INTRODUCTION TO II TIMOTHY 1 In this chapter, after the inscription and salutation, the apostle expresses his great affection for Timothy, and highly commends him; exhorts him to various things relating to his office, as a preacher of the Gospel; and concludes with taking notice of the kindness sho... [ Continue Reading ]
PAUL AN APOSTLE OF JESUS CHRIST,.... Not of men, nor by men, but by Jesus Christ, from whom he was sent; by whom he was qualified; in whose name he came, and ministered; and whom he preached. Of his name Paul, and of his office, as an apostle, Romans 1:1 into which office he came BY THE WILL OF GO... [ Continue Reading ]
TO TIMOTHY, MY DEARLY BELOVED SON,.... Not in a natural, but in a spiritual sense; and not on account of his being an instrument of his conversion, but by reason of that instruction in the doctrines of the Gospel which he gave him, it being usual to call disciples children; and he calls him so, beca... [ Continue Reading ]
I THANK GOD,.... After the inscription and salutation follows the preface to the epistle; which contains a thanksgiving to God upon Timothy's account, and has a tendency to engage his attention to what he was about to write to him in the body of the epistle. God is the object of praise and thanksgiv... [ Continue Reading ]
GREATLY DESIRING TO SEE THEE,.... In his former epistle he had desired him to stay at Ephesus, there being some work for him to do, which made it necessary he should continue; but now having answered the apostle's purpose, and he standing in need of him at Rome, being without any assistant there, so... [ Continue Reading ]
WHEN I CALL TO REMEMBRANCE THE UNFEIGNED FAITH THAT IS IN THEE,.... This caused him to give thanks to God for it, whose gift it is and made him the more desirous of seeing one, who was a true believer, and an Israelite indeed. This is to be understood of the grace of faith, which was implanted in th... [ Continue Reading ]
WHEREFORE I PUT THEE IN REMEMBRANCE,.... Because of the great affection the apostle had for Timothy, and because of that confidence he had of him, that unfeigned faith dwelt in him, as well as because this had had a place in his relations before him; he therefore acts the part of a kind monitor to h... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR GOD HATH NOT GIVEN US THE SPIRIT OF FEAR,.... A pusillanimous, cowardly spirit, so as to be afraid of men or devils, of what they will say or do; and so as to be discouraged in, sink under, or be deterred from the work of the Lord, the preaching of the Gospel, opposing the errors of false teache... [ Continue Reading ]
BE NOT THEN THEREFORE ASHAMED OF THE TESTIMONY OF OUR LORD,.... Either that testimony which Christ bore personally by his doctrine and miracles, and by his sufferings and death; or rather the Gospel so called, because it comes from Christ, and because it is a testimony concerning him; concerning his... [ Continue Reading ]
WHO HATH SAVED US, AND CALLED US,.... And therefore should not be ashamed of his Gospel, but should readily partake of the afflictions of it, depending on his power to support under them. There is a salvation previous to calling: there is a temporal salvation; a special providence attends the elect... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT IS NOW MADE MANIFEST BY THE APPEARING OF OUR SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST,.... The grace according to which the elect of God are saved and called; though it was given to them in Christ, before the world was, yet lay hid in the heart of God; in his thoughts, council and covenant; and in Jesus Christ; and... [ Continue Reading ]
WHEREUNTO I AM APPOINTED A PREACHER,.... Both from eternity, in the counsel and purpose of God, Acts 9:15 and in time, by the church at Antioch, and the prophets in it, according to the express order of the Holy Ghost, Acts 13:2. And if ever there was a preacher of the Gospel, Paul was one; he preac... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR THE WHICH CAUSE I ALSO SUFFER THESE THINGS,.... The present imprisonment and bonds in which he now was; these, with all the indignities, reproaches, distresses, and persecutions, came upon him, for the sake of his being a preacher of the Gospel; and particularly for his being a teacher of the Ge... [ Continue Reading ]
HOLD FAST THE FORM OF SOUND WORDS,.... By "words" are meant, not mere words, but doctrines; for the servants of the Lord should not strive about words, to no profit, or be too tenacious of them. Indeed when words have long obtained, and have been very useful to convey just ideas of truth to the mind... [ Continue Reading ]
THAT GOOD THING WHICH WAS COMMITTED TO THEE,.... By which he means either his ministerial work and office, which is a good work, the dispensation of which was committed to him, and which it became him so to observe, as that the ministry might not be blamed; or else the good and excellent gifts of th... [ Continue Reading ]
THIS THOU KNOWEST, THAT ALL THEY WHICH ARE IN ASIA,.... Either those that followed the apostle from Asia to Rome; or who came from thence thither, upon business, and were upon the spot when the apostle was in his greatest troubles, and yet all forsook him and no man stood by him; or else the churche... [ Continue Reading ]
THE LORD GIVE MERCY TO THE HOUSE OF ONESIPHORUS,.... Who seems to have been one of Asia, and of Ephesus, and is an exception from the general apostasy, or from those that turned away from the apostle; and therefore he prays that the Lord would show mercy to his family; that he would give regeneratin... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT WHEN HE WAS IN ROME,.... Upon some business or another, where the apostle was a prisoner: HE SOUGHT ME OUT VERY DILIGENTLY, and found me; as there might be many prisons in Rome, he went from one to another, till he found him; and was one of those to whom Christ will say hereafter, "I was in pri... [ Continue Reading ]
THE LORD GRANT UNTO HIM THAT HE MAY FIND MERCY OF THE LORD IN THAT DAY;.... In return for his diligent seeking till he found the apostle. By "mercy", he means the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life; or that crown of righteousness and everlasting glory and happiness, which will be a gra... [ Continue Reading ]