The epistle before us is the first of a group of four which were written by the Apostle Paul to individuals. They
were all written rather late in the Apostle's life of service, when
declension was becoming pronounced in the church, and consequently the
heart of that devoted man turned more especially to reliable and
trusted disciples who stood firm when others began to slip. This
imparts a certain general resemblance to the four, though each has its
own clearly marked features.
We might perhaps characterize them as follows :
-
1 Timothy. The Epistle of godliness.
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2 Timothy. The Epistle of courage.
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Titus. The Epistle of sobriety and soundness.
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Philemon. The Epistle of Christian courtesy.
At any rate godliness - or piety as some translate the word
- is stamped very distinctly upon the epistle we are now to consider,
as any concordance will show. It becomes a very urgent necessity when
spiritual life is on the decline.