THE SECOND EPISTLE TO TIMOTHY This is admitted, by all who hold the authenticity of the Pastoral epistles, to be the last writing we have from the pen of the apostle. He had himself evidently despaired, at the time he wrote, of getting deliverance from the hand of his persecutors, or even of having... [ Continue Reading ]
Ver. 2. _To Timothy,_ [_my_] _beloved child._ I cannot but regard it as a very frivolous question, to ask here, with some commentators, why the apostle should have addressed Timothy as his _beloved_ (ἀγαπητῷ), and not, as in the first epistle, his _true_ (γνησίῳ) child? and whether his doing so did... [ Continue Reading ]
Vers. 3-5. _I give thanks to God, whom I serve from my forefathers in a pure conscience._ The form of expression at the commencement, χάριν ἔχω occurs only once again in St. Paul's acknowledged epistles 1 Timothy 1:12; elsewhere it is ἐχαριστῶ (see there). In mentioning God as entitled, on a certa... [ Continue Reading ]
Ver. 6. _For which cause_ namely, because I have full confidence that such is your spiritual condition (Theophylact, διότι οἶδα σε ἀνυπόκριτον ἔχοντα πίστιν; Theod., ταῦτα περὶ σου πεπεισμένος παρακαλῶ). Cocceius justly compares 1 John 2:21, “I have not written unto you because ye know n... [ Continue Reading ]
Ver. 7. _For God gave us not the spirit of cowardice, but of power, and love, and correction._ By spirit here may be understood either God's Spirit working in a certain manner in us, or our own spirit as wrought upon and formed by God; practically, it comes much to the same thing, since either way t... [ Continue Reading ]
Ver. 8. _Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner._ Having received from God such a spirit, show it now by repressing all emotions of shame, and boldly avowing your adherence to the faith of Christ, and your connection with me as His apostle. The exhortation... [ Continue Reading ]
Ver. 9. The apostle now proceeds to give a brief but graphic description of this manifested power of God in the matter of salvation: _Who saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose, and the grace which was given us_ [grace that which wa... [ Continue Reading ]
Ver. 10. _But_ passing from the secret purpose of grace in eternity to its unfolding in time _manifested now by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who abolished death, indeed, but brought life and immortality_ (or incorruption) _to light._ Christ's appearing must certainly be understood in t... [ Continue Reading ]
Ver. 11. The reference to the gospel, introduced so casually at the close of the preceding verse, is taken by the apostle as a link to introduce what follows respecting his office, and what it called him to suffer, as well as to do, for the sake of Christ: _for which I was appointed a herald and apo... [ Continue Reading ]
Ver. 12. For which cause also I suffer these things: the things, namely, alluded to in 2 Timothy 1:8 his persecutions, imprisonment, and sufferings. _But I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have trusted, and am persuaded that He is able to keep my deposit against that day._ The chief question here i... [ Continue Reading ]
Ver. 13. _Have_ (or possess) _the pattern of sound words, which thou heardest of me in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus._ The term ὑποτύπωσις occurs only here and in 1 Timothy 1:16; nor does it mean more than pattern or exemplar, only this in the more active or vital sense: “a living express... [ Continue Reading ]
Ver. 14. Very naturally and fitly coming after this exhortation, rightly understood, is the charge in this verse: _the goodly deposit keep through the Holy Spirit that dwelleth in us._ The goodly deposit, or good thing entrusted to him, is just the scheme of divine doctrine and obligation, which he... [ Continue Reading ]
Ver. 15. A few sad notices are now introduced of persons who had failed to do toward the suffering cause of Christ in the apostle what he had been earnestly pressing upon Timothy. _Thou hnowest that all who are in Asia turned away from me._ Who these might be we cannot tell, except as regards the tw... [ Continue Reading ]
Vers. 16, 17. There was, however, a noble exception to this faint-hearted procedure: _The Lord give mercy to the house of Onesiphorus, because he ofttimes refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain_ that, namely, which bound him as a felon to the soldier who guarded him. It implies that others we... [ Continue Reading ]
Ver. 18. _May the Lord grant to him that lie may find mercy from the Lord in that day._ The repetition of Lord is peculiar the Lord grant that he may find from the Lord! but is certainly not to be explained, with some, both in earlier and later times, as having respect in the first case to the Fathe... [ Continue Reading ]