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Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus,
2To Timothy, my dearly beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
3I 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;
4Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy;
5When 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.
6Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.
7For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
8Be 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;
9Who 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,
10But 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:
11Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.
12For 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.
13Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.
14That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us.
15This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me; of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes.
16The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus; for he oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain:
17But, when he was in Rome, he sought me out very diligently, and found me.
18The 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.
Paul an Apostle of Iesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life, which is in Christ Iesus,
2To Timothie my dearely beloued sonne: grace, mercie, and peace from God the Father, and Christ Iesus our Lord.
3I thanke God, whom I serue from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I haue remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day,
4Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindfull of thy teares, that I may bee filled with ioy,
5When I call to remembrance the vnfained faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice: and I am perswaded that in thee also.
6Wherefore I put thee in remembrance, that thou stirre vp the gift of God which is in thee, by the putting on of my hands.
7For God hath not giuen vs the spirit of feare, but of power, of loue, and of a sound minde.
8Bee not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but bee thou partaker of the afflictions of the Gospel according to the power of God,
9Who hath saued vs, and called vs with an holy calling, not according to our workes, but according to his owne purpose and grace, which was giuen vs in Christ Iesus, before the world began,
10But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Sauiour Iesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortalitie to light, through the Gospel:
11Whereunto I am appointed a Preacher, and an Apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.
12For the which cause I also suffer these things; neuerthelesse, I am not ashamed: for I know whom I haue beleeued, and I am perswaded that he is able to keepe that which I haue committed vnto him against that day.
13Holde fast the fourme of sound words, which thou hast heard of mee, in faith and loue, which is in Christ Iesus.
14That good thing which was committed vnto thee, keepe, by the holy Ghost which dwelleth in vs.
15This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me, of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes.
16The Lord giue mercie vnto the house of Onesiphorus, for hee oft refreshed mee, and was not ashamed of my chaine.
17But when he was in Rome, hee sought mee out very diligently, and found me.
18The Lord grant vnto him, that he may finde mercie of the Lord in that day: And in how many things hee ministred vnto mee at Ephesus, thou knowest very well.
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God for the promise of life in Christ Jesus, 2 to Timothy, my dear child: grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. 3 I am grateful to God, whom I worship with a clear conscienceas my ancestors did, as I remember you constantly in my prayers, night and day. 4 I yearn to see you again, recalling your tears, so that I may be filled with joy, 5 as I recall your sincere faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and that I am confident lives also in you. 6 For this reason, I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands. 7 For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control. 8 So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord, nor of me, a prisoner for his sake; but bear your share of hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God. 9 He saved us and called us to a holy life, not according to our works but according to his own design and the grace bestowed on us in Christ Jesus before time began, 10 but now made manifest through the appearance of our savior Christ Jesus, who destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, 11 for which I was appointed preacher and apostle and teacher. 12 On this account I am suffering these things; but I am not ashamed, for I know him in whom I have believed and am confident that he is able to guard what has been entrusted to me until that day. 13 Take as your norm the sound words that you heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 14 Guard this rich trust with the help of the holy Spirit that dwells within us. 15 You know that everyone in Asia deserted me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes. 16 May the Lord grant mercy to the family of Onesiphorus because he often gave me new heart and was not ashamed of my chains. 17 But when he came to Rome, he promptly searched for me and found me. 18 May the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that day. And you know very well the services he rendered in Ephesus.
This is probably Paul’s last letter, written toward the end of Nero’s reign, AD 64. In his first letter to Timothy, he spoke as if he soon hoped to be free and see him. Still in prison, most of his friends have abandoned him, and he considers his death at hand, so this is considered a death bed letter.
v 1,2. This is a typical salutation of Paul, but here he adds a special feature of his call, “the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus”. He was to give the gospel to Gentiles
v 3. Paul was thankful for the benefit of his Godly heritage, even though it came short of bringing him to Christ. In nurturing Timothy as a beloved son, v 2, Paul kept him significantly on his prayer list.
v 4,5. There had been tears at their last parting, but they were building memories as Paul recalls the good foundation lain down by Timothy’s grandmother and mother. It was once pointed out to me, possibly as a fault, that the only young people of our church that went on into dedicated Christian service were the ones who were raised in Christian homes. While this was largely true, it does not pit the church against the home, but reinforces the value of the Christian home supplemented by the church. Today Satan is subtly attacking Christian homes through sports at all ages, school extracurricular activities, work schedules and in some cases even church activities that steal the time that should be going into the home base and family devotions.
v 6. Believers sometimes need revival. Timothy may have been wearing down because of Paul’s imprisonment, opposition of false teachers, and unspiritual church members. Paul reminds him of his spiritual heritage and ordination to stir him up. Laying on hands did not produce the gift, but was a seal of the church upon God’s call.
v 7. Perhaps Timothy was fearful, but we may be too. We may not feel free to stand on a street corner witnessing, but God has given us the power and love, even the mind, to at least witness to let our associates know that we are Christians.
v 8,9.Timothy and ourselves, don’t be ashamed of our own testimony for Christ or that of other believers, in spite of ridicule or persecution in any form. After all, it was not our works that saved us but the grace of God in calling us, and that before the world began.
v 10. All of God’s redemptive plan was once a mystery, but now made clear in Christ. Death has not yet been destroyed, but it is as certain as if it had been.
v 11,12. Paul was absolutely positive God had called him to this ministry. This was why he could endure multiple sufferings. The deeper our knowledge of Christ, the greater our confidence of triumph in Him. We do the committing, He does the keeping.
v 13,14. We are not to search for texts to prove our pet theories, but to embrace the whole truths of scripture by our faith and love of Christ. The Holy Spirit can then apply it in our hearts as well as convicting men of sin.
v 15. Paul’s close supporters had grown weary, fearful, or become ashamed of him, and the two he named were possibly from Ephesus and known by Timothy.
v 16,17 In contrast, Onesiphorus was not only not ashamed, but bold to seek out where Paul was. He too may have been waiting execution because Paul prayed for his household. Originally Paul had appealed to Caesar but now Caesar was the enemy. Jews were tolerated by Nero, but Christianity was a forbidden religion.
v 18. Onesiphorus had also been faithful in the home church at Ephesus. Most believers who are faithful in their home church will be faithful wherever they go.