<p>1:1<i>Paul, an apostle</i>- Paul begins by saying he has been called to be a sent out one, and then a few verses later backs it up by repeating that he was appointed to be an apostle (2:7). The same pattern is to be seen in 2 Timothy; the opening verse speaks likewise of how he is an apostle (2 Tim. 1:1), and then 2 Tim. 1:11 says he was indeed appointed as an apostle. Perhaps Timothy was beginning to doubt Paul's credentials, and this was a factor in Timothy's lack of full devotion to his ministry? Or perhaps Paul is urging Timothy to follow his own example of commitment to the calling he had received. For the letters to Timothy suggest that Timothy needed to be stirred up to continue responding to the calling received.</p><p><i>Of Christ Jesus </i><i>according to the commandment of God our Saviour, and Christ Jesus our hope</i><i>- </i>The most essential error, practically or doctrinally, is to &ldquo;lose connection to the head Jesus, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together... grows&rdquo; (Col. 2:19). The Lord Himself taught what Paul called 'growing up into Him who is the head'; He commented that the end goal for His disciples was that &quot;every one i.e. disciple, in the context when he is perfected shall be as his master&quot;, i.e. Himself (Lk. 6:40). This was why Paul can speak of &quot;Jesus who is our hope&quot; (1 Tim. 1:1), all we hope to ever become. The hope of glory is to have Christ in us fully (Col. 1:27), which explains why the presence of the spirit of Christ in us now is a foretaste and guarantee of our eternal salvation.</p>