Theme - Timothy had been converted under Paul's ministry at Lystra during his first missionary journey, and, after his ordination to the ministry, he became the apostle's assistant on his second missionary journey. After Paul's release from his first imprisonment in Rome, Timothy was quite certainly with him in his travels and labours in the East; and when Paul departed for Spain, Timothy took up the work in Ephesus and other churches of Asia as Paul's apostolic representative. When Paul returned from Spain, he was delayed in his plans to go immediately to Ephesus, and because of this delay he wrote his "faithful son in the gospel" this First Epistle.

In the meantime, the predictions of the coming of false teachers into Ephesus made by Paul in his address at Miletus had come to pass; Hellenic philosophy had become blended with Oriental theosophy; and Jewish superstition and Persian speculation combined with the thirst for wisdom in Asia Minor all created the worst type of agnostic heresies. Hymenaeus, Alexander, and Philetus were sowing seeds of error in the very heart of the Church at Ephesus.

Outline - In order to correct the above errors, Paul wrote Timothy with four main purposes in mind which may well serve as an outline for this Epistle: I. The Refutation of False Teachers (1) II. The Divine Order of the Sexes (2) III. The Instruction of Ministers in the Church (3) IV. Diligence in the Performance of Ministerial Duties (4-6)