(2 Timothy Part 1): Written to Timothy who was pastoring in Ephesus and its territories because out of Ephesus went the missionary journeys. Timothy not only was pastor at Ephesus, but also several churches. We know at least the churches that are in the book of Revelation.
The Theme of 2 Timothy is Pastoral Instruction. Paul presents principles and instructions that should prevail in a local church. It is the principles and instructions for the ministry in the church in the last days. And that would include us.
2 Timothy 1:2 - To Timothy, my dearly beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
The term dearly beloved is one Greek word. It is the word AGAPETO, the adjective of AGAPE. He says my beloved son, and it's of faith of course. In 1 Corinthians 4:17, Paul says for this cause I sent to you Timothy, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church. Timothy was like an extension of Paul. And he even introduced him as his son, and faithful in the Lord.
Here is some additional information I would like to share. Paul calls Timothy his son, not from a human standpoint, but from a spiritual standpoint. He is his son in the gospel. And we'll see from a Hebrew and Jewish standpoint how important that is when we get into Chapter 2, when he starts giving him instruction as his son, because your son is not just the person who has descended from you, but your son is the student who you're teaching.
Not only do Jewish fathers teach their sons, but also when Rabbi's had students (disciples), they were also called his children because they stayed with the Rabbi 24 hours a day. They lived with him. He taught them. And so, Paul is actually ministering to his son in the faith, but he calls himself the apostle of Jesus Christ.
2 Timothy 2:1 - Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
God's grace is sufficient. That's what God told Paul in 2 Corinthians Chapter 12 when he wanted the thorn in the flesh removed. God says my grace is sufficient for you. No matter what the situation, God's grace is sufficient. But it is through His grace that we receive our strength and power, not in ourselves.
In fact, the term be strong is one compound Greek word that means to be empowered. Be empowered in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
2 Timothy 2:2 - And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.
Here's the deposit. The father deposits to the son all of his experience and all of his knowledge, and all of his wisdom. The son is then told to find faithful men to teach the same thing to them. It is important to emphasize the term faithful men. Not everyone is faithful in learning about the things of Christ and learning His word.
In 1 Corinthians 4:2, Paul says it must be found in a steward that they be faithful. That's the requirement of stewards. The requirement to serve and follow Christ is faithfulness. So, he says those things that you have heard from me, pass it on. But it must be to faithful men. You can take a group of people who want to learn the word, and you go along for a while, and there's great enthusiasm to begin with, but then after a while they start dropping out. It's important that we be faithful!
"Who shall be able to teach others also." Able is the Greek word for sufficiency. Teach people to the point that they will have the sufficiency to teach others also. It wasn't meant to be a program. This is what walking with Christ is all about. It's not just for me. It's not just for you. There are others around us who desire ministry, to learn from those who walk with Christ, to learn from those who study His word.
2 Timothy 1:9 - Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,
Who hath saved us, and has called us with a holy calling. The Greek word for holy means set apart. It's a calling that sets us apart for Christ.
2 Timothy 1:13 - Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.
He says hold fast, and that's a command to hold firm, one word in Greek, ECCA. Hold firm to the pattern of healthy words, which you have heard from me.
2 Timothy 1:17 - But, when he was in Rome, he sought me out very diligently, and found me.
The Greek text emphasizes that Onesiphorus came to Rome specifically looking for Paul, and he wasn't going to stop until he found him. Everybody else didn't want anything to do with Paul, but Onesiphorus who was from Ephesus is now in Rome, and he's seeking Paul out. And he found Paul, and he wasn't ashamed to be associated with him when he was looking at Paul chained up in prison.
2 Timothy 1:18 - The Lord grant unto him that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day: and in how many things he ministered unto me at Ephesus, thou knowest very well.
Even when Paul was in Ephesus before he was imprisoned, Onesiphorus was right there serving Paul, being a ministry to him even before he was imprisoned. So, there are what are called Optative Verbs. May God bless and have mercy on Onesiphorus, because he identified with the gospel, he identified with Paul, he identified with Paul's sufferings. He wasn't ashamed of it. He wasn't afraid of it. Paul says may God have mercy on him and on his household.
2 Timothy 1:6 - 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.
The Greek word for stirring up, it means to rekindle. Here's a fire that's about ready to go out, so you throw more wood on the fire to get the fire going again. It's an interesting term because Paul is noticing that as Timothy is withdrawing more and more because of his timidity, because of his lack of courage to face up to the tremendous attack against the gospel and the church, that he's quenching God's Spirit.
2 Timothy 2:7 - For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
God hath not given us the spirit of fear; That's the word cowardice. It's not PHOBOS, which is the normal word for fear. DEILIA is the word for cowardice. God hasn't given us a spirit to be cowards, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. And the Greek word for sound mind means a disciplined mind. God hasn't given us a disposition of cowardice. God's Spirit gives us power, and love, and a disciplined mind.
What he's telling him when he says stir up the gift, he's saying stand up to the plate. You have God's Spirit. You have testimony that you have God's Spirit. You have testimony of the brethren. We laid hands on you. You have the same faith as your grandmother, and as your mother.
You can see him building up the exhortation, building up the encouragement for Timothy because he's going to have an even bigger weight on his shoulders when Paul dies.
2 Timothy 1:8 - Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;
He says be not thou therefore ashamed. That's not a command. It's in a Subjunctive Mood in the Greek text. Literally, you should not be ashamed Timothy. You are ashamed, and you shouldn't be.
2 Timothy 1:3 - 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;
He says I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with a pure conscience. He's telling them first of all that I'm thanking God for you Timothy. And he wants to let Timothy know that he's thanking the God whom he serves, even from his ancestors or forefathers. He's showing the common ground. Paul is serving the same God, as was the God of Israel in the Old Testament, is the God of Israel today.
But he serves him with, or more literally, in a pure conscience. Now this is not saying that Paul doesn't have sin. In fact, the word pure is more literally translated cleansed. It is with a cleansed, KATHAROS, with a cleansed conscience. That means that every time Paul sinned, he came to God and repented, and asked for forgiveness for his sins.
We see later in the letter that he encourages Timothy to find other believers who look to God with a clean conscience. Not that they don't sin, but it's very important for them to come and confess their sins to God, and keep a clear, clean conscience before God.
2 Timothy 1:5 - 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.
Unfeigned is the Greek word that means un-hypocritical. In fact, HUPOCRISIS in the Greek language, that we know to be hypocrite, is actually a theatrical term for somebody who answers according to the script. That person would be a hypocrite, a person who is up on a stage portraying somebody other than themselves. And that's what the word means, to answer according to the script. And so, he remembers Timothy's faith is not an act. It's the genuine thing!
(2 Timothy Part 1): Written to Timothy who was pastoring in Ephesus and its territories because out of Ephesus went the missionary journeys. Timothy not only was pastor at Ephesus, but also several churches. We know at least the churches that are in the book of Revelation.
The Theme of 2 Timothy is Pastoral Instruction. Paul presents principles and instructions that should prevail in a local church. It is the principles and instructions for the ministry in the church in the last days. And that would include us.
2 Timothy 1:2 - To Timothy, my dearly beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
The term dearly beloved is one Greek word. It is the word AGAPETO, the adjective of AGAPE. He says my beloved son, and it's of faith of course. In 1 Corinthians 4:17, Paul says for this cause I sent to you Timothy, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church. Timothy was like an extension of Paul. And he even introduced him as his son, and faithful in the Lord.
Here is some additional information I would like to share. Paul calls Timothy his son, not from a human standpoint, but from a spiritual standpoint. He is his son in the gospel. And we'll see from a Hebrew and Jewish standpoint how important that is when we get into Chapter 2, when he starts giving him instruction as his son, because your son is not just the person who has descended from you, but your son is the student who you're teaching.
Not only do Jewish fathers teach their sons, but also when Rabbi's had students (disciples), they were also called his children because they stayed with the Rabbi 24 hours a day. They lived with him. He taught them. And so, Paul is actually ministering to his son in the faith, but he calls himself the apostle of Jesus Christ.
2 Timothy 2:1 - Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
God's grace is sufficient. That's what God told Paul in 2 Corinthians Chapter 12 when he wanted the thorn in the flesh removed. God says my grace is sufficient for you. No matter what the situation, God's grace is sufficient. But it is through His grace that we receive our strength and power, not in ourselves.
In fact, the term be strong is one compound Greek word that means to be empowered. Be empowered in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
2 Timothy 2:2 - And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.
Here's the deposit. The father deposits to the son all of his experience and all of his knowledge, and all of his wisdom. The son is then told to find faithful men to teach the same thing to them. It is important to emphasize the term faithful men. Not everyone is faithful in learning about the things of Christ and learning His word.
In 1 Corinthians 4:2, Paul says it must be found in a steward that they be faithful. That's the requirement of stewards. The requirement to serve and follow Christ is faithfulness. So, he says those things that you have heard from me, pass it on. But it must be to faithful men. You can take a group of people who want to learn the word, and you go along for a while, and there's great enthusiasm to begin with, but then after a while they start dropping out. It's important that we be faithful!
"Who shall be able to teach others also." Able is the Greek word for sufficiency. Teach people to the point that they will have the sufficiency to teach others also. It wasn't meant to be a program. This is what walking with Christ is all about. It's not just for me. It's not just for you. There are others around us who desire ministry, to learn from those who walk with Christ, to learn from those who study His word.
2 Timothy 1:9 - Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,
Who hath saved us, and has called us with a holy calling. The Greek word for holy means set apart. It's a calling that sets us apart for Christ.
2 Timothy 1:13 - Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.
He says hold fast, and that's a command to hold firm, one word in Greek, ECCA. Hold firm to the pattern of healthy words, which you have heard from me.
2 Timothy 1:17 - But, when he was in Rome, he sought me out very diligently, and found me.
The Greek text emphasizes that Onesiphorus came to Rome specifically looking for Paul, and he wasn't going to stop until he found him. Everybody else didn't want anything to do with Paul, but Onesiphorus who was from Ephesus is now in Rome, and he's seeking Paul out. And he found Paul, and he wasn't ashamed to be associated with him when he was looking at Paul chained up in prison.
2 Timothy 1:18 - The Lord grant unto him that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day: and in how many things he ministered unto me at Ephesus, thou knowest very well.
Even when Paul was in Ephesus before he was imprisoned, Onesiphorus was right there serving Paul, being a ministry to him even before he was imprisoned. So, there are what are called Optative Verbs. May God bless and have mercy on Onesiphorus, because he identified with the gospel, he identified with Paul, he identified with Paul's sufferings. He wasn't ashamed of it. He wasn't afraid of it. Paul says may God have mercy on him and on his household.
2 Timothy 1:6 - 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.
The Greek word for stirring up, it means to rekindle. Here's a fire that's about ready to go out, so you throw more wood on the fire to get the fire going again. It's an interesting term because Paul is noticing that as Timothy is withdrawing more and more because of his timidity, because of his lack of courage to face up to the tremendous attack against the gospel and the church, that he's quenching God's Spirit.
2 Timothy 2:7 - For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
God hath not given us the spirit of fear; That's the word cowardice. It's not PHOBOS, which is the normal word for fear. DEILIA is the word for cowardice. God hasn't given us a spirit to be cowards, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. And the Greek word for sound mind means a disciplined mind. God hasn't given us a disposition of cowardice. God's Spirit gives us power, and love, and a disciplined mind.
What he's telling him when he says stir up the gift, he's saying stand up to the plate. You have God's Spirit. You have testimony that you have God's Spirit. You have testimony of the brethren. We laid hands on you. You have the same faith as your grandmother, and as your mother.
You can see him building up the exhortation, building up the encouragement for Timothy because he's going to have an even bigger weight on his shoulders when Paul dies.
2 Timothy 1:8 - Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;
He says be not thou therefore ashamed. That's not a command. It's in a Subjunctive Mood in the Greek text. Literally, you should not be ashamed Timothy. You are ashamed, and you shouldn't be.
2 Timothy 1:3 - 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;
He says I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with a pure conscience. He's telling them first of all that I'm thanking God for you Timothy. And he wants to let Timothy know that he's thanking the God whom he serves, even from his ancestors or forefathers. He's showing the common ground. Paul is serving the same God, as was the God of Israel in the Old Testament, is the God of Israel today.
But he serves him with, or more literally, in a pure conscience. Now this is not saying that Paul doesn't have sin. In fact, the word pure is more literally translated cleansed. It is with a cleansed, KATHAROS, with a cleansed conscience. That means that every time Paul sinned, he came to God and repented, and asked for forgiveness for his sins.
We see later in the letter that he encourages Timothy to find other believers who look to God with a clean conscience. Not that they don't sin, but it's very important for them to come and confess their sins to God, and keep a clear, clean conscience before God.
2 Timothy 1:5 - 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.
Unfeigned is the Greek word that means un-hypocritical. In fact, HUPOCRISIS in the Greek language, that we know to be hypocrite, is actually a theatrical term for somebody who answers according to the script. That person would be a hypocrite, a person who is up on a stage portraying somebody other than themselves. And that's what the word means, to answer according to the script. And so, he remembers Timothy's faith is not an act. It's the genuine thing!
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