The addressee of the letter is now mentioned, namely Timothy. The first reference to Timothy in the New Testament is in Acts 16.1-3, where the information is given that his mother was a Jewish Christian and his father was Greek. Paul took Timothy along during his third missionary journey. The records do not say very much about what he did; however, Paul mentions Timothy as one of his closest colleagues in his letters to the Philippians, the Thessalonians, the Colossians, and to Philemon. From this we can see that Timothy was a trustworthy helper of Paul.
In this letter Paul refers to Timothy as my true child in the faith. The word translated true is a term used to describe a legitimate child, and by extension it means “genuine” or “real,” hence “true,” “sincere.” Child translates the Greek word literally. But since child here is used specifically of an adult rather than a very young person, it may be more appropriate in some languages to use the more specific term “son,” as indeed Good News Translation has done. In languages where the generic word for child is more natural, and where the use of the specific term may be too cumbersome, then the generic word should be used. In certain languages, however, it will be necessary to change the metaphor my true child into a simile; for example, “who is like a genuine (or, true) child (or, son) to me.”
In the faith is literally “in faith” (without the article), and that leads to the question of the meaning of faith in this verse. One possibility is to understand faith here as a reference to the Christian faith as a movement; perhaps Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation reflect this understanding through the addition of the definite article the. The general tone of the letter seems to favor this first alternative. However, the grammatical construction of the text seems to suggest another possibility, which is to take seriously the absence of the definite article and understand faith as trust in Jesus Christ. This seems to be the more likely alternative. The verse then is saying that (1) Timothy was like a real son to Paul, perhaps because it was Paul who led Timothy to faith in Christ and who nurtured him in that faith, or (2) Paul considers Timothy as his son because of his (Timothy’s) faith in Christ that is the same as Paul’s. Similar expressions are found in 1 Cor 4.17 and Phil 2.22. It is difficult to decide between these two options. The general tone of the letter seems to favor the first alternative, but grammatically the second option has greater support and therefore seems to be the more likely interpretation. Alternative ways of expressing my true child in the faith, then, are “who is like a true son to me because I led you to trust in Christ,” or else “who is like a true son to me because both you and I trust in Christ,” or even “Because we both believe in Christ, you are like a son to me.” The first part of the verse may also be expressed as “… am writing to you, Timothy, who are like a true son….”
The second part of the verse constitutes the greeting, which consists of three elements: Grace, mercy, and peace. Grace and peace are terms used rather regularly in the greeting formulas of Paul’s letters and in other letters as well. This may indicate that at that time Grace and peace had become part of a traditional Christian greeting. Grace in Greek sounds similar to a term that was commonly used as a greeting among Greek speakers. In the New Testament Grace is used with a wide range and variety of meanings, but primarily it refers to God’s undeserved love and limitless kindness toward people, and in some languages this formula will be expressed as “May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord show their love….” Peace, on the other hand, comes from a Hebrew term that was commonly used (and still is) as a greeting among the Jews. In the New Testament peace is also used with a variety of meanings, but the primary meaning of the Hebrew term is total health and well-being, or in other words, the sum total of God’s blessings bestowed on human beings to enable them to live life in all its fullness. In some languages peace will be translated idiomatically; for example, “live in coolness and have happiness,” “have a cool heart,” “sit down in one’s heart,” “have a comfortable heart,” and so on. All of these examples point to a lack of tension, apprehension, or fear; in other words Paul is asking that God cause his readers to enjoy a state of physical and mental well-being.
The new element in the greeting formula of 1 Timothy is mercy. That refers to God’s kindness, good will, and willingness to forgive.
It is important to treat Grace, mercy, and peace as parts of a greeting formula; the resulting translation therefore should be recognized by the intended readers as a greeting.
The source of Grace, mercy, and peace is twofold: God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. The concept of God as Father is a popular one in the Bible but especially in the New Testament, indicating that God’s relationship with people is quite intimate and can be compared to the relationship of parents with their children, a relationship that shows love and concern. In certain languages it will be difficult to approximate the definite article the, so it may be necessary to indicate this intimate relationship more clearly and say “God who is our [inclusive] Father.” The our in our Lord should also be understood in an inclusive sense. Lord is a title used for God or for Christ; in the New Testament it is used primarily for Christ, signifying him as one who has the right to rule and give commands and who is worthy to be obeyed. In some languages Lord is expressed as “the one who commands (or controls, or rules),” while in others it will be rendered as “Chief,” or even “Elder Brother.” Christ Jesus our Lord may then be expressed as “Christ Jesus who controls us” or “Christ Jesus our Chief.”
An alternative translation model for the first two verses is:
• From Paul. God, the one who saves us [inclusive], and Christ Jesus our [inclusive] Lord gave me the authority to be an apostle of Christ Jesus. He is the one in whom we trust. I am writing this letter to you Timothy. You are like a true son to me, because both you and I trust in Christ.
May God, who is our [inclusive] Father, and Christ Jesus, the one who commands us [inclusive], show you love and mercy (or, kindness), and cause you to live in peace.
Quoted with permission from Arichea, Daniel C. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Paul’s First Letter to Timothy. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1995. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .