Paul wrote this letter as he awaited execution.

2 Timothy

Introduction

Paul wrote this letter as he awaited execution.

 Despite all that Paul was facing—death,

 the end of his ministry, abandonment by most of his friends for fear of persecution—he faithfully directed his spiritual son Timothy to the hope that is in Christ. 

As he exhorted Timothy to boldness, endurance, and faithfulness in the face of false teaching, Paul showed his customary concern for sound doctrine. 

Scripture, said Paul, is “breathed out by God” and is sufficient in all things pertaining to the faith and practice of Christians (3:16-17). 

Older believers, therefore, should be eager to pass on their knowledge of Scripture to those who are younger in the faith 

(2:2). Paul probably wrote from Rome, a.d. 67 or 68.     https://youtu.be/r-9L2-aVR4I

2 Timothy 1:1-5

I. INTRODUCTORY GREETINGS TO TIMOTHY (1:1-5)

1:1 Paul introduces himself at the outset of the Letter as an apostle of Jesus Christ. He had been commissioned to special service by the glorified Lord. This appointment was not by men or through men, but directly through the will of God. Also, Paul speaks of his apostleship as being according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus. God has made a promise that all who believe in Christ Jesus will receive eternal life. Paul's call to be an apostle was in harmony with this promise. In fact, if there had been no such promise, there would have been no need of an apostle like Paul.

As Vine puts it: “It was according to the divine purpose that life, which was in Christ Jesus in the eternal past, should be given to us. It was consistent with this purpose that Paul should become an apostle.”

V. Paul Flint expounds the five references to life in this Epistle as 2Ti 1:1, the promise of life; 2Ti 1:10, the presentation of life; 2Ti 2:11, the participation of life; 2Ti 3:12, the pattern of life; and 2Ti 4:1, the purpose of life.

1:2 Timothy is addressed as a beloved son. It cannot be definitely proved that Timothy was actually converted through the ministry of Paul. Their first recorded meeting is found in Act 16:1 where Timothy is described as already being a disciple before Paul came to Lystra. At any rate, the apostle looked on him as a beloved son in the Christian faith.

As in 1 Timothy, Paul's greeting consists of grace, mercy, and peace. It was pointed out in the commentary on 1 Timothy that when writing to churches, Paul characteristically wishes for them grace and peace. When writing to Timothy, he adds the word mercy. Guy King has suggested that grace is needed for every service, mercy for every failure, and peace for every circumstance. 

Someone else has said, “Grace to the worthless, mercy to the helpless, and peace to the restless.”

 Hiebert defines mercy as “the self-moved, spontaneous loving kindness of God which causes Him to deal in compassion and tender affection with the miserable and distressed.”

These blessings flow from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. Here is another instance where Paul honors the Son just as he honors the Father.

1:3 In his characteristic style, Paul next breaks into thanksgiving. As we read this, we should remember that he was writing from a Roman dungeon. He had been imprisoned for preaching the gospel and was now treated as a common criminal. The Christian faith was being actively suppressed by the Roman government, and many believers had already been put to death. In spite of all these adverse circumstances, Paul can begin his Letter to Timothy with the words, “I thank God!”

The apostle was now serving God with a pure conscience, as his Jewish forefathers had done. Although his forebears were not Christians, they were believers in the living God. They worshiped Him and sought to serve Him. They held “the hope and resurrection of the dead,” as Paul pointed out in Act 23:6. That is why he could further say, in Act 26:6-7 a: “And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers. To this promise [of resurrection] our twelve tribes, earnestly serving God night and day, hope to attain.”

Thus Paul could speak of his service for the Lord as being according to the example of his ancestors. The word he uses for serve refers to loyalty and allegiance. He acknowledged the true God.

Next Paul speaks of his unceasing remembrance of Timothy in his prayers, night and day. Whenever the great apostle spoke to the Lord in prayer, he would be reminded of his beloved, young co-worker and would bring his name before the Throne of Grace. Paul knew that his own time of service was rapidly drawing to a close. He knew that Timothy would be left alone, humanly speaking, to carry on his witness for Christ. He knew of the difficulties that would face him, and so he prayed continually for this young warrior of the faith.

1:4 How it must have touched Timothy's heart to read these words! The Apostle Paul had what Moule called a “home-sick yearning” to see him. This was certainly a mark of special love and esteem, and it speaks eloquently of the graciousness, tenderness, and humility of Paul.

Perhaps it was the last time they parted that Timothy broke down. His tears had made a deep impression on his elder co-worker. Hiebert suggests it was when Paul had been “torn from him” by the police or Roman soldiers. Paul could not forget, and now he longs to be with Timothy again so that he might be filled with joy. He does not rebuke Timothy for those tears, as though they were unmanly, or as though there was no place for emotions in Christianity. J. H. Jowett used to say: “Tearless hearts can never be heralds of the passion. When our sympathy loses its pang, we can no longer be the servants of the passion.”

1:5 In some way or other, Paul had been reminded of Timothy's genuine faith. His faith was sincere, true, and did not wear a mask.

But Timothy was not the first in his family to be saved. Apparently, his Jewish grandmother Lois had heard the good news of salvation and accepted the Lord Jesus as Messiah. And her daughter Eunice, also a Jewess (Act 16:1), had become a Christian. In this way, Timothy had come to learn the great truths of the Christian faith, and he represented the third generation in that family to trust the Savior. Nothing is said in the Scriptures as to whether Timothy's father was ever converted.

Although salvation cannot be inherited from believing parents, it certainly is true that there is a household principle in the Scriptures. It appears that God loves to save entire families. It is not His will that there should be a missing member.

Notice that faith is said to have dwelt in Lois and Eunice. It was not there as an occasional visitor, but as an abiding presence with them. Paul was persuaded that that was the case with Timothy also. It was a genuine faith that Timothy would maintain in spite of all the trials which he might have to face in connection with it.

2 Timothy 1:6-18

II. EXHORTATIONS TO TIMOTHY (1:6-2:13)

A. To Fidelity (1:6-18)

1:6 Because of his godly family background and his own faith, Timothy is urged to stir up the gift of God which is in him. We are not told what the gift of God is. Some take it to mean the Holy Spirit. Others understand it to mean a special ability conferred by the Lord for some form of Christian service, for instance, the gift of an evangelist, pastor, or teacher. It seems clear that Timothy had been called into Christian service and had been given some special enablement. Here he is encouraged to kindle the gift into a living flame. He should not become discouraged by the general failure around him. Neither should he become professional in his service for the Lord and lapse into a comfortable routine. Rather, he should be concerned to use his gift more and more as the days grow darker and darker.

This gift was in Timothy through the laying on of the apostle's hands. This is not to be confused with the ordination service which is practiced in clerical circles today. This means exactly what it says—that the gift was actually given to Timothy at the moment Paul laid his hands upon him. The apostle was the channel by which the gift was conferred.

The question will immediately arise, “Does this take place today?” The answer is that it does not. The power to confer a gift by the laying on of hands was given to Paul as an apostle of Jesus Christ. Since we do not have apostles in that same sense today, we no longer have the power to perform apostolic miracles.

This verse should be studied in connection with 1Ti 1:18 and 1Ti 4:14. Putting these three verses together, we find that the following is the order of events, as expressed by Vine. By prophetic utterance, Paul was guided to Timothy as one raised up for special service. By the formal act on the apostle's part, the Lord bestowed a gift on Timothy. The elders recognized what the Lord had done by laying on their hands. The latter action was not an act of ordination, conferring a gift or ecclesiastical position.

Or, as Stock summarizes, “The gift came ‘through’ Paul's hands, but ‘with’ the presbyters' hands.”

1:7 Facing martyrdom himself, Paul takes time out to remind Timothy that God has not given us a spirit of fear or cowardice. There is no time for fearfulness or timidity.

But God has given us a spirit of power. Unlimited strength is at our disposal. Through the enabling of the Holy Spirit, the believer can serve valiantly, endure patiently, suffer triumphantly, and, if need be, die gloriously.

God has also given us a spirit of love. It is our love for God that casts out fear and makes us willing to give ourselves for Christ, whatever the cost may be. It is our love for our fellow men that makes us willing to endure all kinds of persecutions and repay them with kindness.

Finally, God has given us a spirit of a sound mind, or discipline. The words a sound mind do not completely convey the thought. They might suggest that a Christian should be sane at all times, free from nervous breakdowns or other mental ailments. This verse has often been misused to teach that a Christian who is living close to the Lord could never be afflicted with any kind of mental ills. That is not a scriptural teaching. Many mental ills can be traced to inherited weaknesses. Many others may be the result of some physical condition not connected in any way with the person's spiritual life.

What this verse is teaching is that God has given us a spirit of self-control or self-mastery. We are to use discretion and not to act rashly, hastily, or foolishly. No matter how adverse our circumstances, we should maintain balanced judgment and act soberly.

1:8 Timothy is told that he should not be ashamed. In verse 12, Paul states that he is not ashamed. Finally, in verse 16, we read that Onesiphorus was not ashamed.

It was a day when preaching the gospel was a crime. Those who sought to witness publicly for their Lord and Savior were persecuted. But this should not daunt Timothy. He should not be ashamed of the gospel, even though it involves suffering. Neither should he be ashamed of the Apostle Paul in prison. Already some of the Christians had turned their backs on him. Doubtless they feared that to identify themselves with him would invite persecution and possibly death.

Timothy was exhorted to take his share of the sufferings that accompany the gospel and to bear it according to the power of God. He should not try to avoid any disgrace that might be connected with it, but rather join with Paul in enduring such disgrace.

1:9 The apostle has been encouraging Timothy to be zealous (vv. 6, 7) and courageous (v. 8). Now Paul explains why this is the only reasonable attitude to take; it is found in God's wonderful dealings with us in grace. First of all, He saved us. This means that He delivered us from the penalty of sin. He constantly delivers us from the power of sin, and in a day yet future, He will deliver us from the very presence of sin. Also, He has freed us from the world and from Satan.

Again, God has called us with a holy calling. Not only has He delivered us from evil, but He has bestowed upon us all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus. The Christian's holy calling is described in some detail in Ephesians 1-3, especially in chapter 1. There we learn that we are chosen, predestined, adopted as sons, accepted in the Beloved, redeemed through His blood, forgiven, sealed with the Holy Spirit, and given the earnest of our inheritance. (In addition to this holy calling, we have a high calling, Php 3:14, and a heavenly calling, Heb 3:1.)

This salvation and calling are not according to our works. In other words, they were given to us by God's grace. This means that we did not deserve them, but rather deserved the very opposite. We could not earn them; neither did we seek them. But God freely bestowed them upon us without condition or price.

This is further explained by the words according to His own purpose and grace. Why should God have so loved ungodly sinners that He was willing to send His only Son to die for them? Why should He go to such a cost to save them from hell and to bring them to heaven so that they could spend eternity with Him? The only possible answer is: according to His own purpose and grace. The reason for His action did not lie in us. Rather, it lay in His own great heart of love. He loved us because He loved us!

His favor was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began. This means that in the past eternity, God determined upon this wonderful plan of salvation. He determined to save guilty sinners through the substitutionary work of His dear Son. He decided to offer eternal life to as many as would accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. The method by which we could be saved was planned not only before we were born, but even before time began.

1:10 The same gospel that was designed in eternity was revealed in time. It was revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ. During the days of His flesh, He publicly proclaimed the good news of salvation. He taught men that He must die, be buried, and rise from the dead in order that God might righteously save ungodly sinners.

He abolished death. But how can this be, when we know that death is still very common in the world? The thought is that He annulled death, or put it out of commission. Before Christ's resurrection, death ruled as a cruel tyrant over men. It was a dreaded foe. The fear of death held men in bondage. But the resurrection of the Lord Jesus is a pledge that all who trust in Him will rise from the dead to die no more. It is in this sense that He has annulled death. He has robbed it of its sting. Death is now the messenger of God which brings the soul of the believer to heaven. It is our servant rather than our master.

Not only has the Lord Jesus annulled death, He has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. In the OT period, most men had a very vague and misty idea of life after death. They spoke of departed loved ones as in Sheol, which simply means the invisible state of departed spirits. Although they had a heavenly hope set before them, yet for the most part they did not understand it clearly.

Since the coming of Christ, we have much greater light on this subject. For instance, we know that when a believer dies, his spirit departs to be with Christ, which is far better. He is absent from the body and at home with the Lord. He enters into eternal life in all its fullness.

Christ has not only brought life to light, but also immortality. Immortality refers to the resurrection of the body. When we read in 1Co 15:53 that “this corruptible must put on incorruption,” we know that even though the body is placed in the grave and returns to dust, yet at the coming of Christ that same body will be raised from the grave and fashioned into a body of glory, similar to that of the Lord Jesus Himself. The OT saints did not have this knowledge. It was brought to us through the appearing of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

1:11 It was to proclaim this glorious gospel that Paul was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. A preacher is a herald whose function is to publicly proclaim a message. An apostle is one who has been divinely sent, divinely equipped, and divinely empowered. A teacher is one whose function is to indoctrinate others; he explains the truth in an understandable manner so that others may respond by faith and obedience. Of the Gentiles stresses his special ministry to the non-Jewish nations.

1:12 It was because of his faithful performance of duty that Paul was suffering imprisonment and loneliness. He had not hesitated to declare the truth of God. No fears for personal safety had sealed his lips. Now that he had been arrested and jailed, he still had no regrets. He was not ashamed, and neither should Timothy be ashamed. Although Paul could not be confident as to his personal safety, he was completely confident as to the One whom he had believed. Though Rome might succeed in putting the apostle to death, men could not touch his Lord. Paul knew that the One whom he had trusted was able. Able to do what? Able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day. Commentators are divided as to what Paul is referring to here. Some think that it is his soul's salvation. Others understand this to refer to the gospel. In other words, although the Apostle Paul himself might be put to death, yet the gospel could not be hindered. The more men sought to oppose it, the more it would prosper.

Perhaps it is best to take the expression in its broadest sense. Paul was persuaded that his entire case was in the best of hands. Even as he faced death, he had no misgivings. Jesus Christ was his Almighty Lord, and with Him there could be no defeat or failure. There was nothing to worry about. Paul's salvation was sure, and so was the ultimate success of his service for Christ here on earth.

That Day is a favorite expression of Paul. It refers to the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, and particularly to the Judgment Seat of Christ when service for Him will be brought into review and when the kindness of God will reward the faithfulness of men.

1:13 This verse may be understood in two ways. First of all, Timothy is encouraged to hold fast the pattern of sound words. It is not just that he is to be loyal to the truth of God's word, but that he is to cling to the very expressions by which this truth is conveyed. Perhaps an illustration of this might help. In our day, it is sometimes suggested that we should abandon such old-fashioned expressions as “being born again” or “the blood of Jesus.” People want to use more sophisticated language. But there is a subtle danger here. In abandoning the scriptural mode of expression, they often abandon the very truths which are communicated by these expressions. Therefore, Timothy should hold fast the very pattern of healthful words.

But the verse might also suggest that Paul's words were to serve as a model or pattern to Timothy. Everything that Timothy subsequently taught should harmonize with the outline that had been given to him. In carrying out his ministry, Timothy should do so in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. Faith means not only trust, but dependence as well. Love includes not only love to God, but also love to our fellow believers and to the perishing world around us.

1:14 That good thing refers to the gospel. The message of redeeming love had been committed or entrusted to Timothy. He is not told to add to it or to improve on it in any way. His responsibility is to guard it through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. As Paul wrote this Letter, he was conscious of the widespread departure from the faith which was menacing the church. Attacks would be made on the Christian faith from many different quarters. Timothy was admonished to stand true to the word of God. He would not have to do this in his own strength. The indwelling Holy Spirit would supply all that he needed for this task.

1:15 As the apostle thinks of the dark clouds gathering over the church, he is reminded of how the Christians in Asia had turned away from him. Since at the time this Letter was written Timothy was probably located in Ephesus, he knew exactly what the apostle was writing about.

It is likely that the Christians in Asia severed their connections with Paul when they learned that he had been arrested and imprisoned. They forsook him at the very time he needed them most. Probably their reason was that they feared for their own safety. The Roman government was on the lookout for all who sought to propagate the Christian faith. The Apostle Paul was one of the best-known representatives of Christianity. Any who dared to contact him publicly would be marked out at once as being sympathetic to the cause.

It is neither stated nor implied that these Christians forsook the Lord or the church. Nevertheless, it was an act of cowardice and unfaithfulness to desert Paul in this crisis hour.

Perhaps Phygellus and Hermogenes were leaders in the movement to dissociate themselves from Paul. At any rate, they brought upon themselves an immortality of shame and contempt for refusing to bear the reproach of Christ in fellowship with His servant. Guy King's comment is that “they couldn't help their ugly names, but they could have helped their ugly character.”

1:16 There are two schools of thought with regard to Onesiphorus. Some think that he too had forsaken Paul, and that is why the apostle prays that the Lord will grant mercy to him. Others feel that he is mentioned as a happy exception to those who have just been described. We believe that the latter view is correct.

Paul asks that the Lord will grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus. Mercy is the reward for those who have been merciful, according to Mat 5:7. We are not told exactly how Onesiphorus refreshed Paul. Perhaps he brought food and clothing to the damp, dark Roman dungeon. At any rate, he was not ashamed to go to Paul in prison. No considerations of personal safety could prevent his helping a friend in time of need.

Jowett expressed it exquisitely:

It is a beautiful lineament in the character of Onesiphorus which is given in the Apostle's phrase, “He was not ashamed of my chain.” ... A man's chain often lessens the circle of his friends. The chain of poverty keeps many people away, and so does the chain of unpopularity. When a man is in high repute he has many friends. When he begins to wear a chain, the friends are apt to fall away. But the ministers of the morning breeze love to come in the shades of night. They delight to minister in the region of despondency, and where the bonds lie heaviest upon the soul. “He was not ashamed of my chain.” The chain was really an allurement. It gave speed to the feet of Onesiphorus and urgency to his ministry.

This verse has sometimes been misused to support prayers for the dead. The argument is that Onesiphorus had already died when Paul wrote this and that Paul was asking God to show mercy to him. There is not the vaguest hint that Onesiphorus was dead. Proponents of this view are idle babblers clutching at a straw to shore up an unbiblical practice.

1:17 When Onesiphorus arrived in Rome, he had at least three choices. First, he could have avoided any contact with the Christians. Secondly, he could have met with the believers secretly. Finally, he could boldly expose himself to danger by visiting Paul in prison. This would bring him into direct contact with the Roman authorities. To his everlasting credit, he chose the last policy. He sought Paul out very zealously and found him.

1:18 The apostle prays that this faithful friend might find mercy from the Lord in that coming Day. Mercy is here used in the sense of reward. That Day, as previously mentioned, refers to the time when rewards will be given, namely, the Judgment Seat of Christ.

In closing this section, the Apostle Paul reminds Timothy how Onesiphorus had served Paul at Ephesus in many different ways.