Key Themes in The Pastoral Epistles

In the introduction to his new commentary on the Pastoral Epistles, Osvaldo Padilla focuses on five key theological themes:

1. The God of the Pastoral Epistles

Paul begins each of these epistles with the common opening elements of letters from the Greco-Roman period (see comments under 1 Tim. 1:1–2). Nevertheless, he expands the common template by enlarging on each aspect, particularly theological statements about God. This aspect signals to the reader how the letters are to be read – they are to be read ‘under’ God. But who is this God? I offer four theological statements about the God of the Pastoral Epistles.

i. God is the God of Israel
ii. God is the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ
iii. The God of the Pastoral Epistles is Triune
iv. The God of the Pastoral Epistles is the Saviour

2. Salvation

There are two primary themes that are present in the Pastoral Epistles with respect to salvation: it is a gracious work of God and it cannot be gained by human effort. Although there is some nuancing of these themes that are particular to the Pastoral Epistles, the themes are essentially those found in Paul’s so-called ‘undisputed’ letters...  studies of Pauline theology during the last fifty years have shown that although justification by grace through faith is crucial to Paul’s understanding of salvation, it is not necessarily the central point of the apostle’s doctrine of salvation. Below I mention two areas of emphasis in the Pastorals’ concept of salvation.

First, God, as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, is the subject of salvation. The soteriology of the Pastoral Epistles is God-centred. Attention is called to each person of the Trinity as the actor of salvation: the Father (1 Tim. 4:10; 2 Tim. 1:9), the Son (1 Tim. 2:5–6; 3:16), the Holy Spirit (Tit. 3:5–6). There is a coalescing of the trinitarian work in the climactic soteriological text of the Pastoral Epistles, namely Titus 3:4–8.

Second, salvation is God acting to bring us back to himself that we might enjoy fellowship with him. Although it can be artificial because there is overlap, we can think of salvation in the three tenses: past, present and future.

3. The Christian Life

In the Pastoral Epistles salvation is ineluctably followed by a new type of life. Paul expresses this new conduct of the believer primarily in two ways. First, there is the phrase translated into English as ‘good works’. The phrase translates the somewhat uncommon Greek phrase ergon agathos as well as the much more common ergon kalos (or kalos ergon, which is the dominant word order)... He is probably using this language to remind believers that the best apologetic for Christian mission is often good works. Two conclusions emerge from this. First, what Paul is asking of the believers is not some unattainable goal. As we comment in the section on overseers and deacons as well as the household code of Titus 2, Paul simply wants the believers to display solid, grounded morality: sobriety, courtesy, faithfulness, raising children well, being respectful of spouses, and so on. These were the kinds of virtues to which much lip service was given in the Greco-Roman world, especially by moral philosophers, but which few in the populace actually practised. Second, ‘good works’ were not an end in themselves but had a missional function. Particularly telling is the phrase in Titus 2:10, where godly conduct is there to ‘adorn the teaching of God our Saviour’. Good works have a purpose: to win for the faith the unbelievers who are carefully observing the Christians

4. The church

The ecclesiology of the Pastoral Epistles is similar to that found in the other letters of Paul. Lexically speaking, however, whereas the term ekklēsia (‘assembly’) dominates in the other letters, in the Pastoral Epistles it is found only three times (1 Tim. 3:5, 15; 5:16). More common is the language of ‘household’ (oikos/oikia) to speak of the church (e.g., 1 Tim. 3:15; 2 Tim. 3:6; Tit. 1:11). In addition, Paul uses filial language (1 Tim. 5:1–16) and the household code (Tit. 2:1–10), thereby suggesting that the church is similar to an oikos.

If you want to read more about the key themes of the Pastoral Epistles, as well as introduction and outline, then check out the linked blog posts below:

Key Themes in 1 Timothy

Key Themes in 2 Timothy

Key Themes in Titus

Osvaldo Padilla's new Tyndale New Testament Commentary on the Pastoral Epistles is a helpful and fresh study of these letters. Below you'll find other recomendations for digging deeper into 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus.