2 Timothy 1 – A Spirit of Boldness

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

a. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God: 

• Paul’s introduction here is like his other letters, with an immediate declaration that he is an apostle according to the will of God, not according to his own ambition or man’s choice.

i. Paul had a role to play in God’s plan for reaching the world for Jesus Christ, and his role was apostle – being a unique ambassador from God to the world.

• Everyone has their own role to play, and we must each fulfill it by the will of God.

b. According to the promise of life: This statement is unique compared to greetings in Paul’s other letters. It was appropriate here because Paul was imprisoned again in Rome and he expected to be executed (2 Timothy 4:6). Therefore, this promise of life was especially precious to him.

i. The Bible doesn’t tell us the details, but it seems that after Paul was released from the Roman imprisonment mentioned at the end of the book of Acts, he enjoyed a few more years of liberty until he was re-arrested and imprisoned in Rome again.

ii. One can go to Rome today and see the place where they say Paul was imprisoned. It is really just a cold dungeon, a cave in the ground, with bare walls and a little hole in the ceiling where food was dropped down. There were no windows; it was just a cold, little cell that would have been especially uncomfortable in winter.

iii. Paul wrote this letter from his second Roman imprisonment, and soon after he wrote this letter he was condemned and executed in Rome at the command of Nero. Paul sensed this; therefore 2 Timothy is not only the last letter we have from Paul, there is also a note of urgency and passion we might expect from a man who knew he would soon be executed.

2. To Timothy, a beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. 

[Timothy's Faith and Heritage]

3. I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day, 

4. greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears, that I may be filled with joy,

5. when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also.

a. To Timothy, a beloved son: Paul thought much about his spiritual family – about Timothy, a beloved son; and about his true forefathers, those Jews before Paul’s time that genuinely followed God with a pure heart, not in the self-righteousness of the Pharisees.

b. Grace, mercy, and peace: Spurgeon used this verse, along with 1 Timothy 1:2 and Titus 1:4 to show that ministers need more mercy than others do. After all, in the beginning to his letters to churches in general, Paul only wrote grace and peace in his greeting (Romans 1:7, 1 Corinthians 1:3, 2 Corinthians 1:2, Galatians 1:3, Ephesians 1:2, Philippians 1:2, Colossians 1:2, 1 Thessalonians 1:1, 2 Thessalonians 1:2). But when he wrote to the pastors – Timothy and Titus – he was compelled to greet them with grace, mercy, and peace.

i. “Did you ever notice this one thing about Christian ministers, that they need even more mercy than other people? Although everybody needs mercy, ministers need it more than anybody else; and so we do, for if we are not faithful, we shall be greater sinners even than our hearers, and it needs much grace for us always to be faithful, and much mercy will be required to cover our shortcomings. So I shall take those three things to myself: ‘Grace, mercy, and peace.’ You may have the two, ‘Grace and peace,’ but I need mercy more than any of you; so I take it from my Lord’s loving hand, and I will trust, and not be afraid, despite all my shortcomings, and feebleness, and blunders, and mistakes, in the course of my whole ministry.” (Spurgeon)

c. Without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day: Timothy was on Paul’s prayer list. Paul made it a regular practice to pray with a list and to at least mention in prayer those who were precious to him.

i. Prayers night and day also shows how much Paul prayed: Whenever it was night or whenever it was day. Of course, one might say this was easy for Paul, since he was in prison; but such prayer is never easy.

ii. Paul is to be admired for wanting to do the most for Jesus that he could wherever he was. If he could not preach, then he would pray.

d. Mindful of your tears: Perhaps the tears Paul remembered were the tears Timothy shed at their last parting.

e. Filled with joy, when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you: It made Paul genuinely happy (filled with joy) to remember the faith of faithful men like Timothy, who loved and served Jesus and His people.

f. Which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice: Timothy’s genuine faith was due, in no small measure, to his godly upbringing and the influence of his grandmother and mother.

i. Timothy and his family came from the ancient city of Lystra, where Paul visited on his first missionary journey (Acts 14:16-20). When Paul and Barnabas were there, God used Paul to miraculously heal a crippled man – and the people of the city began to praise Paul and Barnabas as Greek gods from Olympus, even starting to sacrifice a bull to them. Paul barely restrained them from doing so, and soon enemies of the gospel had turned the crowd against the missionary evangelists, so they cast Paul out of the city and stoned him. Yet God miraculously preserved Paul’s life, and he carried on.

ii. On Paul’s second missionary journey, he came again to Lystra – and there met a young man who had come to Jesus and was devoted to serving the Lord (Acts 16:1-5). This young man was Timothy, and he is described as having a mother who believed, but his father was Greek.

iii. So, Timothy’s mother and grandmother were believers, but his father was not (at least not at first). In the Roman world, fathers had absolute authority over the family, and since Timothy’s father was not a Christian, his home situation was less than ideal (though not necessarily terrible). But his mother and grandmother either led him to Jesus or grounded him in the faith. God wants to use parents and grandparents to pass on an eternal legacy to their children and grandchildren.

iv. When Paul left Lystra, he took Timothy with him (Acts 16:3-4). This began a mentor-learner relationship that touched the whole world.

g. I am persuaded is in you also: It wasn’t enough that this genuine faith was in Timothy’s grandmother and mother; it had to be in Timothy also. Our children, once of age to be accountable before God, must have their own relationship with Jesus Christ. Mom and dad’s relationship with God will not then bring eternal life.

i. The phrase genuine faith could be literally translated, unhypocritical faith – that is, faith that is not an act. It was for real, not just in appearance. This is a significant theme of the Book of James.

6. Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.

a. Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God: Timothy was a gifted, valuable man for the kingdom of God; but he seems to have had a timid streak in him. For this reason, Paul often encouraged him to be strong and bold.

i. It may be that Timothy was somewhat timid, but it is also true that he had large and heavy responsibility as the overseer of God’s work in Ephesus and the larger area. There were many Christians in many congregations meeting over a whole region (Acts 19:9-10 and 17-20). Perhaps Timothy was a man of normal courage who had enormous responsibility.

ii. If it was true that Timothy was the kind of man who avoided confrontation, it was good that he saw Paul’s example. Paul was a man of deep love, but also a man who never shied away from confrontation. A significant example was when he publicly rebuked the Apostle Peter (Galatians 2:11-21). Timothy already had a shepherd’s tender heart for the sheep; Paul wanted to develop within him the boldness necessary to really lead and protect the flock.

iii. In 1 and 2 Timothy there are no less than 25 different places where Paul encouraged Timothy to be bold, to not shy away from confrontation, to stand up where he needs to stand up and be strong. Because of who Timothy was and the responsibilities he had to bear, this was what Timothy needed to hear.

b. Therefore I remind you: People are all at different places. For some, the last thing they need to hear is, “You need to be bolder” because that is not their problem. Many others come from the place where they need to hear, “Stir up the gift of God which is in you; be bold, get going, go for it.” Timothy was of this second type.

i. Some who appear bold really are just good at pretending. They use a confrontational, in-your-face attitude to mask a lot of pain and insecurity. They need to become really bold and secure in the Lord, instead of pretending and hiding behind a mask of false courage.

c. Stir up the gift of God which is in you: Timothy should not be passive and just let it all happen; he needed to be bold and to stir up the gift of God which is in you. Some have gifts given to them by God, but those gifts are neglected. They need to be stirred up and put into action.

i. This reminds us that God does not work His gifts through us as if we were robots. Even when He gives a man or a woman gifts, He leaves an element that needs the cooperation of their will, of their desire and drive, to fulfill the purpose of His gifts.

ii. Some are waiting passively for God to use them; but God is waiting for them to stir up the gifts that are within them. Some are waiting for some dramatic new anointing from God, and God is waiting for them to stir up what He has already given.

d. Stir up: This has the idea of stirring up a fire to keep it burning bright and strong; a fire left to itself will always burn out, but God wants us to keep our gifts burning strong for Him.

i. “The Greek anazopureo (stir up) means either ‘to kindle afresh’ or ‘to keep in full flame’. There is no necessary suggestion, therefore, that Timothy had lost his early fire, although undoubtedly, like every Christian, he needed an incentive to keep the fire burning at full flame.” (Guthrie)

e. Which is in you through the laying on of my hands: God used the laying on of hands to communicate spiritual gifts to Timothy. This is not the only way God gives gifts, but it is a common way – and a way that we should never neglect. It is a good thing to have others pray for us and ask that God would give us gifts that might be used to bless and build up the family of God.

i. “We have no right to assume that hands were laid on Timothy once only. Thus Acts 9:17 and Acts 13:3 are two such occasions in St. Paul’s spiritual life. There may have been others.” (White)

7. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

a. God has not given us a spirit of fear: Paul saw the timidity that was in Timothy; Timothy knew the fear he sometimes felt. God wanted Timothy to know that this fear wasn’t from the God he served; he needed to know that God has not given us a spirit of fear.

i. We all face situations where we feel timid and afraid. For some, speaking in front of others makes them fear; others are afraid of confrontation, others of being made to look foolish, others are afraid of rejection. We all deal with fear.

ii. The first step in dealing with such fears is to understand that they are not from God. It is a significant step to say, “This isn’t God making me feel like this; God hasn’t given me this.” Perhaps it is from personality, perhaps a weakness of the flesh, perhaps a demonic attack – but it isn’t from God.

b. But of power and of love and of a sound mind: The second step in dealing with such fears is understanding what God has given us: a spirit of power and of love and of a sound mind.

i. God has given us a spirit of power: When we do His work, proclaim His word, represent His kingdom, we have all His power supporting us. We are safe in His hands.

ii. God has given us a spirit of love: This tells us a lot about the power He has given us. Many think of power in terms of how much we can control others; but Jesus’ power is expressed in how much we can love and serve others. On the night before the cross, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands – and what did He do with all that power? He humbly washed His disciples’ feet (John 13:1-11).

iii. God has given us a sound mind: The ancient Greek word here had the idea of a calm, self-controlled mind, in contrast to the panic and confusion that comes in a fearful situation.

c. Not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love: We don’t need to accept what God has not given us (a spirit of fear), and we do need to humbly receive and walk in what He has given us (a spirit… of power and of love and of a sound mind).

i. Paul wrote this to Timothy because boldness matters; without it, we can’t fulfill God’s purpose for our lives. God’s purpose for us is more than making money, being entertained, and being comfortable; it is for each of us to use the gifts He gives to touch His people and help a needy world.

ii. Fear and timidity will keep us from using the gifts God gives. God wants us each to take His power, His love, and His calm thinking and overcome fear, to be used of Him with all the gifts He gives.

[Not Ashamed of the Gospel]

8. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God.

a. Therefore: Paul has just told Timothy about the spirit of power, love, and a sound mind, with courage, that is the birthright of every believer in Jesus Christ. Now he told Timothy how to let what God gave him guide his thinking.

b. Do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord: If Timothy took the courage God gave, he would not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord. We often fail to understand that it wasn’t easy to follow a crucified Master.

i. Today, we have sanitized Jesus and disinfected the cross, making it all safe. But in the day Paul wrote this, it would seem strange indeed to follow a crucified man and call him savior.

ii. Think of Jesus’ teaching; if you want to be great, be the servant of all; be like a child, like a slave, like the younger, like the last instead of the first. This is a testimony some would be ashamed of.

iii. Paul knew that the plan of God in Jesus Christ seemed foolish to many; but he also knew it was the living, active, power of God to save souls and transform lives. Paul would not be ashamed of it, and neither should Timothy – or us today.

c. Nor of me His prisoner: If Timothy took the courage God gave, he would not be ashamed of Paul the prisoner. It wasn’t easy to support an imprisoned apostle.

i. Note that Paul considered himself a prisoner of Jesus (nor of me His prisoner). Paul saw himself not as the prisoner of Rome, but as a prisoner of God. Paul saw God as the Lord of every circumstance, and if he was free, he was the Lord’s free man; if he were imprisoned, he was the Lord’s prisoner.

d. But share with me: It wasn’t enough that Paul told Timothy to not be ashamed of him and his chains; he also invited Timothy to share in all of it.

i. We share… in the sufferings in the same way Paul spoke of in Romans 12:15: Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. We identify with our suffering brethren across the world through prayer, through a heart of concern, and through wise action.

e. According to the power of God: Paul actually suffered according to the power of God. The power of God is always there, but it is not always there to remove the difficulty. Sometimes it is there to see us through the difficulty.

i. In one sense, it was strange for Paul the prisoner to write about the power of God – the power of Rome in some ways seemed a lot more real. But God’s power has been vindicated by history; the Roman Empire is gone, but the gospel of Jesus Christ that Paul lived to preach lives on.

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 given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, 

10. but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,

a. Who has saved us and called us: We come to God as a response to His call in our lives. We did not initiate the search; we do not find God, He finds us; so we must respond to His call when we sense it.

b. Not according to our works, but according to His own purpose: This explains why God called us. It wasn’t anything great we were, or anything great we had done, but because it fit in with His purpose – because He wanted to.

c. Grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began: God directed His gracious work towards us when we only existed as a fact in God’s knowledge. Just as a couple lovingly plans for a baby before the baby is born, so God planned for us.

i. Before time began reminds us that time is something God created to give order and arrangement to our present world; time is not essential to God’s existence. He existed before time was created and will remain when time ends, and we live on in eternity with Him.

d. But has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ: The appearing of Jesus revealed the purpose and grace of God. Jesus fulfilled the eternal plan of God; Jesus truly shows us what God and His plan are all about. That’s why we can never know Jesus too much.

e. Who abolished death: Because of the appearing of Jesus, death isn’t death anymore. In regard to believers, it is called sleep – not because we are unconscious, but because it is pleasant and peaceful. Death does not take anything from the Christian; it graduates them to glory.

i. Someone suggested that the Christian has no place for the letters “RIP” on his tombstone because “Rest in Peace” does not adequately describe our eternal fate. They suggested instead the letters “CAD,” signifying “Christ Abolished Death.”

f. And brought life and immortality to light through the gospel: Because of the appearing of Jesus, we know more about life and immortality than before. The understanding of the after-life was murky at best in the Old Testament; but Jesus let us know more about heaven – and hell – than anyone else could.

i. Jesus brought the truth about our immortal state to life through His own resurrection; He showed us what our own immortal bodies would be like and assured us that we would in fact have them. Jesus is therefore a more reliable spokesman regarding the world beyond than anyone who has a near-death experience.

g. Through the gospel: The good news of who Jesus is and what He did for us can be thought of as links connected together in a beautiful chain of God’s work.

• God’s plan of salvation began for us in eternity past, before time began.

• It continued with the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ.

• It came to us when He saved us and called us.

• It continues as we live our holy calling.

• It will one day show itself in immortality – eternal life.

i. When we consider the greatness of this message, it is no wonder Paul called it the gospel – good news. It is good news that God thought of you and loved you before you even existed; good news that Jesus came to perfectly show us God, good news that He called us and saved us, good news that He gives us a holy calling, and good news that He shows us and gives us eternal life.

ii. This message was worth prison to the Apostle Paul.

11. To which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. 

12. For this reason 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 what I have committed to Him until that Day.

a. To which I was appointed a preacher: We can almost sense Paul growing in strength as he penned these words; he understood again that it was a privilege to suffer for such a great gospel – so far from being ashamed, he was honored.

i. Flashing through his mind were the sermons he preached (a preacher), the churches he founded and led (an apostle), and the diverse nations he brought to Jesus Christ (a teacher of the Gentiles). He no doubt thanked Jesus as he considered each one.

b. For this reason I also suffer these things: Paul knew that though he preached a wonderful message, it cost him dearly along the way. His present suffering in prison was because of this heavenly appointment.

c. For I know whom I have believed and am persuaded: This explains why Paul was so bold in his work, and how he could feel honored by circumstances that might make others feel ashamed. He said that it was because I know whom I have believed. Paul knew the God he trusted and served.

i. We must know what we believe; but it is even more important to know whom we believe. When we know how great God is; when God and His glory becomes the great fact of our lives, then we have real boldness.

ii. “‘Know thyself,’ said the heathen philosopher; that is well, but that knowledge may only lead a man to hell. ‘Know Christ,’ says the Christian philosopher, ‘know him, and then you shall know yourself,’ and this shall certainly lead you to heaven, for the knowledge of Christ Jesus is saving knowledge.” (Spurgeon)

d. And am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him: This is a second reason that explains Paul’s boldness. Paul gave Jesus his life, and knew Jesus was fully able to keep it!

i. What was it that Paul committed to Him? Surely, he first had in mind his life. Paul knew he could not keep his own life; he knew that only God could keep it. God was able; Paul was not. Knowing this made Paul full of boldness, but it wasn’t boldness in self, but in God.

ii. But it wasn’t only his life that Paul had committed to God. Paul had committed everything to Jesus – his life, his body, his character and reputation, his life’s work, everything that was precious.

e. Until that Day: Paul had in mind either the Day he would see Jesus or the Day Jesus came for Paul. Paul and Timothy both lived in such awareness of that Day that Paul didn’t need to identify it more than that.

i. That Day was precious to Paul because he had committed everything to Jesus. To the degree we commit our life and all we are and have to Jesus, to that same degree that Day will be precious to us.

1. (13-14) Faithfulness matters, so hold fast the truth.

[Be Loyal to the Faith]

13. Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. 

14. That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.

a. Hold fast the pattern of sound words: After writing of the importance of boldness, Paul next called Timothy (and all godly ministers) to be faithful to God’s truth, the pattern of sound words.

i. Hold fast suggests someone or something would try to take the truth from Timothy. Unless he held on in faithfulness, it would be snatched from him.

ii. It takes a special man or woman to truly hold fast; it takes someone who is not tossed to and fro and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men (Ephesians 4:14).

iii. This is an important measure for any pastor; he must hold fast the pattern of sound words. The primary measure should not be humor or excitement or personality or charisma or even evangelistic interest. Some who claim an evangelistic heart let go of the pattern of sound words and show themselves to be unfaithful to their Lord and their calling.

b. The pattern of sound words: This suggests that true teaching, according to God’s truth, has a certain pattern – a pattern that can be detected by the discerning heart.

c. Which you have heard from me: The sound words Timothy was to hold fast came to him from a man – Paul the apostle. God used human instruments to communicate His eternal truth.

i. We must always beware of the person who rejects all human teachers and says, “It’s just me and my Bible.” God used Paul to communicate the pattern of sound words, and Timothy was expected to be faithful to that pattern. God uses other men and women to communicate that same truth today.

d. In faith and love which are in Christ Jesus: Timothy’s faithfulness has to be tempered with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. Some people take God’s word and consider it only an intellectual matter, and leave out faith and love.

i. Faith and love describe how the truth is to be held. We hold it in faith, truly believing it and putting our lives on it; and we hold it in love, not in proud arrogance or self-seeking superiority.

ii. If one thinks they are faithful to the truth, but do not show faith and love in the life, they may be nothing more than a Pharisee. They were a group in Jesus’ day that was very committed to holding certain teachings, but had no fruit of faith and love evident in their lives.

e. That good thing which was committed to you: Timothy had something committed to him – Paul called it that good thing, no doubt meaning the gospel and the truth of God. Timothy needed faithfulness to keep that good thing.

i. God has committed many good things to us; we must be faithful to keep them. Keep has more than just the idea of holding on to something; it also means to guard it and to use it wisely. God has given us His Word, family relationships, time, talents, resources, education, and so on. We must be faithful to keep those good things in a way that brings glory and credit to Jesus.

ii. We live in a time where faithfulness is only expected so long as it serves our own interests. When it stops being in our immediate advantage to be faithful, many people feel just fine about giving up their responsibility. But this is not honoring to God.

iii. Being faithful to God means having the heart that will do what is right even when it seems not in our advantage to do so. But he honors those who fear the LORD; he who swears to his own hurt and does not change (Psalm 15:4). True faithfulness is shown when it costs something to be faithful.

iv. God is faithful with what we commit to Him (2 Timothy 1:12). Will we be faithful with what He has committed to us?

f. Keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us: This is the key to faithfulness. God requires a faithfulness from us that is greater than we can fulfill by our own resources. Unless we walk in the Spirit and are filled with the Holy Spirit, we cannot keep faithful to what we must keep faithful to.

15. This you know, that all those in Asia have turned away from me, among whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes.

a. All those in Asia have turned away from me: The great apostle Paul, at the end of his days and a fantastic missionary career, was almost all alone. He was not praised by the world, or even regarded much among other Christians.

i. If there were Christian radio back then, no one would want to interview Paul. If there were Christian magazines back then, Paul would not have been on the cover. Paul would have had a hard time finding a publisher for the books he had written. For many Christians of that day, Paul seemed too extreme, too committed, not flashy or famous enough. Even the Christians of Asia – where Paul did a great work (Acts 19) – turned away from Paul.

ii. Geographically, Asia in the New Testament doesn’t mean the Far Eastern continent as it does today. It means the Roman province of Asia, which today would mostly be Turkey.

b. Phygellus and Hermogenes: These were two notable men who among those turned away from Paul, were not faithful, and did not hold fast.

i. These two were not the only ones, but Paul found it necessary to point out Phygellus and Hermogenes particularly: “He names two of the deserters – probably the best known – in order to put a stop to these slanderous attacks. For it usually happens that deserters from the Christian warfare seek to excuse their own disgraceful conduct by inventing whatever accusations they can against faithful and upright ministers of the gospel” (Calvin).

ii. We don’t know much about Phygellus and Hermogenes; this is the only place they are mentioned in the Bible. It’s a terrible thing to have your name recorded in God’s word as an example of unfaithfulness.

16. The Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain; 

17. but when he arrived in Rome, he sought me out very zealously and found me. 

18. The Lord grant to him that he may find mercy from the Lord in that Day– and you know very well how many ways he ministered to me at Ephesus.

a. The Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus: Onesiphorus was a different sort of man than Phygellus and Hermogenes; he was faithful to Paul in difficult circumstances. Paul therefore prayed for mercy on Onesiphorus and his whole household.

i. We don’t know much about Onesiphorus, other than that he lived near Timothy, because at the end of the letter Paul asked Timothy to greet Onesiphorus’ household.

b. Onesiphorus: Paul described many things that made him special.

i. He often refreshed me: He was an intentional blessing to Paul, and worked to refresh the apostle who did so much for other people.

ii. Was not ashamed of my chain: Onesiphorus showed himself to be a true friend of Paul when the apostle was imprisoned.

iii. He sought me out very zealously and found me: There were many prisons in Rome, so it was probably difficult for Onesiphorus to find Paul, but he did.

c. That he may find mercy from the Lord in that Day: This was a special prayer for Onesiphorus. If a faithful servant like Onesiphoris needed such a prayer, then all the more do the rest of us.

d. You know very well: Apparently, Onesiphorus’ service was so faithful, so outstanding, that it was famous – Paul could simply tell Timothy, “You know very well” how well he served.

i. Onesiphorus lived up to the meaning of his name, which means “help-bringer.”