2. Words, Themes, Perspective, and theology that pastoral epistles share.

The Pastoral Epistles are three letters written by the apostle Paul. The Pastoral
Epistles are 1Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus. All three are letters from an old man
at the close of his ministry who is concerned for his successors in the pastorate. As
such, the letters concern the things that would be crucial for the young pastors to
understand—church organization and discipline, including such matters as the
appointment of elders and deacons, the opposition of rebellious members or false
teachers, and the maintenance of doctrinal purity.

Titus was written by Paul to encourage Titus, his brother in the faith, whom he had
left in Crete to lead the church Paul had established there on one of his missionary
journeys (Titus 1:5). Paul wrote 1 Timothy to Timothy to encourage him in his
responsibility for overseeing the work of the Ephesian church and possibly the other
churches in the province of Asia (1 Timothy 1:3). His second letter to Timothy was
written in approximately AD 67, shortly before the apostle Paul was put to death.
Imprisoned in Rome, Paul felt lonely and abandoned and recognized that his earthly
life was likely coming to an end soon. The book of 2 Timothy is essentially Paul’s
“last words.” Paul looked past his own circumstances to express concern for the
churches and specifically for Timothy. Paul wanted to use this last opportunity to
encourage Timothy, and all other believers, to persevere in faith ( 2 Timothy 3:14)
and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ (2 Timothy 4:2).

As instructional letters to younger pastors, Paul’s Pastoral Epistles are invaluable

today. These letters are full of the heartfelt warnings and instructions that
characterize Paul’s ministry, revealing his pastor’s heart for the care for the
churches he founded. Whether he is speaking of church organization ( 1 Timothy
3:1–13; Titus 1:1–16), addressing the role of women in ministry ( 1 Timothy 2:12),
revealing Christ as the mediator between God and man ( 1 Timothy 2:5),
encouraging believers to persevere in the faith ( 2 Timothy 2:14) and to remain firm
in sound doctrine (2 Timothy 1:1–2, 13–14), verifying the inspiration of Scripture
(2 Timothy 3:16), or warning against false and apostate teachers ( 2 Timothy 3:1–
17), the Pastoral Epistles are the “how-to” manual for pastors in all places and for
all time.

Major Themes in the Pastoral Epistles

The overarching theme of the Pastoral Epistles is faithfulness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul
focused on two primary ways the church is expected to uphold the integrity of the Gospel:

Teaching sound doctrine. This exhortation came in three parts. The first was the confident and
authoritative proclamation of the Gospel (2 Timothy 1:8). Paul made it clear to both Timothy
and Titus, the message they received from him was the one and only Gospel message from God
Himself (1 Timothy 1:11; Titus 1:1-3). They were given the responsibility to ensure the church
body was continuously nourished by the teaching and proclamation of the Gospel which alone is
able to bring about godly growth (2 Timothy 4:1-2; Titus 3:8).

Second, they were to avoid fruitless discussions. Paul wanted both disciples to keep the church
focused on what mattered—the Gospel—and avoid the distractions brought about by pointless
conversations (1 Timothy 1:3-4; Titus 3:9). Such distractions could threaten the unity and health
of the church body if left to their own vices (2 Timothy 2:16-17).

Lastly, Paul commanded false beliefs and doctrines to be rebuked (1 Timothy 4:1-6; Titus 1:10-
11). The leadership must guard the Gospel message and openly address false beliefs in order to
protect the faith of the church. Just because God grants salvation to all believers does not mean
the congregation cannot be threatened by false doctrine. Unbiblical teaching fosters ungodly
faith, which leads one to live in a displeasing manner toward God (1 Timothy 6:3-5). The
leadership must rebuke false teachings to ensure God’s sheep are not lead astray.

The Pastoral Epistles focus on organization, relationships, and leadership within the household of
God. The household of God begins with the family, extends to the church, and often applies to
the workplace. The God who called into being the family and the church is also the God who
created work. He established an order for the church that brings peace, prosperity, and stability.
The same—or a highly similar—order can bring the same blessings to other workplaces.
The first order of business for any organization is to understand the true nature of God and his
creation. Every workplace needs to be founded on the “pillar and bulwark of the truth” (1 Tim.
3:15), if it is to be effective. We begin by recognizing the truth of God’s good creation, the fall of
humanity, the persistence of God’s grace in the world, the mission of Christ and the church to
redeem the world and its people, and the promise of the restoration of God’s perfect order. We
acknowledge that redemption arises solely as God’s free gift, resulting in our desire and ability to
perform all sorts of good works. We thereby make the world productive and serve the needs of
people.

The Pastoral Epistles lay out the implications of this truth for organizing the church, with special
concern for leadership and good relationships. The considerations also apply to nonchurch
workplaces, as long as the differences between the church and other organizations are respected.
Workplace applications of the Pastoral Epistles are not always direct nor obvious, but the truth
found in these letters, when prayerfully applied to the workplace, can manifest God’s way of
ordering reality and thereby bring glory to the one “whom no one has ever seen or can see” (1
Tim. 6:16).