Paul gave his young protégé exhortations to encourage him further to remain faithful to the Lord.
1:8 In view of the Holy Spirit's enablement just mentioned, Paul instructed Timothy not to let others intimidate him. The aorist tense of the Greek verb translated "be ashamed"(epaischunthes) indicates that Paul was not implying that Timothy was already guilty of this. Because of opposition Timothy had evidently experienced temptation to demonstrate some sign of embarrassment with the gospel and with Paul, perhaps because he was in prison.12The apostle reminded Timothy that he was in prison as Christ's prisoner.13The Lord had placed him there, so there was no reason to feel ashamed about that. Rather, Timothy should join his mentor in suffering for the gospel, not by being imprisoned with him necessarily, but by proclaiming it boldly (cf. Rom. 1:16). God would empower him to stand tall by His grace.
1:9-11 Paul enlarged on the glory of the gospel to rekindle a fresh appreciation of it in Timothy.14God has delivered us from the penalty and power of sin. He has called us to a special purpose, not because of us but by His free choice. He enables us to achieve this purpose by His sufficient grace that comes to us in Christ. Our calling took place before the creation of the universe (cf. Eph. 1:4; Rom. 16:25; Titus 1:2), but God has revealed its full dignity only since Christ has come. Jesus Christ destroyed the effects of death and made it possible for us to live with God eternally. The gospel is the revelation of this plan, but Timothy appears to have felt ashamed of it! Paul proudly acknowledged that God had appointed him, of all people, a herald (proclaimer), an apostle (establisher), and a teacher (perpetuator) of this good news. What an honor and privilege it is to communicate the gospel!
1:12 Paul suffered imprisonment and the discomforts associated with it because he preached the gospel. Notwithstanding he was not ashamed of the gospel or of himself. His confidence lay in the person of God. He believed that God is faithful. God would protect something that Paul had placed with God for His protection and preserve that until the day he would see Christ face to face by Rapture or death. The "deposit"(v. 14) in view probably refers to Paul's life including his work.15Another less likely view is that it refers to the faith entrusted to Paul that he would figuratively hand back to God when he saw Him.16Paul used the "deposit"in this last sense in verse 14 and in 1 Timothy 6:20.
1:13 Timothy felt temptation to modify his message as well as to stop preaching it. Paul urged him, therefore, to continue to preach the same message he had heard from Paul and to do so with trust in God and love for people that Jesus Christ would supply.
"With his usual skillful way with words, Paul is saying in effect that as God has guarded the deposit of his life (and will guard Timothy's) so also Timothy must guard the deposit of the faithful account of the gospel that God has entrusted to him."17
1:14 He should guard God's revelation that God had entrusted to him as a minister of the gospel. The indwelling Holy Spirit (as well as the Son, v. 13) would enable him to do so.
"The appeal has come full circle. It began with God's Spirit and his power and it has ended with the Spirit's enabling power."18
