Teacher Bible Study Series — 1 Timothy 1:1–11
Thoughts on teaching in lower socioeconomic areas as a Christian.
A bit about me!
To those who have found this blog, welcome! My name is Cory Schepp and I am American who is teaching in Dublin, Ireland for the past 2 years in what some would call a “rough school”. I have been a Christian since I was 16 (I am now 26) and well…after 10 years of following Christ, I can say I have learned a lot, and I am sure there are still many lessons to come. As I post more I will share more about myself but I really don’t want this to be about me, more of a space for me to share my insights into the word of God, and to also give some guidance on reading through God’s word on your own. The reason I shared this bit though is that it is relevant to the topic at hand. I want to share with you all my thoughts on what it means to be a teacher in a school that might be considered “rough” and how we as Christians should react.
History of the Letter
But to start us off, whenever I read a new book I like to have a bit of background on what I am reading. 1 Timothy is written by The Apostle Paul, to one of his own disciples, Timothy, who the letter’s are named after. Paul is writing these letters to Timothy who has been tasked with starting up a church in Ephesus. This was no small task. As history tells us, Ephesus was a very important city. I was a massive trading hub of the ancient world. With this fame came a very large challenge for Timothy. How do you start a brand new church in a sea of adversity? This letter from Paul was meant as a guide for Timothy in such a difficult time for him.
As you read through 1 Timothy with me, keep in mind the previous paragraph. Keep in mind that the area Timothy was in was a bit more busy, rougher, and all together chaotic.
1 Timothy 1: 1–11
As I write these, my suggestion is that you read the section outlined first, come up with a few points of your own, and then read through my paragraph. Whenever you are studying the bible, it is important to come up with your own ideas first, then look to others for explanation or insight. Using commentaries like these I find are helpful, but I do find it hard then to remember my original thought sometimes.
As with most of Paul’s letter, he sets it up with his generic introduction that was very typical for most letters being written around this time of the world. I do find it interesting that here he calls Timothy “my true child in the faith” (1 Timothy 1:1, ESV). Paul does something similar with Titus in his letter to him. It is believed that he calls them this due to his close nature with the both of them. Paul directly discipled both Timothy and Titus, and wanted them to succeed greatly.
As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine.
(1 Timothy 1:3 ESV)
Now there is a lot in just a few verses here, but I really would like to focus in on 3 and 4. Paul is asking Timothy something we as humans do not like to hear. Stay where you are, even though we all know it is not going to be easy. How many of us quit when things get tough? Think to yourself, when was the last time you started and finished something to completion? I know I have personally gone through a really hard time of this recently. Reading these verses though gave me strength, not only in my personal life, but also in my teaching.
When I walk into my doors in school, knowing that my day is going to be tough, I try to think back to when Paul asks Timothy to stay in an area where he probably felt uncomfortable. We as Christian are told everyday the same thing. Remain. Stay. If something is tough, that doesn’t mean you are in the wrong spot. If you feel that God has put you somewhere, as I do with my school, then more than likely it is not going to be easy.
Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.
(1 Timothy 1:7–8 ESV)
Our job when we go into schools is not only to teach, but also to pastor. We are called as teachers to love our kids, especially in these “rougher” areas. Yet for some reason we all have those kids who think they know better, and will chance their arm to get away with anything. From verses 3–11, my bible has it titled “Warning Against False Teachers”, and I can only imagine how many of these “False Teachers” there are in secondary school. Our job is to guide these kids away from these false teachers and idols, and towards the true ones.
We have rules in these schools…not for those who would behave anyways, but for those who may not. Keep calm, use the framework of the school to help you, and remember what these kids are going through.
The last few verses give thoughts on what we are to keep away from and can be left up to interpretation which I personally do not feel quite qualified to get into! I would love to have a discussion with you about it though.
Final Remarks
Now I am not saying to go full pastor mode and start preaching rather than teaching, but we are called as Christians to live lives above reproach, and this is a start. If we live life in such a way that the kids see us and say “wow, they seem genuinely happy, I wonder why that is.”, who know what kind of transformation that might lead to!
Finally, for now, as we pull these verses apart together, stay, remain. God has put you where you are for a reason. He has put you in a tough area where you are needed for now.
I would love to hear what you have to say about this passage! Also any feedback is greatly appreciated as I am new to this whole writing thing!
Cory Schepp
