2 Timothy 1:1-18

 

 

(2 Timothy 1:1-18)

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus, To Timothy, my dearly beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. 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; Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy; 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. 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.For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 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; 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, But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel: Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us.This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me; of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes. The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus; for he oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain: But, when he was in Rome, he sought me out very diligently, and found me. 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.

The apostle Paul wrote two letters to Timothy, the son of faith. One is 1 Timothy and the other is 2 Timothy. 1 Timothy was written when Paul was briefly released after his first imprisonment. It was mainly about silencing false teachers and teaching how to raise leaders in the church. 2 Timothy is Paul's second epistle to Timothy during his second imprisonment and is his last epistle. He wrote this letter while awaiting martyrdom in a Roman dungeon. This was the era of Nero's persecution, and it was a very difficult time for Christians. In this situation, Paul tried to encourage Timothy, who was discouraged by various difficulties as the bishop of Ephesus. Through this, Paul wanted to help him to strive more for the work of evangelism.

『Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus, To Timothy, my dearly beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord .』

As Paul begins his letter, he reveals how he became an apostle. Paul did not become an apostle because he wanted to. He reveals that he became an apostle only according to the will of God. He also reveals that he became an apostle according to the promise of life in Christ Jesus.

Paul prayed day and night even in the dungeons of Rome. And whenever he prayed, he interceded for Timothy. Every time he prayed, he thanked Timothy for his unfaltering faith. But in verse 5, Paul said, “When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Loi”. This means that their maternal grandmother and mother passed on their faith well to Timothy. 『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.』However, Timothy's heart was troubled.

Paul wrote this letter to Timothy. This was to rekindle the gift of God to Timothy. When Timothy was ordained by the apostle Paul, he received a powerful gift of the Holy Spirit. He seemed to have a fire burning in his heart and to be clothed with the power of the Holy Spirit, which he needed as a worker. At this time, Timothy was able to serve the Ephesian church with power. Paul did not know when he would be executed. Paul wanted to see Timothy again as he could. He wanted to converse with Timothy and pray together, so that Timothy would be challenged again and the gift of God might be kindled. But he may not get that opportunity. So Paul wrote a letter. He tried to remind Timothy again, even through a letter. He wanted to convey his passion for Timothy.

Timothy served the ministry at a young age. So Paul told Timothy to be humble so that she would not be despised for her young age. Timothy was timid and timid. So, Paul told Timothy to have her courage and be courageous. As such, Timothy was a man of many weaknesses. However, the Spirit of God was powerfully working on such Timothy, and he did a wonderful job in his early ministry. This is because the Holy Spirit worked on him.

『For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

First, Paul taught him that "the factor that kept Timothy from feeling the gift was fear." Fear is given by Satan. “Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner his: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;”

Paul told Timothy to suffer for the sake of the gospel, not be ashamed, because God had given him power, love, and a self-controlled heart. At that time, the cross of Christ in Roman times was a stumbling block to Jews, foolishness to Greeks, and only a mockery to Romans. In addition, when Paul was imprisoned and persecution came, many church members escaped suffering and returned to the world. In this atmosphere, Paul did not want Timothy's heart to shrink. Because of this salvation and divine calling, Paul was ordained to be a preacher, apostle, and teacher for this gospel, and this office was most honored by Paul. Because of this gospel he was imprisoned in a Roman dungeon, but he was not ashamed at all.

This is because he knew the Lord he trusted personally well. Also, he was convinced that the Lord would be able to protect his salvation and the entire gospel ministry until the Second Coming. In this way, through the testimony of his life, Paul reminded Timothy that he should not be afraid or ashamed because of the gospel. Rather, Timothy encouraged him to imitate the right words he had heard from Paul through faith and love in Christ Jesus. He also told Timothy to keep the good things that have been entrusted to you by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.

“Beautiful things” means evangelism. At that time, everyone in Asia abandoned Paul. Paul was arrested, but everyone turned his back on him. In Paul's trial, where life and death were involved, no one was willing to stand on Paul's side. No one was interested and no one supported. On the contrary, there were people like Bougello and Hermogenes, who did the job of cornering Paul. Conversely, there were only a few people who kept the faith. Onesiphorus was one such person. People were quick to protect and look after themselves in front of their own lives and interests. However, the work of the gospel is being made all over the world because of people like Timothy and Onesiphorus who are faithful under any circumstances.