14 May 2026

1 Timothy is full of practical advice. Some of our best known quotations are to be found here. ‘Do not neglect the gift that is in you.’ the writer says to a youthful Timothy.

‘No longer drink only water,’ he says, ‘but take a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.’ With this explicit commendation, one wonders why the kirk had such a negative attitude towards alcohol.

And most famously of all, ‘The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.’ And don’t we know it. Wealth has always been a threat to Christianity. This has been confirmed by history.

However, money is amoral. The love of money is not. ‘No-one can serve two masters,’ says Jesus, ‘you cannot serve God and money.’

Right at the start of 1 Timothy, the author makes clear the purpose of his advice. ‘The aim of such instruction is love,’ he says,  ‘love that comes from a pure heart, a good conscience and sincere faith.’

If that is the outcome of reading this letter, does it really matter who wrote it? The authorship is contested. It may have been St. Paul or another. But the purpose of his advice  is clear – and its fulfilment is to be seen in the Kirk.