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1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to
the
promise of life which is in Christ Jesus, 1:2 To Timothy,
my dearly beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father
and Christ Jesus our Lord.
1:3 I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure
conscience, that without
ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my
prayers night and day; 1:4 Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful
of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy; 1:5 When I call to
remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in
thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that
in thee also.
1:6 Wherefore I put thee in
remembrance that thou stir up the gift of
God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.
1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of
love, and of a sound mind.
1:8 Be not thou therefore
ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of
me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel
according to the power of God; 1:9 Who hath saved us, and called us
with an holy calling, not according to our
works, but according to his
own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the
world began, 1:10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our
Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life
and immortality to light through the gospel: 1:11 Whereunto I am
appointed a
preacher, and an
apostle, and a
teacher of the
Gentiles.
1:12 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am
not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he
is able to keep that which I have
committed unto him against that day.
1:13 Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me,
in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.
1:14 That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy
Ghost which dwelleth in us.
1:15 This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away
from me; of whom are
Phygellus and
Hermogenes.
1:16 The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus; for he oft
refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain: 1:17 But, when he was
in Rome, he sought me out very diligently, and found me.
1:18 The Lord grant unto him that he may find mercy of the Lord in
that day: and in how many things he ministered unto me at
Ephesus,
thou knowest very well.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
back to:
2 Timothy
Book: 2 Timothy
Chapter: 1
Overview:
Paul expresses great
Affection for
Timothy.
(1-5) Exhorts him
to improve his
Spiritual Gifts.
(6-14) Tells of many who basely
deserted him; but speaks with
Affection of
Onesiphorus.
(15-18)
1-5 The promise of eternal
Life to believers in
Christ Jesus,
is the leading subject of ministers who are employed according
to the will of
God. The blessings here named, are the best we
can ask for our beloved friends, that they may have peace with
God the
Father and
Christ Jesus our
Lord. Whatever good we do,
God must have the
Glory. True believers have in every
Age the
same religion as to substance. Their
Faith is unfeigned; it will
stand the trial, and it dwells in them as a living principle.
Thus pious women may take encouragement from the success of
Lois
and
Eunice with
Timothy, who proved
So excellent and useful a
Minister. Some of the most worthy and valuable ministers the
Church of
Christ has been favoured with, have had to
Bless God
for early religious impressions made upon their minds
By the
teaching of their mothers or other female relatives.
6-14 God has not given us the
Spirit of fear, but the
Spirit of
power, of courage and resolution, to meet difficulties and
dangers; the
Spirit of
Love to him, which will carry us through
opposition. And the
Spirit of a sound mind, quietness of mind.
The Holy
Spirit is not the author of a timid or cowardly
disposition, or of slavish fears. We are likely to
Bear
Afflictions Well, when we have strength and power from
God to
enable us to
Bear them. As is usual with
Paul, when he mentions
Christ and his
Redemption, he enlarges upon them;
So full was he
of that which is all our
Salvation, and ought to be all our
desire. The
Call of the
Gospel is a holy
Call, making holy.
Salvation is of free
Grace. This is said to be given us before
the world began, that is, in the purpose of
God from all
eternity; in
Christ Jesus, for all the
Gifts that come from
God
to sinful
Man, come in and through
Christ Jesus alone. And as
there is
So clear a prospect of eternal happiness
By Faith in
Him, who is the Resurrection and the
Life, let us give more
diligence in making his
Salvation sure to our souls. Those who
cleave to the
Gospel, need not be ashamed, the cause will
Bear
them out; but those who oppose it, shall be ashamed. The
Apostle
had trusted his
Life, his soul, and eternal interests, to the
Lord Jesus.
No one else could deliver and secure his soul
through the trials of
Life and
Death. There is a
Day coming,
when our souls will be inquired after. Thou hadst a soul
committed to thee; how was it employed? in the service of
Sin,
or in the service of
Christ? The
Hope of the lowest real
Christian rests
On the same foundation as that of the great
Apostle. He also has learned the value and the danger of his
soul; he also has believed in
Christ; and the change wrought in
his soul, convinces the believer that the
Lord Jesus will keep
him to his heavenly kingdom.
Paul exhorts
Timothy to
Hold Fast
the Holy Scriptures, the substance of solid
Gospel Truth in
them. It is not enough to assent to the sound words, but we must
Love them. The
Christian doctrine is a trust committed to us; it
is of unspeakable value in itself, and will be of unspeakable
advantage to us. It is committed to us, to be preserved pure and
entire, yet we must not think to keep it
By our own strength,
but
By the power of the Holy
Spirit dwelling in us; and it will
not be gained
By those who trust in their own hearts, and lean
to their own understandings.
15-18 The
Apostle mentions the constancy of
Onesiphorus; he oft
refreshed him with his letters, and counsels, and comforts, and
was not ashamed of him. A good
Man will seek to do good. The
Day
of
Death and
Judgment is an awful
Day. And if we would have
Mercy then, we must seek for it now of the
Lord. The best we can
ask, for ourselves or our friends, is, that the
Lord will grant
that we and they may find
Mercy of the
Lord, when called to pass
out of time into eternity, and to appear before the
Judgment
seat of
Christ.