1Ti 2:6          What is the purpose of a testimony or witness?  See John 5:31-39.  What is the testimony or witness that Paul speaks of in 1Ti 2:6, for which he was appointed a preacher and apostle (1Ti 2:7)?  See beginning in 1Ti 2:4, and 1 Jn 5:6-11.  Considering the opposition that Paul had experienced from the Jews over the previous 15 years of ministry that resulted in his recent imprisonment for four years, what is the full significance of the word “all” in 1Ti 2:4, and again here in 1Ti 2:6?  See Mat 24:14, John 10:16, Acts 22:21-22.  Paul has written of the gospel witness of God’s love for all mankind that was manifested in the person of Jesus Christ who gave Himself as a ransom for all; what does he mean that this testimony was borne at the proper time (NIV “given in its proper time”, KJV “to be testified in due time”, lit., “the witness in its own times”)?  What does this teach us about God’s sovereign control of history to fulfill every jot and tittle of His plan for the redemption of man exactly on schedule?  See also Ecc 3:1, Acts 17:26, 7:17, Lk 1:20, Mk 1:14-15, Jn 2:3-4, 7:6-8,30, 8:20, 12:23, Mat 26:18, Jn 13:1, 17:1, Rom 5:6, Gal 4:1-5, Eph 1:9-10, Mat 8:28-29, Lk 21:24, 2 Thess 2:6, 1 Tim 6:13-15, Rev 9:15, 11:16-18.  Does the existence of such an exact timetable of God’s plan for the complete redemption of man mean that we can know it and thereby predict the future?  See Dt 29:29, Acts 1:7, 1 Thess 5:1-2, Mat 24:36.  What great danger befell those who supposed they understood God’s plan for the redemption of His people at Christ’s first coming?  See Acts 4:10-11.  Might an equally great danger await those who suppose they understand God’s plan for the redemption of His people at Christ’s second coming?  See Amos 5:18-20, Heb 9:28.

1Ti 2:7          For what and to whom was Paul appointed a preacher and apostle?  See Eph 3:2-9.  Was the gospel witness of God’s love for all mankind that was now going forth to the Gentiles something new God was now doing because of Israel’s rejection of her promised Messiah, or was it a further unfolding of a plan He had had from the beginning?  See 2 Tim 1:9-11, Tit 1:1-3, 1 Pet 1:10-11.  What do these verses teach us about the central importance of the apostles as preachers and teachers, and the church as the administrator, of this unfolding plan?  See also Luke 5:37-39, Eph 3:8-11.  What stir did this unfolding revelation of God’s plan generate among the Jews?  See Acts 11:1-3, 15:1-2,5 Gal 2:11-13.  What does Paul’s appeal to his veracity in this context tell us about how unbelievable the inclusion of the Gentiles to the covenant community was to those who lived in the first century (both Jew and Gentile)?  See also Rom 9:1, 2 Cor 11:31 and Gal 1:20 for similar appeals by Paul to his veracity, and notice how this characteristic argues for the genuineness of the Pastorals.  As God’s plan for our complete redemption continues to unfold, especially at Christ’s second coming, is it possible that it will be found to be equally unbelievable?  See Is 55:8-9, Mat 7:22-23, 1 Cor 2:9.