1 Timothy

1 Timothy 1:1-2

1 Timothy 1:1
Paul is writing the letter. He calls himself an apostle of Jesus Christ. What is an apostle?
Paul calls himself an apostle of Christ Jesus, one sent by God. The term designates an office that he held by the command of God and the choice of the risen Christ (1:11; 2:7; Rom 1:1; 1 Cor 1:1; 2 Cor 1:1; Gal 1:1). This was not simply biographical data that might interest the readers. Rather, Paul's reference to his office signifies the authority from God by which he preaches, teaches and writes. Although he did not need to convince Timothy of this, the letter was meant to be aired before the whole church (see on 6:21). Paul wanted his hearers/readers to know that his teaching is authoritative, and the delegate who administered it to the community, Timothy, was to be regarded as an extension of the apostle himself. In view of the difficult task that faced him, this may have been an encouraging reminder for Timothy as well.
But this reminder is also a timely one for us today. Questions have arisen within the church concerning the authority of Scripture. Cults and sects continue to multiply, and their ability to confuse the unwary with their doctrinal subtleties is as threatening to the church today as it was when Paul wrote. It falls to ministers of the gospel and church leaders to guide the church through this murky water, while at the same time attempting to address issues like those Paul addressed through Timothy centuries ago. Where does our authority for this task come from? Like Timothy, we depend on the apostle whose writings are invested with the authority of God.
--- Bible Gateway.com commentary on 1 Timothy, IVP

Paul says that Christ Jesus is our hope. Sometimes we forget this. We tend to live our lives with the security of our salvation, smugly taking for granted the fact that it is only in Jesus Christ that we have gained this expectation of future salvation. I believe it is a key aspect to our remaining humble before God; remembering that in Christ alone we have our salvation. There is nothing wonderful about me because I accepted the amazing gift that God provided me in Jesus. There is everything wonderful about Him in His obedience to the Father, His love for mankind, and humble existence on this earth.

1 Timothy 1:2
He is writing to Timothy, and calls Him his true child in the faith. He had exhibited a genuine response of faith in Jesus, and had learned from Paul as a child from his father. In our own lives we should have spiritual children. Just as a father learns and desires to share his knowledge and experience with his sons and daughters, so we should be seeking to continually grow in the faith in order to raise spiritual children of our own. We should have a real concern for the next generation of Christians, and we should be doing everything we can to deal with real issues of difficulty in our own age to provide the next generation with the answers to those questions, as well as ready them for dealing with the questions that will arise in their age. We should also be seeking to constantly grow in the knowledge of Christ and daily practice of living for Him, so that we can train the next generation to be able to walk daily with Christ, and live a truly consistent spiritual life.
He wishes them grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. Deeply embedded in the Christian faith is the concept that we are nothing without the grace, mercy and peace of God. The grace of God has been shown by His providing His Son for us. The mercy of God has been shown through His Son receiving the penalty for our sin, and our receiving no punishment. The peace of God allows us to live secure in our salvation; peace being given through the Holy Spirit and His constant testimony in our spirits. It’s easy to see through the writings of Paul that he always had these concepts at the forefront of his mind, since they were so important to his life. We too should keep constantly be remembering these things, thanking God continually for His provision of them to us, and humbly allowing them to take their proper place in our lives. They are essential to our being obedient to God, and our living a consistent Christian life.