Who was Timothy in the Bible?
"Timothy, I am sending you this letter. You are my true son. May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord give you grace, mercy and peace" (1 Timothy 1:2).
"Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young. Set an example for the believers in what you say and in how you live. Also set an example in how you love and in what you believe. Show the believers how to be pure" (1 Timothy 4:12).
"Timothy, I am sending you this letter. You are my dear son. May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord give you grace, mercy and peace. I thank God, whom I serve as did our people of long ago. I serve God, knowing that what I have done is right. Night and day I thank God for you. Night and day I always remember you in my prayers. I remember your tears. I long to see you so that I can be filled with joy. I remember your honest and true faith. It was alive first in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice. And I am certain that it is now alive in you also" (2 Timothy 1:2-5).
Timothy was known as Paul’s son in the faith. He is the Timothy that 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy are addressed to.Timothy was the son of a Greek father and a Jewish mother. Paul took Timothy under his wing and saw him as his son in the faith (1 Timothy 1:2). This shows us how close Timothy and Paul were during their lives. Timothy would have been young when he started assisting Paul in his ministry. Many scholars estimate Timothy to have been in his late teens or early twenties when he started traveling with Paul.
Timothy is mentioned as being with Paul on many occasions. In Paul’s letters of 2 Corinthians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, and Philemon, Timothy is said to be present with Paul. Paul tells us that Timothy has a genuine faith, which was taught to him by his mother and grandmother (2 Timothy 1:1-5). Timothy truly believed in the Lord and wanted to serve Him with his whole heart.
In 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy, Paul gives instructions on how to lead and run the church. At this time, Timothy was the pastor of the church of Ephesus. Through Paul’s letters to Timothy, he was able to provide him with sound advice, help, and encouragement. Timothy was Paul's dear son in the faith and Paul made sure to give him all the help he needed. Paul never forgot to encourage Timothy in his letters and to warn him of those who opposed the Gospel.
