Rules, regulations, and expectations might appear like this is all Paul is writing about to his friend Timothy. This is especially true if you’ve been raised to read the Bible as a rule book or instruction manual. But this is a letter, not a treatise. The Bible is the story of God, not his book of regulations (although there are regulations sprinkled throughout). In the middle of the letter Paul gets to the heart of why he wrote it, “Although I hope to come to you soon, I am writing you these instructions so that, if I am delayed, you will know…” (1 Timothy 3:14-15a). Jesus had given his disciples the responsibility of making disciples, and in writing this letter, Paul was being faithful to that great commission, providing a surrogate in case he couldn’t make it in person. The instructions given are not rules to follow, they are for training oneself and others, in order that every person might encounter the living God and be transformed from the inside out.
