The best of Christ’s servants need remembrancers, and what they know, it is well to be reminded of by Godly men that their faith may be strengthened. Let them not be afraid of suffering for Christ’s sake, or of owning others who are sufferers for His cause, for they are called with a holy calling, as witnesses of God’s eternal purposes in Christ, and by adherence to Him in all circumstances, may be assured that He honors His testimony in and through them.
II Timothy 1
1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus,
2 To Timothy, my dearly beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
3 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;
4 Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy;
5 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.
6 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.
7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
8 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;
9 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,
10 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:
11 Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.
12 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.
13 Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.
14 That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us.
15 This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me; of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes.
16 The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus; for he oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain:
17 But, when he was in Rome, he sought me out very diligently, and found me.
18 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.
II Timothy 1:1-5 – J. Vernon McGee
II Timothy 1:6-7 – J. Vernon McGee
II Timothy 1:8-9 – J. Vernon McGee
II Timothy 1:10-11 – J. Vernon McGee
II Timothy 1:12-18 – J. Vernon McGee
2 Timothy 1:1-11 – ”Stir Up the Gift Which Is in Thee.”
Lonely and facing death the Apostle fell back on the bedrock of the will of God. If it were the divine plan that he should finish his life-work in that miserable plight, he was content that it should be so. But he longs to see his beloved son in the faith once more. He desires to stir up the dead coal of his ardor, in which there was fire and heat, but not enough flame.
Apparently the young evangelist was becoming daunted by the gathering difficulties of the time and so Paul sets himself to encourage him. With this purpose in view he adduces his own example (v. 3), his fervent affection (v. 4), the memory of the sainted dead (v. 5), the solemn vows by which Timothy had bound himself at his ordination (v. 6), the divine donation of grace and power and love (v. 8), the eternal purpose which had received its fruition in the advent of Jesus (v. 9), the clear light which his resurrection had thrown on death and the hereafter (v. 10). Surely such a chain of arguments must have proved irresistible! God’s soldiers must be brave and unflinching in meeting the opposition of the world. When once we realize that the stores which reside in God are at the disposal of our faith, we, too, shall be invulnerable and irresistible. (Meyer)
2 Timothy 1:1 – Life…in Christ Jesus. A Christian lives in two worlds at one and the same time – the world of flesh and the world of Spirit. It is possible to do both. There are certain dangerous gases, which from their weight fall to the lower part of the place where they are, making it destructive for a dog to enter, but safe for a man who holds his head erect. A Christian, as living in the world of flesh, is constantly passing through these. Let him keep his head erect in the spiritual world, and he is safe. He does this so long as the Son of God is the fountain whence he draws his inspiration, his motives, encouragement, and strength. (Philip)
2 Timothy 1:6 – The fire within us needs constant stirring, as well as feeding, to keep it bright. (Ryle)
2 Timothy 1:12-18 – ”Hold Fast the Form of Sound Words.”
How striking Paul’s reference to the double committal, as if there had been an agreed exchange between his Master and himself! Paul had handed over to Christ as a sacred deposit all that concerned his well-being in time and eternity, and Christ had handed over to him the interests of his Kingdom, which, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, he was required to maintain inviolate. It is a mutual exchange of which we all ought to know something. Give all to Christ and Christ becomes all to you. The proportion of your self-giving is the measure of your discovery of what Jesus will be to you.
Some of Paul’s former friends shrank from identifying themselves with a suspect – the inmate of the condemned cell. It was no light matter to visit the bearer of a name which the world of that day detested, one who belonged to a sect accused of burning Rome. Demas (2 Timothy 4:11) and others forsook him, but the good Ephesian, Onesiphorus, set about seeking him through all the prisons of Rome, and was not ashamed of his chain nor content with a single visit. He oft refreshed his friend. Paul sends a grateful message to his family (4:19). Perhaps there is here a gentle hint to Timothy (compare vs. 8 and 16). Never shrink from taking your place beside Christ’s prisoners! (Meyer)
II Timothy 1:12, 14—He is able to keep that which I have committed… The good thing which was committed keep.
There is a double committment here (v. 12, 14), and the comparison comes out clear and marked in the Greek. When we give our most precious treasure into the custodianship of Jesus, He turns to honor us by entrusting his own treasure to our care. Oh that we might be as eager to keep that which He entrusts to us, as He is that which we entrust to Him; so that He might be able to say of us, “I know them in whom I have trusted, and am persuaded that they will never fail to do whatever needs to be done for my honor and glory.”
Our deposit with Christ. — What is the true policy of life? How can I best spend these few years to the best advantage? What is there beyond, and beyond? Such questions come to all earnest souls, and greatly trouble them, till they entrust the keeping of their souls and the direction of their lives into the hands of the faithful Savior. We feel sure that He has the words of eternal life, and that all power is given to Him in heaven and on earth. At first there is something of a venture — we trust Him; next, there is the knowledge which comes from experience — we know Him; lastly, there is strong confidence — we are persuaded that He is able.
Christ’s deposit with us. — And what is this? 1 Timothy 6:20, 14, and 4:16, suggest the answer. To every believer Jesus hands the custody of his honor, his Gospel, his Father’s glory, his holy day, the ordinances which He bequeathed to the Church. As Ezra charged the priests to bear safely through the desert march the sacred vessels, so our Captain charges us, and throughout the whole Bible rings the injunction: “Be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the LORD” (Isaiah 52:11). (Meyer)
2 Timothy 1:12 – Personal acquaintance with Christ is a living thing, like a tree that uses every hour for growth. It thrives in sunshine, it is refreshed by rain – even the storm drives it to fasten its grip more firmly in the earth for its support. So, troubled heart, in all experience, say, “This comes that I may make closer acquaintance with my Lord.” (Moody)
2 Timothy 1:12 – A soldier lay dying in the hospital, in terrible agony. A visitor asked him, “What church are you of?” – “Of the church of Christ,” he replied. “I mean of what persuasion are you?” – “Persuasion,” said the dying man, as his eyes looked heavenward, beaming with love to the Saviour, – “I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate me from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus.” (Moody)