2 Timothy 1.10a-The Father's Predetermined Plan Was Revealed By Means of the First Advent of the Savior Jesus Christ
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Tuesday February 24, 2015
Second Timothy: Second Timothy 1:10a-The Father’s Predetermined Plan Was Revealed By Means of the First Advent of the Savior Jesus Christ
Lesson # 14
2 Timothy 1:3 I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience the way my forefathers did, as I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day, 4 longing to see you, even as I recall your tears, so that I may be filled with joy. 5 For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well. 6 For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline. 8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God 9 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity 10 but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. (NASB95)
“But now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus” presents a contrast with the previous statement in Second Timothy 1:9 that God the Father’s gracious predetermined plan to save the Christian was in association with Jesus Christ before eternal ages.
Therefore, the contrast is between the Father’s predetermined plan being designed by Himself in eternity past in association with His Son and that plan being manifested in human history through the incarnation of the Son and His substitutionary spiritual and physical deaths on the cross and resurrection.
“Now” is the adverb of time nun (νῦν), which refers to human history and specifically to a particular point in human history when the Son of God became a human being and then suffered a substitutionary spiritual and physical death on the cross and rose from the dead.
Therefore, this adverb of time is referring to the First Advent of Jesus Christ.
“Has been revealed” is the phaneroō (φανερόω), which means “to be revealed, to be manifested” and is used of the Father’s predetermined plan since this is the word’s antecedent in verse 9.
Therefore, this verb refers to the Father’s predetermined plan in eternity past before anything or anyone was ever created being “revealed” or “manifested” in human history through the incarnation, death and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ.
“By the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus” is composed of the following: (1) preposition dia (διά), “by” (5) noun epiphaneia (ἐπιφάνεια), “the appearing” (6) noun sōtēr (σωτήρ), “Savior” (7) personal pronoun ego (ἐγώ), “our” (8) proper noun Iēsous (Ἰησοῦς), “Jesus” (9) proper name Christos (Χριστός), “Christ.”
The noun epiphaneia refers to the First Advent of Christ or in other words, it refers to the Son of God’s first appearance on the earth when He became a human being and died on the cross, rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven.
This noun therefore, speaks of the appearance of the Son of God during His First Advent.
It is also the object of the preposition dia which means “by” since it is functioning as a marker of means indicating that the First Advent of Jesus Christ was the means by which the Father manifested His eternal predetermined plan to both men and angels.
The noun sōtēr means “Savior” and is a title for the Son of God, Jesus Christ emphasizing that He is the member of the Trinity who accomplished salvation through His substitutionary spiritual and physical deaths on the cross and resurrection from the dead.
The articular construction of sōtēr is employed with the genitive first person plural form of the personal pronoun ego means “our” referring to Paul, Timothy and all Christians throughout the Roman Empire.
It is indicating association expressing the “eternal relationship” that Paul, Timothy and the entire Christian church throughout the Roman Empire all possess with Jesus Christ.
They all were delivered by the Lord Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection from spiritual and physical death, the sin nature, personal sins, Satan, his cosmic system, condemnation from the Law and eternal condemnation.
This deliverance took place in their lives when they appropriated it by faith in Him.
The proper name Iēsous refers to the human nature of the incarnate Son of God, Jesus of Nazareth.
The proper noun Christos emphasizes that Jesus of Nazareth delivered Paul, Timothy and all Christians from the sin nature, personal sins, the devil and his cosmic system, spiritual and physical death and eternal condemnation through His substitutionary spiritual and physical deaths and resurrection.
Second Timothy 1:3 I make it my habit of expressing gratitude to God (the Father), whom I make it a habit of serving with a clear conscience as the forefathers, when I always make it my habit of bringing you into remembrance during my intercessory prayer requests during the day as well as during the night. 4 Consequently, I greatly desire to see you when I remember your tears in order that I would become filled with joy. 5 I make it my habit of expressing gratitude to God (the Father) because I have clung to the memory of your sincere faith which first lived in your grandmother Lois as well as in your mother Eunice. Indeed, I am convinced that it lives in you. 6 For this reason, I want to cause you, at this particular time, to remember to continue making it your habit of exercising with enthusiasm the spiritual gift originating from God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God (the Father) by no means gave each and every one of us a Spirit who produces cowardice but rather power as well as divine-love and in addition self-discipline. 8 Therefore, do not permit yourself to be ashamed of the Lord’s testimony or me, His prisoner but rather I solemnly urge you to accept your share of suffering for sake of the gospel in accordance with the power produced by God. 9 The one who saved each and every one of us. Indeed, the one who effectually called each and every one of us by means of an invitation to privilege which is holy. Never because of our meritorious actions but rather because of His own gracious predetermined plan which was brought into existence for the benefit of each and every one of us in association with the Christ who is Jesus before eternal ages. 10 But now has been revealed by means of the appearing of our Savior, Jesus, who is the Christ who on the one hand broke the power of (eternal) death while on the other hand making fully known (eternal) life by revealing it as well as immortality through the proclamation of the gospel. 10 But now has been revealed by means of the appearing of our Savior, Jesus, who is the Christ. On the one hand He broke the power of (eternal) death while on the other hand He made fully known (eternal) life by revealing it as well as immortality through the gospel. (Author’s translation)
Verse 10 begins with an adversative clause which presents a contrast with the previous statement in verse 9 that God the Father’s gracious predetermined plan to save the Christian was in association with Jesus Christ before eternal ages, which means that this plan took place prior to human and angelic history.
This statement in verse 9 indicates that the plan of salvation for sinful humanity came into existence in eternity past when the Son agreed to accomplish this plan.
He agreed to become a human being and then suffer a substitutionary spiritual and physical death on the cross and then rise from the dead on behalf of all sinful humanity.
Now, here in verse 10, Paul says that this predetermined plan which was formulated in eternity past has now been revealed by the appearing of the Savior, Jesus Christ.
Therefore, the contrast is between the Father’s predetermined plan being designed by Himself in eternity past in association with His Son and that plan being manifested in human history through the incarnation of the Son and His substitutionary spiritual and physical deaths on the cross and resurrection.
“Now” refers to human history and specifically to a particular point in human history when the Son of God became a human being and then suffered a substitutionary spiritual and physical death on the cross and rose from the dead.
Therefore, this word is referring to the First Advent of Jesus Christ.
Paul is reminding Timothy that the Father’s predetermined plan in eternity past before anything or anyone was ever created was revealed in human history through the incarnation, death and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ.
“By means of the appearing of our Savior, Jesus who is the Christ” indicates that the First Advent of Jesus Christ was the means by which the Father manifested His eternal predetermined plan to both men and angels.
So this prepositional phrase speaks of the incarnation of the Son of God and His hypostatic union.
In the context of Christian theology, the “incarnation” is the act whereby the eternal Son of God, the second person of the Trinity, without ceasing to be what He is, namely God the Son, permanently clothed His deity with a sinless human nature, which He did not possess before the act, thus making Him, the unique theanthropic person of the cosmos.
The “hypostatic union” is the result of the incarnation and was accomplished by means of the incarnation, which itself was accomplished by means of the virgin pregnancy.
The virgin birth was the means by which the incarnation became a reality (John 1:14; 1 Timothy 3:16).
There are many reasons for the incarnation: (1) Judgment of Satan (John 12:31; 16:7-11; Colossians 2:15) (2) Provided a Redeemer for sinful humanity (Galatians 4:4) (3) Reconciled sinful humanity to a holy God (Romans 5:10-11; 2 Corinthians 5:18-21; Colossians 1:19-22; 1 Peter 3:18). (4) Provided a Mediator for sinful humanity (Job 9:32; 1 Timothy 2:5-6) (5) Provided the believer with a high priest to intercede for them (Hebrews 2:17; 3:1; 4:14-16; 6:19-20; 7:25-27; 8:1; 9:24-28; 1 John 2:1).
In theology or specifically Christology (the study of Christ), the term “hypostatic union” is used by theologians to describe the teaching of the Scriptures that Jesus Christ is undiminished deity and true sinless humanity in one person forever.
The New Testament emphatically teaches that in His person, Jesus of Nazareth who is the Christ was both God and man (John 1:14; Rom. 1:1-4; 8:3; 9:1-5; Phil. 2:5-11; Col. 1:19-22; 1 Tim. 3:16; Heb. 2:14; 1 John 1:1-4; 4:1-3; 2 John 7).