2 Timothy 1:6-2:13
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
II. Exhortations to Timothy
The Gifts Timothy Has Received. 6 For this reason, I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God[a] that you have through the imposition of my hands.(A) 7 For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control.(B) 8 So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord,[b] nor of me, a prisoner for his sake; but bear your share of hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God.(C)
9 [c]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,(D) 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,(E) 11 [d]for which I was appointed preacher and apostle(F) and teacher. 12 [e]On this account I am suffering these things; but I am not ashamed,(G) 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.(H) 14 Guard this rich trust with the help of the holy Spirit that dwells within us.(I)
Paul’s Suffering. 15 [f](J)You know that everyone in Asia deserted me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes. 16 [g]May the Lord grant mercy to the family of Onesiphorus(K) 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[h] on that day. And you know very well the services he rendered in Ephesus.(L)
Chapter 2
Timothy’s Conduct. 1 [i]So you, my child, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And what you heard from me through many witnesses entrust to faithful people who will have the ability to teach others as well. 3 Bear your share of hardship along with me like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.(M) 4 To satisfy the one who recruited him, a soldier does not become entangled in the business affairs of life.(N) 5 Similarly, an athlete cannot receive the winner’s crown except by competing according to the rules.(O) 6 The hardworking farmer ought to have the first share of the crop.(P) 7 Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.(Q)
8 [j]Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David: such is my gospel,(R) 9 for which I am suffering, even to the point of chains, like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained.(S) 10 Therefore, I bear with everything for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, together with eternal glory.(T) 11 This saying is trustworthy:
If we have died with him
we shall also live with him;(U)
12 if we persevere
we shall also reign with him.
But if we deny him
he will deny us.(V)
13 If we are unfaithful
he remains faithful,
for he cannot deny himself.(W)
Footnotes
- 1:6 The gift of God: the grace resulting from the conferral of an ecclesiastical office. The imposition of my hands: see note on 1 Tm 4:14.
- 1:8 Do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord: i.e., of preaching and suffering for the sake of the gospel.
- 1:9–10 Redemption from sin and the call to holiness of life are not won by personal deeds but are freely and graciously bestowed according to God’s eternal plan; cf. Eph 1:4.
- 1:11 Teacher: the overwhelming majority of manuscripts and Fathers read “teacher of the nations,” undoubtedly a harmonization with 1 Tm 2:7.
- 1:12 He is able to guard…until that day: the intervening words can also be translated “what I have entrusted to him” (i.e., the fruit of his ministry) as well as “what has been entrusted to me” (i.e., the faith). The same difficult term occurs in 2 Tm 1:14, where it is modified by the adjective “rich” and used without a possessive.
- 1:15 Keen disappointment is expressed, here and later (2 Tm 4:16), that the Christians of the province of Asia, especially Phygelus and Hermogenes, should have abandoned the writer and done nothing to defend his case in court.
- 1:16–18 The family of Onesiphorus because he…of my chains: Onesiphorus seems to have died before this letter was written. His family is mentioned twice (here and in 2 Tm 4:19), though it was Onesiphorus himself who was helpful to Paul in prison and rendered much service to the community of Ephesus. Because the apostle complains of abandonment by all in Asia during his second imprisonment and trial, the assistance of Onesiphorus seems to have been given to Paul during his first Roman imprisonment (A.D. 61–63).
- 1:18 Lord…Lord: the first “Lord” here seems to refer to Christ, the second “Lord” to the Father.
- 2:1–7 This passage manifests a characteristic deep concern for safeguarding the faith and faithfully transmitting it through trustworthy people (2 Tm 2:1–2; cf. 2 Tm 1:14; 1 Tm 6:20; Ti 1:9). Comparisons to the soldier’s detachment, the athlete’s sportsmanship, and the farmer’s arduous work as the price of recompense (2 Tm 2:4–6) emphasize the need of singleness of purpose in preaching the word, even at the cost of hardship, for the sake of Christ (2 Tm 2:3).
- 2:8–13 The section begins with a sloganlike summary of Paul’s gospel about Christ (2 Tm 2:8) and concludes with what may be part of an early Christian hymn (2 Tm 2:11b–12a; most exegetes include the rest of 2 Tm 2:12 and all of 2 Tm 2:13 as part of the quotation). The poetic lines suggest that through baptism Christians die spiritually with Christ and hope to live with him and reign with him forever, but the Christian life includes endurance, witness, and even suffering, as the final judgment will show and as Paul’s own case makes clear; while he is imprisoned for preaching the gospel (2 Tm 2:9), his sufferings are helpful to the elect for obtaining the salvation and glory available in Christ (2 Tm 2:10), who will be true to those who are faithful and will disown those who deny him (2 Tm 2:12–13).
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