Text -- 2 Timothy 1:5 (NET)

1:5 I recall your sincere faith that was alive first in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice, and I am sure is in you.

Commentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per phrase)

Robertson: 2Ti 1:5

Having been reminded ( hupomnēsin labōn ).

"Having received (second aorist active participle of lambanō ) a reminder"(old word from hupomimnēskō , to remind, in N.T. only here and 1Pe 1:13). For the idiom see note on Rom 7:8, Rom 7:11. A reminder by another while anamnēsis remembrance (1Co 11:24.) is rather a recalling by oneself (Vincent).

Robertson: 2Ti 1:5

Of the unfeigned faith ( tēs anupokritou pisteōs ).

Late compound for which see note on 2Co 6:6; Rom 12:9.

Robertson: 2Ti 1:5

Dwelt ( enōikēsen ).

First aorist active indicative of enoikeō , old verb, in N.T. only in Paul (Rom 8:11; Col 3:16).

Robertson: 2Ti 1:5

First ( prōton ).

Adverb, not adjective (prōtē ).

Robertson: 2Ti 1:5

In thy grandmother Lois ( en tēi mammēi Lōidi ).

Old word, originally the infantile word for mētēr (mother), then extended by writers to grandmother as here. Common for grandmother in the papyri. Lois is the mother of Eunice, Timothy’ s mother, since Timothy’ s father was a Greek (Act 16:1). Probably both grandmother and mother became Christians.

Robertson: 2Ti 1:5

I am persuaded ( pepeismai ).

Perfect passive indicative of peithō , "I stand persuaded."In the Pastorals only here and 2Ti 1:12, common in Paul’ s other writings (Rom 8:38, etc.).

Vincent: 2Ti 1:5

When I call to remembrance ( ὑπόμνησιν λαβὼν )

The object of χάριν ἔχω , 2Ti 1:3. Lit. having received a reminding . The phrases N.T.o . Ὑπόμνησις reminding (but sometimes intransitive, remembrance ), only here, 2Pe 1:13; 2Pe 3:1. In lxx three times. As distinguished from ἀνάμνησις remembrance (1Co 11:24, 1Co 11:25) it signifies a reminding or being reminded by another; while ἀνάμνησις is a recalling by one's self.

Vincent: 2Ti 1:5

Unfeigned faith that is in thee ( τῆς ἐν σοὶ ἀνυποκρίτου πίστεως )

See on 1Ti 1:5. For the peculiar collocation of the Greek words, comp. Act 17:28; Rom 1:12; Eph 1:15. The writer's thought is probably not confined to Christian faith, but has in view the continuity of Judaism and Christianity. In 2Ti 1:3 he speaks of serving God from his forefathers. In Act 24:14 Paul is represented as saying that even as a Christian he serves the God of his fathers, believing all things contained in the law and the prophets.

Vincent: 2Ti 1:5

Dwelt ( ἐνῴκησεν )

Paul uses the verb with sin , the divine Spirit , God , the word of Christ , but nowhere with faith . The phrase faith dwells in , N.T.o . According to Paul, Christians are or stand in faith; but faith is not represented as dwelling in them. Christ dwells in the heart through faith (Eph 3:17).

Vincent: 2Ti 1:5

First ( πρῶτον )

With reference to Timothy, and with a comparative sense, as Mat 5:24; Mat 7:5; Mar 3:27; 1Th 4:16, etc. This is shown by the last clause of the verse. The writer merely means that faith had already dwelt in Timothy's grandmother and mother before it did in him. How much farther back his believing ancestry went he does not say. Comp. Act 16:1.

Vincent: 2Ti 1:5

Grandmother ( μάμμῃ )

N.T. Once in lxx, 4 Macc. 16:9. Later Greek . The correct classical word is τήθη . See Aristoph. Ach . 49; Plato, Repub . 461 D. From the emphasis upon Timothy's receiving his training from his Jewish mother, it has been inferred that his father died early. That he was the child of a mixed marriage appears from Act 16:1

Vincent: 2Ti 1:5

I am persuaded ( πέπεισμαι )

The verb in Pastorals only here and 2Ti 1:12. Often in Paul.

Wesley: 2Ti 1:5

A word not applied to a transient guest, but only to a settled inhabitant.

Wesley: 2Ti 1:5

Probably this was before Timothy was born, yet not beyond St. Paul's memory.

JFB: 2Ti 1:5

This increased his "desire to see" Timothy. The oldest manuscripts read, "When I called to remembrance"; implying that some recent incident (perhaps the contrasted cowardice of the hypocrite Demas, who forsook him) had reminded him of the sincerity of Timothy's faith.

JFB: 2Ti 1:5

ALFORD translates, "that was in thee." He remembers Timothy's faith in the past as a fact; its present existence in him is only matter of his confident persuasion or hope.

JFB: 2Ti 1:5

Greek, "such as."

JFB: 2Ti 1:5

"made its dwelling" or abode (Joh 14:23). The past tense implies they were now dead.

JFB: 2Ti 1:5

Before it dwelt in thee. She was the furthest back of the progenitors of Timothy whom Paul knew.

JFB: 2Ti 1:5

A believing Jewess; but his father was a Greek, that is, a heathen (Act 16:1). The faith of the one parent sanctified the child (2Ti 3:15; 1Co 7:14). She was probably converted at Paul's first visit to Lystra (Act 14:6). It is an undesigned coincidence, and so a mark of truth, that in Act 16:1 the belief of the mother alone is mentioned, just as here praise is bestowed on the faith of the mother, while no notice is taken of the father [PALEY, Horæ Paulinæ].

JFB: 2Ti 1:5

Greek, "but," that is, notwithstanding appearances [ALFORD].

JFB: 2Ti 1:5

It dwells, or it shall dwell "in thee also." The mention of the faith of his mother and grandmother is designed as an incentive to stir up his faith.

Clarke: 2Ti 1:5

The unfeigned faith that is in thee - Timothy had given the fullest proof of the sincerity of his conversion, and of the purity of his faith

Clarke: 2Ti 1:5

Which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois - In Act 16:1, we are informed that Paul came to Derbe and Lystra; and behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, who was a Jewess, and believed; but his father was a Greek. Luke, the historian, it appears, was not particularly acquainted with the family; Paul evidently was. Luke mentions the same circumstance which the apostle mentions here; but in the apostle’ s account there are particulars which argue an intimate acquaintance with the family and its history. Luke says Timothy’ s father was a Greek, consequently we may believe him to have been then in his heathen state; Paul, in mentioning the grandmother, mother, and son, passes by the father in silence; which intimates that either the father remained in his unconverted state, or was now dead. Lois and Eunice are both Grecian, and indeed heathen names; hence we are led to conclude that, although Timothy’ s mother was a Jewess according to St. Luke, yet she was a Grecian or Hellenist by birth. Lois, the grandmother, appears to have been the first convert to Christianity: she instructed her daughter Eunice, and both brought up Timothy in the Christian faith; so that he had a general knowledge of it before he met with St. Paul at Lystra. There, it appears the apostle was the instrument of the conversion of his heart to God; for a man may be well instructed in Divine things, have a very orthodox creed, and yet his heart not be changed. Instruction precedes conversion; conversion should follow it. To be brought up in the fear of God is a great blessing; and a truly religious education is an advantage of infinite worth.

Calvin: 2Ti 1:5

5.Calling to remembrance that unfeigned faith Not so much for the purpose of applauding as of exhorting Timothy, the Apostle commends both his own faith and that of his grandmother and mother; for, when one has begun well and valiantly, the progress he has made should encourage him to advance, and domestic examples are powerful excitements to urge him forward. Accordingly, he sets before him his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice, by whom he had been educated from his infancy in such a manner that he might have sucked godliness along with his milk. By this godly education, therefore, Timothy is admonished not to degenerate from himself and from his ancestors.

It is uncertain whether, on the one hand, these women were converted to Christ, and what Paul here applauds was the commencement of faith, or whether, on the other hand, faith is attributed to them apart from Christianity. The latter appears to me more probable; for, although at that time everything abounded with many superstitions and corruptions, yet God had always his own people, whom he did not suffer to be corrupted with the multitude, but whom he sanctified and separated to himself, that there might always exist among the Jews a pledge of this grace, which he had promised to the seed of Abraham. There is, therefore, no absurdity in saying that they lived and died in the faith of the Mediator, although Christ had not yet been revealed to them. But I do not assert anything, and could not assert without rashness.

And I am persuaded that in thee also This clause confirms me in the conjecture which I have just now stated; for, in my opinion, he does not here speak of the present faith of Timothy. It would lessen that sure confidence of the former eulogium, if he only said that he reckoned the faith of Timothy to resemble the faith of his grandmother and mother. But I understand the meaning to be, that Timothy, from his childhood, while he had not yet obtained a knowledge of the gospel, was imbued with the fear of God, and with such faith as proved to be a living seed, which afterwards manifested itself.

Defender: 2Ti 1:5

There is great blessing in having a godly heritage, even when only one parent and one grandparent contribute to it (2Ti 3:15). It will be a joy to meet Lois and Eunice in Heaven in the age to come! Also note the testimony concerning the parents of John the Baptist. "They were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless" (Luk 1:6)."

TSK: 2Ti 1:5

I call : Psa 77:6

unfeigned : Psa 17:1, Psa 18:44, Psa 66:3, Psa 81:15 *marg. Jer 3:10; Joh 1:47; 2Co 6:6; 1Ti 1:5, 1Ti 4:6; 1Pe 1:22

thy mother : Psa 22:10, Psa 86:16, Psa 116:16; Act 16:1

I am : 2Ti 1:12; Act 26:26; Rom 4:21, Rom 8:38, Rom 14:5, Rom 14:14, Rom 15:14; Heb 6:9, Heb 11:13

Commentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per Verse)

Barnes: 2Ti 1:5

When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee; - notes, 1Ti 1:5. On the faith of Timothy, see the notes at 1Ti 4:6.

Which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois - That is, the same faith dwelt in her; or, she was a sincere believer in Christ. It would seem probable, from this, that she was the first of the family who had been converted. In the Acts of the Apostles Act 16:1, we have an account of the family of Timothy: - "Then came he to Derbe and Lystra; and behold a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman which was a Jewess, and believed; but his father was a Greek."In this account no mention is made of the grandmother Lois, but there is no improbability in supposing that Paul was better acquainted with the family than Luke. There is, at any rate, no contradiction between the two accounts; but the one confirms the other, and the "undesigned coincidence"furnishes an argument for the authenticity of both. See Paley’ s Horae Paulinae, in loc. As the mother of Timothy was a Hebrew, it is clear that his grandmother was also. Nothing more is known of her than is mentioned here.

And in thy mother Eunice - In Act 16:1, it is said that the mother of Timothy was "a Jewess, and believed;"but her name is not mentioned. This shows that Paul was acquainted with the family, and that the statement in the Epistle to Timothy was not forged from the account in the Acts . Here is another "undesigned coincidence."In the history in the Acts , nothing is said of the father, except that he was "a Greek,"but it is implied that he was not a believer. In the Epistle before us, nothing whatever is said of him. But the piety of his mother alone is commended, and it is fairly implied that his father was not a believer. This is one of those coincidences on which Paley has constructed his beautiful argument in the Horae Paulinae in favor of the genuineness of the New Testament.

Poole: 2Ti 1:5

The apostle expresseth another cause of his affection to Timothy, viz. his sincere owning and adhering to the profession of the gospel; as his

grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice had done before him (he saith nothing of his father, for he was a Jew proselyted, or a heathen, Act 16:1 ); and though he could not infallibly determine, yet he was verily persuaded of his sincerity also.

Haydock: 2Ti 1:5

Thy grandmother, Lois. The principal intention St. Paul seems to have had in writing this second epistle to Timothy, was, to comfort him under the many hardships under which he laboured for the faith of Christ. To this end he endeavours first to strengthen his faith, by calling to his mind the example given him in his grandmother, as also in his mother, Eunice. Some likewise think St. Paul is here exhorting Timothy to a desire of martyrdom in the perfect discharge of his ministry, by his own example; as the same writers think it most probable that he was confined in prison at Rome, or at Laodicea, at the time he wrote this epistle. (Denis the Carthusian) ---

Certain [1] that in thee also. (Witham)

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[BIBLIOGRAPHY]

Certus sum, Greek: pepeismai, persuasum habeo.

Gill: 2Ti 1:5

When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee,.... This caused him to give thanks to God for it, whose gift it is and made him the more desirous of seeing one, who was a true believer, and an Israelite indeed. This is to be understood of the grace of faith, which was implanted in the heart of Timothy by the Spirit of God, and was genuine and sincere; he believed with the heart unto righteousness; his faith worked by love to God, and Christ, and to his people, and was attended with good works;

which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois: who was his grandmother, not by his father's side, who was a Greek, but by his mother's side; and so the Syriac version renders it, "thy mother's mother"; who, though she might not know that the Messiah was come in the flesh, and that Jesus of Nazareth was he, yet believed in the Messiah to come, and died in the faith of it, and in a dependence upon righteousness and salvation by him; and so her faith was of the same kind with Timothy's; and which dwelt in her, and continued with her to the last:

and thy mother Eunice: who was a Jewess, and a believer in Christ, Act 16:1 though her name is a Greek one, and so is her mother's name; hers signifies "good victory", and is the name of one of the Nereides, the daughters of Oceanus ^a; and her mother's signifies "better", or "more excellent". She lived, it seems, if her mother did not, to know that Christ was come, and that Jesus, the son of Mary, was he; and she believed in him for righteousness, life, and salvation; and in her this faith dwelt and abode to the end.

And I am persuaded that in thee also; not only that faith was in him, and that that was unfeigned, but that it also dwelt, remained, and would continue with him to the end of life; for true faith is an abiding grace, it is a gift of God, that is irrevocable, and without repentance; Christ is the author and finisher of it, and prays that it fail not, whose prayers are always heard; it is begun, carried on, and performed by the power of God, and has salvation inseparably connected with it. Now when the same faith is said to dwell, first in his grandmother, and in his mother, and in him, this is not to be understood as if this grace was conveyed from one to another by natural generation; for grace comes not that way, only sin; men are not born of blood, but of God; but the sense is, that the same like precious faith was obtained by one, as by another. This was a rich family mercy, and deserved special notice, as being a thing uncommon, and required a particular thanksgiving; and is designed as a motive and encouragement to stir up Timothy to the exercise of that grace, and every other gift God had bestowed upon him, as in the following verse.

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: 2Ti 1:5

¹ tn Grk “recalling” (as a continuation of the preceding clause). Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

² tn Grk “the sincere faith in you.”

³ tn Or “convinced.”

Commentary -- Verse Range Notes

TSK Synopsis: 2Ti 1:1-18

1 Paul's love to Timothy, and the unfeigned faith which was in Timothy himself, his mother, and grandmother.

6 He is exhorted to stir up the gift of God which was in him;

8 to be stedfast and patient in persecution;

13 and to persist in the form and truth of that doctrine which he had learned of him.

15 Phygellus and Hermogenes, and such like, are noted, and Onesiphorus is highly commended.

Maclaren: 2Ti 1:1-7

A Veteran's Counsels To A Young Soldier

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus, 2. To Timothy, my dearly beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. 3. I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day; 4. Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy; 5. When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also. 6. Wherefore I put thee in remembrance, that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. 7. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.'--2 Tim. 1:1-7.

But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned, and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; 15. And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17. That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.'--2 Tim. 3:14-17.

PAUL'S heart had been drawn to Timothy long before this letter was written, as far back as the beginning of his second missionary journey, and Timothy had cherished the enthusiastic devotion of a young man for his great leader. He seems to have been the best beloved of the circle which the magnetism of Paul's character bound to him.

The tone of the two epistles suggests that Timothy needed to be braced up, and have a tonic administered. Probably he inclined to be too much affected by difficulties and opposition, and required the soul-animat-ing strains' which Paul sounded in his ears. Possibly the Apostle's imprisonment and evidently impending death had discouraged and saddened the younger and weaker man. At all events, it is beautiful and pathetic that the words of cheer and brave trust should come from the martyr, and not from the sorrowing friend. Timothy should have been the encourager of Paul, but Paul was the encourager of Timothy.

The verses of this passage embody mainly two counsels. 2 Tim. 1:6 exhorts Timothy to stir up the gift' that was in him; 2 Tim. 3:14 bids him abide in the things which' he has learned. These two--diligent effort to increase his spiritual force and persistent holding by the teaching already received--are based on Paul's knowledge of his faith and on Timothy's knowledge of the saving power of that truth. But Paul loved him too ardently to give him cold counsels. The advices are wrapped in the softest covering of gracious affection and recognition of Timothy's inherited faith and personal devotion to Paul.

I. Before Dealing With The Advices, Look At The Lovely Prelude In 2 Tim. 1:1-5.

Paul does not lay aside his apostolic authority, but he uses it to make his greeting more sweet and strong. What had he been made an apostle by? The will of God. What had he been made an apostle for? To make known the promise of the life which is in Christ. Thus clothed with authority, and bearing the great gift of life, he takes Timothy to his heart as his beloved child. The captain stoops to embrace the private. Christ's apostle pours his love and benediction over the young servant, and when such lips wish grace, mercy, and peace,' the wish is a prophecy as much as a prayer.

The flow of Paul's love outstrips that of his words, and there is some verbal obscurity in 2 Tim. 1:3-5, but the meaning is plain. Paul's thankfulness was for Timothy's unfeigned faith,' but when he is about to say that, other tender thoughts start up, and insist on being uttered. The language of love in absence is the same all the world over. It comes across all the intervening centuries like the speech of to-day: I never forget you.' But love should be sublimed by religion, and find its best expression in supplications.' Think of the prisoner in Rome, expecting a near death by violence, and yet telling his young friend that he was always thinking about him, Timothy, and wearying for him with a great yearning.

How beautiful is that touch, too, that the remembrance of Timothy's tears, when he had had to part from Paul, fed the Apostle's desire to see him again! And how graceful, and evidently more than graceful, is the contrast between the tears of Timothy at parting and the hoped-for joy of Paul at meeting! No wonder that such a leader kindled passionate enthusiasm.

One can fancy the throb of pleasure with which Timothy would read the recognition of his unfeigned faith.' It is always a memorable moment to a young beginner when a veteran lays his hand on his shoulder and acknowledges his devotion. Nor less fitted to warm Timothy's heart was the praise of his grandmother and mother. It would not only do that, but would make him feel that his descent added force to the exhortation which followed. Whoever might become careless, one who had such blood in his veins was called on to be true to his ancestral faith. One can well understand how such a beginning prepared Timothy for the succeeding counsels. But this was not art or rhetorical advice on Paul's part, but deep affection. The soil thus watered by love was ready for the seed.

II. The Counsel Thus Delicately Introduced Is Delicately Expressed, As Putting In Remembrance Rather Than As Enjoining Authoritatively.

Paul gives Timothy credit for having already recognised the duty. The gift of God' is the whole bestowments which fitted him for his work, and which were given from the Holy Spirit, through the imposition of the hands of Paul and of the elders (1 Tim. 4:14).

But whilst there was a special force in the command to Timothy, the principle involved applies to all Christians, and in a wider aspect to all men; for every Christian has received the gift of that self-same Spirit, and every man is endowed with some gifts from God. All God's gifts are held on similar conditions. They may be neglected, and, if so, will cease as surely as an untended fire dies down into grey ashes. The highest and the lowest are alike in this. An unused muscle atrophies, an uncultivated capacity diminishes. The grace of God itself wanes if we are unfaithful stewards. The gift of the Spirit is not a substitute for our own activity, and the extent to which we possess it is determined by our rousing ourselves to tend the sacred flame.

Timothy had probably been depressed by Paul's imprisonment and the prospect of his death. He had been accustomed to lean upon the Apostle, and now the strong prop was to be withdrawn, and he was to stand alone, and, worst of all, to take up some of the tasks dropped by Paul. Therefore the Apostle tries to brace up his drooping spirit with his clear clarion note. The message comes to us all, that discouraging circumstances and heavy responsibilities are reasons for gathering ourselves up to our work, and for' stirring up' smouldering fires kindled by God in our hearts, and too often left untended by us.

Paul points to the proper effects of the gift of God, as the ground of his counsel. That Spirit does not infuse cowardice, which blenches at danger or shrinks from duty, as probably Timothy was tempted to do; but it breathes power' into the weak, enabling them to do and bear all things, and love,' which makes eager for service to God and man, at whatever cost, and self-control,' which curbs the tendencies to seek easy tasks and to listen to the voices within or without whispering ignoble avoidance of the narrow way. Surely this exhortation in its most general form should come to all young hearts, and summon them to open their doors for the entrance of that Divine Helper who will make them strong, loving, and masters of themselves.

III. The Second Exhortation In 2 Tim. 3:14-17,

Like the first,presupposes Timothy's previous Christian character, and draws some of its persuasive force from his home and the dear ones there--an argument which, no doubt, Paul knew would tell on such a clinging, affectionate nature. We note the double reason for steadfastness--the teachers, and the early beginning of the knowledge of the truth. It is thought a sign of independence and advancement by many young people nowadays to fling away their mother's faith, just because it was hers, and taught them by her when they were infants. The fact that it was is no bar against investigation, nor against the adoption of other conclusions, if needful; but in the present temper of men, it is well to remember that it creates no presumption against a creed that some white-haired Lois, or some tender mother Eunice has striven to engrave it on the young heart.

But the great reason adduced for steadfast grip of the truth is that the' sacred writings' (by which are to be understood the Old Testament) have power, as Timothy had experience, to give a wisdom which led to salvation, and to' furnish' a Christian, especially the Christian teacher, for every good work.' In either of the two usually adopted renderings of 2 Tim. 3:16, the divine origin of Scripture and its value for the manifold processes for perfecting character are broadly asserted. That origin and these uses are unaffected by variety of view as to the methods of inspiration or by critical researches. It will always be true that the Bible is the chief instrument em- ployed by the Spirit of power and of love and of self- control to mould our characters into beauty of holiness. He who has that Spirit in his heart and the Scriptures in his hands has all he needs.

The one exhortation for such is to' abide in' what he has received. That counsel as given to Timothy was probably directed chiefly against temptations very unlike those which attack us. But the spirit of it applies to us. It enjoins no irrational conservatism, scowling at all new thoughts, but it bids us aim at keeping up our personal hold of the central truths of Christ's incarnation, sacrifice, and gift of the Divine Spirit, which hold is slackened by worldliness and carelessness twenty times for once that it is so from intellectual dissatisfaction with the principles of Christianity.

Timothy was relegated, not only to his early memories, but to his own experience. He had not only learned these things from revered lips, but had been assured of' them by the response they had found and the effects they had produced in himself. That is the deepest ground of our holding fast by the gospel, and it is one we may all have. He that believeth hath the witness in himself,' and may wait with equanimity while the dust of controversy clears off, for he knows in whom he has believed,' and what that Saviour has done for and in him.

MHCC: 2Ti 1:1-5

The promise of eternal life to believers in Christ Jesus, is the leading subject of ministers who are employed according to the will of God. The blessings here named, are the best we can ask for our beloved friends, that they may have peace with God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. Whatever good we do, God must have the glory. True believers have in every age the same religion as to substance. Their faith is unfeigned; it will stand the trial, and it dwells in them as a living principle. Thus pious women may take encouragement from the success of Lois and Eunice with Timothy, who proved so excellent and useful a minister. Some of the most worthy and valuable ministers the church of Christ has been favoured with, have had to bless God for early religious impressions made upon their minds by the teaching of their mothers or other female relatives.

Matthew Henry: 2Ti 1:1-5

Here is, I. The inscription of the epistle Paul calls himself an apostle by the will of God, merely by the good pleasure of God, and by his grace, which he professes himself unworthy of. According to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus, or according to the gospel. The gospel is the promise of life in Christ Jesus; life is the end, and Christ the way, Joh 14:6. The life is put into the promise, and both are sure in Christ Jesus the faithful witness; for all the promises of God in Christ Jesus are yea, and all amen, 2Co 1:20. He calls Timothy his beloved son. Paul felt the warmest affection for him both because he had been an instrument of his conversion and because as a son with his father he had served with him in the gospel. Observe, 1. Paul was an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God; as he did not receive the gospel of man, nor was taught it, but had it by the revelation of Jesus Christ (Gal 1:12), so his commission to be an apostle was not by the will of man, but of God: in the former epistle he says it was by the commandment of God our Saviour, and here by the will of God. God called him to be an apostle. 2. We have the promise of life, blessed be God for it: In hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before the world began, Tit 1:2. It is a promise to discover the freeness and certainty of it. 3. This, as well as all other promises, is in and through Jesus Christ; they all take their rise from the mercy of God in Christ, and they are sure, so that we may safely depend on them. 4. The grace, mercy, and peace, which even Paul's dearly beloved son Timothy wanted, comes from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord; and therefore the one as well as the other is the giver of these blessings, and ought to be applied to for them. 5. The best want these blessings, and they are the best we can ask for our dearly-beloved friends, that they may have grace to help them in the time of need, and mercy to pardon what is amiss, and so may have peace with God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

II. Paul's thanksgiving to God for Timothy's faith and holiness: he thanks God that he remembered Timothy in his prayers. Observe, Whatever good we do, and whatever good office we perform for our friends, God must have the glory of it, and we must give him thanks. It is he who puts it into our hearts to remember such and such in our prayers. Paul was much in prayer, he prayed night and day; in all his prayers he was mindful of his friends, he particularly prayed for good ministers, he prayed for Timothy, and had remembrance of him in his prayers night and day; he did this without ceasing; prayer was his constant business, and he never forgot his friends in his prayers, as we often do. Paul served God from his forefathers with a pure conscience. It was a comfort to him that he was born in God's house, and was of the seed of those that served God; as likewise that he had served him with a pure conscience, according to the best of his light; he had kept a conscience void of offence, and made it his daily exercise to do so, Act 24:16. He greatly desired to see Timothy, out of the affection he had for him, that he might have some conversation with him, being mindful of his tears at their last parting. Timothy was sorry to part with Paul, he wept at parting, and therefore Paul desired to see him again, because he had perceived by that what a true affection he had for him. He thanks God that Timothy kept up the religion of his ancestors, 2Ti 1:5. Observe, The entail of religion descended upon Timothy by the mother's side; he had a good mother, and a good grandmother: they believed, though his father did not, Act 16:1. It is a comfortable thing when children imitate the faith and holiness of their godly parents, and tread in their steps, 3Jo 1:4. - Dwelt in thy grandmother and thy mother, and I am persuaded that in thee also. Paul had a very charitable opinion of his friends, was very willing to hope the best concerning them; indeed he had a great deal of reason to believe well of Timothy, for he had no man like-minded, Phi 2:20. Observe, 1. We are, according to St. Paul, to serve God with a pure conscience, so did his and our pious forefathers; this is to draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith, having our heart sprinkled from an evil conscience, Heb 10:22. 2. In our prayers we are to remember without ceasing our friends, especially the faithful ministers of Christ. Paul had remembrance of his dearly beloved son Timothy in his prayers night and day. 3. The faith that dwells in real believers is unfeigned; it is without hypocrisy, it is a faith that will stand the trial, and it dwells in them as a living principle. It was the matter of Paul's thanksgiving that Timothy inherited the faith of his mother Eunice and his grandmother Lois, and ought to be ours whenever we see the like; we should rejoice wherever we see the grace of God; so did Barnabas, Act 11:23, Act 11:24. I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in the truth, 2Jo 1:4.

Barclay: 2Ti 1:1-7

When Paul speaks of his own apostleship there are always certain unmistakable notes in his voice. To him it was always certain things.

(a) His apostleship was an honour. He was chosen to it by the will of God. Every Christian must regard himself as a God-chosen man.

(b) His apostleship was a responsibility. God chose him because he wanted to do something with him. He wished to make him the instrument by which the tidings of new life went out to men. No Christian is ever chosen entirely for his own sake, but for what he can do for others. A Christian is a man lost in wonder, love and praise at what God has done for him and aflame with eagerness to tell others what God can do for them.

© His apostleship was a privilege. It is most significant to see what Paul conceived it his duty to bring to others--the promise of God, not his threat. To him, Christianity was not the threat of damnation; it was the good news of salvation. It is worth remembering that the greatest evangelist and missionary the world has ever seen was out, not to terrify men by shaking them over the flames of hell, but to move them to astonished submission at the sight of the love of God. The dynamic of his gospel was love, not fear.

As always when he speaks to Timothy, there is a warmth of loving affection in Paul's voice. "My beloved child," he calls him. Timothy was his child in the faith. Timothy's parents had given him physical life; but it was Paul who gave him eternal life. Many a person who never knew physical parenthood has had the joy and privilege of being a father or a mother in the faith; and there is no joy in all the world like that of bringing one soul to Christ.

Barclay: 2Ti 1:1-7

Paul's object in writing is to inspire and strengthen Timothy for his task in Ephesus. Timothy was young and he had a hard task in battling against the heresies and the infections that were bound to threaten the Church. So, then, in order to keep his courage high and his effort strenuous, Paul reminds Timothy of certain things.

(i) He reminds him of his own confidence in him. There is no greater inspiration than to feel that someone believes in us. An appeal to honour is always more effective than a threat of punishment. The fear of letting down those who love us is a cleansing thing.

(ii) He reminds him of his family tradition. Timothy was walking in a fine heritage, and if he failed, not only would he smirch his own name, but he would lessen the honour of his family name as well. A fine parentage is one of the greatest gifts a man can have. Let him thank God for it and never bring dishonour to it.

(iii) He reminds him of his setting apart to office and of the gift which was conferred upon him. Once a man enters upon the service of any association with a tradition, anything that he does affects not only himself nor has it to be done only in his own strength. There is the strength of a tradition to draw upon and the honour of a tradition to preserve. That is specially true of the Church. He who serves it has its honour in his hands; he who serves it is strengthened by the consciousness of the communion of all the saints.

(iv) He reminds him of the qualities which should characterize the Christian teacher. These, as Paul at that moment saw them, were four.

(a) There was courage. It was not craven fear but courage that Christian service should bring to a man. It always takes courage to be a Christian, and that courage comes from the continual consciousness of the presence of Christ.

(b) There was power. In the true Christian there is the power to cope, the power to shoulder the back-breaking task, the power to stand erect in face of the shattering situation, the power to retain faith in face of the soul-searing sorrow and the wounding disappointment. The Christian is characteristically the man who could pass the breaking-point and not break.

© There was love. In Timothy's case this was love for the brethren, for the congregation of the people of Christ over whom he was set. It is precisely that love which gives the Christian pastor his other qualities. He must love his people so much that he will never find any toil too great to undertake for them or any situation threatening enough to daunt him. No man should ever enter the ministry of the Church unless there is love for Christ's people within his heart.

(d) There was self-discipline. The word is sophronismos (4995), one of these great Greek untranslatable words. Someone has defined it as "the sanity of saintliness." Falconer defines it as "control of oneself in face of panic or of passion." It is Christ alone who can give us that self-mastery which will keep us alike from being swept away and from running away. No man can ever rule others unless he has first mastered himself. Sophronismos (4995) is that divinely given self-control which makes a man a great ruler of others because he is first of all the servant of Christ and the master of himself.

Constable: 2Ti 1:3-7

A. Timothy's past faithfulness 1:3-7

Paul gave thanks to God for Timothy's past faithfulness to his Lord and encouraged him to continue faithful. He did so to strengthen Timothy's resolve in view of ever increasing apostasy and the decision of many to abandon Paul.

1:3-4 Paul mentioned in his first epistle to Timothy thanks for his own salvation and ministry (1 Tim. 1:12). In this second epistle he began with thanks for Timothy's salvation and ministry.

Paul's reference to his forefathers (godfearing Jewish believers who lived before Christ's death) seems unusual. However throughout this epistle Paul looked backward into the past and ahead into the future, when he would no longer be alive. This reference reveals that Paul regarded his own ministry as part of the continuation of God's great ongoing plan of the ages. He was one of the faithful throughout history that have loyally served God sincerely, with a "clear conscience."

Paul undoubtedly prayed for Timothy often. Timothy had been one of Paul's closest associates, and he was evidently still laboring in Ephesus (cf. 4:19-20), the city where Paul had spent so much time. Paul had plenty of time to pray since he was again in prison (cf. 4:9, 16, 21). It is not only good to pray for individuals, but it is also good to tell them that we do, as Paul did here.

Even though Paul rejoiced continually his life was not "filled with joy" when he wrote this letter. He longed for Timothy to visit him. Evidently when they had parted last Timothy had taken their separation very hard. A reunion would encourage Timothy too.

"One of the fascinating aspects of Pauline studies is the very real humanity of this man of God. Paul was a stalwart soldier, but he had a tender heart."⁵

1:5 Paul rejoiced over Timothy's genuine faith that his remaining faithful to the Lord for so long had proved. Timothy's faith was pure, unmixed with distrust and unbelief. His mother and grandmother had also demonstrated sterling faith in Christ.⁶ Undoubtedly they were instrumental in Timothy's salvation. Spiritual as well as physical traits often come down from one generation to the next.

1:6 In view of the quality of his faith Paul urged his younger friend not to neglect the use of his God-given abilities for the service of Christ. Any person can become less effective in the exercise of his abilities if he or she does not use them regularly. This was Paul's concern. He wanted Timothy to keep active. He was not implying that Timothy's gift had left him.

"General Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, once sent this message to those under him: The tendency of fire is to go out; watch the fire on the altar of your heart.' Anyone who has tended a fireplace fire knows that it needs to be stirred up occasionally."⁷

Timothy may have received special abilities from the apostle at his ordination (cf. 1 Tim. 4:14). The bestowal of these may have been a unique apostolic ministry that ceased with that office (Eph. 2:20; Heb. 2:3-4). It seems more likely, however, that what Timothy received was divine enablement to do the work into which God was leading him. The gift, then, could be understood as a special endowment or anointing by the Holy Spirit (cf. v. 7).⁸

"The laying on of hands was not the cause of Timothy's receipt of a spiritual gift but was a visible representation and symbol of it."⁹

1:7 Evidently Timothy had held back from some ministry because of timidity. Paul reminded him that such a spirit is not from God. God makes us spiritually powerful (i.e., having a forceful character that uses authority boldly, cf. 1 Cor. 2:4), loving (Gal. 5:22), and self-disciplined (Gal. 5:23). Self-disciplined refers to a person who has a "wise head."¹⁰

"He [Paul] is obliquely chiding Timothy for his timidity, but softens the blow by lumping himself with him."¹¹

College: 2Ti 1:1-18

2 TIMOTHY 1

Paul writes 2 Timothy from prison awaiting his likely death. His goal is to give Timothy the encouragement and stamina to withstand the hardships he is bound to face.

I. SALUTATION (1:1-2)

¹ Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus,

² To Timothy, my dear son:

Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

Paul's salutation in 2 Timothy is very much like 1 Tim 1:1-2. The minor differences are, however, of some significance.

1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus

In a letter so personal it seems a bit unusual for Paul to introduce himself as "an apostle." In 1 Tim 1:1 Paul needed to lend authority to the Ephesian Christians both for his letter and for Timothy and his ministry. Here, as Fee has suggested, although Paul may simply be acting out of habit, it is more likely that Paul's use of this self-designation reflects the urgent appeal for Timothy's loyalty to Paul and his message.

by the will of God, according to the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus,

In 2 Timothy Paul attributes his apostleship to "the will of God," a phrase which is parallel to "the command of God" in 1 Tim 1:1. Paul's apostleship and the suffering which accompanies it are all "by the will of God." With the next modifier Paul indicates that his apostleship is "according to the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus," a positive affirmation that does not occur in 1 Tim 1:1. For Paul, eternal life in the present and in the future resides in Christ Jesus.

1:2 To Timothy, my dear son:

Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

In 2 Tim 1:2 Paul addresses Timothy as "my dear" (ajgaphtw/' , agapçtô , "beloved") "son" (cf. 1 Cor 4:17) in contrast to "my true son in the faith" in 1 Tim 1:2. The note of intimacy adds an important emphasis to Paul's call for Timothy to endure suffering in 2 Timothy. His emphasis on his relationship to Timothy as legitimate in 1 Timothy gave authority to Timothy and his words.

Paul's words of greeting - "grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord" - match 1 Tim 1:2.

II. THANKSGIVING (1:3-5)

³ I thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. ⁴ Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. ⁵ I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.

Paul normally follows the greeting in his letters with an expression of thanksgiving (cf. 1 Cor 1:4-9; Phil 1:3-11 for examples of extended sections of thanksgiving). The only exceptions to this pattern are found in 1 Timothy, Titus, and Galatians.

1:3 I thank God,

In this verse Paul does not specify the exact nature of his thanksgiving to God. Is it for God's gift of his ministry? Is it for "the promise of life in Christ Jesus" (v. 1)? Or is it for the "sincere faith" of Timothy?

whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience,

Paul connects his service to God with that of his "forefathers." He sees continuity in the faith of believers throughout the ages. For Paul there is a clear connection between Judaism and Christianity. Paul's service is "with a clear conscience" (see discussion at 1 Tim 1:5).

as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers.

Although the KJV renders the word "constantly" (literally "without ceasing") with the verb "thank," the NIV is correct in taking it with "remember." Paul's prayer of thanksgiving becomes one of intercession for Timothy. Paul "constantly" remembers Timothy in his prayers "day and night" (see 1 Tim 5:5 where this is required of "widows indeed").

1:4 Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy.

As Paul prays for Timothy he wishes to see him especially when he remembers Timothy's "tears." With the macho image of men, the American culture perhaps has little room for tears of a man like Timothy. Two options have been offered for the occasion of those tears. Some suggest that Paul is referring to his farewell to the elders at Ephesus on his trip to Jerusalem (Acts 20:37). Others suggest one should see Paul's leaving Timothy in Ephesus on his way to Macedonia as the occasion (1 Tim 1:3). The latter option is more likely. Seeing Timothy will fill Paul "with joy."

1:5 I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.

Paul remembers Timothy's "sincere" (ajnupokrivtou , anypokritou , literally "unhypocritical") "faith." This faith "first lived in [Timothy's] grandmother Lois and in [his] mother Eunice" (cf. Acts 16:1). Their expression of "faith" was Timothy's heritage like Paul's heritage from his forefathers (v. 3). Paul is convinced that that faith is alive and well in Timothy.

III. PAUL'S APPEAL FOR ENDURANCE IN FACING SUFFERING (1:6-2:13)

Timothy's faith will sustain him through suffering. Paul knows that Timothy has much hardship ahead of him and sets out to prepare him to endure future suffering.

A. AN APPEAL FOR LOYALTY IN FACING HARDSHIP (1:6-14)

⁶ For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. ⁷ For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

⁸ So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, ⁹ who has saved us and called us to a holy life - not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, ¹⁰ but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. ¹¹ And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. ¹² That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.

¹³ What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. ¹⁴ Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you - guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.

1:6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God,

Paul's conviction that Timothy has a living, "sincere faith" leads him to remind Timothy to "fan into flame the gift of God." The infinitive "to fan into flame" is a present infinitive in Greek, indicating Paul's desire for Timothy "to keep fanning something into flame." As Knight has suggested, although to fan into flame represents a metaphor of the rekindling of a dying flame, Paul is not suggesting that Timothy's faith was dying. He is simply calling Timothy to continue his faithful Christian life.

which is in you through the laying on of my hands.

The "gift of God" was given Timothy "through the laying on" of Paul's hands. The "gift" (cavrisma , charisma ) here need not be seen as a miraculous gift. It likely refers to Timothy's ministry (see the discussion of 1 Tim 1:18; 4:14) and to God's equipping him for that ministry. In 1 Tim 4:14 Timothy's gift is described as "given through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on" him. Paul's intent there was to emphasize for the church at Ephesus Timothy's authority. Here Paul speaks of his laying hands on Timothy because of the personal appeal he is making.

1:7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity,

Paul describes this gift in terms of spirit God has given. Most translations and modern commentators understand "spirit" (pneu'ma , pneuma ) as some spirit or attitude (KJV, RSV, NIV, NASB, NRSV). Fee and Hendriksen, however, take pneuma as "Spirit," i.e., the Holy Spirit. Fee says that Paul's intent was "something like this: 'For when God gave us his Spirit, it was not timidity that we received, but power, love and self-discipline.'" The strongest argument against this interpretation is the fact that Paul begins with the negative attribute - timidity. It also seems likely that the "us" (uJmi'n , hymin ) of the verse is Christians in general. In reality the differences between the two interpretations are minimal. With the gift of the Holy Spirit, a "spirit of timidity" is inappropriate. Perhaps, because of Timothy's own temperament as seen in both 1 and 2 Timothy, Paul sees the need to remind Timothy that timidity (or "cowardice") is inappropriate for his ministry.

but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

Timothy is rather to live out his God-given "spirit of power" (cf. Rom 15:13, 19; 1 Cor 2:4; Eph 3:16), "of love" (cf. Rom 5:5; 15:10; Gal 5:22; Col 1:8), and "of self-discipline" (swfronismou' , sôphronismou , although this word appears only here in the NT, cf. 1 Tim 2:9, 14; 3:2 where cognates occur). This "spirit of power" is obviously connected to the indwelling Spirit in Timothy's life.

1:8 So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner.

On the basis of the "spirit" Timothy is to have (the "so," literally "therefore" of v. 8 makes this clear), Paul calls him to do two things: (1) "do not be ashamed" and (2) "join with me in suffering." Timothy is not to "be ashamed to testify about" the Lord. Appropriately Paul designates Jesus as "our Lord," indicating an element of intimacy. The NIV is correct in taking the genitive "of the Lord" as an objective genitive "the testimony about the Lord" rather than a subjective genitive "the testimony which the Lord gave." It is a call for Timothy to face the task of preaching the gospel with courage. Timothy is also called not to be ashamed of Paul "his prisoner" (cf. Eph 3:1; Phil 1:12-14).

But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God,

Notice that Paul emphasizes not that his imprisonment was imposed by the Roman government but that the Lord was in control and that Paul was in prison for him. Timothy is also called to "join with [Paul] in suffering." This suffering was "for the gospel" (i.e., because of his association with and for the spread of the gospel) and "by the power of God" (cf. v. 7).

1:9 who has saved us and called us to a holy life - not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,

In typical Pauline fashion, Paul moves to describe God by indicating the grandeur of his work. He "has saved us and called us to a holy life." Again Paul emphasizes that salvation and the Christian calling are "not because of anything we have done" (literally "not according to works") "but because of his own purpose and grace" (a theme already seen in the Pastoral Epistles, Titus 3:5). Grace is not earned but "given in Christ Jesus." That gift was "determined" or "became available" "before the beginning of time" (literally "before the times of the ages"), speaking of "God's decision before time and the world began" (cf. 1 Cor 2:7; Eph 1:4).

1:10 but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

This grace "has now been revealed through the appearing" (ejpifavneia , epiphaneia ) "of our Savior, Christ Jesus." The appearance which Paul has in mind here is the incarnation. See Titus 2:11-13 where the same word "appearing" is used of the second coming (cf. Titus 3:4; 1 Tim 6:14). For a discussion of Jesus as "Savior" see Titus 1:4; 3:6. Christ Jesus is described as the one "who has destroyed" (literally "has rendered inoperative"; cf. 1 Cor 15:26) "death and has brought life and immortality" (literally "incorruptibility"; cf. 1 Cor 15:42, 50, 53, 54) "to light through the gospel."

1:11 And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher.

It is for "this gospel," which has illuminated the world with regard to "life and immortality," and its proclamation that Paul "was appointed a herald" (i.e., "public proclaimer"; see discussion at 1 Tim 2:7) "and an apostle" (see discussion at 1 Tim 1:1) "and a teacher" (cf. 1 Tim 2:7). He was to be a bold messenger, commissioned by God, to share the gospel story.

1:12 That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.

This task was the reason that Paul was enduring hardship. Despite the suffering, a reference to the indignity of his imprisonment, Paul was "not ashamed." The clause "yet I am not ashamed" may well function here as a litotes with Paul actually proclaiming that he is proud of the "suffering" and the "gospel" for which he suffers (cf. Rom 1:16). Paul is not ashamed because God, in whom Paul has put his trust, is sufficiently powerful to "guard" something dear to Paul. The question is what is the "entrusted" thing. The text literally says "because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard my deposit (paraqhvkh , parathçkç ) for that day." Some argue that "deposit" should be taken in the same way as it is used in v. 14 which refers to the "sound teaching" of v. 13, i.e., the "gospel" of v. 11. God has entrusted the gospel to Paul (v. 12), Paul has entrusted it to Timothy (v. 14; cf. 1 Tim 6:20), and Timothy is to entrust it to others who will be able to pass it on (2:2). The text is then rendered "he is able to guard what has been entrusted to me ." This interpretation has attracted the majority of contemporary scholars and many modern translations. God is then able to keep the gospel message alive and viable no matter what may happen to a Paul or a Timothy. This interpretation has the benefit of consistency.

The alternative is to take the more traditional interpretation as per the NIV, NASB, NRSV. God is able to keep secure what Paul has "entrusted to him," namely, his life or soul, his converts, and his work. In favor of this rendering are (1) the fact that God, and not Paul, is the one who is portrayed as guarding the deposit; (2) the immediate context of Paul's suffering; and (3) the similarity to the idea expressed elsewhere in Scripture (Luke 23:46; 1 Pet 1:4; 4:19). Several factors distinguish the use of the word here from its use in 1 Tim 6:20 and 2 Tim 1:4. In the other passages Timothy is the one who is guarding the "deposit." That "deposit" is not personalized, i.e., "my deposit." Paul has already identified the nature of the "deposit" when he said "whom I have believed" ("in whom I have put my trust"). Paul has entrusted himself to God. This, by the way, also fits the direction of the entire epistle. Paul is calling Timothy to be ready to suffer for the cause. To do that he must, like Paul, entrust his life or soul to God's care. Paul's use of the phrase "for that day" also supports this interpretation. God "is able to guard" Paul's "deposit" until the last day.

1:13 What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus.

In vv. 13-14 Paul appeals to Timothy in ways that parallel 1 Timothy. He is to keep the message he heard from Paul "as the pattern of sound [or 'healthy'] teaching" (see discussion at 1 Tim 1:10). Paul has modelled this "sound teaching" for Timothy (cf. 2:2; 3:10; 1 Tim 4:6). The word "pattern" (uJpotuvpwsin , hypotypôsin ) means an outline sketch or an architect's draft. The point in this text is not "pattern theology," as some would suggest, but rather that Timothy might preach the same message he had heard from Paul. While Paul's initial concern is the content of Timothy's teaching, he is also concerned with the manner in which that teaching is to be carried out - "with faith and love in Christ Jesus." Orthodoxy is important but so are faithfulness and compassion which are located "in Christ Jesus."

1:14 Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you - guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.

Paul's final imperative in this section is an appeal for Timothy to "guard the good deposit that was entrusted to" him. This time the "deposit" is clear. It is the "sound teaching" which Paul had left with Timothy. Maintaining the purity of the gospel will require something bigger than the man Timothy. He is to rely upon "the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us." The Holy Spirit lives within all believers and enables them to stand. He will enable Timothy in his ministry of the gospel.

B. EXAMPLES OF THE DISLOYAL

AND THE LOYAL (1:15-18)

¹⁵ You know that everyone in the province of Asia has deserted me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes.

¹⁶ May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains. ¹⁷ On the contrary, when he was in Rome, he searched hard for me until he found me. ¹⁸ May the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day! You know very well in how many ways he helped me in Ephesus.

In this section Paul begins by illustrating his call for Timothy to "guard the good deposit" by giving some examples of those who have not done so, Phygelus and Hermogenes. He then moves to one who has been faithful to that "good deposit," Onesiphorus.

1:15 You know that everyone in the province of Asia has deserted me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes.

Timothy is well aware of the fact that Christians from the province of Asia had "deserted" Paul. It is possible that some from Asia had travelled to Rome to be with Paul but had now returned leaving him alone. An alternate interpretation emphasizes Paul's use of the word "in" (ejn , en ) rather than "from" and suggests that at this time there was a major defection from the church "in the province of Asia." Since the next verses, 16-18, emphasize the help that Onesiphorus had rendered, it seems more likely that Paul intends to convey the idea that these people have abandoned him. The "all" should not be construed as "all people who are from Asia, without exception." Tychicus is clearly one from Asia who still stands by Paul (cf. Acts 20:2; 2 Tim 4:12; Titus 3:12). Onesiphorus is also from Asia. Whether Paul is reminding Timothy that some of his colleagues have deserted him, that some who are now in Asia failed to come to his aid, or that they have left to return to Asia, the modern reader cannot know with certainty. The situation was, however, clear to Timothy. The word translated "deserted" (ajpostrevfw , apostrephô ) also appears in 4:16 where Paul indicates that at his first defense all had deserted him.

No further information is given with regard to the two men in this group whom Paul singles out, Phygelus and Hermogenes. Later in the apocryphal work The Acts of Paul and Thecla , Hermogenes is mentioned with Onesiphorus.

1:16 May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains.

The mention of those who had deserted him brings to mind one who had helped him during his imprisonment and the family of that man. Onesiphorus had set the example of one who was loyal and who held as sacred the good deposit of the gospel. "He often refreshed" (literally "to blow" or "to make cool") Paul. This refreshing could involve encouraging Paul, providing him with food, doing anything that would lift his spirits. Ellis has said, "When Onesiphorus came to see Paul in the stuffy dungeon, it was as if the air conditioning had been turned on." Paul mentions the fact that "Onesiphorus was not ashamed of my chains" to drive home his call in v. 8 for Timothy "not to be ashamed" of him the Lord's "prisoner."

1:17 On the contrary, when he was in Rome, he searched hard for me until he found me.

Visiting and assisting a prisoner in Rome was not an easy task. Onesiphorus had "searched hard" for Paul "until he found" him. His assistance, though, did not begin when Paul went to prison. Timothy was well aware of all the assistance he had rendered to Paul earlier in Ephesus.

1:18 May the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day! You know very well in how many ways he helped me in Ephesus.

The language of vv. 16-18 may well indicate that Onesiphorus has died. Paul asked that the "Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus" rather than to "Onesiphorus and his household." Fee has suggested that even the wish Paul expresses for Onesiphorus may indicate his death - "May the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day!" Even if he was dead his memory was clear to Paul. He had "helped" (diakonevw , diakoneô ; literally "served") in "many ways" when Timothy and Paul labored there (cf. 1 Cor 4:17; 16:8). Timothy needed to be like Onesiphorus and not like Phygelus and Hermogenes.

-College Press New Testament Commentary: with the NIV

Introduction / Outline

Robertson: 2 Timothy (Book Introduction)

Second Timothy

From Rome Probably Early Autumn of 67 or Spring of 68

JFB: 2 Timothy (Book Introduction)

PLACE OF WRITING.--Paul, in the interval between his first and second imprisonment, after having written First Timothy from Macedonia or Corinth [BIRKS] (if we are to adopt the opinion that First Timothy was written after his first imprisonment), returned to Ephesus, as he intended, by way of Troas, where he left the books, &c. (mentioned in 2Ti 4:13), with Carpus. From Ephesus he went to Crete for a short visit and returned, and then wrote to Titus. Next he went by Miletus to Corinth (2Ti 4:20), and thence to Nicopolis (Tit 3:12), whence he proceeded to Rome. From his prison there he wrote the Second Epistle to Timothy, shortly before his martyrdom. It is not certain where Timothy was at this time. Some of the internal evidences favor the view of his having been then at Ephesus; thus the salutation of Priscilla and Aquila, who generally resided there (2Ti 4:19); also that of the household of Onesiphorus, who is stated in 2Ti 1:16-18 to have ministered to Paul at Ephesus, a circumstance implying his residence there. Also, the Hymenæus of 2Ti 2:17 seems to be the same as the Hymenæus at Ephesus (1Ti 1:20); and probably "Alexander the coppersmith" (2Ti 4:14) is the same as the Alexander joined with Hymenæus (1Ti 1:20), and possibly the same as the Alexander put forward by the Jews to clear themselves, not to befriend Paul, at the riot in Ephesus (Act 19:33-34). The difficulty is, on this supposition, how to account for 2Ti 4:12, 2Ti 4:20 : if Timothy was at Ephesus, why did he need to be told that Paul had sent Tychicus to Ephesus? or that Paul had left Trophimus, himself an Ephesian (Act 21:29), sick at Miletus, which was only thirty miles from Ephesus? However, see on 2Ti 4:12; 2Ti 4:20. Troas lay on the road to Rome from either Ephesus or Pontus, so that 2Ti 4:13 will accord with the theory of either Ephesus or any other place in the northwest of Asia Minor, being Timothy's place of sojourn at the time. Probably, he had the general superintendence of the Pauline churches in Asia Minor, in accordance with his mission combining the office of evangelist, or itinerant missionary, with that of presiding overseer. Ephesus was probably his headquarters.

TIME OF WRITING.--(1) Paul's first imprisonment, described in Act 28:17-31, was much milder than that in which he was when writing Second Timothy. In the former, he had liberty to lodge in his own hired house, and to receive all comers, guarded only by a single soldier; in the latter, he was so closely confined that Onesiphorus with difficulty found him; he was chained, his friends had forsaken him, and he had narrowly escaped sentence of execution from the Roman emperor. Medieval legends represent the Mamertine prison, or Tullianum, as the scene of his incarceration with Peter. But this is irreconcilable with the fact of Onesiphorus, Linus, Pudens, &c., having access to him. He was probably under military custody, as in his former imprisonment, though of a severer kind (2Ti 1:16-18; 2Ti 2:9; 2Ti 4:6-8, 2Ti 4:16-17). (2) The visit to Troas (2Ti 4:13) can hardly have been that mentioned in Act 20:5-7, the last before his first imprisonment; for, if it were, the interval between that visit and the first imprisonment would be seven or eight years, a period most unlikely for him to have allowed to pass without sending for his cloak and parchments, when they might have been of service to him in the interim. (3) Paul's leaving Trophimus sick at Miletus (2Ti 4:20), could not have been on the occasion mentioned in Act 20:15; for, subsequent to that, Trophimus was with Paul in Jerusalem (Act 21:29). (4) The words (2Ti 4:20), "Erastus abode at Corinth," imply that Paul had shortly before been at Corinth, where he left Erastus. But before his first imprisonment, Paul had not been at Corinth for several years; and in the interval Timothy had been with him, so that Timothy did not need at a later period to be told about that visit (Act 20:2, Act 20:4). For all these reasons the imprisonment, during which he wrote Second Timothy, is shown to be his second imprisonment. Moreover, Heb 13:23-24, represents the writer (who was probably Paul) as in Italy, and at liberty. So CLEMENT OF ROME [First Epistle to the Corinthians, 1.5], the disciple of Paul, explicitly states, "In the east and west, Paul as a preacher instructed the whole world (that is, the Roman empire) in righteousness, and having gone to the extremity of the west, and having borne witness before the rulers (of Rome), he so was removed from the world." This plainly implies that he fulfilled his design (Rom 15:24-28) of a missionary journey into Spain. The canon of the New Testament, compiled about A.D. 170 (called MURATORI'S Canon), also mentions "the journey of Paul from Rome to Spain." See ROUTH [Sacred Fragments, vol. 4, p. 1-12].

His martyrdom is universally said to have occurred in Nero's reign [EUSEBIUS, Ecclesiastical History, 2.22; JEROME, On Illustrious Men]. Five years thus seem to have elapsed between the first imprisonment, A.D. 63 (Act 28:17-31), and his martyrdom, June A.D. 68, the last year of Nero's reign. He was probably arrested by the magistrates in Nicopolis (Tit 3:12) in Epirus, in the winter, on a double charge, first, of being one of the Christians who had conspired, it was alleged by Nero's partisans, to set fire to Rome, A.D. 64; secondly, of introducing a novel and unlawful religion. His friends all left him, except Luke: Demas from "love of this present world": the others from various causes (2Ti 4:10-11). On the first charge he seems to have been acquitted. His liberation from his first imprisonment took place in A.D. 63, the year before the great fire at Rome, which Nero made the pretext for his persecution of the Christians. Every cruelty was heaped on them; some were crucified; some were arrayed in the skins of wild beasts and hunted to death by dogs; some were wrapped in pitch-robes and set on fire by night to illuminate the circus of the Vatican and gardens of Nero, while that monster mixed among the spectators in the garb of a charioteer. But now (A.D. 67 or 68) some years had elapsed since the first excitement which followed the fire. Hence, Paul, being a Roman citizen, was treated in his trial with a greater respect for the forms of the law, and hence was acquitted (2Ti 4:17) on the first charge of having instigated the Christians to their supposed acts of incendiarism before his last departure from Rome. Alexander the coppersmith seems to have been a witness against him (2Ti 4:14). Had he been condemned on the first charge, he would probably have been burnt alive, as the preceding martyrs were, for arson. His judge was the city Præfect. CLEMENT OF ROME specifies that his trial was (not before the emperor, but) "before the rulers." No advocate ventured to plead his cause, no patron appeared for him, such as under ordinary circumstances might have aided him; for instance, one of the powerful Æmilian house, under which his family possibly enjoyed clientship (2Ti 4:16-17), whence he may have taken his name Paul. The place of trial was, probably, one of the great basilicas in the Forum, two of which were called the Pauline Basilicas, from L. Æmilius Paulus, who had built one and restored the other. He was remanded for the second stage of his trial. He did not expect this to come on until the following "winter" (2Ti 4:21), whereas it took place about midsummer; if in Nero's reign, not later than June. In the interim Luke was his only constant companion; but one friend from Asia, Onesiphorus, had diligently sought him and visited him in prison, undeterred by the danger. Linus, too, the future bishop of Rome, Pudens, the son of a senator, and Claudia, his bride, perhaps the daughter of a British king (see on 2Ti 4:21), were among his visitors; and Tychicus, before he was sent by Paul to Ephesus (2Ti 4:12; perhaps bearing with him this Epistle).

OBJECT OF THE EPISTLE.--He was anxious to see his disciple Timothy, before his death, and that Timothy should bring Mark with him (2Ti 1:4; 2Ti 4:9, 2Ti 4:11, 2Ti 4:21). But feeling how uncertain it was whether Timothy should arrive in time, he felt it necessary, also, to give him by letter a last warning as to the heresies, the germs of which were then being scattered in the Churches. Hence he writes a series of exhortations to faithfulness, and zeal for sound doctrine, and patience amidst trials: a charge which Timothy seems to have needed, if we are to judge from the apostle's earnestness in urging him to boldness in Christ's cause, as though Paul thought he saw in him some signs of constitutional timidity (2Ti 2:2-8; 2Ti 4:1-5; 1Ti 5:22-23).

PAUL'S DEATH.--DIOYSIUS, bishop of Corinth (quoted in EUSEBIUS [Ecclesiastical History, 2.25]) about A.D. 170, is the earliest authority for the tradition that Peter suffered martyrdom at Rome "about the same time" as Paul, after having labored for some time there. He calls Peter and Paul "the founders of the Corinthian and Roman Churches." The Roman presbyter, CAIUS (about A.D. 200), mentions the tradition that Peter suffered martyrdom in the Vatican. But (1) Peter's work was among the Jews (Gal 2:9), whereas Rome was a Gentile Church (Rom 1:13. Moreover, (2) the First Epistle of Peter (1Pe 1:1; 1Pe 5:13) represents him as laboring in Babylon in Mesopotamia. (3) The silence concerning Peter of Paul's Epistles written in Rome, negatives the tradition of his having founded, or labored long at Rome; though it is possible he may have endured martyrdom there. His martyrdom, certainly, was not, as JEROME says, "on the same day" with that of Paul, else Paul would have mentioned Peter's being at Rome in 2Ti 4:11. The legend says that Peter, through fear, was fleeing from Rome at early dawn by the Appian Way, when he met our Lord, and falling at His feet, asked, Lord, whither goest thou? to which the Lord replied, I go again to be crucified. The disciple returned penitent and ashamed, and was martyred. The Church of Domine quo vadis, on the Appian Way, commemorates the supposed fact. Paul, according to CAIUS (quoted in EUSEBIUS [Ecclesiastical History, 2.25]), suffered martyrdom on the Ostian Way. So also JEROME, who gives the date, the fourteenth year of Nero. It was common to send prisoners, whose death might attract too much notice at Rome, to some distance from the city, under a military escort, for execution; hence the soldier's sword, not the executioner's axe, was the instrument of his decapitation [OROSIUS, The Seven Books of History against the Pagans, 7.7]. Paul appears, from Phi. 1:12-30, to have had his partisans even in the palace, and certainly must have exercised such an influence as would excite sympathy in his behalf, to avoid which the execution was ordered outside the city. Compare TACITUS [Histories, 4.11]. The Basilica of St. Paul, first built by Constantine, now stands outside Rome on the road to Ostia: before the Reformation it was under the protection of the kings of England, and the emblem of the order of the Garter is still to be seen among its decorations. The traditional spot of the martyrdom is the Tre Fontane, not far from the Basilica [CONYBEARE and HOWSON].

JFB: 2 Timothy (Outline)

• EXHORTATIONS; TO FAITHFULNESS AS A GOOD SOLDIER OF CHRIST; ERRORS TO BE SHUNNED; THE LORD'S SURE FOUNDATION; THE RIGHT SPIRIT FOR A SERVANT OF CHRIST. (2Ti. 2:1-26)
• COMING EVIL DAYS: SIGNS OF EVIL ALREADY: CONTRAST IN THE DOCTRINE AND LIFE OF PAUL, WHICH TIMOTHY SHOULD FOLLOW IN ACCORDANCE WITH HIS EARLY TRAINING IN SCRIPTURE. (2Ti. 3:1-17)
• SOLEMN CHARGE TO TIMOTHY TO DO HIS DUTY ZEALOUSLY, FOR TIMES OF APOSTASY ARE AT HAND, AND THE APOSTLE IS NEAR HIS TRIUMPHANT END: REQUESTS HIM TO COME AND BRING MARK WITH HIM TO ROME, AS LUKE ALONE IS WITH HIM, THE OTHERS HAVING GONE: ALSO HIS CLOAK AND PARCHMENTS: WARNS HIM AGAINST ALEXANDER: TELLS WHAT BEFELL HIM AT HIS FIRST DEFENSE: GREETINGS: BENEDICTION. (2Ti. 4:1-22)

TSK: 2 Timothy 1 (Chapter Introduction)

Overview

2Ti 1:1, Paul’s love to Timothy, and the unfeigned faith which was in Timothy himself, his mother, and grandmother; 2Ti 1:6, He is exhorted to stir up the gift of God which was in him; 2Ti 1:8, to be stedfast and patient in persecution; 2Ti 1:13, and to persist in the form and truth of that doctrine which he had learned of him; 2Ti 1:15, Phygellus and Hermogenes, and such like, are noted, and Onesiphorus is highly commended.

Poole: 2 Timothy 1 (Chapter Introduction)

ARGUMENT

This Second Epistle to Timothy was most certainly written from Rome, when Paul was a prisoner there, 2Ti 1:8 , and, as most judge, a very little while before his death, for he tells us, 2Ti 4:7,8 , that he was ready to be offered, he had finished his course, the time of his departure was at hand. He is said to have died Anno Christi 68, and in the five and thirtieth after his conversion; so this Epistle was written about sixteen years after the writing of the former. The scope of it is much the same as of the former: to exhort and encourage him to faithfulness in his ministry, to keep stedfast in the faith, to be diligent in his work; to avoid all strifes of words, perverse disputings, &c. He also in it admonisheth him, that the latter times were like to be yet more dangerous, and therefore adviseth him to prepare for hardship and persecutions, propounding his own example to him, both as to doctrine and as to suffering.

2 TIMOTHY CHAPTER 1

2Ti 1:1,2 Paul affectionately saluteth Timothy,

2Ti 1:3-5 assuring him of his constant prayers for him, and

remembrance of that sincere faith which had been

derived to Timothy from his mother and grandmother.

2Ti 1:6,7 He exhorteth him to stir up the gift of God which was

in him,

2Ti 1:8-12 and not to be ashamed of the testimony of the gospel,

but to be ready to suffer for it, according to his example,

2Ti 1:13,14 and to hold fast the form of sound words which he

had learned.

2Ti 1:15 He putteth him in mind of the general defection of

the converts in Asia,

2Ti 1:16-18 and commendeth Onesiphorus for his repeated kindness

toward him.

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God: See Poole on "1Ti 1:1".

According to the promise of life: it is much the same with Rom 1:1,2 , according to the gospel, which he had promised afore by his prophets. These words either signify the end of his apostleship, to declare the gospel in which is the promise of life, or the matter of his preaching.

Which is in Christ Jesus which eternal life was promised of old, but is not to be had but in Christ Jesus, and in him is the promise fulfilled.

MHCC: 2 Timothy (Book Introduction)

The first design of this epistle seems to have been, to apprize Timothy of what had occurred during the imprisonment of the apostle, and to request him to come to Rome. But being uncertain whether he should be suffered to live to see him, Paul gives a variety of advices and encouragements, for the faithful discharge of his ministerial duties. As this was a private epistle written to St. Paul's most intimate friend, under the miseries of imprisonment, and in the near prospect of death, it shows the temper and character of the apostle, and contains convincing proofs that he sincerely believed the doctrines he preached.

MHCC: 2 Timothy 1 (Chapter Introduction)

(2Ti 1:1-5) Paul expresses great affection for Timothy.

(2Ti 1:6-14) Exhorts him to improve his spiritual gifts.

(2Ti 1:15-18) Tells of many who basely deserted him; but speaks with affection of Onesiphorus.

Matthew Henry: 2 Timothy (Book Introduction)

An Exposition, with Practical Observations, of The Second Epistle of St. Paul to Timothy

This second epistle Paul wrote to Timothy from Rome, when he was a prisoner there and in danger of his life; this is evident from these words, I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand, 2Ti 4:6. It appears that his removal out of this world, in his own apprehension, was not far off, especially considering the rage and malice of his persecutors; and that he had been brought before the emperor Nero, which he calls his first answer, when no man stood with him, but all men forsook him, 2Ti 4:16. And interpreters agree that this was the last epistle he wrote. Where Timothy now was is not certain. The scope of this epistle somewhat differs from that of the former, not so much relating to his office as an evangelist as to his personal conduct and behaviour.

Matthew Henry: 2 Timothy 1 (Chapter Introduction)

After the introduction (2Ti 1:1, 2Ti 1:2) we have, I. Paul's sincere love to Timothy (2Ti 1:3-5). II. Divers exhortations given to him (2Ti 1:6-14). III. He speaks of Phygellus and Hermogenes, with others, and closes with Onesiphorus (2Ti 1:15 to the end).

Barclay: 2 Timothy (Book Introduction)

A GENERAL INTRODUCTION TO THE LETTERS OF PAUL

The Letters Of Paul

There is no more interesting body of documents in the New Testament than the letters of Paul. That is because of all forms of literature a letter is most personal. Demetrius, one of the old Greek literary critics, once wrote, "Every one reveals his own soul in his letters. In every other form of composition it is possible to discern the writercharacter, but in none so clearly as the epistolary." (Demetrius, On Style, 227). It is just because he left us so many letters that we feel we know Paul so well. In them he opened his mind and heart to the folk he loved so much; and in them, to this day, we can see that great mind grappling with the problems of the early church, and feel that great heart throbbing with love for men, even when they were misguided and mistaken.

The Difficulty Of Letters

At the same time, there is often nothing so difficult to understand as a letter. Demetrius (On Style, 223) quotes a saying of Artemon, who edited the letters of Aristotle. Artemon said that a letter ought to be written in the same manner as a dialogue, because it was one of the two sides of a dialogue. In other words, to read a letter is like listening to one side of a telephone conversation. So when we read the letters of Paul we are often in a difficulty. We do not possess the letter which he was answering; we do not fully know the circumstances with which he was dealing; it is only from the letter itself that we can deduce the situation which prompted it. Before we can hope to understand fully any letter Paul wrote, we must try to reconstruct the situation which produced it.

The Ancient Letters

It is a great pity that Paulletters were ever called epistles. They are in the most literal sense letters. One of the great lights shed on the interpretation of the New Testament has been the discovery and the publication of the papyri. In the ancient world, papyrus was the substance on which most documents were written. It was composed of strips of the pith of a certain bulrush that grew on the banks of the Nile. These strips were laid one on top of the other to form a substance very like brown paper. The sands of the Egyptian desert were ideal for preservation, for papyrus, although very brittle, will last forever so long as moisture does not get at it. As a result, from the Egyptian rubbish heaps, archaeologists have rescued hundreds of documents, marriage contracts, legal agreements, government forms, and, most interesting of all, private letters. When we read these private letters we find that there was a pattern to which nearly all conformed; and we find that Paulletters reproduce exactly that pattern. Here is one of these ancient letters. It is from a soldier, called Apion, to his father Epimachus. He is writing from Misenum to tell his father that he has arrived safely after a stormy passage.

"Apion sends heartiest greetings to his father and lord Epimachus.

I pray above all that you are well and fit; and that things are

going well with you and my sister and her daughter and my brother.

I thank my Lord Serapis [his god] that he kept me safe when I was

in peril on the sea. As soon as I got to Misenum I got my journey

money from Caesar--three gold pieces. And things are going fine

with me. So I beg you, my dear father, send me a line, first to let

me know how you are, and then about my brothers, and thirdly, that

I may kiss your hand, because you brought me up well, and because

of that I hope, God willing, soon to be promoted. Give Capito my

heartiest greetings, and my brothers and Serenilla and my friends.

I sent you a little picture of myself painted by Euctemon. My

military name is Antonius Maximus. I pray for your good health.

Serenus sends good wishes, Agathos Daimonboy, and Turbo,

Galloniuson." (G. Milligan, Selections from the Greek Papyri,

36).

Little did Apion think that we would be reading his letter to his father 1800 years after he had written it. It shows how little human nature changes. The lad is hoping for promotion quickly. Who will Serenilla be but the girl he left behind him? He sends the ancient equivalent of a photograph to the folk at home. Now that letter falls into certain sections. (i) There is a greeting. (ii) There is a prayer for the health of the recipients. (iii) There is a thanksgiving to the gods. (iv) There are the special contents. (v) Finally, there are the special salutations and the personal greetings. Practically every one of Paulletters shows exactly the same sections, as we now demonstrate.

(i) The Greeting: Rom_1:1 ; 1Co_1:1 ; 2Co_1:1 ; Gal_1:1 ; Eph_1:1 ; Phi_1:1 ; Col_1:1-2 ; 1Th_1:1 ; 2Th_1:1 .

(ii) The Prayer: in every case Paul prays for the grace of God on the people to whom he writes: Rom_1:7 ; 1Co_1:3 ; 2Co_1:2 ; Gal_1:3 ; Eph_1:2 ; Phi_1:3 ; Col_1:2 ; 1Th_1:1 ; 2Th_1:2 .

(iii) The Thanksgiving: Rom_1:8 ; 1Co_1:4 ; 2Co_1:3 ; Eph_1:3 ; Phi_1:3 ; 1Th_1:3 ; 2Th_1:3 .

(iv) The Special Contents: the main body of the letters.

(v) Special Salutations and Personal Greetings: Rom 16 ; 1Co_16:19 ; 2Co_13:13 ; Phi_4:21-22 ; Col_4:12-15 ; 1Th_5:26 .

When Paul wrote letters, he wrote them on the pattern which everyone used. Deissmann says of them, "They differ from the messages of the homely papyrus leaves of Egypt, not as letters but only as the letters of Paul." When we read Paulletters we are not reading things which were meant to be academic exercises and theological treatises, but human documents written by a friend to his friends.

The Immediate Situation

With a very few exceptions, all Paulletters were written to meet an immediate situation and not treatises which he sat down to write in the peace and silence of his study. There was some threatening situation in Corinth, or Galatia, or Philippi, or Thessalonica, and he wrote a letter to meet it. He was not in the least thinking of us when he wrote, but solely of the people to whom he was writing. Deissmann writes, "Paul had no thought of adding a few fresh compositions to the already extant Jewish epistles; still less of enriching the sacred literature of his nation. He had no presentiment of the place his words would occupy in universal history; not so much that they would be in existence in the next generation, far less that one day people would look at them as Holy Scripture." We must always remember that a thing need not be transient because it was written to meet an immediate situation. All the great love songs of the world were written for one person, but they live on for the whole of mankind. It is just because Paulletters were written to meet a threatening danger or a clamant need that they still throb with life. And it is because human need and the human situation do not change that God speaks to us through them today.

The Spoken Word

One other thing we must note about these letters. Paul did what most people did in his day. He did not normally pen his own letters but dictated them to a secretary, and then added his own authenticating signature. (We actually know the name of one of the people who did the writing for him. In Rom_16:22 Tertius, the secretary, slips in his own greeting before the letter draws to an end). In 1Co_16:21 Paul says, "This is my own signature, my autograph, so that you can be sure this letter comes from me." (compare Col_4:18 ; 2Th_3:17 .)

This explains a great deal. Sometimes Paul is hard to understand, because his sentences begin and never finish; his grammar breaks down and the construction becomes involved. We must not think of him sitting quietly at a desk, carefully polishing each sentence as he writes. We must think of him striding up and down some little room, pouring out a torrent Paul composed his letters, he had in his mindeye a vision of words, while his secretary races to get them down. When of the folk to whom he was writing, and he was pouring out his heart to them in words that fell over each other in his eagerness to help.

INTRODUCTION TO THE LETTERS TO TIMOTHY AND TITUS

Personal Letters

1 and 2 Timothy and Titus have always been regarded as forming a separate group of letters, different from the other letters of Paul. The most obvious difference is that they, along with the little letter to Philemon, are written to persons, whereas all other Pauline letters are written to Churches. The Muratorian Canon, which was the earliest official list of New Testament books, says that they were written "from personal feeling and affection." They are private rather than public letters.

Ecclesiastical Letters

But it very soon began to be seen that, though these are personal and private letters, they have a significance and a relevance far beyond the immediate. In 1Ti_3:15 their aim is set down. They are written to Timothy "that you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the Church of the living God." So, then, it came to be seen that these letters have not only a personal significance, but also what one might call an ecclesiastical significance. The Muratorian Canon says of them that, though they are personal letters written out of personal affection, "they are still hallowed in the respect of the Catholic Church, and in the arrangement of ecclesiastical discipline." Tertullian said that Paul wrote "two letters to Timothy and one to Titus, which were composed concerning the state of the Church (de ecclesiastico statu)." It is not then surprising that the first name given to them was Pontifical Letters, that is, written by the pontifex, the priest, the controller of the Church.

Pastoral Letters

Bit by bit they came to acquire the name by which they are still known--The Pastoral Epistles. In writing of I Timothy Thomas Aquinas, as long ago as 1274, said, "This letter is as it were a pastoral rule which the Apostle delivered to Timothy." In his introduction to the second letter, he writes, "In the first letter he gives Timothy instructions concerning ecclesiastical order; in this second letter he deals with a pastoral care which should be so great that it will even accept martyrdom for the sake of the care of the flock." But this title, The Pastoral Epistles, really became affixed to these letters in 1726 when a great scholar, Paul Anton by name, gave a series of famous lectures on them under that title.

These letters then deal with the care and organization of the flock of God; they tell men how to behave within the household of God; they give instructions as to how Godhouse should be administered, as to what kind of people the leaders and pastors of the Church should be, and as to how the threats which endanger the purity of Christian faith and life should be dealt with.

The Growing Church

The supreme interest of these letters is that we get in them a picture of the infant Church. In those early days it was an island in a sea of paganism. The people in it were only one remove from their heathen origin. It would have been so easy for them to relapse into the pagan standards from which they had come; the tarnishing atmosphere was all around. It is most significant that missionaries tell us that of all letters the Pastoral Epistles speak most directly to the situation of the younger Churches. The situation with which they deal is being re-enacted in India, in Africa, in China every day. They can never lose their interest because in them we see, as nowhere else, the problems which continually beset the growing Church.

The Ecclesiastical Background Of The Pastorals

From the beginning these letters have presented problems to New Testament scholars. There are many who have felt that, as they stand, they cannot have come directly from the hand and pen of Paul. That this is no new feeling may be seen from the fact that Marcion, who, although he was a heretic, was the first man to draw up a list of New Testament books, did not include them among Paulletters. Let us then see what makes people doubt their direct Pauline authorship.

In them we are confronted with the picture of a Church with a fairly highly developed ecclesiastical organization. There are elders (1Ti_5:17-19 ; Tit_1:5-6 ); there are bishops, superintendents or overseers (1Ti_3:1-7 ; Tit_1:7-16 ); there are deacons (1Ti_3:8-13 ). From 1Ti_5:17-18 we learn that by that time elders were even salaried officials. The elders that rule well are to be counted worthy of a double pay and the Church is urged to remember that the labourer is worthy of his hire. There is at least the beginning of the order of widows who became so prominent later on in the early Church (1Ti_5:3-16 ). There is clearly here a quite elaborate structure within the Church, too elaborate some would claim for the early days in which Paul lived and worked.

The Days Of Creeds

It is even claimed that in these letters we can see the days of creeds emerging. The word faith changed its meaning. In the earliest days it is always faith in a person; it is the most intimate possible personal connection of love and trust and obedience with Jesus Christ. In later days it became faith in a creed; it became the acceptance of certain doctrines. It is said that in the Pastoral Epistles we can see this change emerging.

In the later days men will come who will depart from the faith and give heed to doctrines of devils (1Ti_4:1 ). A good servant of Jesus Christ must be nourished in the words of faith and good doctrine (1Ti_4:6 ). The heretics are men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith (2Ti_3:8 ). The duty of Titus is to rebuke men that they may be sound in the faith (Tit_1:13 ).

This comes out very particularly in an expression peculiar to the Pastorals. Timothy is urged to keep hold of "the truth that has been entrusted to you" (2Ti_1:14 ). The word for that has been entrusted is paratheke (G3866). Paratheke means a deposit which has been entrusted to a banker or someone else for safe-keeping. It is essentially something which must be handed back or handed on absolutely unchanged. That is to say the stress is on orthodoxy. Instead of being a close, personal relationship to Jesus Christ, as it was in the thrilling and throbbing days of the early Church, faith has become the acceptance of a creed. It is even held that in the Pastorals we have echoes of the earliest creeds.

"God was manifested in the flesh;

Vindicated in the Spirit;

Seen by angels;

Preached among the nations;

Believed on in the world;

Taken up in glory" (1Ti_3:16 ).

That indeed sounds like the fragment of a creed to be recited.

"Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descended from

David, as preached in my gospel" (2Ti_2:8 ).

That sounds like a reminder of a sentence from an accepted creed.

Within the Pastorals there undoubtedly are indications that the day of insistence on acceptance of a creed has begun, and that the days of the first thrilling personal discovery of Christ are beginning to fade.

A Dangerous Heresy

It is clear that in the forefront of the situation against which the Pastoral Epistles were written there was a dangerous heresy which was threatening the welfare of the Christian Church. If we can distinguish the various characteristic features of that heresy, we may be able to go on to identify it.

It was characterized by speculative intellectualism. It produced questions (1Ti_1:4 ); those involved in it doted about questions (1Ti_6:4 ); it dealt in foolish and unlearned questions (2Ti_2:23 ); its foolish questions are to be avoided (Tit_3:9 ). The word used in each case for questions is ekzetesis (compare G1567 and G2214), which means speculative discussion. This heresy was obviously one which was a play-ground of the intellectuals, or rather the pseudo-intellectuals of the Church.

It was characterized by pride. The heretic is proud, although in reality he knows nothing (1Ti_6:4 ). There are indications that these intellectuals set themselves on a plane above the ordinary Christian; in fact they may well have said that complete salvation was outside the grasp of the ordinary man and open only to them. At times the Pastoral Epistles stress the word all in a most significant way. The grace of God, which brings salvation, has appeared to all men (Tit_2:11 ). It is Godwill that all men should be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth (1Ti_2:4 ). The intellectuals tried to make the greatest blessings of Christianity the exclusive possession of a chosen few; and in contradistinction the true faith stresses the all-embracing love of God.

There were within that heresy two opposite tendencies. There was a tendency to asceticism. The heretics tried to lay down special food laws, forgetting that everything God has made is good (1Ti_4:4-5 ). They listed many things as impure, forgetting that to the pure all things are pure (Tit_1:15 ). It is not impossible that they regarded sex as something unclean and belittled marriage, and even tried to persuade those who were married to renounce it, for in Tit_2:4 the simple duties of the married life are stressed as being binding on the Christian.

But this heresy also issued in immorality. The heretics even invaded private houses and led away weak and foolish women in evil desires (2Ti_3:6 ). They professed to know God, but denied him by their deeds (Tit_1:16 ). They were out to impose upon people and to make money out of their false teaching. To them gain was godliness (1Ti_6:5 ); they taught and deceived for base gain (Tit_1:11 ).

On the one hand this heresy issued in an unchristian asceticism, and on the other it produced an equally unchristian immorality.

It was characterized, too, by words and tales and genealogies. It was full of godless chatter and useless controversies (1Ti_6:20 ). It produced endless genealogies (1Ti_1:4 ; Tit_3:9 ). It produced myths and fables (1Ti_1:4 ; Tit_1:14 ).

It was at least in some way and to some extent tied up with Jewish legalism. Amongst its devotees were those of the circumcision (Tit_1:10 ). The aim of the heretics was to be teachers of the law (1Ti_1:7 ). It pressed on men Jewish fables and the commandments of men (Tit_1:14 ).

Finally, these heretics denied the resurrection of the body. They said that any resurrection that a man was going to experience had been experienced already (2Ti_2:18 ). This is probably a reference to those who held that the only resurrection the Christian experienced was a spiritual one when he died with Christ and rose again with him in the experience of baptism (Rom_6:4 ).

The Beginnings Of Gnosticism

Is there any heresy which fits all this material? There is, and its name is Gnosticism. The basic thought of Gnosticism was that all matter is essentially evil and spirit alone is good. That basic belief had certain consequences.

The Gnostic believed that matter is as eternal as God; and that when God created the world he had to use this essentially evil matter. That meant that to them God could not be the direct creator of the world. In order to touch this flawed matter he had to send out a series of emanations--they called them aeons--each one more and more distant from himself until at last there came an emanation or aeon so distant that it could deal with matter and create the world. Between man and God there stretched a series of these emanations, each with his name and genealogy. So Gnosticism literally had endless fables and endless genealogies. If a man was ever to get to God, he must, as it were, ascend this ladder of emanations; and to do that he needed a very special kind of knowledge including all kinds of passwords to get him past each stage. Only a person of the highest intellectual calibre could hope to acquire this knowledge and know these passwords and so get to God.

Further, if matter was altogether evil, the body was altogether evil. From that, two opposite possible consequences sprang. Either the body must be held down so that a rigorous asceticism resulted, in which the needs of the body were as far as possible eliminated and its instincts, especially the sex instinct, as far as possible destroyed; or it could be held that, since it was evil, it did not matter what was done with the body and its instincts and desires could be given full rein. The Gnostic therefore became either an ascetic or a man to whom morality had ceased to have any relevance at all.

Still further, if the body was evil, clearly there could be no such thing as its resurrection. It was not the resurrection of the body but its destruction to which the Gnostic looked forward.

All this fits accurately the situation of the Pastoral Epistles. In Gnosticism we see the intellectualism, the intellectual arrogance, the fables and the genealogies, the asceticism and the immorality, the refusal to contemplate the possibility of a bodily resurrection, which were part and parcel of the heresy against which the Pastoral Epistles were written.

One element in the heresy has not yet been fitted into place--the Judaism and the legalism of which the Pastoral Epistles speak. That too finds its place. Sometimes Gnosticism and Judaism joined hands. We have already said that the Gnostics insisted that to climb the ladder to God a very special knowledge was necessary; and that some of them insisted that for the good life a strict asceticism was essential. It was the claim of certain of the Jews that it was precisely the Jewish law and the Jewish food regulations which provided that special knowledge and necessary asceticism; and so there were times when Judaism and Gnosticism went hand in hand.

It is quite clear that the heresy at the back of the Pastoral Epistles was Gnosticism. Some have used that fact to try to prove that Paul could have had nothing to do with the writing of them, because, they say, Gnosticism did not emerge until much later than Paul. It is quite true that the great formal systems of Gnosticism, connected with such names as Valentinus and Basilides, did not arise until the second century; but these great figures only systematized what was already there. The basic ideas of Gnosticism were there in the atmosphere which surrounded the early Church, even in the days of Paul. It is easy to see their attraction, and also to see that, if they had been allowed to flourish unchecked, they could have turned Christianity into a speculative philosophy and wrecked it. In facing Gnosticism, the Church was facing one of the gravest dangers which ever threatened the Christian faith.

The Language Of The Pastorals

The most impressive argument against the direct Pauline origin of the Pastorals is a fact which is quite clear in the Greek but not so clear in any English translation. The total number of words in the Pastoral Epistles is 902, of which 54 are proper names; and of these 902 words, no fewer than 306 never occur in any other of Paulletters. That is to say more than a third of the words in the Pastoral Epistles are totally absent from Paulother letters. In fact 175 words in the Pastoral Epistles occur nowhere else in the New Testament at all; although it is only fair to say that there are 50 words in the Pastoral Epistles which occur in Paulother letters and nowhere else in the New Testament.

Further, when the other letters of Paul and the Pastorals say the same thing they say it in different ways, using different words and different turns of speech to express the same idea.

Again, many of Paulfavourite words are absent entirely from the Pastoral Epistles. The words for the cross (stauros, G4716) and to crucify (stauroun, G4717) occur 27 times in Paulother letters, and never in the Pastorals. Eleutheria (G1657) and the kindred words which have to do with freedom occur 29 times in Paulother letters, and never in the Pastorals. Huios (G5207), "son," and huiothesia (G5206), "adoption," occur 46 times in Paulother letters, and never in the Pastorals.

Moreover, Greek has many more of those little words called particles and enclitics than English has. Sometimes they indicate little more than a tone of voice; every Greek sentence is joined to its predecessor by one of them; and they are often virtually untranslatable. Of these particles and enclitics there are 112 which Paul uses altogether 932 times in his other letters that never occur in the Pastorals.

There is clearly something which has to be explained here. The vocabulary and the style make it hard to believe that Paul wrote the Pastoral Epistles in the same sense as he wrote his other letters.

PaulActivities In The Pastorals

But perhaps the most obvious difficulty of the Pastorals is that they show Paul engaged in activities for which there is no room in his life as we know it from the book of Acts. He has clearly conducted a mission in Crete (Tit_1:5 ). And he proposes to spend a winter in Nicopolis, which is in Epirus (Tit_3:12 ). In Paullife as we know it that particular mission and that particular winter just cannot be fitted in. But it may well be that just here we have stumbled on the solution to the problem.

Was Paul Released From His Roman Imprisonment?

Let us sum up. We have seen that the Church organization of the Pastorals is more elaborate than in any other Pauline letter. We have seen that the stress on orthodoxy sounds like second or third generation Christianity, when the thrill of the new discovery is wearing off and the Church is on the way to becoming an institution. We have seen that Paul is depicted as carrying out a mission or missions which cannot be fitted into the scheme of his life as we have it in Acts. But Acts leaves it quite uncertain what happened to Paul in Rome. It ends by telling us that he lived for two whole years in a kind of semi-captivity, preaching the gospel without hindrance (Act_28:30-31 ). But it does not tell us how that captivity ended, whether in Paulrelease or his execution. It is true that the general assumption is that it ended in his condemnation and death; but there is a by no means negligible stream of tradition which tells that it ended in his release, his liberty for two or three further years, his reimprisonment and his final execution about the year A.D. 67.

Let us look at this question, for it is of the greatest interest.

First, it is clear that when Paul was in prison in Rome, he did not regard release as impossible; in fact, it looks as if he expected it. When he wrote to the Philippians, he said that he was sending Timothy to them, and goes on, "And I trust in the Lord that shortly I myself shall come also" (Phi_2:24 ). When he wrote to Philemon, sending back the runaway Onesimus, he says, "At the same time prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping through your prayers to be granted to you" (Phm_1:22 ). Clearly he was prepared for release, whether or not it ever came.

Second, let us remember a plan that was very dear to Paulheart. Before he went to Jerusalem on that journey on which he was arrested, he wrote to the Church at Rome, and in that letter he is planning a visit to Spain. "I hope to see you in passing," he writes, "as I go to Spain." "I shall go on by way of you," he writes, "to Spain" (Rom_15:24 , Rom_15:28 ). Was that visit ever paid?

Clement of Rome, when he wrote to the Church at Corinth about A.D. 90, said of Paul that he preached the gospel in the East and in the West; that he instructed the whole world (that is, the Roman Empire) in righteousness; and that he went to the extremity (terma, the terminus) of the West, before his martyrdom. What did Clement mean by the extremity of the West? There are many who argue that he meant nothing more than Rome. Now it is true that someone writing away in the East in Asia Minor would probably think of Rome as the extremity, of the West. But Clement was writing from Rome; and it is difficult to see that for anyone in Rome the extremity of the West could be anything else but Spain. It certainly seems that Clement believed that Paul reached Spain.

The greatest of all the early Church historians was Eusebius. In his account of Paullife he writes: "Luke who wrote the Acts of the Apostles, brought his history to a close at this point, after stating that Paul had spent two whole years at Rome as a prisoner at large, and preached the word of God without constraint. Thus, after he had made his defence, it is said that the Apostle was sent again on the ministry of preaching, and that on coming to the same city a second time he suffered martyrdom" (Eusebius: Ecclesiastical History, 2.22.2). Eusebius has nothing to say about Spain, but he did know the story that Paul had been released from his first Roman imprisonment.

The Muratorian Canon, that first list of New Testament books, describes Lukescheme in writing Acts: "Luke related to Theophilus events of which he was an eye-witness, as also, in a separate place, he evidently declares the martyrdom of Peter (he probably refers to Luk_22:31-32 ); but omits the journey of Paul from Rome to Spain."

In the fifth century, two of the great Christian fathers are definite about this journey. Chrysostom in his sermon on 2Ti_4:20 says: "Saint Paul after his residence in Rome departed to Spain." Jerome in his Catalogue of Writers says that Paul "was dismissed by Nero that he might preach Christgospel in the West."

Beyond doubt a stream of tradition held that Paul journeyed to Spain.

This is a matter on which we will have to come to our own decision. The one thing which makes us doubt the historicity of that tradition is that in Spain itself there is not and never was any tradition that Paul had worked and preached there, no stories about him, no places connected with his name. It would be indeed strange if the memory of such a visit had become totally obliterated. It could well be that the whole story of Paulrelease and journey to the west arose simply as a deduction from his expressed intention to visit Spain (Rom 15 ). Most New Testament scholars do not think that Paul was released from his imprisonment; the general consensus of opinion is that his only release was by death.

Paul And The Pastoral Epistles

What then shall we say of Paulconnection with these letters? If we can accept the tradition of his release, and of his return to preaching and teaching, and of his death as late as A.D. 67, we might well believe that as they stand they came from his hand. But, if we cannot believe that--and the evidence is on the whole against it--are we to say that they have no connection with Paul at all?

We must remember that the ancient world did not think of these things as we do. It would see nothing wrong in issuing a letter under the name of a great teacher, if it was sure that the letter said the things which that teacher would say under the same circumstances. To the ancient world it was natural and seemly that a disciple should write in his mastername. No one would have seen anything wrong in one of Pauldisciples meeting a new and threatening situation with a letter under Paulname. To regard that as forgery is to misunderstand the mind of the ancient world. Are we then to swing completely to the other extreme and say that some disciple of his issued these letters in Paulname years after he was dead, and at a time when the Church was much more highly organized than ever it was during his lifetime?

As we see it, the answer is no. It is incredible that any disciple would put into Paulmouth a claim to be the chief of sinners (1Ti_1:15 ); his tendency would be to stress Paulholiness, not to talk about his sin. It is incredible that anyone writing in the name of Paul would give Timothy the homely advice to drink a little wine for the sake of his health (1Ti_5:23 ). The whole of 2Tim 4 is so personal and so full of intimate, loving details that no one but Paul could have written it.

Wherein lies the solution? It may well be that something like this happened. It is quite obvious that many letters of Paul went lost. Apart from his great public letters, he must have had a continuous private correspondence; and of that we possess only the little letter to Philemon. It may well be that in the later days there were some fragments of Paulcorrespondence in the possession of some Christian teacher. This teacher saw the Church of his day and his locality in Ephesus threatened on every side. It was threatened with heresy from without and from within. It was threatened with a fall away from its own high standards of purity and truth. The quality of its members and the standard of its office-bearers were degenerating. He had in his possession little letters of Paul which said exactly the things that should be said, but, as they stood, they were too short and too fragmentary to publish. So he amplified them and made them supremely relevant to the contemporary situation and sent them out to the Church.

In the Pastoral Epistles we are still hearing the voice of Paul, and often hearing it speak with a unique personal intimacy; but we think that the form of the letters is due to a Christian teacher who summoned the help of Paul when the Church of the day needed the guidance which only he could give.

FURTHER READING

Timothy

D. Guthrie, The Pastoral Epistles (TC; E)

W. Lock, The Pastoral Epistles (ICC; G)

E. F. Scott, The Pastoral Epistles (MC; E)

E. K. Simpson, The Pastoral Epistles

Abbreviations

CGT: Cambridge Greek Testament

ICC: International Critical Commentary

MC: Moffatt Commentary

TC: Tyndale Commentary

E: English Text

G: Greek Text

Barclay: 2 Timothy 1 (Chapter Introduction)

An Apostle's Glory And An Apostle's Privilege (2Ti_1:1-7)

The Inspiring Of Timothy (2Ti_1:1-7 Continued)

A Gospel Worth Suffering For (2Ti_1:8-11)

A Gospel Worth Suffering For (2Ti_1:8-11 Continued)

Trust, Human And Divine (2Ti_1:12-14)

Trust Human And Divine (2Ti_1:12-14 Continued)

The Faithless Many And The Faithful One (2Ti_1:15-18)

Constable: 2 Timothy (Book Introduction)

Introduction

Historical Background

Assuming Paul visited Nicapolis as he planned (Titus 3:12), he went from there to Rome evidently indirectly. His visit to Troas (2 Tim. 4:13) probably took place shortly before he wrote 2 Timothy. It may be that Paul's arrest required his leaving his cloak, books, and parchments there, but that is only speculation. In any case Paul ended up in Rome as a prisoner again (2:9). He had already had his initial hearing and was awaiting trial when he wrote this epistle (4:16). He believed that the Roman authorities would find him guilty and execute him soon (4:6).

Timothy seems to have remained at Ephesus for some time following his reception of Paul's first epistle to him and then, presumably, Paul's personal visit of him there (1 Tim. 3:14). He was evidently in Ephesus when Paul wrote this epistle (2 Tim. 1:16-18; 4:14 cf. 1 Tim. 1:20; 2 Tim. 4:19).

Ever since Rome had burned in July of 64 A.D. and Nero had blamed the Christians it had become dangerous to be a Christian. It was also dangerous to have contact with leaders of the church such as Paul.¹ Consequently many believers, including some of Paul's coworkers, had chosen to seek a much lower profile and become less aggressive in their ministries. Timothy faced temptation to do the same. Paul wrote this epistle to urge him to remain faithful to his calling and loyal to his father in the faith. Timothy needed to stand shoulder to shoulder with Paul and the other believers and to continue to "preach the Word" as he had done.

Paul probably wrote 2 Timothy in the fall of 67 A.D. There are two reasons for this date. According to early church tradition Paul suffered execution shortly before Nero committed suicide in June of 68 A.D. Second, Paul penned this last of his canonical epistles fairly near the time of his execution though before the winter of 67-68 A.D. (4:21).

Message²

Paul had previously written to Timothy explaining that the local church is a supporting pedestal for God's truth (1 Tim. 3:15). He had said that the purpose of the local church is the proclamation of God's truth in the world. He had also said that the purpose of church leaders is the exposition of God's truth in the church. Conditions facing the church had worsened considerably since he had written 1 Timothy. Characteristics of the last days were becoming increasingly obvious (2 Tim. 3:1-7). Godlessness and worldliness were invading the church. If the church failed to fulfill its purpose, God's truth would cease to go out into the world. The church would fail if its leaders failed to expound God's truth to the saints in the church. Consequently Paul wrote this letter to encourage Timothy to fulfill his responsibility as a leader in the church. This epistle, therefore, is particularly for church leaders and deals mainly with their duties.

This epistle reveals the true minister of Jesus Christ. It reveals his resources, his methods, and his most important work. Of course every Christian is a true minister of Jesus Christ (Eph. 4:12).

The essential resources of the Christian minister are God's gifts and God's grace.

A person can become a minister of God's truth only when the Head of the church bestows a gift on him or her through the Holy Spirit. This is the primary qualification for ministry (1:6). Some leaders have great gifts, others have lesser gifts, but all have at least one gift (1 Pet. 4:10). These gifts are abilities for service that God gives us.

Grace is also necessary. Grace refers to all God's resources that are available to us through Christ. God works through the gifts He has given us. Grace is His power at work to accomplish what is supernatural. His grace brings force to our public ministries and godliness into our personal lives. Its ultimate purpose is to bring everything about us into harmony with God's character (2:1; 2 Cor. 12:9).

The methods of the Christian minister are construction and demonstration.

The leader of God's people must aim at the development of holy character and conduct in the lives of those under his or her care. He or she seeks to build up the saints so they can fulfill their function. Second Timothy 3:16-17 gives the process. This takes place through authoritative instruction, correction, restoration, and patient guidance.

Second, the minister must also demonstrate in his or her own life what godliness and righteousness are. He or she must give people an example they can follow as well as information they can believe (1:8; 2:22-23).

The most important work of the minister is also two-fold. He must know the Scriptures and proclaim the Scriptures.

Knowledge of the whole counsel of God is essential (3:14-15). We must know the Word because that is what God uses to build up His people. We must also know it because it is through our mastery of the Word that God masters us and changes our lives into the examples we need to be.

While proclaiming the Word is not the totality of pastoral ministry, it is without question its most important public function (4:1-2).

Paul's great appeal in this letter is to "fulfill your ministry" (4:5).

Concerning his resources the minister must stir up his or her gift (1:6) to fulfill his or her ministry. We must rekindle our gifts from time to time. They tend to diminish if we do not use them, as any other unused ability tends to diminish. We are in danger of growing cold. We need to keep using and seeking to improve our gifts.

We have a second responsibility concerning our resources. We must draw strength from God's grace (2:1). To do this we must make use of the means of grace: prayer, the devotional reading of the Bible, fellowship with other Christians, and meditation on the cross.

Concerning methods Paul appealed to give diligence to our work of construction (2:15). The approval of God requires zeal in ministry, not half-hearted or sloppy service. In our culture many people are willing to do just enough to get by.

Our work of demonstrating an example for the church requires that we flee some things and pursue others (2:22). Our inner lives affect our ability to demonstrate the truth perhaps more than our ability to proclaim the truth.

We fulfill our responsibility to know the Scriptures when we abide in them (3:14). We must not neglect much less abandon them day by day. We need to read, memorize, and meditate on the Word frequently and regularly.

We fulfill our responsibility to proclaim the Scriptures when we are instant in season and out of season (4:2). There is no "season" for heralding God's truth. We should be ready to do it always.

These are Paul's revelations of the secrets of success in ministry.

Let me make a few applications of the message of this epistle.

First, let us consider some applications to the church.

It is the proclamation of God's truth both in the church and in the world that will keep the church solid and secure. The Word of God is its most important resource. The church must preach the Word!

Second, the church must give attention to both correct thinking and correct acting. Correct thinking is basic to correct behavior. The church must practice and preach godliness. The Word is indispensable to both objectives. Churches that emphasize the proclamation of the Word are most effective on both these fronts. This is the main reason evangelical churches usually grow.

Third, the church must fully know the Word and faithfully proclaim the Word. This is its great work in the world. Do not turn aside to lesser goals.

Finally, let us consider three applications for individual ministers, church leaders.

First, the Lord will guard the lives of those who guard His Word (1:12, 14). There is no safer place to be than doing God's will.

Second, God has given the Scriptures to us in trust, to pass along so that others will benefit from them (2:2). We have an obligation to do this (1 Cor. 9:16).

Third, we have a responsibility to be faithful to our trust. Paul said this was true in this letter for three reasons. Christ will return soon. There is growing apostasy in the church. Furthermore there are always gaps opening in the ranks of the church's leadership by death (Paul) and defection (Demas, et al.). 2 Timothy emphasizes faithfulness.

There is constant turnover in the leadership of the church. Nevertheless the proclamation of the Word by the church's leaders must continue to have priority for the church to fulfill its function in the world. This is the message statement.

Constable: 2 Timothy (Outline)

Outline

I. Salutation 1:1-2

II. Thanksgiving for faithful fellow workers 1:3-18

A. Timothy's past faithfulness 1:3-7

B. Charges to remain loyal 1:8-14

1. Exhortation to be courageous 1:8-12

2. Exhortation to guard the gospel 1:13-14

C. Examples of faithful and unfaithful service 1:15-18

III. Exhortations to persevere 2:1-26

A. Charge to endure hardship 2:1-13

1. Timothy's duty 2:1-7

2. The examples of Jesus and Paul 2:8-10

3. A popular saying 2:11-13

B. Charge to remain faithful 2:14-26

1. Faithfulness in public ministry 2:14-18

2. Faithfulness in personal life 2:19-21

3. Summary applications 2:22-26

IV. Directions concerning the last days 3:1-4:8

A. Characteristics of the last days 3:1-13

1. Evidences of faithlessness 3:1-7

2. Negative and positive illustrations 3:8-13

B. Conduct in the last days 3:14-4:5

1. Adherence to the truth 3:14-17

2. Proclamation of the truth 4:1-5

C. Paul's role in the last days 4:6-8

V. Concluding personal instructions and information 4:9-22

A. Fellow workers and an opponent 4:9-15

B. Paul's preliminary hearing in court 4:16-18

C. Additional greetings and instructions 4:19-21

D. Benediction 4:22

Constable: 2 Timothy

2 Timothy

Bibliography

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_____. "The Decline of Miracles in the New Testament Era." Th.M. thesis, Dallas Theological Seminary, 1986.

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_____. "2 Timothy." In Ephesians-Philemon. Vol. 11 of Expositor's Bible Commentary. 12 vols. Edited by Frank E. Gaebelein and J. D. Douglas. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1978.

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_____. The Pastoral Epistles. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries series. London: Tyndale Press, 1964.

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_____. Second Timothy. Moody Colportage Library series. Chicago: Moody Press, 1958.

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Copyright 2003 by Thomas L. Constable

Haydock: 2 Timothy (Book Introduction)

THE SECOND

EPISTLE OF ST. PAUL, THE APOSTLE,

TO TIMOTHY.

INTRODUCTION.

The main subject and design of this epistle is much the same as the former; in it the apostle again instructs and admonishes Timothy in what belonged to his office, and also warns him to shun the conversation of those who erred from the truth, describing at the same time their character. He tells him of his approaching death, and desires him to come speedily to him. It appears from this circumstance, that he wrote this second epistle in the time of his last imprisonment at Rome, and not long before his martyrdom. See Eusebius, St. Jerome, and others cited by Tillemont, and by P. Mauduit, (Diss. xi.) where this historical fact is discussed at large. (Challoner, Witham)

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Gill: 2 Timothy (Book Introduction)

INTRODUCTION TO 2 TIMOTHY

That this epistle was written to Timothy, while he was at Ephesus, where the apostle in his former epistle had desired him to stay, is evident from his making mention of some persons in it, who were Ephesians; as Onesiphorus, whom he commends, and Alexander the coppersmith, of whom he complains: and that this epistle was written by the apostle, when he was at Rome, is no less evident; for he expressly calls himself a prisoner, 2Ti 1:8 and speaks of being then in trouble, and in bonds, 2Ti 2:9 and the persons that send their salutations in it to Timothy were Romans, 2Ti 4:21 but at what time it was written is not so certain: it seems by 2Ti 4:7 that it was but a little time before his martyrdom; though those words may only signify, that he was now very much on the decline of life, was now grown an old man, and in continual expectation of death, and was in a constant readiness for it, come when it would; having faithfully discharged his duty, and his warfare being as good as accomplished, and his race almost run out; for he afterwards presses Timothy to come to him, and that before winter; and desires him to bring with him his cloak, books, and parchments, which one would think he would have little occasion for, if just upon his martyrdom: besides, he says he was delivered out of the mouth of the lion, that by him the preaching of the Gospel might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear it; and expresses his confidence, that he should be again delivered, 2Ti 4:9. And it looks as if this epistle was written before the epistles to the Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon, since it appears that Timothy did come to him at Rome; as here desired, and is joined with the apostle in those epistles. Some, therefore, have placed this epistle in the year 58, or 59, about the fourth or fifth of Nero's reign. The design of it is to stir up Timothy to the faithful and diligent discharge of his duty, as a minister of the Gospel; to abide constantly by the truths of it, and to animate him to suffer patiently, cheerfully, and courageously for the sake of it; and to warn him against false teachers, and their errors, who were already risen, and would afterwards arise, and be followed by such who had itching ears, and could not bear sound doctrine; but this should be no discouragement to him in the prosecution of his work; and lastly to desire his presence with him at Rome, being now destitute of his several assistants.

Gill: 2 Timothy 1 (Chapter Introduction)

INTRODUCTION TO 2 TIMOTHY 1

In this chapter, after the inscription and salutation, the apostle expresses his great affection for Timothy, and highly commends him; exhorts him to various things relating to his office, as a preacher of the Gospel; and concludes with taking notice of the kindness shown him by Onesiphorus. The inscription and salutation are in 2Ti 1:1 and then follows the preface to the epistle, in which the apostle testifies his great love to Timothy, and commends him; by declaring his thankfulness to God, that he had reason always to remember him in his prayers; by his desire to see him again, who had shed so many tears for him, that his joy might be filled; and by taking notice of his unfeigned faith, the same with that which had dwelt in his ancestors, 2Ti 1:3. And then he proceeds to exhort him to the exercise and improvement of his ministerial gift; to show a fortitude of mind, and a manly spirit in the cause of Christ; and to suffer cheerfully for the sake of it, 2Ti 1:6 and in order to animate and encourage him to the same, he gives a summary of the Gospel, as containing in it the great doctrines of salvation, and eternal life, according to the free grace of God through Jesus Christ, 2Ti 1:9 and observes, that he himself was appointed a preacher of it to the Gentiles, 2Ti 1:11 and instances in himself, as suffering for it, without being ashamed; and as having a strong confidence in Christ, as able to keep him, and what he had committed to him, 2Ti 1:12 and then returns to his exhortation to Timothy to hold fast the Gospel of Christ; to which he urges him from the consideration of the nature and value of it, being a form of sound words, and that famous good thing, and of the means and manner in which he came to the knowledge of it; and chiefly from its being committed to him by the Holy Ghost, that dwelt in him; and also because of the general defection of the Asian professors from it, 2Ti 1:13 but he excepts one person, Onesiphorus by name, whom he commends for his kindness to him both at Ephesus and at Rome; and therefore entreats of the Lord mercy, both for him and his house, at the great day, 2Ti 1:16.

College: 2 Timothy (Book Introduction)

INTRODUCTION

DATE AND PLACE OF ORIGIN

In 2 Timothy Paul finds himself in a Roman prison. Onesiphorus had searched for Paul and found him in Rome (1:16-17). Paul instructed Timothy to get Mark and bring him as he came (4:11). This indicates a time in Rome other than the imprisonment related at the end of Acts since both Timothy and Mark were with Paul when he wrote Colossians (Col 1:1; 4:10; Phlm 24). Paul had recently been in Asia Minor and left his cloak at Troas (4:13), stayed with Erastus at Corinth, and left Trophimus sick at Miletus (4:20).

Though Paul was imprisoned in Caesarea for two years before being sent on to Rome (Acts 24:27), it is unlikely that he was writing from Caesarea since Trophimus and Timothy were both with him in Jerusalem when he was arrested. It seems more likely that Paul was released from the imprisonment at the end of Acts, was involved in missionary activities, and then was subsequently arrested once again (probably in Troas). 2 Timothy would then have been written during that second Roman imprisonment. Paul describes his situation in terms that indicate that he is in prison facing the prospects of a speedy execution.

The date of 2 Timothy depends largely upon one's view of the authorship of the book, the place of origin of the book, and Eusebius' date of the martyrdom of Paul. Those who deny Pauline authorship of the book class it with the other Pastoral Epistles and date it in the second century. Since Eusebius dates the martyrdom of Paul in A.D. 67, those who hold to Pauline authorship normally date the book in 66 or 67.

DESTINATION AND AUDIENCE

It appears from several references in 2 Timothy (2 Tim 1:18; 2:17; 4:9, 12, 14, 19; cf. 1 Tim 1:20; Acts 18:18-19, 24-26; 19:33-34) that Timothy is in Ephesus as Paul writes this book as he was when Paul wrote 1 Timothy (1 Tim 1:3). Again, as in 1 Timothy, while the book bears many personal notes intended for Timothy, Paul desires for this book to be read by the whole church.

THE CONTRIBUTION OF 2 TIMOTHY

The central message of 2 Timothy is Paul's desire for Timothy to suffer with him and endure hardship for the gospel. Timothy is to stand assured that God will provide him with strength (1:6-14; 2:1-13; 3:12; 4:5). Timothy is also urged to hold on to the apostolic message (1:13-14), to pass it on to others who can in turn share it with others (2:2), and to be careful to deal with it and the message of the Old Testament correctly (2:15; 3:10-17). Put simply, Timothy must fulfill his ministry (4:1-5); Paul is passing on the mantle to his young co-worker.

-College Press New Testament Commentary: with the NIV

College: 2 Timothy (Outline)

OUTLINE

I. SALUTATION - 1:1-2

II. THANKSGIVING - 1:3-5

III. PAUL'S APPEAL FOR ENDURANCE IN FACING SUFFERING - 1:6-2:13

A. An Appeal for Loyalty in Facing Hardship - 1:6-14

B. Examples of the Disloyal and the Loyal - 1:15-18

C. Illustrations for Effective Ministry when Facing Hardship - 2:1-7

D. The Basis of Effective Ministry when Facing Hardship - 2:8-13

IV. FALSE TEACHERS AND SOUND DOCTRINES - 2:14-4:8

A. Dealing with False Teachers - 2:14-19

B. Preparing for Noble Work - 2:20-26

C. The Character of the Last Days - 3:1-9

D. Further Exhortations for Timothy to Endure - 3:10-17

E. A Final Charge to Timothy - 4:1-8

V. PERSONAL INSTRUCTIONS - 4:9-18

VI. FINAL SALUTATIONS - 4:19-22

-College Press New Testament Commentary: with the NIV