My new book is available in print and Kindle formats, and it will soon be available from Logos Bible Software. It’s 808 pages.
Naselli, Andrew David. What God Says in 1 Timothy. Build & Fight Press, 2026.
I explain and apply the apostle Paul’s first letter to Timothy. In addition to expositing 1 Timothy, I also teach what the whole Bible says about men and women, pastors, deacons, slavery, work, and money.
Contents
Endorsements
“Andy Naselli has given the church a timely and forceful exposition of Paul’s first letter to Timothy. In an age when the household of God is tempted to confusion, softness, and surrender, this book calls pastors and churches back to the apostolic charge: guard the truth, pursue godliness, and fight the good fight of the faith. Naselli writes with clarity, conviction, and pastoral urgency. He does not treat doctrine as an ornament for the mind, but as the architecture of a faithful church. Here is a book for elders, fathers, teachers, and saints who want to know how the church of the living God ought to behave in a world drowning in falsehood. Read it, mark it, and let Paul’s charge strengthen your spine for the good fight.”
—Uri Brito, Senior Pastor, Providence Church in Pensacola, Florida; Presiding Minister of Council, Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches (CREC)
“If Andy Naselli writes a book, I’m reading it! I am glad to add this insightful and practical book on 1 Timothy to my Naselli collection. And I warmly encourage you to read and share this study on a Pastoral Epistle that pastors and churches desperately need to hear and heed today.”
—H. B. Charles Jr., Pastor-Teacher of the Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church of Jacksonville and Orange Park, Florida
“Paul’s first letter to Timothy is an important book for the church due to its teaching on church government and the duties of men and women. There are several good commentaries in print, but what sets Andy Naselli’s work apart is its application, as well as its unique format. Do not let the page count of this book intimidate you. The headers, bullet points, and question-and-answer format make it easily accessible for all Christians. I plan to consult it regularly.”
—Zachary Garris, Pastor, Bryce Avenue Presbyterian Church (PCA) in White Rock, New Mexico
“From its summons to ‘fight the good fight of faith’ (1 Tim 1:18) to its discussion of false teaching, the proper use of the law, and God’s design for men, women, and the church, Paul’s first epistle to Timothy is stuffed with the sort of applied theology the church desperately needs in every age, including our own. To that end Naselli offers a thorough analysis of the big doctrines contained in this little book, explaining them with a theologian’s precision and applying them with a pastor’s heart.”
—Doug Ponder, Academic Dean and Professor of Biblical Studies, Grimké Seminary; Teaching Pastor, Remnant Church in Richmond, Virginia
“Andy Naselli has proven himself to be a faithful scholar, a trusted theologian, and a prolific author. Yet now, in addition to serving the universal church as a professor, he has taken on the mantle of being a pastor of his local church. This commentary on 1 Timothy is the fruit of that preaching ministry. With exegetical skill, Naselli offers pastoral wisdom in a style of writing that gets right to the heart of the text. For anyone preaching or studying 1 Timothy, this book will serve you well as a trusted source of biblical and theological insight.”
—David Schrock, Pastor of Preaching and Theology, Occoquan Bible Church in Woodbridge, Virginia; Editor-in-Chief, ChristOverAll.com
“Andy Naselli is a thoughtful exegete and a reliable guide. Pick up this volume if you are looking for a conservative, theologically informed, and readily applicable engagement with Paul’s longest pastoral epistle, 1 Timothy.”
—Colin J. Smothers, Pastor, First Baptist Church of Maize, Kansas; Executive Director, The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood
“This book is a rich asset for anyone thinking through 1 Timothy and the issues it raises. Andy Naselli’s sermons are marked by detailed analysis, careful attention to the text, and robust theological reflection and application. He speaks clearly and unashamedly, always pastorally with the aim of helping people live according to the truths of God’s Word so that they might please God and know the fullness of walking with God.”
—Ray Van Neste, Dean, School of Theology and Missions, Professor of Biblical Studies, Union University; author of Cohesion and Structure in the Pastoral Epistles, JSNTSup 280 (T&T Clark, 2004) and the notes on 1–2 Timothy and Titus in the ESV Study Bible (Crossway, 2008)
Preface (An Excerpt from the Book)
This book updates the first sermon series I preached to Christ the King Church in Stillwater, Minnesota. We first covenanted as a church on January 5, 2025, and it was my joy to explain and apply what God says in 1 Timothy. This raises five introductory questions:
Q1. Why are you publishing these sermons?
I wrote the sermons for my church—not for the internet and not for a book. But as I finished the series, it seemed good to my fellow pastors for me to lightly update my sermon manuscripts in a book.
When I study the Bible, it helps me to read not only technical exegesis of a passage but also how preachers and teachers have attempted to explain God’s words and to exhort God’s people in a church’s worship service. I pray that my teaching and exhorting may help you understand and obey what God says in 1 Timothy. That’s why I am publishing these sermons.
Q2. Why do some of your sermons explain what the whole Bible says about a matter?
For most of this book, I explain 1 Timothy passage by passage. (Those sermons are expositional preaching.) I also occasionally zoom out to explain what the whole Bible says about a matter and then show how that relates to what God says in 1 Timothy. (Those sermons are topical preaching.) I zoom out to address the following topics:
- God’s good design for men and women (with reference to 1 Tim 2:9–15)
- what shepherds do and how to discern if a man should be a pastor (with reference to 1 Tim 3:1–7)
- deacons (with reference to 1 Tim 3:8–13)
- slavery (with reference to 1 Tim 6:1–2)
- work (with reference to 1 Tim 6:1–2)
- money (with reference to 1 Tim 3:3; 6:6–10, 17–19)
I do that to show how the whole Bible fits together. The Bible brilliantly coheres. God does not contradict himself.
Q3. What resources on 1 Timothy do you recommend?
Here are five resources that I found especially helpful as I studied 1 Timothy—starting with the most helpful:
- Knight, George W., III. The Pastoral Epistles: A Commentary on the Greek Text. NIGTC. Eerdmans, 1992.
- Yarbrough, Robert W. The Letters to Timothy and Titus. Pillar New Testament Commentary. Eerdmans, 2018.
- Burk, Denny. “1 Timothy.” Pages 371–451 in Ephesians–Philemon. Vol. 11 of ESV Expository Commentary. Crossway, 2018.
- Calvin, John. Commentaries on the Epistles to Timothy, Titus, and Philemon. Edited and translated by William Pringle. Logos, 2010.
- Mounce, William D. Pastoral Epistles. WBC 46. Word, 2000.
Q4. How can I access your phrase diagram of 1 Timothy?
A phrase diagram is a type of argument diagram. An argument diagram graphically displays the text’s logical flow of thought in two ways: (1) by dividing up the text into propositions and phrases and (2) by specifying how the propositions and phrases logically relate to each other. A phrase diagram traces the argument by (1) indenting clauses and phrases above or below what they modify and (2) adding labels and symbols like arrows to explain how the propositions and phrases logically relate.
The title of my phrase diagram is Tracing the Argument of 1 Timothy: A Phrase Diagram (Logos, 2026). It’s available from Logos Bible Software.
I meticulously phrased 1 Timothy line by line in Greek and then mirrored that in the ESV before I drafted my sermons. The structure of most of my sermons reflects how I think Paul argues.
Q5. Why are you dedicating this book to Nathan Colestock, Tom Dodds, and Dustin Williams?
Those three men are my fellow pastors, and they gave me constructive feedback on each sermon. In 2024, we prepared to plant Christ the King Church together, and it has been a joy to build and fight with these like-minded and like-hearted brothers.
