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1 Timothy 1 · a question people ask

"to Timothy, my true child in faith" (1:2). What does my true child in faith mean?

In the text

The letter calls Timothy "my true child in faith" (1:2), and later "my child Timothy" (1:18). It doesn't explain the words, and these notes don't either. They add nothing about Timothy from other books.

The verses

“to Timothy, my true child in faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.”
1 Timothy 1:2 · World English Bible
“I commit this instruction to you, my child Timothy, according to the prophecies which were given to you before, that by them you may wage the good warfare,”
1 Timothy 1:18 · World English Bible

From Favor's study of 1 Timothy 1

1 Timothy 1: I obtained mercy

In 1 Timothy 1, chief in "of whom I am chief" (1:15) and first in "that in me first" (1:16) are one Greek word. And behind thank in "I thank him who enabled me" (1:12), the Greek has the noun behind grace in "The grace of our Lord" (1:14).

In Favor, questions like this come up right where they arise as you read, with the Hebrew and Greek behind the words and how the chapter leads to Jesus.

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Last reviewed October 8, 2026. Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Every answer cites the verses it rests on. What we believe · All Bible questions