디모데전서 1

Greeting

¹From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope, ²to Timothy, my true son in the faith. Grace, mercy and peace to you from God the Father and from Christ Jesus our Lord.

Warning against a different doctrine

³When I was leaving for Macedonia, I urged you to stay on in Ephesus, so that you could order certain people to stop teaching a different doctrine ⁴and to stop giving their minds to myths and endless lists of ancestors. These lead to speculation rather than to God’s plan, which works through faith. ⁵The aim of our instruction is love that comes from a pure heart, a good conscience and a faith without pretense. ⁶Some have missed this aim and wandered off into empty talk. ⁷They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not understand what they are saying, or the things they are so sure about.

What the law is for

⁸We know that the law is good, if it is used as it should be. ⁹We know that law is not made for people who do right, but for the lawless and the rebellious, the ungodly and sinners, those who have no regard for what is holy, those who kill their fathers or mothers, murderers, ¹⁰the sexually immoral, men who have sex with men, slave traders, liars, those who break their oaths, and whatever else goes against the sound teaching ¹¹that agrees with the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which has been entrusted to me.^a

Mercy for the worst of sinners

¹²I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, because he judged me trustworthy and appointed me to serve him, ¹³even though I used to speak against him, persecute his people and treat them violently. But I was shown mercy, because I did not know what I was doing in my unbelief, ¹⁴and the grace of our Lord poured over me, along with the faith and love that are found in Christ Jesus. ¹⁵Here is a saying you can rely on, which deserves to be fully accepted: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, and I am the worst of them. ¹⁶But I was shown mercy for this very reason: so that in me, the worst of all, Christ Jesus could show how completely patient he is, as an example for those who would come to believe in him and receive eternal life. ¹⁷To the King of all ages, the immortal, invisible and only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

Timothy’s charge

¹⁸Timothy, my son, I am entrusting you with this charge, in keeping with the prophecies once spoken over you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight, ¹⁹holding on to faith and a good conscience. Some have thrown their conscience aside, and their faith has been wrecked. ²⁰Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan so that they may learn not to blaspheme.