2
Timothy 1
New
American Standard Bible (NASB)
Timothy
Charged to Guard His Trust
1
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise
of life in Christ Jesus, 2 To Timothy, my beloved son: Grace, mercy and peace
from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.3 I thank God, whom I serve with
a clear conscience the way my forefathers did, as I constantly remember you in
my prayers night and day, 4 longing to see you, even as I recall your tears, so
that I may be filled with joy. 5 For I am mindful of the sincere faith within
you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I
am sure that it is in you as well. 6 For
this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you
through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of
timidity, but of power and love and discipline.
8
Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner,
but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, 9 who has saved us and called us with a holy
calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace
which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, 10 but now has been
revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and
brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, 11 for which I
was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher. 12 For this reason I
also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed
and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until
that day. 13 Retain the standard of sound
words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ
Jesus. 14 Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which
has been entrusted to you.
15
You are aware of the fact that all who are in Asia turned away from me, among
whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes. 16 The Lord grant mercy to the house of
Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains; 17 but
when he was in Rome, he eagerly searched for me and found me— 18 the Lord grant
to him to find mercy from the Lord on that day—and you know very well what
services he rendered at Ephesus.
2
Timothy 1
V
1–2: BELOVED Although writing with apostolic authority, Paul salutes Timothy
with his usual, heartfelt greeting, calling him ‘a beloved son’. Paul takes a
fatherly interest in Timothy, notwithstanding his existing spiritual maturity
and leadership ability.
V 3–7: BACKGROUND He prays daily for Timothy,
greatly desiring to see him. He is joyful in recalling the godly example of
Timothy’s mother and grandmother that brought him to faith in Christ. Paul’s
spiritual fatherhood role encourages him through discipleship to maturing
leadership. He urges him to serve by stirring up God’s gift in service with a
fearless, powerful and loving mind from God.
V
8–12: BEATEN! Jesus Christ has beaten death, and through the gospel has brought
‘life and immortality to light’. Paul is neither ashamed of the gospel nor of
his Saviour, who will keep him through life and eternity, despite his own
imprisonment in Rome. He urges Timothy not to be ashamed of him either, but to
share in his sufferings.
V 13–14: BASIS Timothy must hold the pattern of sound teaching given him by
Paul through faith and love in Christ. Timothy’s gift of ministry and service,
and his commission to serve Christ, is to be kept through the Holy Spirit who
dwells in them both.
V
15: BEREFT Paul relates to Timothy that all those in Asia turned away from him,
including Phygellus and Hermogenes. Sometimes it is a lonely task to be a
Christian leader and gospel preacher.
V 16–18: BOLSTERED But Paul has been bolstered
by the refreshment gained from the household of Onesiphorus, who ‘zealously’
sought Paul out in Rome to minister to him as he had done at Ephesus. Paul
commends to God his unashamed, supportive and faithful co-worker in the gospel.
The
Bible Panorama. Copyright © 2005 Day One Publications.
Matthew
Henry’s Commentary
III.
He exhorts him to hold fast the form of sound words, 2 Tim. 1:13. 1. “Have a form of sound words” (so it may be
read), “a short form, a catechism, an abstract of the first principles of
religion, according to the scriptures, a scheme of sound words, a brief summary
of the Christian faith, in a proper method, drawn out by thyself from the holy
scriptures for thy own use;” or, rather, by the form of sound words I
understand the holy scriptures themselves. 2. “Having it, hold it fast,
remember it, retain it, adhere to it. Adhere to it in opposition to all
heresies and false doctrine, which corrupt the Christian faith. Hold that fast
which thou hast heard of me.” Paul was divinely inspired. It is good to adhere
to those forms of sound words which we have in the scriptures; for these, we
are sure, were divinely inspired. That is sound speech, which cannot be
condemned, Titus 2:8. But how must it be held fast? In faith and love; that
is, we must assent to it as a faithful saying, and bid it welcome as worthy of
all acceptation. Hold it fast in a good heart, this is the ark of the covenant,
in which the tables both of law and gospel are most safely and profitably
deposited,
Ps. 119:11. Faith and love must go together; it is not enough to
believe the sound words, and to give an assent to them, but we must love them,
believe their truth and love their goodness, and we must propagate the form of
sound words in love; speaking the truth in love, Eph. 4:15. Faith and love
which are in Christ Jesus; it must be Christian faith and love, faith and love
fastening upon Jesus Christ, in and by whom God speaks to us and we to him.
Timothy, as a minister, must hold fast the form of sound words, for the benefit
of others. Of healing words, so it may read; there is healing virtue in the
word of God; he sent his word, and healed them. To the same purport is that (2
Tim. 1:14),
That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy
Ghost, which dwelleth in us. That good
thing was the form of sound words, the Christian doctrine, which was committed
to Timothy in his baptism and education as he was a Christian, and in his
ordination as he was a minister. Observe, (1.) The Christian doctrine is a
trust committed to us. It is committed to Christians in general, but to
ministers in particular. It is a good thing, of unspeakable value in itself,
and which will be of unspeakable advantage to us; it is a good thing indeed, it
is an inestimable jewel, for it discovers to us the unsearchable riches of
Christ, Eph. 3:8. It is committed to us to be preserved pure and entire,
and to be transmitted to those who shall come after us, and we must keep it,
and not contribute any thing to the corrupting of its purity, the weakening of
its power, or the diminishing of its perfection: Keep it by the Holy Ghost that
dwelleth in us. Observe,
Even those who are ever so well taught cannot keep
what they have learned, any more than they could at first learn it, without the
assistance of the Holy Spirit. We must not think to keep it by our own
strength, but keep it by the Holy Ghost. (2.) The Holy Ghost dwells in all good
ministers and Christians; they are his temples, and he enables them to keep the
gospel pure and uncorrupt; and yet they must use their best endeavours to keep
this good thing, for the assistance and indwelling of the Holy Ghost do not
exclude men’s endeavours, but they very well consist together.
Yours by His Grace
Blair Humphreys
Southport, Merseyside