“Timothy, my genuine child in faith, grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.”

(1 Timothy 1:2)

Paul concludes his greeting with these words to Timothy. The language of grace, mercy, and peace is language consistent with much Christian writing. For instance, we see all three of these terms used in both of Paul’s letters to Timothy as well as in John’s letter to the elect lady (2 John 3). It should be noted that in all of Paul’s other letters, his ordinary phrase is “grace and peace,” but I do not think that provides grounds to suggest that Paul is setting this greeting apart in any particular way (other than perhaps his affection for Timothy) as he wishes “peace and mercy” to the whole of the faithful church of Jesus Christ (Galatians 6:16). In addition, mercy is a common theme in Paul’s writing as a whole. These are words of greeting that model for us the love and care which one believer has for another. Yet, in a society that is used to communicating with texts and emails, I wonder what things would look like if we took the time to model Paul’s greeting to Timothy within our own communications.

Paul refers to Timothy as his “genuine child” or his “authentic child. The term he uses here is γνήσιος (gnesios), which refers to something that is genuine or true and was often used in the ancient Greek world to denote when a child was a legitimate child as opposed to those who might have been illegitimate and unworthy of a birthright. The significance of this language should be obvious: Timothy was not Paul’s biological son as Paul was unmarried and remained celibate for his entire ministry (1 Corinthians 7:6-9). Thus, Paul is looking to Timothy as his son in the context of the Christian faith. In some Christian circles, it is not uncommon to speak of those who had been our fathers and mothers in the faith. Sometimes these are our biological parents but often they are men and women who have been instrumental either in leading us to the Christian faith or in discipling us in Christian maturity. In a very real sense, these spiritual children we might have are just as legitimate as our biological children (if not more so). In the past, I have often challenged people to get “Fathers Day” or “Mothers Day” cards for those who were their spiritual parents. It is not that I am advocating man-made holidays, but simply the principle of reminding those who have been instrumental in your faith that you are grateful for them.