_Thou therefore, my son_ Animated by the example of fidelity and courage manifested by Onesiphorus; _be strong_ Ενδυναμου, _be encouraged and strengthened, in_ a firm reliance on _the grace that is in Jesus_ And which he is always ready to communicate to all that pray for and expect it. _And the thi... [ Continue Reading ]
_Thou therefore endure hardness_ Κακοπαθησον, literally, _endure evil;_ that is, expect persecutions and various sufferings, and, by the powerful aids of divine grace, endure them with courage, constancy, and patience; _as a good soldier of Jesus Christ_ Who endured much greater afflictions in the d... [ Continue Reading ]
_Remember_ So as to be encouraged against, and supported under, any sufferings which thou mayest be called to endure for the truth; _that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David_ According to the flesh; see on Romans 1:3; Hebrews 2:16; _was raised from the dead_ And thereby demonstrated himself to be the... [ Continue Reading ]
_It is a faithful saying_ A saying as important as it is true. _If we be dead_ Greek, συναπεθανομεν, _die_, or _have died, with him_ To the world and sin, and be ready to die for him; _we shall live with him_ In that everlasting happiness which he hath prepared for all his people. _If we suffer with... [ Continue Reading ]
_Study to show thyself approved_, &c. Greek, σπουδασον σεαυτον δοκιμον παραστησαι τω Θεω, literally, _be zealous, make haste_, or _diligently endeavour, to present thyself approved to God_, what ever men may judge of thee and thy services; _a workman that needeth not to be ashamed_ Either on account... [ Continue Reading ]
_But shun profane and vain babblings_ See on 1 Timothy 1:4; _for they will increase_, &c. Though the evil of some of them may not immediately appear, and they may seem trifling rather than mischievous, they will advance unto more impiety; for the persons who so babble, having been prevailed on by Sa... [ Continue Reading ]
_Nevertheless the foundation of God_ That is, the foundation of God's church, represented as a house, 2Ti 2:20; 1 Timothy 3:15; 1 Peter 2:5; in which God dwells, Ephesians 2:22; as a family inhabiting a house, Hebrews 3:3; as a temple, Ephesians 2:21; in which God displays his glory, communicates hi... [ Continue Reading ]
_But in a great house_ Such as the Christian Church soon became, taking in multitudes of Gentiles in all parts of Asia, Macedonia, Greece, and Italy, and such as it has long been, and now is; _there are not only vessels of gold and silver_ Designed for the most honourable uses; _but of wood and of e... [ Continue Reading ]
_Flee youthful lusts_ Or desires, namely, those peculiarly incident to youth; that is, shun all occasions of exciting or gratifying them, whether, on the one hand, the love of sensual pleasure and the inclination to gratify the appetites and senses of the body, or, on the other, pride, ambition, vai... [ Continue Reading ]
_But foolish and unlearned questions_ Or unimportant subjects of inquiry and debate; _avoid, knowing that they gender strifes_ Or contentions in the church; and certainly it is a most important part of the duty of a Christian minister to guard against all occasions of offence and mischief. For _the... [ Continue Reading ]