Sermon Notes

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, for the sake of the promise of 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.
3 I am grateful to God—whom I worship with a clear conscience, as my ancestors did—when I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. 4 Recalling your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy. 5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you. 6 For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands, 7 for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.
8 Do not be ashamed, then, of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel, in the power of God, 9 who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace, and this grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,[a] 10 but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ,[b] who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 11 For this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher,[c] 12 and for this reason I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know the one in whom I have put my trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard until that day the deposit I have entrusted to him.[d] 13 Hold to the standard of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.14 Guard the good deposit entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us.
(New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition, NRSVue)
1 1-2 I, Paul, am on special assignment for Christ, carrying out God’s plan laid out in the Message of Life by Jesus. I write this to you, Timothy, the son I love so much. All the best from our God and Christ be yours! 3-4 Every time I say your name in prayer—which is practically all the time—I thank God for you, the God I worship with my whole life in the tradition of my ancestors. I miss you a lot, especially when I remember that last tearful good-bye, and I look forward to a joy-packed reunion.
5-7 That precious memory triggers another: your honest faith—and what a rich faith it is, handed down from your grandmother Lois to your mother Eunice, and now to you! And the special gift of ministry you received when I laid hands on you and prayed—keep that ablaze! God doesn’t want us to be shy with his gifts, but bold and loving and sensible.
8-10 So don’t be embarrassed to speak up for our Master or for me, his prisoner. Take your share of suffering for the Message along with the rest of us. We can only keep on going, after all, by the power of God, who first saved us and then called us to this holy work. We had nothing to do with it. It was all his idea, a gift prepared for us in Jesus long before we knew anything about it. But we know it now. Since the appearance of our Savior, nothing could be plainer: death defeated, life vindicated in a steady blaze of light, all through the work of Jesus.
11-12 This is the Message I’ve been set apart to proclaim as preacher, emissary, and teacher. It’s also the cause of all this trouble I’m in. But I have no regrets. I couldn’t be more sure of my ground—the One I’ve trusted in can take care of what he’s trusted me to do right to the end.
13-14 So keep at your work, this faith and love rooted in Christ, exactly as I set it out for you. It’s as sound as the day you first heard it from me. Guard this precious thing placed in your custody by the Holy Spirit who works in us.
(The Message, MSG)

2 Timothy refers to person that was one of Paul’s “co-laborers” in the ministry and a “beloved son.” As we studied in last week’s lesson, Timothy worked with Paul and Silas to found the Thessalonian Church, he pastored the Ephesus Church, he co-wrote several letters with Paul, and he is the addressee of two New Testament letters, 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy. However, 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy have different concerns. As New Testament scholar, Dr. Angela N. Parker notes in The SBL Study Bible:
“While 2 Timothy follows the standards of ancient Greco-Roman letter structure (see the introduction to 1 Timothy), it also assumes many aspects of a last will and testament from a family or community elder (compare 2 Pet 1.12–15). Ancient writers used the literary form of a testament to present the last words of a famous figure from the past (for example, Jacob’s blessing in Gen 49 and the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs). In 2 Timothy, Paul faces execution and is represented as a dying patriarch who passes down traditions to his beloved and faithful child, Timothy, while also warning him of problems to come (see 3.1–5; 4.1–5).”
Further, the Paul of 2 Timothy is writing from prison, which provides a different socio-political and context from 1 Timothy. If the author is imprisoned, his theological aims are much more closely aligned with other Pauline literature that is reportedly written from prison—Philippians, Philemon, and Colossians.

1 Timothy and 2 Timothy are disputed Pauline writings (the undisputed Pauline letters are Romans, 1-2 Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, and Philemon). Most scholars believe these letters were written in Paul’s name, after Paul’s death, by one of Paul’s students. The “Paul” of 2 Timothy writes to ensure that Timothy remembers the gospel of Jesus Christ, that was shared by his grandmother and mother, so he can proclaim it to current and future generations.
Because 2 Timothy is not an occasional letter—a pastoral letter written to a specific church, addressing a specific church concern—we do not have a specific historical context from which to discern the specific reason for its writing. However, because the author reportedly writes from prison, he effectively shares his final words of wisdom before impending death. The Paul of 2 Timothy emphasizes the importance of Timothy embracing “godliness” (eusebeia in the original Greek) in the face of upcoming challenges. This word is specific to 2 Timothy and does not appear in other Pauline letters. Further, the Paul of 2 Timothy urges Timothy embrace the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament as “sacred writings” which support the truth and sound doctrine of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

1-2 I, Paul, am on special assignment for Christ, carrying out God’s plan laid out in the Message of Life by Jesus. I write this to you, Timothy, the son I love so much. All the best from our God and Christ be yours! 3-4 Every time I say your name in prayer—which is practically all the time—I thank God for you, the God I worship with my whole life in the tradition of my ancestors. I miss you a lot, especially when I remember that last tearful good-bye, and I look forward to a joy-packed reunion.
In the opening verses of the lesson text, the Pauline writer provides Timothy with a love-filled salutation (verse 1 and 2) which resembles the greeting in 1 Timothy 1:1. By expressing his profound love for Timothy, the author reveals the special relationship which provides a motive for this last will and testament. The “promise of life” (NRSVue), that Peterson translates as “the message of Life by Jesus,” (MSG) centers Paul’s comments as those of a dying father to a loving son. In the Greco-Roman world, it was common for teachers to share their teaching on ethics and philosophy in the form of a father’s letter to his son. The author utilizes this method of writing here.
Then, Paul underscores the importance of prayer in the life of a believer. Paul says he constantly remembers Timothy in prayer, thanking God consistently for his young mentee. This practice of ceaseless prayer is one that comes from the traditions of his Jewish ancestors who taught him how to pray. In this context, the writer makes it clear that for Paul’s ancestors, prayer was a posture of living, not simply a temple or synagogue ritual. Prayer is an extension of whole life worship—that is, living worship that pervades every aspect of one’s life.
5-7 That precious memory triggers another: your honest faith—and what a rich faith it is, handed down from your grandmother Lois to your mother Eunice, and now to you! And the special gift of ministry you received when I laid hands on you and prayed—keep that ablaze! God doesn’t want us to be shy with his gifts, but bold and loving and sensible.
As Paul remembers Timothy in prayer, he also recalls the tradition of those who have demonstrated, by their living, what authentic faith looks like. By mentioning Timothy’s grandmother Lois and mother Eunice, Paul links the faithful living of his ancestors to the faithful living of Timothy’s family. Like Paul’s ancestors, Lois and Eunice have taught Timothy their faith, by living it out before the young man. In verse 5, three generations of Christians are lifted up for their legacy of Christian discipleship. This reminds us that discipleship is didactic. While people may catch “the Spirit,” discipleship is taught behavior. Often, our first discipleship teachers are our grandparents and parents. Then, Sunday School Teachers, ministers, older Christians, and our peers also become teachers in the faith. Paul emphasizes that the seeds of faith, prayer, and love for Christ are planted. For contemporary Christians, this begs the question, what seeds are we planting?
Once Paul reminds Timothy that he is a part of a rich legacy of Christian servants, in verse 6, he encourages him to “stir up the gift” (KJV), or “rekindle the flame” (NRSVUE), or “keep ablaze” (MSG) the gift that God has given him. This gift, charism in Greek, was symbolically vested by the laying on of hands during Timothy’s ordination to Christian service. It is important to note that the Spirit, not Paul, is the giver of this charism. The Spirit gifts all believers, empowering them to accomplish their call and assignment. Therefore, Christians should not be ashamed of our gifts. We should boldly operate out of faith and courage, not fear and timidity, because we are empowered by God’s Spirit.
In the social world of the ancient Mediterranean, honor and shame were powerful concepts that shaped the prevailing culture. For people of first Century Palestine, acquiring honor and avoiding shame was crucial to persons who did not want to dishonor their families in any way. In the context of this lesson text, Paul invokes the theme of honor/shame to assert that for Christians, shame comes from not exercising our God-given gifts, and failing to mentor others in the Jesus Christ, and rejecting suffering for the sake of the cross.
8-10 So don’t be embarrassed to speak up for our Master or for me, his prisoner. Take your share of suffering for the Message along with the rest of us. We can only keep on going, after all, by the power of God, who first saved us and then called us to this holy work. We had nothing to do with it. It was all his idea, a gift prepared for us in Jesus long before we knew anything about it. But we know it now. Since the appearance of our Savior, nothing could be plainer: death defeated, life vindicated in a steady blaze of light, all through the work of Jesus.
Here, the author shifts to his own personal testimony as a vehicle for sharing a distinctive literary device that biblical scholars call a “farewell address.” A farewell address is often represented as the final words of a teacher or mentor, who is imprisoned by a government on a capital charge, suffering because of their call, and awaiting execution. The address consists of a reminder, warning, and charge to faithfulness. While Paul’s formal farewell actually occurs in 2 Timothy 4:6-18, in verses 8-12 we see evidence of Paul’s charge to Timothy, where he exhorts Timothy to speak up for the cause of Christ, and for his mentor Paul.
According to Paul, suffering accompanies faithfulness. Thus, Timothy should embrace suffering for the Gospel, like Jesus and Paul. In many ways, this passage of scripture calls to mind, Hebrews 13, which exhorts Christians to go outside the gate to suffer for the cause of Christ. In verses 9-10 we see what appears to be the remnants of a credal statement that summarizes the character of the Gospel. Essentially this statement says: ”God saved us. God called us to ministry service. God determined the gift of salvation by God’s-self, and before humanity knew it need to be saved. We did not have anything to do with what God chose to do in Jesus Christ. Jesus was the gift that God prepared for us before the foundations of the world were laid. Now that we know about Jesus, and have been changed by the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we are called to share this gospel.”
11-12 This is the Message I’ve been set apart to proclaim as preacher, emissary, and teacher. It’s also the cause of all this trouble I’m in. But I have no regrets. I couldn’t be more sure of my ground—the One I’ve trusted in can take care of what he’s trusted me to do right to the end. 13-14 So keep at your work, this faith and love rooted in Christ, exactly as I set it out for you. It’s as sound as the day you first heard it from me. Guard this precious thing placed in your custody by the Holy Spirit who works in us.
In the final verses of the lesson text, Paul says the message of the gospel is why he has been called as a preacher, ambassador, or teacher. The message is his call and the suffering that accompanies the message is his calling card. However, the suffering that Paul currently endures is worthwhile because he knows that the One he suffers for, will take care of him until the end. Paul’s personal testimony encourages Timothy, and it should encourage contemporary Christians as well. Everything that we go through for the cause of the Gospel of Jesus Christ will be worth it in the end.
Paul charges Timothy to continue doing his work to guard the precious thing (“fine deposit” in the NRSVUE), that has been entrusted to him by the Holy Spirit. Again, as previously stated, the precious thing is “the faith”—the sound teaching of the gospel. In full circle, the author returns to verses 3 and 4 which talk about how Lois and Eunice handed down their faith to Timothy. Their faith was a rich deposit that specified teachings they received about “the faith” of Jesus Christ. Paul has also guarded “the faith” throughout his ministry. However, because Paul’s death is impending, he will no longer be able to guard the teachings about the Gospel. Therefore, he now passes the baton to Timothy so future generations will have a clear understanding of the ministry and saving work of Jesus Christ.
Paul’s charge to Timothy invites reflection for contemporary Christians: Are we guarding the fine deposit that is the gospel of Jesus Christ? Are we taking up the mantel of our ancestors and teaching our children and grandchildren sound doctrine about Jesus? In a time where many Christians prefer a bloodless gospel—and the so-called Christianity that many teach requires no sacrifice and consists solely of praise and worship—people need to hear sound teaching. We must know who Jesus was, what God did through him, and why God’s love in Christ Jesus extends to everyone without limit or restriction. If we also guard the Gospel, we are empowered to share the legacy that we too have inherited.

i. Angela N. Parker, “2 Timothy” in Emerson Powery, et.al , The SBL Study Bible (New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 2021) p. 2095.