What specific instructions did Paul give Timothy that would apply to a young person?
What specific instructions did Paul give Timothy that would apply to a young person?
A young person seeking to live as a disciple of Jesus Christ can find essential guidelines in 4:12–16,where Paul listed five areas (verse 12) in which Timothy was to be an example to the church:
1. In “word” or speech—see also Matthew 12:34–37; Ephesians 4:25, 29, 31.
2. In “conduct” or righteous living—see also Titus 2:10; 1 Peter 1:15; 2:12; 3:16.
3. In “love” or self-sacrificial service for others—see also John 15:13.
4. In “faith” or faithfulness or commitment, not belief—see also 1 Corinthians 4:2.
In “purity” and particularly sexual purity—see also 4:2.
The verses that follow hold several other building blocks to a life of discipleship:
1. Timothy was to be involved in the public reading, study, and application of Scripture (v. 13).
2. Timothy was to diligently use his spiritual gift that others had confirmed and affirmed in a public way (v. 14).
3. Timothy was to be committed to a process of progress in his walk with Christ (v. 15).
Timothy was to “take heed” to pay careful attention to “yourself and to the doctrine” (v. 16).
The priorities of a godly leader should be summed up in Timothy’s personal holiness and public teaching. All of Paul’s exhortations in vv. 6–16 fit into one or the other of those two categories. By careful attention to his own godly life and faithful preaching of the Word,
4. Timothy would continue to be the human instrument God would use to bring the gospel and to save some who heard him. Though salvation is God’s work, it is His pleasure to do it through human instruments.
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