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to Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
I thank God, whom I serve as my forefathers did, with a pure conscience. How unceasing is my memory of you in my petitions, night and day longing to see you, remembering your tears, that I may be filled with joy;
2 Timothy 1:2-4 sits inside this longer paragraph.
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, according to the promise of the life which is in Christ Jesus, to Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
I thank God, whom I serve as my forefathers did, with a pure conscience. How unceasing is my memory of you in my petitions, night and day longing to see you, remembering your tears, that I may be filled with joy; having been reminded of the sincere faith that is in you, which lived first in your grandmother Lois, and your mother Eunice, and, I am persuaded, in you also.
to Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
I thank God, whom I serve as my forefathers did, with a pure conscience. How unceasing is my memory of you in my petitions, night and day
longing to see you, remembering your tears, that I may be filled with joy;
To Timothe his beloved sonne. Grace mercy and peace from God the father and from Christ Iesu oure Lorde.
I thanke god whom I serve from myne elders with pure consciece that with out ceasynge I make mencion of the in my prayres nyght and daye
desyrynge to se the myndfull of thy teares: so that I am filled with ioye
To Timotheus my beloued sonne: Grace, mercie and peace from God the Father, and from Iesus Christ our Lord.
I thanke God, whom I serue from mine elders with pure conscience, that without ceasing I haue remembrance of thee in my praiers night and day,
Desiring to see thee, mindefull of thy teares, that I may be filled with ioy:
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John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain On vv2–3 2 My beloved son By this designation he not…
2 My beloved son By this designation he not only testifies his love of Timothy, but procures respect and submission to him; because he wishes to be acknowledged in him, as one who may justly be called his son, The reason of the appellation is, that he had begotten him in Christ; for, although this honor belongs to God alone, yet it is also transferred to ministers, whose agency he employs for regenerating us.
Grace, mercy The word mercy, which he employs here, is commonly left out by him in his ordinary salutations. I think that he introduced it, when he poured out his feelings with more than ordinary vehemence. Moreover, he appears to have inverted the order; for, since “mercy” is the cause of “grace,” it ought to have come before it in this passage. But still it is not unsuitable that it should be put after “grace”, in order to express more clearly what is the nature of that grace, and whence it proceeds; as if he had added, in the form of a declaration, that the reason why we are loved by God is, that he is merciful. Yet this may also be explained as relating to God’s daily benefits, which are so many testimonies of his “mercy”; for, whenever he assists us, whenever he delivers us from evils, pardons our sins, and bears with our weakness, he does so, because he has compassion on us.
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On v3 The chiefest mark that he shooteth at in this…
The chiefest mark that he shooteth at in this Epistle, is to confirm Timothy to continue constantly and manfully even to the end, setting first before him the great good will he beareth him, and then reckoning up the excellent gifts which God would as it were have to be by inheritance in Timothy, and his ancestors, which might so much the more make him bound to God.
From Abraham, Isaac and Jacob: for he speaketh not of Pharisaism, but of Christianism.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv2–4 2 To Timothy, my dearly beloved son: Grace, mercy,…
2 To Timothy, my dearly beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
Ver. 2. Grace, mercy, and peace] {See Trapp on "1Ti 1:2"}
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv2–4 See Poole on "1Ti 1:2"; there he calls him…
See Poole on "1Ti 1:2"; there he calls him his own son, testifying his relation, here his beloved son, to testify his affection to him. The salutation is the same with that in 1Ti 1:2.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
William Burkitt 1703 · Public Domain On vv3–4 But how could Paul, before conversion, be said to…
But how could Paul, before conversion, be said to serve the God of his forefathers with a pure conscience, when he was a persecutor, and the chief of sinners?
Ans. The meaning is, That he worshipped the same God, and the only true God, which his forefathers worshipped, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and that he worshipped him in sincerity, according to his conscience, and the measures of light then received.
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Learn hence, That the church before Christ had the same faith, the same object of faith, and worshipped God, the same God, under the law, with us under the gospel: I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers.
Behold here the ministers duty in a more especial manner, to be much in prayer one for another; they stand greatly in need of this mutual help to strengthen each other’s hands, and encourage one another’s hearts in the ways of God: They should therefore, without ceasing, remember one another at the throne of grace.
William Burkitt's Expository Notes on the New Testament (1700–1703) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv2, 4 To Timothy, my dearly beloved son,.... Not in a…
To Timothy, my dearly beloved son,.... Not in a natural, but in a spiritual sense; and not on account of his being an instrument of his conversion, but by reason of that instruction in the doctrines of the Gospel which he gave him, it being usual to call disciples children; and he calls him so, because as a son, he, being young in years, served with him, and under him, as a father, in the Gospel of Christ; for whom he had a very great affection, on account of his having been a companion with him in his travels, and very useful to him in the ministry, and because of his singular and eminent gifts, great grace, religion, and holiness: Grace, mercy, and peace, &c. See Gill on Ti1 1:2.
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2 Timothy 1:3
ti2 1:3
ti2 1:3
ti2 1:3I thank God,.... After the inscription and salutation follows the preface to the epistle; which contains a thanksgiving to God upon Timothy's account, and has a tendency to engage his attention to what he was about to write to him in the body of the epistle. God is the object of praise and thanksgiving, both as the God of nature and providence, and as the God of all grace; for every good thing comes from him, and therefore he ought to have the glory of it; nor should any glory, as though they had not received it: and he is here described, as follows,
whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience; the apostle served God in the precepts of the law, as in the hands of Christ, and as written upon his heart by the Spirit of God, in which he delighted after the inward man, and which he served with his regenerated mind; and also in the preaching of the Gospel of Christ, in which he was very diligent and laborious, faithful and successful: and this God, whom he served, was the God of his "forefathers", of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and of Benjamin, of whose tribe he was, and also of his more immediate ancestors. The Ethiopic version renders it, "from my original"; for though he preached the Gospel of Christ, and asserted the abrogation of the ceremonial law, yet he worshipped the one, true, and living God, the God of Israel, and was not an apostate from the true religion, as his enemies would insinuate: and this service of his was performed with a "pure conscience": every man has a conscience, but the conscience of every natural man is defiled with sin; and that is only a pure one, which is sprinkled and purged with the blood of Christ; and whereby a person is only fitted to serve the living God, without the incumbrance of dead works, and slavish fear, and with faith and cheerfulness; and such a conscience the apostle had, and with such an one he served God. For this refers not to his serving of God, and to his conscience, while a Pharisee and a persecutor; for however moral was his conduct and conversation then, and with what sincerity and uprightness soever he behaved, his conscience was not a pure one. He goes on to observe what he thanked God for,
that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day; that God had laid him upon his heart, and that he had such reason to remember him at the throne of grace continually. We learn from hence, that the apostle prayed constantly night and day; and if so great a man as he stood in need of continual prayer, much more we; and that in his prayers he was not unmindful of his friends, though at a distance from him; and in both these he is to be imitated: it becomes us to pray without ceasing: to pray always, and not faint and give out, to pray every day and night; and to pray for others as well as for ourselves, for all the saints, yea, for our enemies, as well as for our friends.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv3–4 Whom I serve from my forefathers - That is,…
Whom I serve from my forefathers - That is, whom both I and my ancestors served, with a pure conscience - He always worshipped God according to his conscience, both before and after his conversion One who stands on the verge of life is much refreshed by the remembrance of his predecessors, to whom he is going.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv2–4 Verse 2. To Timothy, my dearly beloved son] See…
Verse 2. To Timothy, my dearly beloved son] See the note in 1Ti 1:2.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv2–4 To Timothy, my dearly beloved son; - See the…
To Timothy, my dearly beloved son; - See the notes at 1Ti 1:2.
Grace, mercy, and peace - see the notes at Rom 1:7.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On v3 Whom I serve from my forefathers with a pure…
Whom I serve from my forefathers with a pure conscience. That is, have always served and worshipped the one true God, as my forefathers had done, which was true, even when he persecuted the Christians; though this he did not with a pure conscience, but with a false mistaken zeal; and his ignorance could not excuse him, after he might have known Christ. (Witham)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures 1864 · Public Domain On v3 Expression of the thankful remembrance of Paul at the…
II
Expression of the thankful remembrance of Paul at the continuous friendly relations with the beloved Timothy
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2Ti_1:3-5
3I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with [in = ἐν] pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee [how that unceasingly I have remembrance respecting thee] in my prayers night and day;3 4Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy; [,] 5When I call4 to remembrance [having remembrance of] 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.
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
2Ti_1:3. I thank God, χάριν ἔχω; instead of the more usual εὐχαριστῶ. A genuine Pauline beginning (comp., e.g., the Epistles to the Thessalonians), but doubly striking in these relations. The additional μου in some MSS. (see Tischendorf on this place), is nothing more than an imitation of Rom_1:8.—Whom I serve; a relative expression, and it is entirely superfluous to inquire into the special object of the Apostle in the use of it. In a friendly communication like the one now in hand, expressions are not so carefully weighed and measured. It is enough if, from the subjective tone of the Apostle, they can be satisfactorily explained. For the rest, that in this testimony which Paul gives concerning himself there is anything objectionable when compared with 1Ti_1:13, has been maintained even by Chrysostom: “Quandoque etiam dormitat bonus Homerus.” De Wette still farther sees in it only a disjointed compilation. But if, indeed, the Apostle had always been zealous to serve God in the best way, as well before as after his conversion, occasion might prompt him to speak of it; and yet here, just as in 2Co_1:12, no charge can be brought against him of an idle self-glorification. With some critics it seems to be forbidden, at the peril of life and limb, to give expression to particular religious experiences more than once, and especially when given in statements in any degree modified.—From my forefathers, ἀπὸ προγόνων; not Abraham, or others, who, as a rule, are named πατέρες by Paul (Rom_9:5), but progenitores proximi, so that μου can be supplied. We know no particulars of the ancestors of the Apostle, but there is nothing to interfere with the supposition that they were truly God-fearing people; and in this case it is very conceivable that Paul treasured all the more, this historic continuity of the true service of God in his own family, since he himself died without leaving children behind him.—With pure conscience. A glance, this, at the sphere of the inner life in which the Apostle as well when Jew, as also later when Christian, had exercised this genuine service of God (comp. 1Ti_1:6).—That … night and day (Wie ich = how I). This incidental is connected with the previous participial clause; but we must be cautious about having recourse too quickly to the precarious assistance of parentheses.—̔Ως is to be translated how (Huther, Wiesinger), somewhat as in Gal_6:10, and signifies, indeed indirectly, that the thankfulness to which the Apostle here gives expression has reference to no one but Timothy.—In my prayers night and day; the latter words serve to strengthen the ἀδιάλειπτον, with which they are most intimately connected, and they bring into clearer distinctness the thought that Paul scarcely ceased to think of his friend and pupil when praying, and that he bore him continually on his heart in its supplications. It is hence unnecessary5 to connect νυκτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας with the following ἐπιποθῶν, as Matthies has proposed.
2Ti_1:4. Greatly desiring, &c. (comp. Rom_1:11; Php_1:8). The utterance of such a desire, which the Apostle expressed also in other passages, is so much the more natural here, as he sees his life approach rapidly its end (comp. 2Ti_4:21). In a most artless manner one participle here is subordinated to the other. “The longing after Timothy occasions the continual thought of him in the prayers of the Apostle, and it is nourished by the recollection of Timothy’s tears;” Huther.—Thy tears. Most probably those shed by Timothy on his last departure from Paul, like those of the Ephesian elders in an earlier day (Act_20:37).—That I may be filled with joy; if, indeed, he shall see Timothy again. We learn here how full of feeling the character of Timothy was, and, indeed, no less that of Paul himself (comp. Act_20:37). “Lacrymæ flos cordis, out summam hypocrisin aut summam sinceritatem indicant. Ludibrium ex lacrymis indicium est pravitatis sæculi nostri;” Bengel.
2Ti_1:5. When I call to remembrance. Luther less accurately: “und erinnere mich.” Yπόμνησιν must here, as usually in the New Testament, be understood sensu activo (comp. 2Pe_1:13; 2Pe_3:1). The Apostle also here says, that through some circumstances, not farther indicated to us, his recollection was aroused touching something indeed which he knew already, but which now he had observed anew, viz., the unfeigned faith which dwelt in Timothy. Ammonius: “ἀνάμνησις, ὅται τις, ἔλθῃ εἰς μνήμην τῶν παρελθόντων, ὑπόμνησις δέ, ὅταν ὑφ̓ ἑτέρου εἰς τοῦτο προαχθῆ.—The unfeigned faith, ἀνυπόκριτος; a real trueness of faith, which, proceeding from the most inward, most living conviction, stands opposed to all sham and to all outward appearance.—Which dwelt first, &c. He who loves to name specialities of the kind, “something altogether too singular,” can indeed be a master in grammatical exegesis, but certainly not in psychological. Such details, in a private letter like this now before us, were just as natural upon the part of Paul as they must have been agreeable and edifying to Timothy; while, on the other hand, a forger would, without doubt, have taken pains to avoid special items, which could subserve no tendency (tendenz). There is no need, still further, of the supposition (Origen) that the mother and grandmother of Timothy were also relatives of Paul. It is enough that the Apostle had met both women on his tour of inspection at Lystra and Derbe (Acts 16.), and had learned to value them as followers of the Lord.—First, πρῶτον; many years before the conversion of Timothy (“fortasse ante natum Timotheum;” Bengel), had faith dwelt in his grandmother and in his mother. It was not a bare, fleeting, momentary feeling, but an abiding, indwelling principle (comp. Eph_3:17); and in like manner also the Apostle is fully persuaded (πέπεισμαι—expression of confident expectation) that the same living faith dwelt also in Timothy himself, “quia fides est tibi quasi hereditaria” (Cornel. a Lapide in this place).—Lois= the better known Ααῒς.—Εὐνίκη=Victoria. Although the μάμμη usually denotes mother, yet it also often is used for grandmother, as is necessarily the case here, owing to the context. Timothy can also in a measure, what Paul wholly could declare, that he served God ἀπὸ προγόνων, which represents still more an affinity and likeness between the two.
DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL
1. Although piety can by no means be named a natural inheritance, yet it may be said that, in many families, faith and love are transmitted from parents to children, and that Christian fathers and mothers save not only themselves, but also their households (comp. Act_16:31). God-fearing families and households, in which faith is a perpetual treasure, and which renews itself in a certain degree within them, are in contrast with the ungodly. Many illustrations can be found collected in Lange’s interesting treatise, Blutsverwandte als Geistesverwandte in der Kirchen- und Weltgeschichte, in Gelzer’s Monatsblätter, November, 1859.
2. As Timothy, in respect of his spiritual life, was indebted extremely to his mother and grandmother, so is the kingdom of God rich in proofs of the blessings which pious mothers have secured for their subsequently distinguished sons. As examples, we name the following: Mary, Salome, Anthusa, Monica, Nonna, and others. Compare the beautiful observations of Neander, in the first part of the “Memorials,” and, still farther, Lange’s treatise Ueber den Antheil des weiblichen Geschlechts an der Entwickelung und Geschichte der Christlichen Kirche, in Gelzer’s Monatsblätter, August, 1858.
3. In the character of Paul, it is remarkable that the greatest extremes meet in him without neutralizing each other. The same Apostle, who deserves to be named a model of robust manliness, stands here before our eyes agitated by the most delicate, womanly feeling, and yet far removed from an effeminate sentimentality. By the recollection of the tears of Timothy already is his heart touched, and the joy which he desires most of all, is to behold once more the face of his friend and disciple. The man who in his mission-plans embraced the whole Jewish and Gentile world, has, at the same time, an open eye for individual family relationships, and can comprehend the little world of the hidden life of faith of a few modest provincial people. The teacher who could secure from his youthful disciple the recognition of his apostolic authority, did not think it beneath his dignity to call up before his vision the kindly image of his mother and grandmother. The Apostle, whose gaze lost itself in the far future, abandoned himself with evident satisfaction to the friendly reminiscences of a beautiful past.
HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL
Paul a pattern of obedience towards his own prescript: “In eveything give thanks” (1Th_5:18). The high value of the recollections of a beautiful youth, especially at the close of the Christian’s course.—As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing (2Co_6:10).—The longing of love.—The duty of Christian intercession.—The communion of saints: (1) In their rich enjoyments; (2) in their painful limitations.—The infinite sublimity of the Christian fellowship of spirit, raised above the narrow limits of time and space.—The proportionate value of tears in the Christian life.—Thankfulness and prayer are most closely bound together (comp. Col_4:2).—Home education the school for the formation of true piety.—Christian faith in its morning (Timothy), at noon (Eunice), and at the evening of life (Lois).—How Christian faith brings back again youth to old age, and imparts, on the other hand, to youth something of the earnestness and dignity of age.—No love without genuine trust, yet genuine trust does not mean credulity.
Starke: Well is it for children to have pious parents, who from their youth will be led to godliness.—Good breeding ends with good bearing.—The parents’ sighs are the children’s defence.
Lisco: The memory of affection.—Bengel.: At the end of the journey there is something specially lovely in the thought of devout ancestors.—The older we become, so much the more do we perceive that our own life, in itself considered—our immediate activity—amounts but to little.—It becomes ever clearer that we count only in fellowship, not in our isolation.—Hence, it is in fact, and according to a wise ordering of God, completely necessary that we shall hold ourselves in humility.—Heubner: The throne of God is the place of union of separated friends.—The desire of one Christian friend to see another, must spring especially from the expectation of receiving with him new strength and joy for life, through the intercourse.—Piety drunk in with the mother’s milk passes over truly into sap and blood.
Footnotes:
[3]2Ti_1:3.—[Lachmann connects νυκτὸς κ. ἡμέρας with the words that follow. Tischendorf with the Recepta and the majority, with the preceding.—E. H.]
[4]2Ti_1:5.—Instead of λαμβάνων, λαβών is to he read here. The whole weight of authority favors it; A. C. F. G., and others. Tischendorf, Lachmann, Sin.
[5][It may not be necessary, and yet well.—E. H.]
Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures (Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical), ed. John Peter Lange, English translation edited by Philip Schaff (1864–1880) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv2–4 my dearly beloved son--In Ti1 1:2, and Tit 1:4,…
my dearly beloved son--In Ti1 1:2, and Tit 1:4, written at an earlier period than this Epistle, the expression used is in the Greek, "my genuine son." ALFORD sees in the change of expression an intimation of an altered tone as to Timothy, more of mere love, and less of confidence, as though Paul saw m him a want of firmness, whence arose the need of his stirring up afresh the faith and grace in Him (Ti2 1:6). But this seems to me not justified by the Greek word agapetos, which implies the attachment of reasoning and choice, on the ground of merit in the one "beloved," not of merely instinctive love. See TRENCH [Greek Synonyms of the New Testament].
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv2–4 2. Beloved—In 1Ti_1:2, genuine son, (see note there,) a…
2. Beloved—In 1Ti_1:2, genuine son, (see note there,) a difference arising from the fact that the first epistle is more official, this more personal and hearty.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv2–4 2. my dearly beloved son] Or my beloved child.…
2. my dearly beloved son] Or my beloved child. ‘Child’ as in 1Ti_1:1; ‘beloved’ in place of ‘mine own,’ but surely not a weaker word, when we remember its use to express ‘the only begotten,’ Mat_3:17.
mercy] Omitted in the greeting to Titus is in both the letters to Timothy, and may imply St Paul’s inner oneness with his ‘beloved child’ in the feeling ‘he shewed me all the mercy as he shewed me all the sin.’ Cf. note 1Ti_1:2. All is ‘writ large’ in 2Ti_1:8-12.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv2–4 (2) To Timothy, my dearly beloved son.—More accurately, (my)…
(2) To Timothy, my dearly beloved son.—More accurately, (my) beloved son. The words used in the address of the First Epistle were “my own son” (γνησίω̩ τέκνω̩). The change in the words was probably owing to St. Paul’s feeling that, in spite of his earnest request for Timothy to come to him with all speed, these lines were in reality his farewell to his trusted friend and more than son, hence the loving word.
Grace, mercy, and peace . . .—See Notes on 1Ti_1:2.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv2–4 Beloved child for dearly beloved son, A.V; peace for…
Beloved child for dearly beloved son, A.V; peace for and peace, A.V My beloved child. In 1Ti_1:2 (as in (Tit_1:4) it is "my true child," or "my own son," A.V The idea broached by some commentators, that this variation in expression marks some change in St. Paul"s confidence in Timothy, seems utterly unfounded. The exhortations to boldness and courage which follow were the natural results of the danger in which St. Paul"s own life was, and the depression of spirits caused by the desertion of many friends. (2Ti_4:10-16) St. Paul, too, knew that the time was close at hand when Timothy, still young, would no longer have him to lean upon and look up to, and therefore would prepare him for it; and possibly he may have seen some symptoms of weakness in Timothy"s character, which made him anxious, as appears, indeed, in the course of this Epistle. Grace, etc. (so 1Ti_1:2; Tit_1:4, A.V; 2Jn_1:3). Jude has "mercy, peace, and love." The salutation in Eph_1:2 is "grace and peace," as also in (Romans 1Co_1:3, and elsewhere in St. Paul"s Epistles, and in Rev_1:4.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On vv3–4 I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers…
2Ti_1:3
I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience.
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Serving God
Fifty years ago, when a poor black man of Jamaica wishing to go to Africa to tell the glad tidings of salvation, was told that, among other difficulties, he might be a slave again, he replied, If I have been a slave for man, I can be a slave for God. (Anon.)
I serve
At the battle of Crecy, in 1346, when King Edward III. of England defeated Philip, King of France, the Black Prince led a portion of the attack. Thinking himself very hotly pressed in the midst of the combat, he sent word to his father to send him some reinforcements at once, or he would be flanked by the enemy. The king, who had been watching the pro gress of the fight from a neighbouring hill-top, sent down word as follows: Tell my son, the Black Prince, that I am too good a general not to know when he needs help, and too kind a father not to send it when I see the need of doing so. The historian tells us that, reassured by this promise, the Black Prince fought nobly, and put the motto Ich Dien, I serve, upon his crest, which is on the Prince of Waless escutcheon to this day. (J. L. Nye.)
Disinterested service
After the completion of his great picture of The Last Judgment for the altar of the Sistine Chapel (which had occupied him eight years), Michael Angelo devoted him self to the perfection of St. Peters, of which he planned and built, the dome, He refused all remuneration for his labours, saying he regarded his services as being rendered to the glory of God. (W. Baxendale.)
The spirit of true service
My desire is that God may be pleased by me and glorified in me, not only by my praying and preaching and almsgiving, but even by my eating, drinking, and sleeping, and visits, and discourses; that I may do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving glory to God by Him. Too often do I take a wrong aim and miss my mark; but I will tell you what are the rules I set myself and strictly impose upon myself from day to day: Never to lie down but in the name of God, not barely for natural refreshment, but that a wearied servant of Christ may be recruited and fitted to serve Him better the next day; never to rise up but with this resolution- well, I will go forth this day in the name of God, and will make my religion my business, and spend the day for eternity; never to enter upon my calling but first thinking I will do these things as unto God, because He requireth these things at my hands, in the place and station to which He hath appointed me; never to sit down to table but resolving I will not eat merely to please my appetite, but to strengthen myself for my Masters work; never to make a visit but upon some holy design, resolving to leave something of God wherever I go. This is that which I have been for some time learning and hard pressing after, and if I strive not to walk by these rules, let this paper be a witness against me. (J. Alleine.)
True and false service
It is said of the Lacedoemonians, who were a poor and homely people, that they offered lean sacrifices to their gods; and that the Athenians, who were a wise and wealthy people, offered fat and costly sacrifices; and yet in their wars the former always had the mastery of the latter. Whereupon they went to the Oracle to know the reason why those should speed worst who gave most. The Oracle returned this answer to them: That the Laccdcemonians were a people who gave their hearts to their gods, but that the Athenians only gave their gifts to their gods. Thus a heart without a gift is better than a gilt without a heart. (T. Seeker.)
Deceitful service
The observation of Augustine is founded on too much truth: There is often a vast difference between the face of the work and the heart of The workman. (T. Seeker.)
Strength required for religious service
And to serve God, is it laborious? We must then be of good courage, gather strength, and quit us like men. He that hath a hard task will proportion his power according to the toil. The longer the ground hath lain fallow, the stronger must be the team to tear it asunder; and the farther we take a journey, the more pence must we put in our purse; so the more difficult this duty is, the more must we look about us, arm ourselves, and be prepared for the well performance of it. And for the better discharge thereof we must labour for two things: the one is knowledge, the other strength. For these are absolutely necessary for the doing of any action, the one to direct us, the other to enable us in this duty. (J. Barlow, D. D.)
With pure conscience.
The Christian profession adorned by a pure conscience
And will not a pure conscience adorn our profession, give a comely gloss to our conversation? Red, purple, and scarlet add no more gloss to a piece of fine cloth than this purity doth to the life of a Christian.
Conscience
Conscience is the judgment which we pronounce on our own conduct by putting ourselves in the place of a bystander. (Adam Smith.)
Conscience has a joint knowledge of life
Conscience imparts a double or joint knowledge: one of a Divine law or rule, and the other of a mans own action. (J. South.)
Conscience looking upon life
I am, I know, I can, I will, I ought--such are the successive steps by which we ascend to the lofty platform from which conscience looks out upon human life. (W. T. Davison, M. A.)
Conscience a delicate creature
Conscience is a dainty, delicate creature, a rare piece of workmanship of the Maker. Keep it whole without a crack, for if there be but one hole so that it break, it will with difficulty mend again. (S. Rutherford.)
Conscience in a Christian
The Christian can never lind a more faithful adviser, a more active accuser, a severer witness, a more impartial judge, a sweeter comforter, or a more inexorable enemy. (Bp. Sanderson.)
Conscience in everything
Trust that man in nothing who has not a conscience in everything. (Sterne.)
Conscience makes saints
Conscience makes cowards of us; but conscience makes saints and heroes too. (J. Lightfoot.)
Conscience hurt by sin
Hurt not your conscience with any known sin. (S. Rutherford.)
A good conscience independent of outside opinion
In the famous trial of Warren Hastings it was recorded that when he was put on his trial in so magnificent a manner in Westminster Hall, after the counsel for the prosecution, Burke, Sheridan, and others had delivered their eloquent speeches, he began to think he must be the greatest criminal on the face of the earth; but he related that when he turned to his own conscience the effect of all those grand speeches was as nothing. I felt, he said, that I had done my duty, and that they may say what they please. (J. C. Ryle, D. D.)
Integrity of conscience
Hugh Miller speaks of the mason with whom he served his apprenticeship as one who put his conscience into every stone that he laid. (S. Smiles.)
Obedience to conscience
Lord Erskine, when at the Bar, was remarkable for the fearlessness with which he contended against the Bench. In a contest he had with Lord Kenyon he explained the rule and conduct at the Bar in the following terms: It was, said he, the first command and counsel of my youth always to do what my conscience told me to be my duty, and leave the consequences to God. I have hitherto followed it, and have no reason to complain that any obedience to it has been even a temporal sacrifice; I have found it, on the contrary, the road to prosperity and wealth, and I shall point it out as such to my children. (W. Baxendale.)
Without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day.--
The inner life of St. Paul
These unstudied words tell us something of the inner life of such an one as St. Paul, how ceaselessly, unweariedly he prayed, night as well as day. (H. D. M. Spence, M. A.)
St. Pauls delight in Timothy
I. The signs of the delight and satisfaction which the apostle took in Timothy, as recorded in the text. St. Paul prays for Timothy with satisfaction, uniting thanks with his prayers (verse 3). This proves what a well-grounded satisfaction the apostle felt in Timothy. The delight and satisfaction which the apostle took in Timothy are also evinced in his strong desire to see him (2Ti_1:4). We cannot be surprised that the apostle craved the presence of Timothy. He was now a solitary old man, and a prisoner. Of his disciples and fellow-labourers, Titus was gone unto Dalmatia, Tychicus he had sent to Ephesus, Trophimus was sick at Miletus, Mark was absent, and only Luke remained with him. Besides, ingratitude and desertion had sorely tried his affectionate spirit: Alexander the coppersmith had done him much evil; Demas had forsaken him and the faith together; and when first brought up for trial before the imperial tribunal, none of the disciples had stood by him to cheer and second him. To Timothy, therefore, and to the remembrance of his pious and unfailing affection, the apostle clung very closely; and his presence he desired as his greatest earthly solace and support. The delight and satisfaction which the apostle took in Timothy he also testified by expressing his confidence in his Christian character, but especially in his faith, the root of all which is Christian in the character of any one (verse 5). St. Paul knew him well. During fourteen or fifteen years had this friendship endured, and many were the trials to which ii had been put--trials of the constancy of Timothys affection, trials of the integrity of his principles. But Paul had found no decline in his affection, no instability in his Christian principles; he therefore trusted him unfeignedly.
II. The causes of that delight and satisfaction.
1. As the great cause, the first cause, the mover and originator of all secondary and inferior causes, St. Paul thanks God for the gifts and graces with which He had enriched Timothy.
2. But God works by means. The means which He employed, the causes to which as to instruments we must look in creating in Timothy such a trustworthy and reliable Christian character, were these three--maternal piety, early biblical education, and the ministry of the apostle. (H. J. Carter Smith, M. A.)
The Christian near heaven praying for others
I remember visiting a friend on his death-bed, who, besides being engaged in a life of business, had devoted a great amount of time and labour and thought to the benefit of his fellow-creatures. Visiting him on one occasion, he made to me this remark: I pray but very little for myself now. It seems to me that the battle is fought and the prize is in view, and my devotions with regard to myself are not so much prayer as thanksgiving. I praise God many an hour during the wakeful night. But do not suppose I do not pray. I believe I pray more than ever I did in my life, because now I have more time to pray for my fellow-men and for the nations of the world. He went on to describe how each day, and certain parts of every day, were devoted by him as he lay there gradually sinking to his rest to prayer for those in whom he felt a special interest, and also for those whom he had never seen.
A praying minister
The Rev. I. F. Oberlin reserved stated hours for private prayer, which became known to the people; and it was usual for carters and labourers returning from the fields with talk and laughter to uncover their heads as they passed beneath the wails of his house. If the children ran by too noisily, these working people would check them with uplifted finger, and say, Hush! he is praying for us. (Sword and Trowel.)
Remembrance
Remembrance hath in it four things--apprehension, reposition, retention, and production. A notion or thing is by the external or internal sense presented to the eye of reason; she perceives it, thats apprehension; then it is committed unto memory as a place of conservation, thats reposition; afterwards kept there in safety, thats retention; and lastly, when occasion is given, it is called out again, and thats production. A man takes a shalt in his hand, puts it in his quiver, retains it there for a time, and, when he would recreate himself, pulls it forth again, this is a plain emblem of remembrance. (J. Barlow, D. D.)
Friendly love outwardly manifested
This argueth that the love of many, as Lot said of Zoar, is but a little one. So weak a spring can have no deep fountain; so small branches no great virtue in the root; and so feeble a flame no abundance of fuel; for causes produce effects proportionable to their internal power, do they not? Try, then, as the truth, so the measure of thine own and thy friends affection by the outward effects. He that loves much will declare it by many prayers and sundry actions. (J. Barlow, D. D.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
B. W. Johnson 1891 · Public Domain On vv2–4 2. To Timothy. See sketch of the public life…
2. To Timothy. See sketch of the public life of Timothy in the Introduction to 1 Timothy.
B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary 1892 · Public Domain On v3 2Ti_1:3. I thank God.—We have here the purely classical…
CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY NOTES
2Ti_1:3. I thank God.—We have here the purely classical form, which means “to entertain and show thankfulness.” Whom I serve.—The idea in the word is that of paid service, but St. Paul would not emphasise it, since he so often styles himself a bond-slave of the Lord. From my forefathers.—There does not seem much to choose between “in the manner handed down by my progenitors” and “with the feelings inherited from my ancestors.” With pure conscience.—With the consciousness that there is no duplicity in what he does. The statement cost Paul ill-usage once (Act_23:1). Night and day.—St. Luke adopts this order; St. John says “day and night.”
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2Ti_1:4. Greatly desiring.—An intensive form of the word.
2Ti_1:5. Which dwelt.—Made its home. In thy grandmother.—Lois is not elsewhere mentioned.
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.—2Ti_1:3-5
Anxiety for the Spiritual Welfare of the Absent—
I. Evidenced in unceasing prayer (2Ti_1:3).—While Paul thanked God for the faith already existing in Timothy, and because of the evidence he gave of growth in faith, he prays constantly and with the greater urgency for its increase. Prayer is the more joyous when offered on behalf of one already saved. Little headway is made in piety where there is not much earnest prayer. Our desire for the spiritual improvement of those we love will break out in prayer; and the more we pray the more anxious we are that prayer should be answered on their behalf, and the greater interest we have in their highest good.
II. Revealed in the intense longing for the joy of a personal interview (2Ti_1:4).—While we pray for the absent we are not altogether free from anxiety on their behalf. When Paul last parted from Timothy, he left the young, sensitive evangelist in tears (Act_20:37), and he remembered the times he had seen him weep under the strain of strong religious emotions. The aged apostle yearned to see Timothy once more, to converse with him, to impart yet more counsel, and to enjoy the fellowship of kindred spirits. A letter, however valued, is a cold medium through which to transmit the love of a warm heart. It is helpful to piety to enjoy congenial intercourse by speech and look and feeling.
III. Shown in recalling the claims of traditional piety (2Ti_1:5).—Timothy had a religious training. His mother Eunice was a believing Jewess, though his father was a heathen. Paul also knew his grandmother Lois as a godly woman. So that Timothy was cradled in the midst of pious influences. Paul recognised faith in Timothy, not merely as a blessing transmitted to him from his progenitors, but as a personally enjoyed reality. Children cannot thank God sufficiently for a godly parentage. If they reject the gospel, the piety of their parents will witness against them, and aggravate their condemnation.
Lessons.—
1. The absent should be specially remembered in prayer.
2. Christian fellowship is a stimulus to growth in grace.
3. It is a joy to parents to see their children walking with them in the way to heaven.
GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES
2Ti_1:3-4. A Sympathetic Friend—
I. Constantly prays for the absent.
II. Remembers the tears shed at parting.
III. Finds his joy in personal intercourse.
2Ti_1:5. How far Grace can be entailed.
I. Though grace be not entailed from parent to child, yet the children of godly parents have a great advantage in religion.—
1. The advantage of the promise.
2. Of good precepts.
3. Of good precedents.
4. Of correction.
5. Of many a good prayer.
II. The persuasion of good in others.—
1. There is the persuasion of infallibility, and this only God hath.
2. The persuasion of charity.
3. The persuasion of a well and strong-grounded opinion.
III. The wisest of men easily may and sometimes are deceived in counting them good which are very counterfeit.—
1. In close-natured men, such as lie in at a close guard and offer no play, whose well is deep, and men generally want buckets to measure them.
2. In various and inconstant men, which like Proteus never appear twice in the same shape, but differ as much from themselves as from other men, and are only certain in uncertainty.
3. In affected dissemblers. Hypocrisy is as like piety as hemlock to parsley, and many hath been deceived therein.—T. Fuller.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.
William B. Godbey 1900 · Public Domain On vv2–3 2. “To Timothy, a beloved child.” Here we have…
2. “To Timothy, a beloved child.” Here we have the same tenderly affectionate epithet used in the introductory of the first letter.
William B. Godbey, Commentary on the New Testament (1896–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain On v3 Paul Reminds Timothy of His Early Training and Its…
Paul Reminds Timothy of His Early Training and Its Obligations.
v. 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;
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v. 4. greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy;
v. 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.
v. 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.
v. 7. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
Without further introduction the apostle broaches the matter that is filling his mind. His heart is full to overflowing, and the thoughts gush forth in the eager effort to find expression: Thanks I render to God, whom I serve from my forefathers with a pure conscience (as I constantly make mention of thee in my prayers night and day, eagerly wishing to see thee, remembering thy tears, in order that I be filled with joy). This is a true Pauline beginning of a letter, for he always finds reason for thankfulness toward God, no matter how discouraging the circumstances with which he may be battling. In spite of the fact that he had long years of arduous toil behind him and was looking forward to a probable early execution, yet it is the feeling of gratitude toward God which finds expression in his case. With regard to Timothy his hopes and prayers had been more than fulfilled, he being more than satisfied with the result of his labors. But since it was his intention to remind his pupil of the obligations of his early training, he characterizes the God to whom his prayers are arising as the Lord whom he was serving from his forefathers with a pure conscience. This expression does not oppose the statement of 1Ti 1:13. as many commentators think. The situation rather is this: With the exception of the actual revelation of the Messiah in the flesh and the fact that we are now living in the time of fulfillment, while the patriarchs and their followers lived in the period of type and prophecy, the faith and hope of the believers of the Old Testament is identical with that of the Christians in the New Testament. In this faith and hope Paul had been instructed from his youth, as his forefathers had been before him. It was a terrible thing, of course, that he had been a persecutor and a blasphemer of Christ and the Christian religion. But, as he himself says, this attitude had been due to ignorance; his early faith in the Messiah that was to come, and that of his later years in the Messiah that had come, were the same in substance. And so his worship of God had been performed with a pure conscience, foolish as it was in view of the fact that the Messiah had already appeared; Paul offers this as an explanation, not as an excuse.
In the form of a parenthetical remark the apostle now sets forth his relation to Timothy, stating that he had his beloved pupil in remembrance continually in the prayers that were rising to God night and day. He remembered all the congregations with whom he had been connected in his apostolic capacity, but, incidentally, his cordial relation to Timothy caused him to make mention of him with particular fervor. His heart was filled with longing to see his young friend, especially since he could not get rid of the memory of the tears which Timothy had shed at their last meeting; See Act 20:37. The field on which Timothy was working had proved almost too much for his inexperience, in consequence of which he had been bothered with faint-heartedness. As Paul, therefore, thought of this scene and of the fact that he had not been able to see Timothy since, his longing to see him and thus to be filled with joy was again aroused and increased.
After these parenthetical remarks the apostle now mentions the reason for his prayers of thankfulness: For I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois and thy mother Eunice; I am persuaded, however, that also in thee. Paul had probably been reminded with great force of all these facts by a letter or by a messenger from Timothy. The impression which he had had concerning his pupil had thereby been deepened. And therefore he turns to the Lord with a grateful heart, thanking Him for preserving the faith of Timothy to the present time. It was an unfeigned faith, a faith unmixed with hypocrisy, a faith resting upon the knowledge and consisting in the acceptance of the salvation in and through Christ. Timothy had been exceptionally fortunate in having received proper instruction in the doctrine of truth. His grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice, both of whom apparently belonged to the true Israelites that waited for the revelation of the Messiah, had also both embraced Christianity. But the same Christian faith which lived in them dwelt also in the heart of the grandson and son. Of that Paul was convinced, for that he had the strangest testimony.
These extraordinary advantages which he had enjoyed, however, also imposed obligations upon Timothy: For which reason I remind thee to rekindle God’s gift of grace, which is in thee by the laying on of my hands. Timothy had from his early childhood received instruction in the Scriptures of the Old Testament. His conversion, therefore, had consisted in his turning from the expectation of a Messiah that was still to come to the trust in Him who had been manifested Since, then, he had received the grace of God in so rich a measure, since he had also been given the ability to teach and the willingness to teach as special evidences of God’s mercy, therefore the apostle found it incumbent upon himself to remind him of the obligations attending this gift, as it had been transmitted to him through the laying on of Paul’s hands at the time of his ordination. In a peculiar way, in an extraordinary measure, Timothy had at that time been given the special ability for the administration of the pastoral office in all its branches. Timothy was to rekindle the gift of grace imparted to him. The fire of faith, of love, of confidence, of courage to open his mouth in joyful proclamation of the counsel of God was still in him, but he was in danger of neglecting it; hence the admonition to rekindle it, lest the work of the Lord suffer in consequence.
In support of his admonition Paul adds: For not has God given us the spirit of timidity, but of power and of love and of sane-mindedness. The spirit that lives in the Christians and should give energy especially to the pastors is not one of timidity, of lack of courage, of faintheartedness. That is the spirit which produces hirelings, men that cater to the itching ears of their hearers; it is the spirit that finally leads to hypocrisy and denial of the faith. The true Spirit that should actuate all believers and especially the ministers of the Word is the Spirit of strength and power, of an energy rooted in the omnipotence of God, that knows no fear; the Spirit of love which enables a person not only to offer work freely, but also to make sacrifices for the cause of the Lord; the Spirit of sane-mindedness, that enables the Christian pastor to use sound common sense under all circumstances, to employ that tact and diplomacy which chooses the best methods in all situations and thus gains friends for the Gospel. This is a gift of grace, through the Spirit, and should therefore be found in all men that are engaged in the glorious ministry of saving souls, as well as in all believers that recognize their duty of placing their strength and abilities in the service of the Lord.
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v3 whom I serve from my forefathers
whom I serve from my forefathers
"whom I serve as my ancestors did"
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with a clean conscience
Paul speaks of his conscience as if it could be physically clean. This means that a person does not feel guilty because he has always tried to do what was right. AT: "knowing I have tried my hardest to do what is right" (See: Metaphor)
as I constantly remember you
"when I remember you continually" or "while I remember you all the time"
night and day
Here "night and day" are used together to mean "always." AT: "Always" or "Constantly" (See: Merism)
I long to see you
"I want very much to see you"
I may be filled with joy
Paul speaks of himself as if he were a container that someone could fill. This can be stated in active form. AT: "I may be full of joy" or "I may have complete joy" (See: Metaphor and Active or Passive)
I remember your tears
Here "tears" represents crying. AT: "I remember how you cried for me" (See: Metonymy)
I have been reminded of your
This can be stated in active form. AT: "I also remember your" or "I also recall your" (See: Active or Passive)
your genuine faith
"your faith that is real" or "your faith that is sincere"
faith, which lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am convinced that it lives in you also
Paul is speaking of their faith as if it were something that was alive and lived in them. Paul means they have the same sort of faith. This can be stated as a new sentence. AT: "faith. Lois, your grandmother, and Eunice, your mother, first had genuine faith, and I am confident that you have genuine faith as well" (See: Metaphor)
Lois ... Eunice
These are names of women. (See: How to Translate Names)
translationWords
God
servant
ancestor
conscience
pray
joy
faith
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv3–4 1:3-4 Thanksgiving and prayer are standard sections of Paul’s…
1:3-4 Thanksgiving and prayer are standard sections of Paul’s letters (e.g., Rom 1:8-12; Col 1:3-14; contrast Gal 1:6-10).
1:3 just as my ancestors did: See Phil 3:5; cp. Deut 6:4-9. • with a clear conscience: This might be in relation to heresy (see 2 Tim 2:17-18; see also 1 Tim 1:5) or to Paul’s previous legal self-defense (see Acts 23:1; 24:14-16).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.