1 Timothy spoke about godliness, God’s truth lived out in life. Now, what else does Paul have to say in 2 Timothy, after all that he has said? 2 Timothy is not just a letter to Timothy, but it is the final letter that Paul ever writes. Paul therefore writes this in a different circumstances from the first — now under imprisonment in Rome. This is the final stage of Paul’s life. He is an old man, about to leave this world under persecution.
The missionary Jim Elliot once said, “Father, make of me a crisis man. Bring those I contact to decision. Let me not be a milepost on a single road; make me a fork, that men must turn one way or another on facing Christ in me.”
Paul was a “fork” in the life of Timothy. When Timothy met him, he had to make a decision — to stay in his ways as a Greek, or to bow his knees before the Lord Jesus. Timothy, shaped in the same manner as Paul, also became a man who was like a fork. It is our prayer that as we read these verses, we would find ourselves stirred up to be the kind of men and women who will stand on God’s word so that others will be forced to make a decision when they see Christ in you.
(A) Have a father in the faith (2 Tim 1:1-3)
In the opening verses of this letter, Paul refers to himself as an apostle of Christ Jesus (2 Tim 1:1a). We also know how one becomes an apostle — because of the will of God. This is the reason Paul is an apostle and it was not something he sought. In fact, he opposed Christianity and also persecuted Christians. Paul’s conversion is a strong apologetic for the truth of Christianity, for he did not stand to gain anything in his conversion.
He is also an apostle “according to the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim 1:1b). He is talking about the spiritual promise of eternal life, the gospel hope. The main message of his apostleship will be about how Jesus brings in good news of eternal life and salvation.
Timothy is also referred to as “my beloved child” (2 Tim 1:2).
In 2 Timothy 1:3, Paul constantly engages in prayer. This is typical of Paul’s prayer after greeting, where he immediately begins with talking about how he has been praying for them. This shows us the priority of prayer — both intercessory as well as thanksgiving. Do we pray? Friends, we lose so much if we don’t do this! Thank God for what He is doing in other Christian’s life! It is also a function of maturity and growth to be able to say what the Psalmist says in Psalm 16:11.
Notice what Paul says about God. He does not speak about God with decorative terms. He speaks of God as the one he serves, as did his ancestors, with a clear conscience. He points to his role as a servant of God, but also one that is served by his ancestors.
Why? He wants Timothy to understand his role as a servant of the God of the Jews — all the way back to Abraham etc, his fathers in the faith. This is important because Timothy is not a Jew, but a Greek. Though they had different backgrounds, they are now one in Christ and have been brought into a new family.
Have you thought about your growth and conversion in the Lord as a result of someone parenting you? Children first enter the world as babies, entirely reliant on their parents. Then, as they grow, they begin to imitate their parents. Isn’t this similar to our own growth as Christians? We first begin by reading and processing. Then, we also imitate the people around us and learn to act on it. On the other hand, if you feel like you’re stagnating, perhaps you have stopped looking at godly role models.
Sad and tragic is the Christian who does not have a parent in the faith, a pastor to shepherd, someone to rebuke, cheer, discipline, feed, call them home, comfort, nurture them. Who is your spiritual parent in the faith? This is why it is so critical for us to be a part of local churches where we have godly leaders who can do this for us.
(B) Called to suffer for the faith (2 Tim 1:4-12)
In these verses, Paul speaks of remembering Timothy’s tears (2 Tim 1:4). We can infer that these tears are a result of Timothy’s suffering as sprinkled throughout this chapter, we see constant mention of suffering.
Paul also honours the ministry of mothers here. He speaks of the ministry of Lois and Timothy’s grandmother (2 Tim 1:5). We do not know the specifics of their background but their zeal and sincere faith is the same that Timothy now has. How do you think they lived such that their pastor, Paul, could see it in them through Timothy? What kind of mothers are these? How did they go to church? What did they do before bed? How did they treat strangers? How did they respond to crisis? How did they read the Bible. These are challenges for mums. Having children doesn’t mean your faith goes to the back, but it comes to the forefront of your life. Live in such a way that shows your children that they are not the centre of your life. Show them this living faith that you hope for them to also come to.
As Paul thinks of Timothy’s faith, he reminds Timothy to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in him through the laying on of Paul’s hands (2 Tim 1:6).
What is this gift? If it means the gift of preaching and teaching, it means that this will take work. Timothy needs to grab every opportunity to get better and grow in it. God delights to give gifts and also delights to grow our gifts! What God has given us can be honed! This is why it is so important for us not to presume upon the Lord to do things in ways that we perceive to be efficient. Friends, value diligence over efficiency!
What gift has God given you that you need to fan into flames? Mercy? Kindness? Encouragement? Faith? Teaching? Speaking God’s truth in an effective way? Fan it into flames.
Timothy was also encouraged to not be gripped by fear, but of power and love and self-control (2 Tim 1:7). For all who struggle with anxiety or fear about the feature, memorise and cling on to it. God does not delight to tell us about the variety of options that this world can offer and the many ways that life can go wrong. Instead, He gives us a spirit of power and love and self-control. Sin and temptations do exist, but we are also able to say no to sin because of this Spirit.
Paul also tells Timothy to not be ashamed (2 Tim 1:8), and he says this of himself too (2 Tim 1:12). These form the bookends of this section. Paul goes on to talk about suffering and at the centre of it, is the gospel.
This is not the only place where Paul speaks of not being ashamed of the gospel. Paul also said this in Romans 1:16. This is his continued refrain. It is a call to defiance, confidence, conviction. This is a call that declares where he is going to stand, and also the hill on which he is prepared to die on. And now, he is calling Timothy to suffer for the sake of the gospel and die here too.
Does this sound very exciting to you? This is the call for any who desire to enter pastoral ministry. This is what it means to be a preacher. Life is all about speaking of and living for Jesus.
What is the gospel? It is the holy calling that we have been called to and saved by, not because of our works, but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus (2 Tim 1:8-9). Notice that it is not just about the cross. He spoke about Jesus’ incarnation, obedient life, death, and resurrection. The fullness of Christ’s work is spoken of by Paul! When we say today that we are “in Christ”, we are not just speaking about His death. We live obedient lives, go to the nations, look forward to the life to come because of His incarnation, life, death and resurrection.
The gospel has power, power beyond “I am saved and I can go to heaven”. We are saved in Christ and freed from death, living for ourselves, disobedience. This wonderful news of salvation has power, and this is why he is willing to suffer to! Thus, we should not be ashamed of Jesus even in suffering.
(C) Follow the teachings of the faith (2 Tim 1:13-14)
What does Paul want Timothy to do and what information does he offer about this? (v13 c.f., 1 Tim 4:6)
Paul also wants Timothy to “Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim 1:13). The word for “follow” here can be translated as “echo”. Thus, Timothy is to reproduce the pattern of sound words that he has heard from Paul. He is to preserve the formulation of the correct content without adjusting it. The apostolic gospel is not to changed one bit!
What is the gospel? Do you know the specifics of various doctrines in the faith?
There are so many ways that we are tempted to change the faith, editing portions to make it more palatable. See what Paul says here. Follow the pattern of sound words. Why? This is not our faith. We are merely stewards of God’s truth. We are to guard it and preserve it unchanged. This is how the gospel is passed on from one generation to the next.
Friends, preserving the truth of the gospel is not just the work of the pastor. We are all responsible and can do our part. Read Scripture. Clarify doubts. This is the good deposit entrusted to us. We are to delight in it, preserve it and pass it on to the next generation. This is an important role. D.A. Carson puts it this way, “"One generation believes something. The next assumes it. And the third will forget and deny it."
As Paul exhorted Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:14, “By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.” We who have the gospel and our role is to preserve and pass it on.
How do we know what the pattern of sound words is? Read the Bible and be clear about what it says, and live by it. Be people of the book, and know the God of this book. What would it look like for you to follow the teachings of the faith – the pattern of sound words?