Jensens survey of the old testament adam 534

expected to return to Ephesus shortly, but
he knew of the possibility of a long delay
(3:14-15).


MAP W

E. OCCASION
It is not di cult to learn from the epistle
itself what situation at Ephesus constrained
Paul to write at this time. Read the letter
through, not tarrying over details, and
observe direct or indirect references to the
following problems or needs: spread of false
doctrine,8 spiritual coldness, personnel
problems, problems of the worship services,
problems related to the o ces of the church


and the care of widows.
F. PURPOSES
Paul’s immediate purpose in writing was
to urge Timothy to stay on at Ephesus (1:34). Timothy must have yearned to be
ministering at the side of Paul again. In
general, Paul wrote this letter with two
purposes in mind, to meet the needs caused
by the occasion discussed above: (1)
personal — to help Timothy; (2)
ecclesiastical — to help the churches of
Ephesus.
Underlying both of those aims was Paul’s

ever-present burden of propagating and
preserving the truth of the gospel. The
apostle clearly shared this burden with his
colaborer when he spoke of the gospel as
“the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with


which I have been entrusted” (1:11).
III. SURVEY OF 1 TIMOTHY
A. FIRST SCANNING
Read 1 Timothy in one sitting. The
purpose of this initial scanning is to get the
atmosphere of the book and catch its major
purposes. Write down your rst impressions
of the epistle and any key words and phrases
that stand out as of this reading.
B. SEGMENTS AND PARAGRAPHS
Refer to Chart 97 and observe that new
segments of this letter begin at the opening
verse of each chapter, with these exceptions:
at 6:26 in place of 6:1; and an additional
unit beginning at 3:14. Mark these segments