The apostle Paul refers to three men as his sons, even though he never married or had offspring.

• Timothy
• Titus
• Onesimus

In calling them sons, he is describing a relationship like a father and son and expressing his deep affection for these men. Of the three men, two of them, Timothy and Titus, can be considered sons in the ministry, since it appears that Paul placed them in leadership positions in the churches he started.

Timothy

The first young man to whom Paul refers as his son is Timothy. In Paul's first and second letters to Timothy, he calls him his son four times.

• "To Timothy my true son in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord" (1 Tim. 1:2 NIV).
• "Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight" (1 Tim. 1:18 NIV).
• "To Timothy, my dear son: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord" (2 Tim. 1:2 NIV).
• "You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus" (2 Tim. 2:1).

Titus

Titus is only referred to as Paul's son one time in the Paul's letter to him. He, like Timothy was a minister to one of the churches Paul established.

• "To Titus, my true son in our common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior" (Tit. 1:4).

Onesimus

Onesimus is considered one of Paul's sons because he was influenced by Paul's ministry while Paul was a prisoner. Onesimus was a run away slave whom Paul admonished to return to his master, Philemon.

• "I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains" (Philemon v. 10 NIV).