1 and 2 Timothy; Titus; Philemon
Chronological Order:
Philemon - 62-63 AD
First Timothy – 65 AD
Titus – 65 AD
Second Timothy – 66 AD
Philemon 1-25 - From Slave to Brother
Meaning of the name Onesimus: useful, profitable
Q: Why is this letter included in our canonized scripture?
Scripture Citation Index - Philemon is the least quoted book of scripture in our canon of scriptures - 7 times
General Conference - Elder Renlund and Elder Condie - 4 from Joseph Smith
Philemon 1:1,9, whose only desire is to do the Lord’s will. Nothing more. Nothing less. And nothing else.
Philemon 1:6 - By acknowledging that every good thing comes from Jesus Christ, we will communicate our faith more effectively to others.
Philemon 1:9 - Joseph Smith Your humble servant, Joseph Smith, Jun., a prisoner for the Lord Jesus Christ’s sake - quoted by Joseph Smith many times in his writings
Paul shows a soft heart and a sense of humor in his personal letter to Philemon on behalf of a runaway slave, Onesimus. The letter reads like something out of Shakespeare. One can actually hear the dialogue right down to the name Onesimus. Philemon, a fellow Christian, has been wronged by his former slave through possibly a financial issue or work not done, and Paul writes, urging Philemon to take him back without penalty. Paul has converted Onesimus, whom he considers like a son. He asks Philemon to forgive and accept Onesimus back into his household, and if he is still irritated about whatever loss he incurred, to put it on Paul’s tab. Paul reminds Philemon in a good-natured way that he owes Paul. The beautiful statement is that despite being a runaway slave, Paul considers Onesimus “a brother beloved.” There is much in Paul's letter to Philemon that relates to our Savior, Jesus Christ, and His payment of our debt.
1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus
Modern-era scholars have questioned the authorship of the Pastoral Epistles because they use a significant number of words that are not found in Paul’s other letters. The style of writing is markedly different from Paul’s other writings. However, each of the three letters also specifically refers to Paul as author. The doctrinal position is about the same—someone may have gathered Paul’s known writings and composed them as representations of what Paul counseled Timothy and Titus to do while noting that he did not likely write them in the same way he wrote his other letters. (Thomas Wayment).
Authorship: The questions in this book won’t be concerned with authorship. They will assume that the Christian tradition is correct in assuming that the Gospels, Acts, the letters, and Revelation were inspired by the Holy Ghost and authentically testify of Jesus Christ. In that case, questions of authorship are less important. As we study, our question will be, “What do these materials say to believers, and, in particular, what do they say to me?” James Faulconer
1 Timothy 6:16 - “no man hath seen, nor can see” Joseph Smith’s First Vision is a favorite target of critics of the LDS Church. Evangelical critics in particular, such as Matt Slick of the Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry, seek to discredit the First Vision on biblical grounds. (Look at JST 1 Timothy 6:16)
Q: How would you respond to someone who quoted you this scripture in relation to the First Vision?
“God the Father dwells behind a curtain or veil of unapproachable light and glory, which is not penetrable by the eyes of unaided mortal man. Only in rare instances of grace is a mortal strengthened by God’s power to the point that he or she can pass through this barrier and endure the vision of God. Paul’s doxological description of God’s transcendence over man in 1 Timothy 6:16 should be interpreted in that context. God is capable of revealing his physical self to man. Such was the case with Moses and other ancient prophets, and such was the case with Joseph Smith.”
“Can a Man See God? 1 Timothy 6:16 in Light of Ancient and Modern Revelation”
James Stutz
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship 8 (2014)
Titus 1:2 - “before the world began”
“One of the important doctrines in this chapter is the doctrine of pre-mortality (verse 2). Few, if any, Christian religions in the world today teach that we had a premortal existence before coming to earth. Jeremiah 1:5 teaches the same doctrine.”
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