and hope in Him.

During the life of the OT prophet Jeremiah in ancient Israel, spiritual leadership had really decayed. The shepherds of God’s people were mostly corrupt. But God promised to restore faithful spiritual leaders to His covenant people. In Jeremiah 3, God says, “I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.” God has kept His word. He gives ordained leaders to shepherd you toward Christ.

It’s a good exercise to ask yourself after any worship service, “Where did they seek to lead me today? Was it to the hope that is in Christ? Did they acknowledge the actual, Biblical realities for God’s people in this life, and did they take me to the hope of Christ as I face those realities?”

You see, they had shepherds in ancient Israel; they just weren’t good shepherds. They led the people into man-centeredness and idolatry. They led the people into the foolishness of the surrounding nations. They led the people further into the futility of sin. God’s people need good undershepherds who lead them to the Chief Shepherd.

Now notice the rest of verse 2. Paul adds, “Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.” Paul’s letter to the Ephesians opens in a very similar way, and actually, that opening helps us understand this one. In Ephesians, Paul writes, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.” Believers possess spiritual blessings that are secure with Christ in heaven.


What are these blessings? Well, things like God’s grace, mercy, and peace. We could go into great detail about each one, but simply put, God’s grace is His undeserved favor toward us in Christ, God’s mercy is His compassion toward His people in Christ, and God’s peace is reconciliation with Him through Christ. We are no longer His enemies because of Christ. All of this was secured for us by Jesus Christ.

These spiritual blessings are ours through spiritual union with Christ. To be united to Christ means that your standing before God does not rise and fall with your performance, feelings, or spiritual consistency. How can that be? Because your life is hidden with Christ.

Can you see these blessings or hold them in your hands? Well, you can see and experience many results of these blessings. You may not always have a warm fuzzy feeling inside, but these blessings are always secure with Christ. There will be days when you may not feel hopeful at all. But your hope doesn’t rest on your emotional state – it rests in Christ. He doesn’t change, and so your hope doesn’t change – even when your feelings do.

You see, grace, mercy, and peace from the Father and the Son are not just vague concepts. They are real benefits provided by God to those in covenant with Him.

Notice that these are benefits which can be enjoyed in any earthly circumstances. In times of prosperity or times of need – grace, mercy, and peace are ours in Christ. You may feel unworthy of His grace or undeserving of His mercy, but if you are in Christ, they are yours. You may not have a feeling of peace within, but if you are in Christ, you have peace with God through Christ the Lord.

These blessings and more flow from Christ through spiritual union with Him. These and more constitute the spiritual nutrients provided by God for spiritual growth. His ordained leaders administer His ordinary means of grace to you: the Word, sacraments, and prayer, and you are to use the Word and prayer in your daily life, that Christ may strengthen you to live by faith and hope in Him.When we gather to hear the Word preached and read, when we pray, and when we receive the sacraments, we aren’t merely performing religious activities.

Through these, Christ has promised to meet us and strengthen our faith. His benefits are readily available. They aren’t affected by economic downturn or financial strain. God’s grace, mercy, and peace don’t decay like our earthly health or possessions. They don’t fail like our character or our wisdom or our self-discipline so naturally does. In Philippians 1, Paul wrote, “I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

How could Paul make such a hope-filled statement? Because God grants covenant blessings to save and sanctify His people through Christ. These spiritual blessings are secure – they are sure – as sure as the life and power of Jesus Christ Himself.

If we could gather today, we would have gone to the Lord’s table together. We will do that next week. But I’ll still say this about His table: at the table, we come to be fed by Christ and to feed on Him. We receive the meal to be spiritually nourished by Him, as we are also nourished through His Word and prayer. We don’t use any of His ordained means to prove ourselves worthy, but rather, to receive what Christ freely gives. And as we do, we will experience the hope that is in Him.

I began today referencing Romans 8, and I noted that when God cursed the world, He didn't do so in a hopeless way, but with redemption in view. In the next verses of Romans 8, Paul writes, “For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly.”

Do you feel the burdens that produce that inward groaning? Of course you do. We all do. But Paul doesn’t stop there. He says, “not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption
as sons, the redemption of our bodies. [24] For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.”

The goal of our hope is the future and final redemption of our bodies and the world. The object of our hope is Christ. He achieved that redemption for us. He secured God’s grace, mercy, and peace for us.

Trust in Jesus Christ today. Believe in Him, and turn from your sins to follow God’s way. To trust in Him is not first to resolve to do better, but to receive what He has done. To trust is to receive Him as your righteousness, your life, and the object of your hope.

Let’s bow in prayer.