¹Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise of life in Christ Jesus, ²To Timothy, my beloved son: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

Notwithstanding his close relationship with Timothy, Paul identifies himself as “an apostle of Christ Jesus.” He is not “the” apostle, nor was Peter “the” apostle (see 1 Peter 1:1, and 2:1). Apostleship was a shared gift, with no hierarchy among them. To be sure, each one stood out according to his gift and calling, but the church is “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone” (Eph. 2:20). The Lord Himself is “the Apostle” (Heb. 3:1). This is important in light of contemporary hierarchical approaches to local church and denominational authority structures.

The original leaders of the Christian movement were not commissioned to function in a structured order of hierarchy. They were equal in their authority as apostles, as the official witnesses of Jesus (Acts 1:8), forming a critical part of the foundation of the church. Each was essential, though not everyone had equal prominence. The early part of the book of Acts focuses primarily on Peter’s ministry (chapters 1–12), followed by the later part, where Paul’s ministry is recorded more prominently Acts (13–28). While later church history exalted them beyond what Scripture allows, they were nonetheless not reluctant to identify as apostles. They were able to combine humility with confidence in acting fully in their calling as apostles.

So Paul here writes as an apostle by the will of God, delegating his final instructions to Timothy. If we are correct in understanding Timothy to be in his later thirties or early forties, this takes on the tone of apostolic commissioning. Nowhere does Paul refer to Timothy as being the pastor of the Ephesian church (contrary to popular teaching today), nor as a bishop over the churches of Asia Minor. Neither is there any hint of what the Roman church calls “apostolic succession.” Such a notion came later in the history of the church. But certainly, Timothy can take what is written here and confidently pass it on as being apostolic teaching. Paul makes that clear in his salutation.

We also note interestingly that Paul gives a full orb description of who commissioned or delegated this message to him. His authority comes “from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.” Therefore, our authority today in conveying the Christian message comes, in this case, from the inspired letter Paul wrote to Timothy, which comes ultimately from God—not from church tradition or supposed present-day authorities.

Lord, help me to build my life and faith on the unalterable written Word of God.