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TOM · The Owner's Manual · New Testament

2 Timothy 1

Before you read 2 Timothy: who, when, why

BOOK 55 OF 66 · NEW TESTAMENT · LETTER

Paul's Last Words

AUTHOR
Paul, in chains, 1:8 and 2:9. Most critical scholars think a follower wrote it, like 1 Timothy. Some who doubt it still think the personal notes in 4:9 to 21 came from Paul.
WRITTEN FROM
A prison in Rome, 1:17.
DATE WRITTEN
About AD 64 to 67, shortly before Paul was put to death under Nero.
WRITTEN TO
Timothy, probably still in Ephesus, 1:18 and 4:19.
WHY HE WROTE
Paul knew his death was near, 4:6. He wanted Timothy to come quickly, to hold on to the gospel, and to pass it on.
KEY VERSE
2 Timothy 4:7. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
AN EARLY COPY OF 2 TIMOTHY

An Early Copy of 2 Timothy

A page of Codex Sinaiticus, copied about AD 330 to 360. The second column ends 1 Timothy with its title, TO TIMOTHY 1. The third column starts 2 Timothy: PAUL, AN APOSTLE. It is the oldest copy of this letter that we have.

The Setting

This is the last letter Paul ever wrote. His first arrest in Rome was easy: he lived in a rented house and welcomed visitors, Acts 28:30. Not now. Now he is chained like a criminal, 2:9, and even his friend Onesiphorus had to search hard to find him, 1:17. Almost everyone has left. Winter is coming and he needs his coat. He knows he will be killed soon. So he writes to the young man he calls his beloved child and tells him what matters most. For Timothy's first letter, see 1 Timothy.

What Paul Was Facing

  • Prison. Chained like a criminal in Rome, 2:9.
  • Loneliness. Everyone in Asia deserted him, 1:15. Demas left, 4:10. Only Luke stayed, 4:11.
  • False Teachers. Some said the resurrection had already happened, 2:18.
  • Death. His time had come, 4:6.

Where to Find Jesus

  • 2 Timothy 1:10. Our Savior Christ Jesus abolished death and brought life and immortality to light.
  • 2 Timothy 2:8. Raised from the dead, descended from David. 2 Samuel 7:12.
  • 2 Timothy 4:1 and 4:8. He will judge the living and the dead and give the crown of righteousness at His appearing. Still to come.

Cool Stuff Most People Miss

  • Paul'S Last Words. As far as we know, this is the last thing Paul wrote.
  • Grandma'S Faith. Paul names Timothy's grandmother Lois and mother Eunice, 1:5. Faith passed down three generations.
  • Magicians With Names. Exodus never names Pharaoh's magicians. Paul does: Jannes and Jambres, 3:8.
  • God Breathed. The Greek word in 3:16 shows up here first in all known writing. Paul may have coined it.

What Happened Next?

Paul was put to death in Rome. Clement of Rome wrote about AD 96 that Paul bore witness before the rulers and went to the holy place. Later writers say he was beheaded, as a Roman citizen. Timothy kept going: Hebrews 13:23 says he was set free from prison. Mark, whom Paul once refused to take along, was now useful to him, 4:11, and Christian tradition says Mark wrote the Gospel of Mark.

Chapter 1 in 30 seconds

Paul is in chains in Rome and knows he is about to die. He writes to Timothy like a dad to a son. Remember your grandma's faith. Fan the fire back up. God did not give you a spirit of fear. Almost everyone left me, but Onesiphorus came looking for me.

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In this chapterField Notes · ArchaeologyLystra, Timothy's Hometown · after verse 12

Paul’s Greeting to Timothy// 1 Timothy 1:1–2

1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise of life in Christ Jesus,

2To Timothy, my beloved child:

Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

Faithfulness under Persecution// Matthew 10:16–25

3I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience as did my forefathers, as I constantly remember you night and day in my prayers. 4Recalling your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy.

5I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am convinced is in you as well.

  • 2TI 1:5[NOTE]LOIS AND EUNICE. Three generations of faith. Timothy's mother was a Jewish believer and his father was Greek, Acts 16:1, so his faith came through the women in his family. See the Lystra Field Notes page.

6For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control.

  • 2TI 1:7[NOTABLE]Timothy seems to have been timid, 1 Corinthians 16:10. Fear is not from God. The KJV says a sound mind: the Greek word means a clear, disciplined mind that does not panic.

8So do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, or of me, His prisoner. Instead, join me in suffering for the gospel by the power of God. 9He has saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works, but by His own purpose and by the grace He granted us in Christ Jesus before time began. 10And now He has revealed this grace through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has abolished death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the gospel, 11to which I was appointed as a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher.

12For this reason, even though I suffer as I do, 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 for that day.

  • 2TI 1:12[NOTABLE]Paul wrote this chained in prison, facing death. He does not say I know what I believe. He says I know whom. Faith rests on a Person who can be trusted.

Holding to Sound Teaching

13Hold on to the pattern of sound teaching you have heard from me, with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 14Guard the treasure entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.

15You know that everyone in the province of Asia has deserted me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes.

16May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he has often refreshed me and was unashamed of my chains. 17Indeed, when he arrived in Rome, he searched diligently until he found me.

18May the Lord grant Onesiphorus His mercy on that day. You know very well how much he ministered to me in Ephesus.

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