Advice for Young People from the Life of Timothy

“Let no one despise your youth …” (1 Tim. 4:12a, NKJV). Have you ever heard this passage cited in a Bible class or devotional lesson directed to teenagers? I’m pretty sure that when these words were first directed to Timothy, he was well beyond his teenage years. In fact, he is first introduced in the chronological record of scripture about 15 years earlier as a disciple in Lystra, which was a few years after Paul and Barnabas had left behind a group of newly converted disciples in Lystra that probably included young Timothy and his mother (Acts 14:20; 16:1). 

Don’t avoid life’s difficult paths

As the local church began in Lystra, the missionaries were persecuted and Paul was stoned, dragged out of the city, and left for dead (Acts 14:19). From the very beginning of Timothy’s Christian walk, he saw firsthand the maltreatment of those professing Christ in an anti-Christian world (note 2 Tim. 3:10-12). When Paul later returned to Lystra with Silas, Timothy had made such an impression on the local brethren and was so well spoken of that he was invited to join Paul and Silas’ mission team (Acts 16:1-3). Apparently Timothy was just as committed to the Lord as Paul was, and in spite of the dangers and challenges he inevitably faced, he accepted the invitation.

Like young Timothy, don’t avoid opportunities just because they’re hard. Rarely does anything worthwhile come easily, so we shouldn’t always be looking for the easy way. Let’s be ready and eager to choose life’s difficult paths, especially when the Lord’s will is first in the decisions we make.

Don’t make excuses or give up easily

Timothy worked as a missionary apprentice in the Roman provinces of Macedonia and Achaia until Paul had enough confidence in him to start sending him out on his own (1 Thess. 3:1-2; 1 Cor. 4:17; 16:10; Phil. 2:19). This does not mean, however, Timothy was without personal challenges and impediments that had to be confronted and overcome. It seems that Timothy, because of his comparative youth and timid spirit, was subject to disregard (1 Cor. 16:10-11; 1 Tim. 4:12; 2 Tim. 1:7-8). Yet in the biblical record we never find Timothy making excuses and avoiding opportunities to serve the Lord. No matter what difficulties he faced, he did not give up. 

Life is never easy for anyone, especially for those of us trying to please and serve the Lord (Acts 14:22; 2 Tim. 3:10-12). Like Timothy, we should take the word “quit” out of our vocabulary, capitalize on our strengths, and never use our perceived weaknesses as excuses.

Strive for maturity in the faith

Later in life the aged apostle, while affectionately regarding Timothy as a “child” [Greek téknon] (1 Tim. 1:2, 18), refers to him, near the end of the same letter, as “man of God” (6:11). Despite Timothy’s age and personality quirks, he was competent and mature enough to be left in the city of Ephesus to confront false teachers and help get the church on the right spiritual path (1:2-3).

May we, like Timothy, prove ourselves in the Lord’s service by consistently stepping out in faith, confronting our fears and shortcomings, and doing what we have been commissioned to do. Let us strive for maturity in the faith as faithful men and women of God.

Conclusion

When Timothy obeyed the gospel at a fairly early age, he lived his life in such a way that is worthy of emulation. Let us learn from Timothy to not avoid life’s difficult paths, or make excuses and easily give up, striving for maturity in the faith. “Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (1 Tim. 4:12).

--Kevin L. Moore

 

*Presented to the high school graduates of the Estes church of Christ, 14 May 2021.

 

Related Posts: Timothy (Part 1), Comparing Timothy & Titus

 

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The Early Life of Paul the Apostle (Part 1)

     Παῦλος [Paulos] is the Greco-Roman name of שָׁאוּל [Shaul] of Tarsus (cf. Acts 13:9; 21:39). Acts is the only NT document where his Jewish name is used, mostly in its Greek form Σαῦλος [Saulos]. Only in the accounts of his conversion is the Hebraic Σαούλ [Saoul] found (9:4, 17; 22:7, 13; 26:14). Having more than one name was not uncommon during this period in the Roman Empire (cf. Acts 1:23; 9:36; 12:12; 13:6-9; etc.), making it easier to function in the Jewish, Roman, and Hellenistic worlds. It has been suggested that as a Roman citizen (see below) Paul may have had three names (praenomen, nomen, cognomen), but a third name is not included in the biblical record.¹ Outside the book of Acts (and after Acts 13:9) he is referred to as “Paul” exclusively.

     He is first introduced in the biblical narrative as “a young man” [νεανίας] (Acts 7:58),² descriptive of one between the ages of about 24 and 40 (BAGD 534). He almost certainly would not have been any younger than this, since he is described as Paul the “aged” (πρεσβύτης) approximately three decades later (Philem. 9). This is the same word Zacharias applied to himself (Luke 1:18),³ having earlier been described as “advanced in years” (v. 7); Philo applied the term to a man of 50-56 years (BDAG 863). This would indicate that at Stephen’s execution young Saul was at the very least in his 20s. The fact that shortly thereafter he became such a prominent leader of the persecution against Christians (Acts 8:1-3) suggests that he may have been even older, perhaps in his mid- to late-30s and thus comparable in age to what the earthly Jesus would have been.⁴

The Earliest Years

     He was an ethnic Jew born a Roman citizen in the city of Tarsus in the Roman province of Cilicia, southeast Asia Minor (modern-day south-central Turkey) (Acts 16:37; 21:39; 22:3, 25-29).⁵ Tarsus was an intellectual center and “not an insignificant city” (Acts 21:39). Located at the mouth of the Cydnus River approximately 16 kilometers (10 miles) from the Mediterranean Sea, Tarsus was a prominent port city. Since Tarsus was not a Roman colonia or munincipium, Paul’s father or another ancestor would have attained freedom and citizenship by way of payment, services rendered, or manumission. Paul may have received Greek education in these early years, becoming familiar with the works of poets like Aratus and Menander,⁶ and philosophers like Cleanthes and Epimenides (Acts 17:28; 1 Cor. 15:33; Tit. 1:12).⁷ Paul was bilingual, fluent in both Aramaic and Greek (Acts 21:37–22:2), and at some point he also learned the trade of a tentmaker [σκηνοποιός] (Acts 18:3).⁸

     All Jewish children, from “earliest infancy” (Josephus, Against Apion 2.18), were taught in their respective households (Deut. 6:6-7). Timothy, from nearby Lystra, is typical of one who knew the holy scriptures from childhood (1 Tim. 3:15), thanks to a godly parent and grandparent (2 Tim. 1:5). Paul was raised in an orthodox Jewish home (Phil. 3:5), the beginning of his education in the Mosaic Law. The only other thing we know about his family, besides being the son of a Pharisee (Acts 23:6), is that he had a sister and a nephew (Acts 23:16).

     Another important part of the Jewish educational system was the synagogue. The synagogue was a multi-purpose assembly place for prayer, worship, and scripture reading (Acts 15:21), also functioning as a court, a community center, and a school. Both boys and girls attended the synagogue school from age 5 or 6; boys continued on until around age 15, while girls were usually married by then. According to the halakha,⁹ at age 13 a Jewish boy was accountable for his actions and became a bar mitzvah (“son of the commandment/law”). Later in life, the local synagogues were primary targets for Paul’s evangelistic efforts (Acts 13:14-43; 14:1; 17:1, 10, 17; 18:4-8, 19; 19:8).

Rabbinical Training

     Jewish boys who demonstrated exceptional promise were sent to Jerusalem to learn from a renowned teacher of the Law (like Hillel, Shammai, or Gamaliel). The typical age of a Jewish boy beginning his training in the Torah was 15 (Mishna, Aboth 5.21) or 16 (Josephus, Life 9-12). Paul says that from his “youth” [νεότης]¹⁰ he was “brought up” in Jerusalem, “instructed at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strict manner of the law …” (Acts 22:3; 26:4).¹¹

--Kevin L. Moore

Endnotes:

     ¹ See F. F. Bruce, NT History 235; G. M. Burge, et. al., NT in Antiquity 251.

     ² The noun νεανίας appears in the NT three times: Acts 7:58; 20:9; 23:17. Unless otherwise noted, scripture quotations are the author’s own translation.

     ³ The only other occurrence of this word in the NT is Titus 2:2.

     ⁴ According to Irenaeus: “That the age of thirty years is the prime of a young man’s ability, and that it reaches even to the fortieth year, everyone will allow; but after the fortieth and fiftieth year, it begins to verge towards elder age” (Adv. Haer. 2.22.5).

     ⁵ The city of Tarsus had belonged to the ancient Hittite Empire (Tarsa), later ruled by the Assyrians and Persians, then hellenized by the Greeks and particularly the Seleucids. During this latter period, its schools rivaled those of Alexandria and Athens, and its library held approximately 200,000 published works. By 67 BC General Pompey had gained control of the region, and Tarsus became the capital of the Roman province of Cilicia.  

     ⁶ It is debated whether Paul actually quotes Menander in 1 Cor. 15:33, or simply recites a common hellenistic saying that Menander had also used.

     ⁷ On Paul’s potential training in rhetoric, see K. L. Moore, Critical Introduction to the NT 256-63.

     ⁸ A. Edersheim notes that the ancient Jews believed, “whoever does not teach his son a trade is as if he brought him up to be a robber” (Sketches of Jewish Social Life 190).

     ⁹ Religious laws comprised of both written and oral Torah.

     ¹⁰ The noun νεότης occurs only four times in the NT: Mark 10:20; Luke 18:21; Acts 26:4; 1 Tim. 4:12.

     ¹¹ The only historical account affirming Gamaliel’s public teaching is Acts 22:3. Jewish sources do not represent Gamaliel as a teacher, and his name is seldom mentioned in halakic tradition (see Jewish Encyclopedia, s.v. “Gamaliel I” by S. Schechter and W. Bacher). Gamaliel died eighteen years before Jerusalem’s destruction, and he occupied a prominent position in the Sanhedrin during the reigns of Tiberius (14-37), Caligula (37-41), and Claudius (41-54).

Related Posts: Early Life of Paul Part 2

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What about pre-christian boys leading worship?

     Many congregations give opportunities to young boys (who have not yet obeyed the gospel in baptism) to read or recite scriptures and to lead prayers and songs in front of the assembled church. Is this biblical? Does this set a dangerous precedent for non-christian adults or others who are not scripturally qualified to exercise leadership in the church?

     Male leadership and leadership training are certainly biblical concepts (Mark 3:14; Luke 11:1-4; 1 Timothy 2:8-15; 2 Timothy 2:2; etc.). Thus preparing boys to be future leaders does not fit into the same category as opening doors to non-christian adults or female leaders. While we respect divinely ordained gender roles, we must also appreciate that culpability and innocence before God distinguishes boys from non-christian men. Prior to reaching the age of accountability,¹ a child is not guilty of sin or separated from God and is thus spiritually safe.²

     It is my judgment that the practice of pre-christian boys leading in worship activities does not set a “dangerous precedent” but rather a biblical precedent of training future church leaders (cf. 1 Samuel 2:11, 18; Proverbs 22:6; Ecclesiastes 12:1; 1 Timothy 4:12 and 2 Timothy 3:14-15).

--Kevin L. Moore

Endnotes:

     ¹ Seeing that individuals develop and mature at varying rates, a specific age is not biblically prescribed. Nevertheless, a state of innocence prior to reaching a point at which one is accountable before God is clearly assumed in scripture: Deuteronomy 1:39; Numbers 8:2-3; 10:28; 14:29-31; Isaiah 7:15-16; John 9:21, 23; cf. Ezekiel 18:20; 28:15; Ecclesiastes 7:29; 1 John 3:4; 1 Corinthians 13:11; Luke 2:40-52.

     ² On the spiritual security of young children, see Deuteronomy 1:39; Matthew 18:1-5; 19:13-14; Mark 9:33-37; 10:13-16; Luke 18:15-17; 1 Corinthians 14:20.

Related Posts: Are Humans Totally Depraved from Birth?, Train Up a Child 

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