2 Timothy 1:1-14 Paul & Timothy

By Bruce Feiler New York Times 15 March 2013

I hit the breaking point as a parent a few years ago. It was the week of my extended family’s annual gathering in August, and we were struggling with assorted crises. My parents were aging; my wife and I were straining under the chaos of young children; my sister was bracing to prepare her preteens for bullying, sex and cyberstalking.

Sure enough, one night all the tensions boiled over. At dinner, I noticed my nephew texting under the table. I knew I shouldn’t say anything, but I couldn’t help myself and asked him to stop.

Ka-boom! My sister snapped at me to not discipline her child. My dad pointed out that my girls were the ones balancing spoons on their noses. My mom said none of the grandchildren had manners. Within minutes, everyone had fled to separate corners.

Later, my dad called me to his bedside. There was a palpable sense of fear I couldn’t remember hearing before.

“Our family’s falling apart,” he said.

“No it’s not,” I said instinctively. “It’s stronger than ever.”

But lying in bed afterward, I began to wonder: Was he right? What is the secret sauce that holds a family together? What are the ingredients that make some families effective, resilient, happy?

Through a lot of research a surprising theme emerged. The single most important thing you can do for your family may be the simplest of all: develop a strong family narrative.

“(Children) who know a lot about their families tend to do better when faced with challenges,”

Studies show,“the ones who knew more about their families prove to be more resilient, meaning they could moderate the effects of stress.”

Why does knowing where your grandmother went to school help a child overcome something as minor as a skinned knee or as major as a terrorist attack?

“The answers have to do with a child’s sense of being part of a larger family,”

The family of God is diverse.

The story of Christianity spreads across time, distance, culture and moreover we have faced the stresses of persecution, imprisonment, torture, martyrdom as well as internal stresses of heresies and strife.

More and more young people are abandoning Christian values and the fastest growing faith demographic are the “nones”- meaning those who identify with No specific faith group (i.e. none)

I am amazed with the lack of Biblical knowledge amongst young people today- even those who claim to have been raised in a Christian home.

Often they are not familiar with even the most basic stories of the Bible.

As the family of God we do not know our family narrative.

We are not successfully passing on the family narrative and Christian values to our children.

As we move ever closer to the end times we must be strongly rooted in our family narrative as followers of Jesus Christ.

Paul knew this aspect was critical and as he faced his own impending death he writes his protege whom he refers to as his “beloved child” in the English Standard version a second personal letter.

Paul gives special mention to Timothy’s grandmother & mother and their Christian faithfulness.

His grandmother & mother’s faith was the family narrative that defined Timothy’s faith.

Their faith lived day in and day out and witnessed by Timothy was the family narrative God used as Timothy comes to the same faith- Paul was convinced of this fact.

As we raise our children what narrative are we using?

What story are we telling them?

What past lessons do we teach them?

This morning I want to discuss how Paul shares family narrative with Timothy for the purposes of teaching and strengthening him to face the challenges that lay before him as a follower of Jesus Christ.

We will also learn from this same family narrative how we can pass it on to the next generation.

“READ 2 TIMOTHY 1:1-14”

Background & Purpose

Paul had been released from his first Roman imprisonment and wrote the letters 1 Timothy and Titus.

However, five to six years later Paul finds himself once again in a Roman prison which is when he writes this second letter to Timothy.

This was approximately 66-67 A.D. and the Roman Emperor Nero was famous for his persecution of Christians.

Paul had no hope or expectation of release and this letter urges Timothy to come to Rome for one last visit.

We do not know whether Timothy made it to Rome before Paul’s execution.

2 Timothy illustrates Paul was aware the end was near and exhorts Timothy to:

Continue faithful in his duties

Hold on to sound doctrine

Avoid error

Accept persecution for the gospel

Put his confidence in the Scripture

and preach it relentlessly.

Paul was sharing how he himself had lived his life of faith in Jesus Christ- He was passing on the family narrative to Timothy with the responsibility to pass it on to the next generation.

We are the recipients today of this narrative and it is now held in our care and it is our responsibility to pass it on to the next generation of believers.

NARRATIVE

In many ways Paul was a faith pioneer.

“In Biblical Hebrew, the word for pioneer is חָלוּץ (chalats).

This word means one equipped for war.

In Modern Hebrew, the word means the one who goes first in a great venture.

- McKenna Von Guten Bethany Global University (https://bethanygu.edu/blog/stories/christian-missionaries/)

You may be the “faith pioneer” in your family.

You may be the “one who goes first in a great venture”

And you must also be “one equipped for war”.

As Paul writes his second letter to Timothy we divide the chapter 1 into three sections:

1. The Salutation

2. Thanksgiving

3. The appeal

Each section plays a role in Paul passing on the narrative while also strengthening and preparing Timothy for what comes next.

SALUTATION (2 Timothy 1:1-2)

“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God according to the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus,

2 To Timothy, my beloved child:

Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. “

If you are a fan of the Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings you may recall a statement Bilbo Baggins gave as he addressed the crowd that had gathered for his birthday party, many simply to over indulge and enjoy a party at his expense.

He pointedly states, “"Alas, eleventy-one years is far too short a time to live among such excellent and admirable hobbits.

I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.”

The next lines in the book say there was scattered clapping but most of the audience was working it out to see if it came out as a compliment.

We have no such difficulty here with Paul’s address to Timothy.

Apostleship:

Paul’s address as an apostle of Christ Jesus

Why so formal? was it out of habit? Wouldn’t Timothy already know Paul’s credentials?

Most likely this address conveys the urgency of his appeal for Timothy’s loyalty to Paul and the gospel message.

This is also a reminder to Timothy that Paul’s apostleship was not of his own doing but according to the will of God.

The fact that Paul is writing this address from a prison cell is instructive in that suffering is a reality even for one who has been called to be an apostle by the will of God.

2 To Timothy, my beloved child:

Paul refers to Timothy as his beloved child.

This verse parallels 1 Timothy except Paul has no need to legitimize Timothy for a church congregation.

This is a personal letter and we get to see Paul’s heart for Timothy which is a major part of this letter.

You will notice Paul often greeted using the words ‘grace and peace’ but here we have the addition of ‘mercy’.

The addition of the word mercy is indicative of the authenticity that Paul wrote this letter- a forger would have just copied ‘grace and peace’

THANKSGIVING (2 Timothy 1:3-5)

“3 I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. 4 As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. 5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.”

This passage brought to mind when my spiritual mentor Mark had decided to move to Kenya to do ministry.

I drove him to the airport.

I did no know if I would ever see him again or even talk with him again.

I wrote him a letter- I guess it would have been like Timothy writing Paul a final goodbye.

As he left my eyes were filled with tears and I am sure Mark knew the heart I had for him.- (by the way Mark and I are still close)

The expression of gratitude in Paul’s letter was a common attribute at this time.

Paul uses this feature almost as a benediction (blessing).

Paul knows the direction of his letter in that he would urge Timothy to remain loyal to him and to the gospel in the face of extreme hardship.

In a thankful way throughout the letter Paul reminds Timothy of his family narrative:

He appeals to his own example

To their long held association

The faith of his Grandmother (Lois) and Mother (Eunice)

Timothy’s own spiritual history

Three times Paul recounts how he is reminded of something:

1. I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day

2. As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy.

3. I am reminded of your sincere faith

Revisiting and recalling where we have come from, how we got where we are today and doing so as an individual and a community is vital.

Paul remembered Timothy in his prayers not just at night but during the day as well.

Again, Paul was in a dark, dank Roman prison cell in chains.

He could have easily succumbed to defeat and depression and given up but Paul was strengthened by being reminded of Timothy.

Paul recalled Timothy’s tears.

One can envision Paul and Timothy standing at pier with a majestic sail ship in the background.

Timothy embracing Paul not wanting to let go and tears streaming down his face.

And now if Paul can see him once more he would be filled with joy at the reunion- essentially saying the feelings are mutual.

Paul is reminded of Timothy’s sincere faith:

Paul makes special mention of Timothy’s Grandmother & Mother.

Timothy’s biological father was Greek. We know this from (Acts 16:1-3)

There is a good chance Timothy’s biological father had passed on which may explain Paul’s position as a fatherly figure for Timothy.

Paul makes it clear that Timothy’s faith in Jesus was a direct outcome of the faith of his grandmother & mother.

His Christian faith was certainly not due to his Greek father.

We can imagine these two Godly women faithfully instructing Timothy working hard to teach him all they knew until Paul enters his life.

Jean Rhodes writes, “Baseball Hall of Fame legend Cal Ripken, Jr. looked to his father, Cal Ripken, Sr. as a powerful mentor.  “He tried to give us the value of being a good person,” Ripken, Jr. said.  “The value of a mentor…I don’t know what value you can place on it, but the right words spoken at the right time from a person that’s been through it before…can make all the difference...”

I couldn’t agree more.

Paul was exceedingly thankful for Timothy and for the faith his grandmother and mother instilled into him.

As Timothy’s mentor he now makes an appeal of him- possibly the final appeal he will ever get to make of this young man who was so dear to him.

THE APPEAL (2 Timothy 1:6-14)

“6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, 7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, 9 who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, 10 and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, 11 for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, 12 which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me. 13 Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 14 By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you. “

Verse 6 begins, “For this reason”- What reason is he citing?

The reason Paul is pointing to is Timothy’s sincere faith.

Paul encourages Timothy to continually fan the flame of his sincere faith

Fire requires at least 16% oxygen to burn- the air breathe has 21% oxygen

The more oxygen the faster the combustion reaction

Fanning a fire provides more oxygen

Paul reminds Timothy to fan the flame of his faith so the flame is strong because there were a lot of reasons for Timothy to fall prey to fear.

Verse 7 begins “For”- Anytime we see the word ‘for’ there is a reason being given.

Paul is giving the reason Timothy must fan the flame of his faith

The word ‘spirit’ is not referring to the Holy Spirit nor just the mere human spirit but the combination of the human spirit as it is affected by the presence of God’s Spirit in the life of a Christian.

The presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives does not bring about cowardice

The presence of the Holy Spirit brings about power in our lives

The presence of the Holy Spirit results in love- even in an unloving world

The presence of the Holy Spirit results in self-control not society controlled, or culture controlled but SELF-CONTROLLED- meaning we do not follow along like lemmings in a culture devoid of morals, ethics and devoid of Jesus.

Verse 8 begins “therefore”- which indicates a summary or a conclusion.

Paul addresses the conclusion head-on “Do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

A crucified messiah was a difficult concept in a Jewish culture.

Crucifixion was a point of shame but Paul exhorts Timothy to not be ashamed of this testimony.

Jesus himself addresses this issue in

“Luke 9:26” Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.

Paul is expressing our family narrative is directly tied to our crucified and resurrected messiah.

We should make no apologies for the narrative of Christian heritage and the central pillar of our faith is the testimony about Jesus Christ.

If we are ashamed at this point when we must endure suffering, which is sure to come, we will fail.

If we forget our family narrative includes Jesus nailed on a cross then we are certain to forget WHO we are- followers of a crucified yet risen Messiah!

Paul is sharing these last thoughts with Timothy that death is not the end.

Verse 10 “10 and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,”

As Paul faces imminent death these words are a reassurance that Timothy will see him again.

Until that time, Timothy must be prepared to share in suffering for his faith.

Paul is clearly pointing to the resurrection of Jesus in the language regarding abolishing death and bringing life.

Verse 12 “12 which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me.

“A little girl and her father were crossing a bridge. The father was afraid for his little daughter so he asked, 'Sweetheart, please hold my hand so that you don't fall into the river.'

The little girl said, 'No, Dad. You hold my hand.'

'What's the difference?' asked the puzzled father.

'There's a big difference,' replied the little girl. 'If I hold your hand and something happens to me, chances are that I may let your hand go.

But if you hold my hand, I know for sure that no matter what happens, you will never let my hand go.'

The little girl knew her Father and his commitment to her.

She trusted him with her life and was absolutely convinced that her Dad not only could save her but would save her if she fell from the bridge.

Paul conveys a similar message.

He is suffering because of his calling as a preacher (proclaiming the gospel message), an apostle (sent by God to all the world) and a teacher (giving instruction for salvation and continued growth).

Thus the common faith is passed down from generation to generation- the family narrative is carried forward through the ages via preaching, God’s sending and proper teaching/instruction.

Paul suffered yet he would not have changed a thing because he knows Jesus.

Greek Word οἶδα (yoida) (Know)- to possess information about, to know about, to have knowledge of, to be acquainted with

Here Paul says as much by his words by what he does not reference as much as what he does reference.

Paul states he is willing to suffer- but he does not point to all the wonderful moral aspects of Christianity- that it makes him a better person, more upright- that it has improved his relationships etc.

Paul points to the reason he is willing to suffer for his faith is because he KNOWS Jesus.

Paul goes on to say he is “convinced” or “persuaded” of Jesus’ ability to safeguard his life.

Paul uses the perfect tense in Greek.

Greek Word-πείθω (peitho)(Convinced)- To convince someone to believe something to act on the basis of what is recommended.

Literally we read, “I have been persuaded” meaning “I am convinced”

This is the same verb Paul uses regarding Timothy’s sincere faith.

Are you convinced of Jesus’ ability to save so that you are willing to suffer?

Are we firmly rooted so much so that if we had to endure the indignity of suffering we would hold fast because we know Jesus and are convinced of his faithfulness?

Verse 13-14 “13 Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 14 By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you”

Paul uses the emphatic Greek for “pattern”

The meaning refers to an “outline to be followed”

Paul did not want Timothy to fall prey to creative heretical interpretations of the gospel message.

He is telling Timothy if he did not hear it from Paul then it is dubious.

I find televangelists who make claims such as:

Benny Hinn- miracle healing

Creflo Dollar- Prosperity gospel

Joel Osteen- Speak into existence a better reality

These are not “sound words” or consistent doctrine with God’s Word.

There is a standard when it comes to Biblical interpretation.

Not all interpretations are accurate.

I have had many conversations with individuals who disagree with scripture saying:

a. I cannot believe the Bible says those who reject Jesus will go to hell

b. God may has disliked homosexuality then but it is normal nowadays so God is good with it.

c. I do not need to join a church or go to church because I don’t like organized church- God is okay with it.

Ladies & gentlemen, I am not saying I know everything or that I know the mind of God but I know there are correct and incorrect ways to develop consistent doctrine based on the whole counsel of the canon of scripture.

God’s Word does not contradict itself nor does it give a pass to sinful behaviors or reward an unrepentant life with life eternal.

The “Good Deposit” to which Paul refers is the Gospel message.

Paul is charging Timothy to guard this good thing that had been placed in their care- the gospel.

Notice Paul states we have a participative role in guarding the gospel message.

We do this task only by the divine help of the Holy Spirit as he guides and aids as He lives within each of us who has accepted Jesus as Lord & Savior.

CONCLUSION

Paul was focused on passing on the family narrative to Timothy.

Timothy’s Grandma & Mother exemplified the faith that would become the basis upon which Paul would teach and mentor his young protege.

However, young people today are not attending church.

According to an AEI survey, 17% of Millennials said that they were not raised in any particular religion compared with only 5% of Baby Boomers.

Fewer than one in three (32%) millennials say they attended weekly religious services with their family when they were young, compared with about half (49%) of Baby Boomers.

I have to wonder how good a job we have done passing on a strong Christian family narrative.

And what is our Christian Family Narrative?

What are the ways children and adults connect across the generations as it pertains to being a part of the family of God?

Certainly as Paul writes these connections are found in:

a. Loving relationships with other Christian brothers & sisters

b. Sincere faith

c. The enduring faith & example of parents & grandparents

And most importantly the testimony of Jesus Christ our Lord about whom we are not ashamed but proudly proclaim our allegiance to Him with courage, power and a life of self-control.

Our Christian family narrative includes the stories of our hardships, our trials and tribulations but always resolves with the loving goodness of Jesus for whom we are willing to suffer.

I pray that my life will be counted as a credit to our shared narrative and my children will go forward connected throughout the generations in shared suffering, shared faith and ultimately shared glory in eternal life through Jesus Christ.