Paul first met Timothy during his first missionary journey. Timothy lived in the city of Lystra, in Galatia. His father was Greek, but both his mother and grandmother were Jewish.

On Paul’s second missionary journey, Timothy went along as an assistant. Paul liked Timothy and eventu­ally called Him “my dearly beloved son” (2 Timothy 1:2).

This first letter to Timothy was written after Paul had ordained Timothy as the pastor of the church in Ephesus. Paul gave Timothy some instructions on how to look after his church. He provided guidance on church doctrines, on the qualifications for church officers, and on how Timothy ought to conduct himself in his relation­ships with young and old church members and with women.

Paul also gave some counsel on dealing with false teachers in his congregation, a particular problem in Ephesus.