2Ti 1:2 | KingComments | STEP | After Paul was released from his first imprisonment (cf. ; ), he wrote the first letter to Timothy and the letter to Titus. Paul has written this second letter to his young friend during his second imprisonment. His second imprisonment is much heavier than his first one. He also knows that he will not be released again, but that he will be sentenced and will suffer the martyr’s death. If you bear this background in mind you will experience the power of the letter while reading. The bold witness and the confidence in God in hard times come from a man who is willing to die for what has been entrusted to him by God. Therefore this letter is a warning and an encouragement for the man of God in the last days. You may call this letter a farewell message of Paul, like the farewell (or last) words we have from Jacob ( ), from Moses ( ) and from Samuel ( ). Maybe it is still better to speak of the spiritual testament of the apostle. In a testament a person declares what he wants to be done with his properties after his death. Paul knows that his earthly life will soon end. He leaves a spiritual inheritance behind: the truth that God has committed to his trust. How are the believers supposed to deal with it when he is not there anymore? In this letter he will exhibit it. Paul has established and built the church of God on earth through the gospel. His work is finished. But as it happened to everything that God has given into the hands of man, it will also happen to the church on earth. Paul foresees its deviation and decay. At the same time, he also keenly sees the condition the church will end up to after his death (cf. ). He sees that it will increase after his death. The instructions he writes down in this spiritual testament are therefore of great importance for the church through the time from the death of the great apostle. You encounter much passion and emotion in the letter. Paul was a man with a nature like ours. He looks back at his life work and sees what has become of it. He doesn’t do that as an emotionless analyst who looks at cold statistics. He again experiences his work and he also has a presentiment of how things will develop. From those feelings he passes on guidelines for a time that all things will deteriorate even more and that the origin of the church will be hardly recognizable. When you read the letter you hear him sharing the concerns of his heart with a (young) man who is concerned about that, just like him. He does that in a way that makes the letter important for all times. Therefore, it is clearly a Holy Spirit-inspired letter and therefore part of the Bible. Through this letter the Spirit teaches us about the deviation of the church from its original state. The letter also informs about the way of security for those who seek God and desire to live to His honor. That way of security rests on two principles from which everyone in the midst of mixture and confusion can find consolation, as the apostle did. These two principles are: 1. the firm foundation of God and 2. to abstain from wickedness. What that means will become clear when we discuss chapter 2. Beside the warning and encouraging character of this letter, it is also combative, because despite all decay you should not despair. The greater the decay, the greater the challenge to be a man of God (M/F). A man of God is someone who shows Who God is in an environment that does not consider the rights of God. We do not have the power in ourselves to do that, but in the Spirit of God Who is working in a man of God, even when professing Christianity is full of complacency. I hope you want to be a man of God. . Although the tone of the letter is confidential and amicable Paul starts with determining his apostleship and in that way his apostolic authority. He connects his apostleship with some things that are of great importance for the authority with which he writes down the guidelines in this letter for the time of decay. In the first place the Person of “Christ Jesus” arises behind his apostleship. Christ Jesus has sent him and determines the content of his ministry. What Paul is saying is in His Name. In the second place he has not arrogated this apostleship to himself nor has he received it from men. No, he is an apostle “by the will of God”. The apostleship is a part of the plan of God with his life. In the third place his apostleship is connected with “the promise of life in Christ Jesus”. That makes the ministry he performs as an apostle inviolable to death. Although Paul has died, the ministry of his apostleship remains through this letter. His apostleship is in fact connected with spiritual, heavenly and eternal things. Those are things that are beyond the earth and the decay of the church. Therefore this letter continues to keep its full meaning for the church in each time. The life that is in Christ Jesus, is from before the ages. The Father has promised in eternity to the Son to give this life ( ). To whom? To all who believe in the Son ( ; ). Do you believe in the Son? Then that may be the anchor from which the storms you hear about in this letter that threaten your life of faith cannot tear you away. . Therefore it is wonderful and encouraging that Paul shows you first what remains unchangeably and eternally true for each child of God personally. Only then he speaks about the decay of the church. That will have done Timothy good, too. Paul says even more that will do him good. He calls him “my beloved son” to make him feel the warmth of the heart of a father toward his son. In his first letter he calls Timothy a “true son”. But because the spiritual climate is getting colder it is more necessary to emphasize the warm love to one another. Especially at a time when many oppose or turn away from you, expressions of love are the best basis for encouraging someone to do a service. Not only toward Timothy is this expression of love important. You also notice in this expression that Paul in his nearing end even more realizes how precious Timothy is to him. For the exercise of the tasks of Timothy there is no better wish to be thought of than what Paul speaks of here. Also in his first letter to him Paul wishes him these things. That shows that for your personal life you always need the “grace, mercy [and] peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord”. It also proves that that is sufficient for all imaginable circumstances where you may find yourself in. Just ponder on the rich content of the separate words ‘grace’, ‘mercy’ and ‘peace’ for a moment. ‘Grace’ is God’s love for men who are not worthy of it because they are evil. ‘Mercy’ is God’s love for men who are weak and incapable, who have no capability to do something good. With grace and mercy God has fulfilled in love what you as a weak and sinful man needed. Then you realized that He also granted you His ‘peace’. Now you are a child of God you need that same grace and mercy to live as a child of God. When you are aware of this, you will experience the peace of God in your heart. Think also for a moment about their origin, the Persons from Whom they come: ‘God the Father’ and ‘Christ Jesus, our Lord’. I assume you have learnt to know the Father and the Lord Jesus better since your conversion. You surely have found more and more reasons to thank the Father and the Lord Jesus for these rich gifts of grace, mercy and peace. It is also the first thing that Paul does here. Now read 2 Timothy 1:1-2 again. Reflection: Which encouragements have you found in these verses? Thank the Lord for that.

‏ 2 Timothy 1:2

Introduction

After Paul was released from his first imprisonment (cf. Phil 1:23-26 ; Phil 2:19-24; Phlm 1:22), he wrote the first letter to Timothy and the letter to Titus. Paul has written this second letter to his young friend during his second imprisonment. His second imprisonment is much heavier than his first one. He also knows that he will not be released again, but that he will be sentenced and will suffer the martyr’s death.

If you bear this background in mind you will experience the power of the letter while reading. The bold witness and the confidence in God in hard times come from a man who is willing to die for what has been entrusted to him by God. Therefore this letter is a warning and an encouragement for the man of God in the last days.

You may call this letter a farewell message of Paul, like the farewell (or last) words we have from Jacob (Gen 49:1-33), from Moses (Deu 33:1-25) and from Samuel (1Sam 12:1-25). Maybe it is still better to speak of the spiritual testament of the apostle. In a testament a person declares what he wants to be done with his properties after his death. Paul knows that his earthly life will soon end. He leaves a spiritual inheritance behind: the truth that God has committed to his trust. How are the believers supposed to deal with it when he is not there anymore? In this letter he will exhibit it.

Paul has established and built the church of God on earth through the gospel. His work is finished. But as it happened to everything that God has given into the hands of man, it will also happen to the church on earth. Paul foresees its deviation and decay. At the same time, he also keenly sees the condition the church will end up to after his death (cf. Acts 20:29). He sees that it will increase after his death. The instructions he writes down in this spiritual testament are therefore of great importance for the church through the time from the death of the great apostle.

You encounter much passion and emotion in the letter. Paul was a man with a nature like ours. He looks back at his life work and sees what has become of it. He doesn’t do that as an emotionless analyst who looks at cold statistics. He again experiences his work and he also has a presentiment of how things will develop. From those feelings he passes on guidelines for a time that all things will deteriorate even more and that the origin of the church will be hardly recognizable.

When you read the letter you hear him sharing the concerns of his heart with a (young) man who is concerned about that, just like him. He does that in a way that makes the letter important for all times. Therefore, it is clearly a Holy Spirit-inspired letter and therefore part of the Bible. Through this letter the Spirit teaches us about the deviation of the church from its original state.

The letter also informs about the way of security for those who seek God and desire to live to His honor. That way of security rests on two principles from which everyone in the midst of mixture and confusion can find consolation, as the apostle did. These two principles are:

1. the firm foundation of God and

2. to abstain from wickedness.

What that means will become clear when we discuss chapter 2.

Beside the warning and encouraging character of this letter, it is also combative, because despite all decay you should not despair. The greater the decay, the greater the challenge to be a man of God (M/F). A man of God is someone who shows Who God is in an environment that does not consider the rights of God. We do not have the power in ourselves to do that, but in the Spirit of God Who is working in a man of God, even when professing Christianity is full of complacency. I hope you want to be a man of God.

The Promise of Life and Blessing

2Tim 1:1. Although the tone of the letter is confidential and amicable Paul starts with determining his apostleship and in that way his apostolic authority. He connects his apostleship with some things that are of great importance for the authority with which he writes down the guidelines in this letter for the time of decay. In the first place the Person of “Christ Jesus” arises behind his apostleship. Christ Jesus has sent him and determines the content of his ministry. What Paul is saying is in His Name.

In the second place he has not arrogated this apostleship to himself nor has he received it from men. No, he is an apostle “by the will of God”. The apostleship is a part of the plan of God with his life.

In the third place his apostleship is connected with “the promise of life in Christ Jesus”. That makes the ministry he performs as an apostle inviolable to death. Although Paul has died, the ministry of his apostleship remains through this letter. His apostleship is in fact connected with spiritual, heavenly and eternal things. Those are things that are beyond the earth and the decay of the church. Therefore this letter continues to keep its full meaning for the church in each time.

The life that is in Christ Jesus, is from before the ages. The Father has promised in eternity to the Son to give this life (Tit 1:2). To whom? To all who believe in the Son (Jn 3:36; 1Jn 5:11-12). Do you believe in the Son? Then that may be the anchor from which the storms you hear about in this letter that threaten your life of faith cannot tear you away.

2Tim 1:2. Therefore it is wonderful and encouraging that Paul shows you first what remains unchangeably and eternally true for each child of God personally. Only then he speaks about the decay of the church. That will have done Timothy good, too. Paul says even more that will do him good. He calls him “my beloved son” to make him feel the warmth of the heart of a father toward his son.

In his first letter he calls Timothy a “true son”. But because the spiritual climate is getting colder it is more necessary to emphasize the warm love to one another. Especially at a time when many oppose or turn away from you, expressions of love are the best basis for encouraging someone to do a service. Not only toward Timothy is this expression of love important. You also notice in this expression that Paul in his nearing end even more realizes how precious Timothy is to him.

For the exercise of the tasks of Timothy there is no better wish to be thought of than what Paul speaks of here. Also in his first letter to him Paul wishes him these things. That shows that for your personal life you always need the “grace, mercy [and] peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord”. It also proves that that is sufficient for all imaginable circumstances where you may find yourself in.

Just ponder on the rich content of the separate words ‘grace’, ‘mercy’ and ‘peace’ for a moment. ‘Grace’ is God’s love for men who are not worthy of it because they are evil. ‘Mercy’ is God’s love for men who are weak and incapable, who have no capability to do something good. With grace and mercy God has fulfilled in love what you as a weak and sinful man needed. Then you realized that He also granted you His ‘peace’. Now you are a child of God you need that same grace and mercy to live as a child of God. When you are aware of this, you will experience the peace of God in your heart.

Think also for a moment about their origin, the Persons from Whom they come: ‘God the Father’ and ‘Christ Jesus, our Lord’. I assume you have learnt to know the Father and the Lord Jesus better since your conversion. You surely have found more and more reasons to thank the Father and the Lord Jesus for these rich gifts of grace, mercy and peace. It is also the first thing that Paul does here.

Now read 2 Timothy 1:1-2 again.

Reflection: Which encouragements have you found in these verses? Thank the Lord for that.