New Testament Biblical Theology

Lecture #28
Dr. Hoke

We pick up with Paul’s pastoral letters (1, 2 Timothy, Titus) in this lecture.

Christology

1 Timothy 1:1, 2 “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ
Jesus our hope, 2 To Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God
the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Jesus = our hope.

Grace, mercy and peace comes jointly from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

2 Timothy 1:1, 2 “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God according to the promise
of the life that is in Christ Jesus, 2 To Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace
from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Life is in Christ Jesus.

Grace, mercy, and peace is jointly from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

Titus 1:1-4 “Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of
God's elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness, 2 in hope of
eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began 3 and at the proper
time manifested in his word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the
command of God our Savior; 4 To Titus, my true child in a common faith: Grace and peace
from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.”

Grace and peace comes jointly from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior. In verse 3 he
speaks of God our Savior. So, God and Christ Jesus are our Savior.

1 Timothy 3:16 “Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness:

He was manifested in the flesh,

vindicated by the Spirit,
seen by angels,
proclaimed among the nations,
believed on in the world,
taken up in glory.”

Manifested in the flesh assumes there was a time when Christ was not so manifested, pointing
to eternity. Taken up in glory looks to the ascension.
2 Timothy 1:8, 9 “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his
prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, 9 who saved us and called
us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace,
which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began.”

Point: Our salvation was in Christ Jesus before the creation, in eternity. Therefore, Christ is in
eternity and must be God.

2 Timothy 4:1 “I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the
living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom.”

Jesus is Savior, but he is also judge at his 2nd coming.

Titus 2:13 “waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and
Savior Jesus Christ.”

This a CLEAR testimony of Christ’s deity. He is our great God!

Read Dr. Robertson’s section for other aspects of Christology in the pastoral letters.

Soteriology

• Salvation is by Grace Alone

Titus 3:4-7 “But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he
saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy,
by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us
richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become
heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

• Jesus is Our Substitutionary Ransom

1 Timothy 2:5, 6 “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the
man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the
proper time.”

There is no one else to save us. Jesus is the ONLY mediator to represent us before God. Paul
here stresses the humanity of Jesus. He says that he gave himself a RANSOM for all. In other
words, Jesus paid a ransom price for our salvation. That ransom price, spelled out here, was
himself, or his own life.

Titus 2:11-14 “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12
training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright,
and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory
of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all
lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for
good works.”

Here Christ’s substitution is clearly aimed to REDEEM us and that redemption is from sin. Mark
it well, Jesus did not only substitute himself for us to get us to heaven, but also to render us
godly in this earthly life.

• Believers are “In Christ”

The idea of being “in Christ” is much more pronounced in Romans, Galatians, 1, 2 Corinthians
but it is in the pastoral letters also.

II Timothy 1:1 “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God according to the promise of
the life that is in Christ Jesus.”

• Believers are Transformed by Regeneration

This is very important because it shows that salvation really is “of the Lord” and not of man.

Titus 3:5 “he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his
own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.”

• Proclaiming to Word

Special emphasis is placed on the role of teaching in these pastoral letters, with 9 references to
positive teaching in 1 Timothy, 6 in 2 Timothy, and 8 in Titus.

• Faith is the “Instrument” of Salvation

1 Timothy 1:16 “But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ
might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for
eternal life.”

• We are Justified by Grace Alone

In Paul’s writings justification by God’s grace alone is central. That never changed.
Titus 3:7 “so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of
eternal life.”

• Believers are to Do Good Works

I sometimes hear that works are not important in Christianity because it is all about grace.
There is some confusion about grace and works. While we are not saved by our good works,
when we are saved, we are supposed to do good works. There is no such thing as a Christian
who does not do good works.

Titus 2:14 “And let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases
of urgent need, and not be unfruitful.”

• Believers Have An Orderly Household

Only a husband of one wife with obedient children can qualify for church office (1 Tim. 3:4, 5;
3:12; Tit. 1:6).

• Virtues of a Man of God

1 Timothy 6:11 “But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness,
godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.”

2 Timothy 2:22-26 “So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace,
along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. 23 Have nothing to do with foolish,
ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. 24 And the Lord's servant must
not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, 25 correcting
his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a
knowledge of the truth, 26 and they may escape from the snare of the devil, after being
captured by him to do his will.”

In essence, Christians should produce the fruit of the Spirit as Paul stated in Galatians 5.

• Prayer in the Christian Life

2 Timothy 1:3 “I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I
remember you constantly in my prayers night and day.”

• The Ultimate Goal of Salvation: Godlikeness and Love

1 Timothy 1:5 “The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good
conscience and a sincere faith.”

• Death Destroyed and the Hope of Eternal Life

2 Timothy 1:10 “and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior
Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the
gospel.”
 • Errors Confronted

Titus 3:9-11 “But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the
law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. 10 As for a person who stirs up division, after
warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, 11 knowing that such a
person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.”

Eschatology

2 Timothy 3:1-9 “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2
For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to
their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control,
brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure
rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid
such people. 6 For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak
women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, 7 always learning and never
able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so
these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith.
9 But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two
men.”