A Handbook on Paul's Letters to Timothy and to Titus
Arichea, D. C. & Hatton, H.
Citations
"Since the false teachers seemed to have Ephesus as their headquarters, Paul urged Timothy to stay on in Ephesus, an instruction that Paul had already given his young co-worker while Paul was on his way to Macedonia."
CS: The very first thing that Paul made note of is that Timothy was being urged by Paul to stay on in Ephesus and to instruct the false teachers. If Ephesus was their headquarters, this instruction has even more weight to the key purpose and goal of the command that Paul gave to Timothy.
"Charge (TEV "must order") is the same word used in verse 1. Another way to express this clause is "you must demand that they stop …" The false teachers are simply referred to as certain people (TEV "some people") but are not otherwise identified; it is therefore difficult to determine whether they were members of the Christian community or were outsiders. Timothy is exhorted to order these people not to teach any different doctrine."
CS: Timothy must order, and he must demand.
"As I urged you when I was traveling to the province of Macedonia, you must remain in the city of Ephesus. I want you to do this so that you can command certain people there to stop teaching false doctrines."
"As already mentioned, charge is the same word used in verses 3 and 5. Commit entails the idea of entrusting or handing over something to someone for implementation and preservation. Timothy is addressed here intimately as my son, or more accurately "my child" (TEV, NRSV), since the Greek word for son is the generic word for any child."
CS: This is the connection between 1 Timothy 1:3 and 1:18. Same word for charge or command and Paul is entrusting Timothy to implement Paul's command to the false teachers as an act of love for the souls of those who teach error.
"At any rate, Timothy is exhorted to use these prophetic utterances as weapons in the battle ahead. Inspired by them is literally "in them" or more probably "by them," which describes these prophetic utterances as instruments or weapons both to be used (so TEV) and obeyed (so NRSV)."
CS: The fact that Paul is encouraging Timothy to fight the good fight, shows that this letter is about a battle in the church. 1 Timothy 1:18 is very much connected to 1:3.