Logos
1 Tim. 1:2

The letters from Paul to Timothy and Titus, commonly referred to as the Pastoral Epistles, are of special interest because they are among those few letters in the New Testament written to individuals.  The primary message in both letters is Paul's deep concern for the duties of a church leader in coping with dissent over false teachings within the church and with the process of organizing church work -- hence the title, "Pastoral Epistles."  But intrinsic to the letters is a personal element that makes these letters significant not only to the original recipients, Timothy and Titus, but to the church today.

In this week's study, we concentrate on what might be considered a peripheral part of the letters, the salutation.  Although Paul's counsel on how to treat heresy and how to organize a church -- as well as the duties of church leaders and members -- is central message to the focus of study this quarter, the salutation is significant for providing an underlying concept of unity, both personal and spiritual.  This sense of unity is essential in coping with the potential for division that was found in the multicultural Christian church of Paul's time, as well as in our church today.

The salutation, as was typical in the early church period, is made up of three parts: the sender's name and authority, the recipient of the letter, and a brief greeting and blessing.

Paul begins by identifying himself: "Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope" (1 Tim 1:1, RSV).  Besides signing his name, Paul is showing his authority as an apostle. However, this is not done to intimidate either the individual who receives the letter or the church that would be likely to read it.  In stating his authority, Paul is sharing his power as an apostle with Timothy in the sense that it gives greater weight to the instructions found in the letter.  Although the letter is addressed to an individual, it was probably also meant to be read publicly to the church.  The authority of Paul would aid Timothy, as the leader of the church in Ephesus, in the directions and instruction he gives to the Church.  Paul also makes it clear, since he was not one of the 12 disciples, that his authority as an apostle is by the command of God.

The recipients of the letter are Timothy and Titus.  Both were church leaders, the equivalent of a church pastor today.  Both had been important companions and co-workers with Paul.  Timothy, now the leader of the church in Ephesus, had been Paul's companion on several of his journeys, notably the last trip to Jerusalem and Rome.  Titus, the leader of the Church in Crete, had been Paul's envoy to Corinth and had been instrumental in settling the disputes that had divided the church as seen in the two epistles to the Corinthians.

But a key element in the address to both Timothy and Titus is the phrase added to the name, "my true son" (NIV).  Paul uses this phrase to indicate his intimate connection with both of his former companions and co-workers.  "True" is here used in the sense of genuine or legitimate.  Paul emphasizes that their relationship, including their faith and their religious experience, cannot be questioned.  He also uses the Greek term for "son" or "child" in the intimate rather than the impersonal sense.  He clearly considered them his legitimate children.  Although Timothy would have been more readily accepted into either the Jewish or the Christian community, Titus's standing would have been questioned, particularly by those of a Jewish background.  Timothy was one of Paul's early converts.  His father was gentile and his mother Jewish.  Although Titus was a convert from a pagan family, however, Paul shows no distinction between gentile or Jew and instead emphasizes the equality of both.  This is more than Christian equality, it is expressed as genuine kinship.  Paul sees his converts as his children.  Although there is no blood relationship, Paul refers to both as his "true" children.

The blessing that concludes the salutation reinforces this equality of believers.  When Paul writes "Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord" (1 Tim 1:2, NIV), he is invoking both Greek and Jewish greetings and blessings.  The Greek word chairein, meaning "greeting," echoes the common Christian greeting of charis, meaning "grace."  Peace, or shalom, is the common Jewish greeting.  Paul here combines Greek, Jewish, and Christian together showing, even in a simple salutation, the oneness that should characterize true Christianity.

The significance of the salutation is more than identification.  Paul is reinforcing the principle found in Galatians 3:28:  "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (RSV). Particularly in letters that do so much to establish a church hierarchy with a chain of command from apostle to pastor to elder to deacon, Paul could have readily emphasized his authority.  Instead, he promotes family identity.  The ideal relationship is, not leader to follower, but father to son, parent to child.  Paul's salutation emphasizes the genuine legitimacy of that kinship.

Today's church needs to understand and practice this principle of true Christian kinship.  To avoid the friction, the misunderstandings, and the frustrations that can arise from leader-dominated organizations, we need to realize that we work together as family, as fathers and mothers with sons and daughters. When we have this oneness, then we are all true children.
 

            by Charles H. Tidwell, Jr, in Collegiate Quarterly, 16.3 (July - September 1993): 10-11.