SPECIAL TOPIC: THE ORTHODOXY OF THE PASTORALS

By the time of the writing of the Pastoral Letters (i.e., 1 Timothy, Titus, 2 Timothy) in the mid 60's (Paul was beheaded in A.D. 67; I believe these books were written on Paul's fourth missionary journey), already a sense of the truths of the gospel were being developed into a doctrinal sense. Notice the way Paul refers to this "developed kerygma" (see SPECIAL TOPIC: THE KERYGMA OF THE EARLY CHURCH), which was the church's defense against the false teachers.

1. "sound teaching"
   1. 1 Tim. 1:10
   2. 2 Tim. 4:3
   3. Titus 1:9; 2:1
2. "faithful sayings"
   1. 1 Tim. 1:15; 3:1; 4:8-9
   2. 2 Tim. 2:11-13
   3. Titus 1:9; 3:5-8
3. "the teaching"
   1. 1 Tim. 4:16; 6:1
   2. 2 Tim. 3:10
   3. Titus 2:7
4. "the good teaching" ‒ 1 Tim. 4:6
5. "the teaching of godliness"
   1. 1 Tim. 6:3
   2. Titus 1:1
6. "sound words"
   1. 1 Tim. 6:3
   2. 2 Tim. 1:13
7. "what has been entrusted"
   1. 1 Tim. 6:20
   2. 2 Tim. 1:12,14 (i.e., "the good deposit")
8. "the faith"
   1. 1 Tim. 1:5,19; 3:9,13; 4:1,6; 5:8; 6:10,12,21
   2. 2 Tim. 3:10; 4:7
   3. Titus 1:13; 2:2

This doctrinal formulation of the gospel must be

1. guarded ‒ 1 Tim. 6:20; 2 Tim. 1:14
2. kept ‒ 2 Tim. 4:7
3. held fast ‒ Titus 1:9
4. entrusted to faithful people ‒ 2 Tim. 2:2

All believers have been entrusted with the gospel. We must protect it, keep it, and pass it on intact!

SPECIAL TOPIC: THE GOSPEL

SPECIAL TOPIC: SOUND TEACHING

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