One of the unique features of 1 Timothy is that it lacks (or at least misplaces) the usual Pauline expressions of thanksgiving. Typically, Paul offered thanks for his coworkers and for the churches he helped establish. This section would also give thanks for Christ's redemptive work and God's grace. In 1 Timothy, after the salutation, the epistle moves immediately into a discussion about combating false teachers (vv. 3-7) and then into an exploration of the proper function of the law (vv. 8-11).

It is in today's epistle reading, verses 12-16, that we finally get what appears to be a delayed thanksgiving section. The thanks given here, however, are not for God's work through the churches or for Christ's redemptive work in the world. The gratitude voiced here is a much more personal express…