2 Timothy 1

The Explanation

Paul writes this letter from a Roman prison. He is old, chained up, and knows he will probably not get out alive. And yet he is not writing about himself. He is writing to Timothy, a younger man he loves like a son. Paul had taught him, taken him along on journeys, and now Timothy leads a church in the city of Ephesus.

Paul begins warmly. He thanks God for Timothy and says he remembers him in his prayers, night and day. He remembers Timothy's tears the last time they said goodbye. And he remembers something else: the faith that lives in Timothy. That faith did not fall out of the sky. It lived first in his grandmother Lois and in his mother Eunice. Now it lives in Timothy too.

Then Paul writes something important. He says, "Stir up the gift of God which is in you." It is as if a fire in Timothy has grown small, and Paul is saying: blow on those coals again. Because, Paul writes, "God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control."

Paul asks Timothy not to be ashamed of Jesus, and not to be ashamed of Paul, even though Paul is a prisoner. Suffering for the gospel is not a disgrace. God saved us, Paul says, not because of anything we did, but because of His own purpose and grace, given to us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time.

At the end of the chapter Paul mentions names. Phygelus and Hermogenes turned away from him. But Onesiphorus was not ashamed of Paul's chains. He searched Rome until he found him, and refreshed his heart. Paul does not forget that.

What Does This Mean?

This chapter shows that faith is not a feeling you always have or always lose. Faith can grow small. Timothy was probably discouraged. Perhaps he was afraid to speak about Jesus, because it was dangerous. Paul does not scold him. He reminds him: God has already given you His Spirit. That Spirit is not weak or fearful. Stir it up.

Paul also shows something about God's plan. God did not start loving us the day we started believing. His grace was there "before times eternal," before the world existed. That is a big thought. It means your faith rests on something much older and stronger than yourself.

The Common Thread

The whole chapter points to Jesus. Paul says that Jesus "abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the Good News." Death used to be the end. But since Jesus rose from the grave, death has lost its final power. That is why Paul can sit in prison and still not panic. He writes, "I know him whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to guard that which I have committed to him against that day."

Paul does not say, "I know a lot about God." He says, "I know Him." Like you know a friend. That trust is the thread that runs through the whole Bible: God keeps what He promises, even when everything around you falls apart.

For You

Maybe you sometimes feel that your faith is small. That you do not dare to say at school that you pray, or that you go to church. That is not strange. Timothy felt that too, and he was a grown-up leader.

Paul's advice to Timothy is also for you: stir up what God has given you. You can do that by reading in the Bible, by praying honestly (also when you are angry or sad), and by talking with people who believe. Faith is a bit like a fire. If you never blow on it, it dies out. If you feed it, it grows.

And remember what Onesiphorus did. He searched until he found his friend in prison. Ask yourself sometimes: who around me could use a bit of courage today?

Talk About It

What makes you sometimes afraid or ashamed to talk about God? What would help you?

Paul says he knows God, not just knows about Him. What do you think is the difference?

Praying Together

Lord God, thank You that Your love for us is older than the world. Stir up the fire in us when it grows small. Give us not a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control. Help us to know You, not just to know about You. Amen.