Fathers

1 Timothy 1

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Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ according to the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ our hope; to Timothy, my true child in faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. As I urged you when I was going into Macedonia, stay at Ephesus that you might command certain men not to teach a different doctrine, and not to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which cause disputes, rather than God’s stewardship, which is in faith— but the goal of this command is love, out of a pure heart and a good conscience and sincere faith, from which things some, having missed the mark, have turned away to vain talking, desiring to be teachers of the law, though they understand neither what they say, nor about what they strongly affirm. But we know that the law is good, if a person uses it lawfully, as knowing this, that law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for the sexually immoral, for homosexuals, for slave-traders, for liars, for perjurers, and for any other thing contrary to the sound doctrine, according to the Good News of the glory of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust. I thank him who enabled me, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he counted me faithful, appointing me to service; although I used to be a blasphemer, a persecutor, and insolent. However, I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. The grace of our Lord abounded exceedingly with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. The saying is faithful and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. However, for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first, Jesus Christ might display all his patience for an example of those who were going to believe in him for eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. I commit this instruction to you, my child Timothy, according to the prophecies which were given to you before, that by them you may wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience, which some having thrust away made a shipwreck concerning the faith, of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I delivered to Satan, that they might be taught not to blaspheme.

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What the Fathers say

1 Timothy 1:6

Eastern Fathers

John Chrysostom

"From which some having swerved have turned aside to vain jangling." He has well said, "swerved," for it requires skill, to shoot straight and not beside the mark, to have the direction of the Spirit. For there are many things to turn us aside from the right course, and we should look but to one object.

Homily on 1 Timothy 2 ↗

Gregory of Nyssa

What is this vain juggling with words? Is he aware that it is God of Whom he speaks, Who was in the beginning and is in the Father, nor was there any time when He was not? He knows not what he says nor whereof he affirms, but he endeavours, as though he were constructing the pedigree of a mere man, to apply to the Lord of all creation the language which properly belongs to our nature here below.

Against Eunomius 2.9 ↗

Theophylact of Ohrid

The word ἀστοχήσαντες is used of those who shoot poorly. Therefore here too, he says, skill is needed in order to throw straight and not miss the target. But some have departed from love and faith, and as a result have turned aside to vain talk. And how this happens, he adds the following.

Commentary on 1 Timothy ↗

Western Saints

Thomas Aquinas

Above he showed the value and usefulness of the virtues; here he explains why they are needed, namely, because whoever lacks them runs into the danger of false doctrine. In regard to this he does two things: first, he shows the falsity of the doctrine into which they lead; second, the false condition of those who teach it, at desiring to be. He says, therefore: the end of the commandment is charity, and these are the sources of the law from which some flee: they have spoken vain things, everyone to his neighbor (Ps 11:3). …

Commentary on 1 Timothy ↗