1 Timothy: Grace, Mercy, and Peace

1 Timothy 1:1-2
1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope, 2 To Timothy, a true son in the faith:  Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.

Paul was called in two ways.  He was called out from destruction under God’s wrath as a sinner from birth, and he was called to be a messenger of the gospel and conveyor of God’s word.  Paul was called out of darkness into the marvelous light in the face of Jesus Christ to preach Him and explain God’s plan and purpose for others He called out into the body of the called out ones, the church.  He was commanded to minister in the hope of Christ, and in that hope took a disciple, Timothy, into his charge to serve alongside him in the gospel.  Paul considered him as a son in the faith and more as a fellow worker in Christ.  To him Paul writes this letter with the reminder of who God called him to be and what Timothy meant for him to do so.  Therefore Paul begins by offering and praying for these things from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ on this son: grace, mercy, and peace. Grace by unmerited goodness of God to reconcile, mercy to pass over all sin to save, and the resulting peace with God as the result.