2 Timothy

2:8-13

2. Paul's charge to Timothy, 2:1-4:5

i] A call to dedication and faithfulness, 2:1-13

b) The reasons for holding firm

In this passage Paul reminds Timothy of his own suffering in ministry, encouraging him to stand firm for Christ in his own Christian ministry. To achieve this end, Paul explains why he strives to "endure everything." The source of his determined stand for Christ has to do with his desire to preserve God's people to the end.

In chapter 2 of Paul's second letter to Timothy, Paul gives Timothy further words of encouragement in the Christian life. Timothy, as a minister of the gospel, faces constant opposition, and so Paul takes the time to bolster him up. The opening exhortation in v1-13 serves as an encouragement to "be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus"; to stand firm in the face of trouble. Paul then encourages him in v14-26, to act against the false teachers in his church, difficult as this may be. Timothy is to confront them with Biblical truth and "warn them, before God, against quarrelling about words." So, the appeal to suffer hardship, v3, is now undergirded by the reality of Christ's exaltation, v8 and both by the example of Paul, v9-10, and the fact that all believers recognize that they must endure for Christ, v11-13.

mnhmoneue (mnhmoneuw) pres. imp. "remember" - When faced with life's trouble the believer need only call to mind the truth of the gospel; "fix this picture firmly in your mind", Peterson.

Ihsoun Criston "Jesus Christ" - Remember Jesus, the Christ, ie. God's anointed.

eghgermenon (egeirw) perf. pas. part. "raised" - The participle is possibly adjectival, "remember Jesus Christ who was raised", but probably better taken as forming an object clause / dependent statement of perception expressing what Timothy should remember, "remember that Jesus Christ was raised." The passive is theological, ie. God does the raising. The perfect tense expressing an ongoing raised state. It is worth noting again how the gospel centers on the resurrection of Christ, rather than his death, reminding us that the resurrection does something more than just authenticate the efficacy of his death. Because he lives we live also.

ek + gen. "from" - out of, from.

nekrwn adj. "the dead" - dead. The adjective is used as a noun. Note, plural "dead", so "all the dead." Timothy is to remember Jesus who was set upon by evil men and died at their hands, but you can't keep a good man down.

spermatoV (a atoV) "the seed [of David]" - seed, posterity [of David]. This is one of the many theological statements in the Pastorals which, it is argued, works against Pauline authorship, cf. Barrett. Yet, "the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David .....", Rom.1:3, is without a doubt Pauline so it is difficult to argue that this reference in Timothy is not Pauline. Its difficulty lies in its placement after "raised from the dead." It is possibly a "time is fulfilled" statement ie. fulfilment of prophecy, so Mounce, or possibly emphasizing Jesus' human linage and thus his humanity (as opposed to his exaltation, although surely not his suffering as opposed to his exaltation), "fully God, fully man - the God man", Rolston , so Knight, Dibelius/Conzelmann. It is also possible that the ascension of Christ is in mind, of the Son of God now reigning at the right hand of the Ancient of Days as the long promised Davidic messiah, ie. Jesus is Lord. Yet, Marshall may be right when he notes that the order of the resurrection and linage of Christ is not important, but rather that both together give us a summary of the gospel. However the order plays out, the gospel states that Jesus, the long-promised Davidic messiah, has been raised from the dead. The implication being that he now rules by divine power, ie. he is Lord, and therefore the difficulties we face in life must be placed beside this eternal reality.

euannelion mou "my gospel" - This is an interesting phrase which most likely implies something unique about Paul's gospel message. The unique element is one of emphasis, an emphasis on the resurrection of Christ and the theological implications which flow from this. At the center of Paul's theology is the notion that through our identification with Christ's resurrection ("in Christ" and "Christ in us") we are made alive, alive to God (holy) and alive eternally, and this because we share Christ's resurrection life. Although there is a sense where Paul has a particular angle on the gospel, Christ remains the originator of the gospel, ie. "not invented by me, but entrusted to me", Lock. Paul has shaped "his gospel" from the teachings of Christ, such that in the end we can describe Paul as the exegete of Jesus.

Paul alludes to his own suffering, v9-10.

en + dat. "for [which]" - in [which]. A local sense is certainly possible, "in the preaching of which good tidings", Bernard, but a causal sense seems more likely, "because of / on account of", so Knight, as NIV.

w| neut. pro. "which" - Agreeing with "gospel", v8. Although a loose stitching to v8, this verse should be "regarded as a main affirmation", Marshall. "It is for the sake of that gospel", Barclay.

kakopaqw (kakopaqew) "I am suffering" - I suffer misfortune / hardship. The present tense is durative expressing the ongoing suffering which Paul is presently experiencing.

mecri + gen. "even to the point" - up to, to the extent of, even to. Serving here as a preposition with temporal overtones.

desmwn (oV) gen. "of being chained" - of bonds, fetters. Paul is indicating that the conditions of his imprisonment are quite harsh.

wJV "like [a criminal]" - like, as [an evil-doer, criminal]. "Being chained in prison as if I were some sort of criminal", Phillips.

alla "but" - but, and. Adversative.

ou dedetai (dew) perf. "not chained" - not bound. The perfect tense indicating that the Word of God has not and will not be bound. We are reminded that "God himself takes responsibility for the progress of the gospel", Barclay. Preachers need only place themselves in the center of God's will, and this apart from the circumstances which may seemingly frustrate the gospel. Preaching / communicating the gospel is what is important, the circumstances are irrelevant. This truth calls into question much of the marketing management employed by church-growth strategists.

tou qeou (oV) gen. "[word] of God" - The genitive is adjectival, possessive; it is God's word.

dia + acc. "therefore" - because [of this]. Forming a causal clause. Best taken retrospectively; "I endure all things for the sake of the elect because the word of God is not chained (ie. God's Word will achieve its determined will despite all circumstances)", v9. See Knight for a prospective treatment.

uJomenw pres. "I endure" - I remain under, endure, hold out. "I am willing to put up with anything", CEV.

panta "everything" - all things. "Whatever may happen", Marshall.

dia + acc. "for the sake of" - because of, on account of. A shift in nuance from cause (the first usage in this verse) to reason, "for the sake of", cf. BAGD 180[BII].

touV eklektouV adj. "the elect" - elect, chosen. The adjective serves as a substantive. The "elect" is God's called out people established by sovereign decree, probably not referencing those destined to be saved in the foreknowledge of God, but rather those who are actually the children of God at this point of time. The question that has caused the church difficulty, when it come to the elect, is how does a person get into this family of God? Is it by divine appointment or by individual request? The notes on this site proceed on the basis that entrance into God's eternal family is open to all and that the means of entry rests on the faithfulness of Christ appropriated through the instrument of faith. Paul's concern in this passage is to protect the "elect" from having their "salvation" undermined. The false teachers who, by undermining the doctrine of God's sovereign grace through the promotion of law-righteousness, potentially undermined salvation. This was the problem Paul tackled in his letters to the Galatians, Colossians and Romans, and he wants Timothy to "endure" in a faithful word-ministry and so tackle the same problem in his church.

iJna + subj. "that [they too may obtain]" - that [they also may obtain, gain, find, experience]. Forming a purpose clause, "in order that ...." It is God's will that the elect attain salvation and eternal Glory and so Paul is willing to put up with anything in order to realize (playing his part in / placing himself in the center of) that divine will.

kai "too" - and. Obviously "also" here, but is it, as NIV, that "they", namely the elect, may "also", with Paul and Timothy, obtain salvation ...., or is it that "they", the elect, may also obtain "salvation" (future salvation in the last day along with their right-standing before God now, so "full salvation", Mounce) ......?

en + dat. "in [Christ Jesus]" - "Signifying the person in whom God's gifts are present and available", Marshall.

meta + gen. "with [eternal glory]" - "Indicates what accompanies salvation", Marshall, namely a divine glory / deity which is eternal.

The following "trustworthy / faithful saying", often classed as a hymnic fragment, summarizes the gospel, v11-12.

pistoV oJ logoV "here is a trustworthy saying" - faithful the word. Serving to identify a formula saying, doctrinal in nature. Part of the difficulty with these identifiers in the Pastorals is that it remains unclear whether they are referring back or forward. So here, it is possibly backward to v8, so Lock, although better forward, so Knight.

gar "-" - for. Here emphatic and therefore untranslated, so NIV, although if the "faithful saying" refers back then a causal sense would be indicated.

ei + ind. "if" - Forming a conditional clause, 1st. class, where the condition is assumed to be true; "if, as is the case, ...... then ...... The "faithful saying" consists of three 1st. class conditional clauses, as NIV.

sunapeqanomen (sunapoqnhskw) aor. "we died with him" - we died together with. "Him" understood. The aorist is punctiliar expressing a definite completed action. Restating a central tenet of the Christian faith, namely that an identification with Christ in his death, as the one who takes upon himself the curse of our sin, automatically entails an identification with him in his resurrection and thus access to the fullness of life awarded to the faithful Son of God. Commentators tend to tie dying with Christ with Christian baptism, cf. Rom.6:1-4, but it is always unwise to read baptizw, "I baptize" as if referring to Christian baptism. The word means "immerse" such that ebaptisqhmen eiV Criston, "were immersed into Christ", is more likely to have a figurative sense, descriptive of union with Christ, than to be a literal reference to water baptism.

kai "[we will] also" - and. Emphatic usage, so "we will certainly live with him."

uJpomenomen (uJpomenw) pres. "[if] we endure" - we endure, remain, abide. The present tends is durative expressing ongoing action. "The verb endure links the behavior expected of Timothy with the model of endurance in the afflictions of ministry displayed in Paul's life, reinforcing again the call to action and the need for appropriate response", Towner, so Mounce, Knight - enduring suffering and temptation. None-the-less, "remain / abide" is more likely the sense, - holding to the truth of the gospel, abiding/continuing in faith. Perseverance is at the heart of this truth, such that salvation, with its rewards, rests on an abiding faith.

sumbasileusomen (sunbasileuw) fut. "we will [also] reign with him" - we will reign together with. The kai, "also", is best taken as emphatic, "certainly". The reign of a believer with Christ in the age to come is an amazing truth, cf. Matt.19:28, Lk.22:30.

arnhsomeqa (arneomai) fut. "[if] we disown him" - [if] we deny. After periods of persecution, church authorities didn't know whether or not to welcome the return of those who had offered a libation to the emperor. Many of those who had bravely faced martyrdom actually called into question the standing of brothers who had compromised their faith. Yet, Peter denied Jesus, but Jesus certainly didn't deny him. So, the faithful saying is referring to something more than a loss of courage. "If we turn our backs on him, he will turn his back on us", Peterson.

The rhythm of the faithful saying is disturbed in this verse, indicating that it may serve as "an extended reversal", Johnson, of "if we disown him, he will also disown us", or probably better, a Pauline qualification of it. Jesus only denies, in the sense of abandons / disowns, those who abandon him, he does not abandon us on the ground of a faithless / disobedient act, eg. Peter's denial of Jesus. Such is the case because it would be against Jesus' character to act this way - "man's faith in God is not the measure of God's faithfulness to man", Bernard. See Hanson who argues that only the last clause functions as a Pauline comment. Barrett notes that some (eg. Lock) have argued for a restructuring of the stanza giving the sense "if we are faithless, God keeps faith by denying us, and meeting out the punishment we deserve." Barrett rightly rejects this interpretation. It seems best to take the verse as a Pauline qualification and the last stanza of the faithful saying.

ei + ind. "if" - Here forming a concessive clause in a contrasting sentence, rather than a conditional sentence; "although, as is the case, we are unfaithful, Jesus remains faithful."

apistoumen (apistew) pres. "[if] we are faithless" - [if] we are unfaithful, break faith / disbelieve, refuse to believe. If "unbelief" is the intended sense, it is best taken to mean "a wavering of faith", Bernard, but if, as is likely, the sense is "unfaithful" then the meaning is "fail to live up to our profession", Kelly, so also Guthrie, Knight, Johnson.

ekeinoV pro. "he" - that one. Presumably "Christ" is intended, as v12b.

menei (menw) pres. "[he] will remain [faithful]" - [this one] remains, abides, continues [faithful]. In what sense does Jesus remain faithful? Possibly in the sense that "he does not give up" on us, Peterson, but also possibly a theological sense where his faithfulness / righteousness continues to apply to a believer united to him by faith despite the believer's unfaithfulness / disobedience / unrighteousness.

gar "for" - for. Expressing cause/reason.

arnhsasqai (arneomai) aor. inf. "[for he cannot] disown" - [he is not able] to deny. The infinitive is complementary, completing the sense of the negated verb "is not able". "He cannot be untrue to himself", Knight.

2 Timothy Introduction

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