2 TIMOTHY LESSON 1


     This letter {epistle} was written to Timothy by Paul from Rome.
It was written somewhere between 65 A.D. and 67 A.D. Some believe this
letter to be written by Paul while he was waiting to be executed.
It is obvious in this letter that Paul was no longer under house
arrest, but was imprisoned. The letter was written from Rome. Some
believe this to be the last thing Paul wrote.

     From the history books, we learn that Rome burned in 64 A.D.
We, also, know it is a legend that Nero played a fiddle while Rome
burned. It seems that Nero blamed the Christians for the burning of
Rome, and to save his own neck, he killed many of them. It seems that
the beheading of Paul was somehow connected to all of this. We know
that at first Paul was not put in prison, but when this happened, he
had been put in prison.  The charges against the Christians, possibly,
was what actually got Paul executed.  All of this is from history, and
not the Bible. It does, however, help us understand a little better
the circumstances of the writing of this second letter to Timothy.

     We will now begin the verse by verse study in II Timothy 1:1
"Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the
promise of life which is in Christ Jesus,"

     Notice, Paul makes it very clear, that his calling to preach was
of the will of God, and not his own will. The message that Paul had
for everyone, everywhere was the promise of eternal life in Jesus
Christ. Let us touch one more time on the name, Christ Jesus. Christ
{Messiah} means, the Anointed One. Jesus means Jehovah Saviour.
Christians alone, of all religions, have hope of the resurrection.

     II Timothy 1:2 "To Timothy, [my] dearly beloved son: Grace,
mercy, [and] peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord."

     Notice, the love that Paul shows Timothy, in the name that he
calls him in the introduction of the letter. Timothy was not Paul's
son in the flesh. He was Paul's son in the fact that Paul had trained
him in the ministry. Even in this, we can see the devotion that Paul
has for Timothy. Paul knows, if he is executed, that Timothy will
carry on the work. Paul knew better than anyone else at this point,
that the only real peace is in God the Father and the Lord Jesus
Christ.

     II Timothy 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;"

     Paul is speaking of God the Father here, because his forefathers
were Jews. Paul is explaining that his conscience is clear. Paul
prayed for Timothy every day. No one knew better the hardships that
faced those who lived for Jesus than Paul. This mention of his
forefathers and his pure conscience is, also, to let Timothy know that
he had not done anything wrong in the sight of God the Father, by
worshipping Jesus.

     II Timothy 1:4 "Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of
thy tears, that I may be filled with joy;"

     Paul, facing death, wanted to see his beloved Timothy one more
time. Any parent, facing death of the body, longs to see their
children one more time. He knew that to see Timothy would bring him
great joy. He, also, was concerned at the grief that Timothy would
experience at his death. He thought, perhaps, if he could see him one
more time, he could comfort Timothy. His prayers were partly that
Timothy would not weaken in the faith, when he was executed.

     II Timothy 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."

     Paul is reminding Timothy that his faith has never faltered. He
knew the faith of Timothy's mother and grandmother had been strong,
and that same faith had been instilled in Timothy. "Unfeigned" means
sincere. Lois and Eunice were both Jews and Christians; Jews by birth
and Christians by faith.

     II Timothy 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."

     It seems that Paul, himself, had annointed Timothy. The gift of
God is one or more of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Some of the gifts
are miracles, healings, etc. Read the 12th chapter of 1 Corinthians to
learn more about the gifts of the Spirit. We do not know for sure how
many of these gifts of the Spirit Timothy had been anointed with.  We
do know he had some of the gifts. These gifts of the Spirit are
received when the leaders of the church lay their hands on you, and
you receive gifts from the Holy Spirit of God. Paul is telling
Timothy, here, to use the gift that God has given him. The gifts grows
with use.

     II Timothy 1:7 "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but
of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."

     Paul is reminding Timothy to not let his death cause him to fear.
Fear is the opposite of faith. The spirit of fear is from the enemy
the devil. God has given him, and us, the power to overcome fear in
our life. Great faith does away with fear. God's love for us is enough
to keep us going. He had given Timothy, and will give all of us, a
sound mind. Usually nerve problems come because of things we cannot
decide in our life. When we are at peace with God and man, our mind is
clear. In the book of Acts, we see that the Holy Ghost brings the
power of God in our life.

     II Timothy 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;"
     Timothy, was perhaps, a shy person, and Paul is telling him to be
bold in the Lord. He asks Timothy to not be ashamed of the testimony
of our Lord. The following is what Jesus had to say about this very
thing. Mark 8:38 "Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my
words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the
Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with
the holy angels."  Paul wanted Timothy to become bold in the Lord,
even in the face of death. Paul was not promising Timothy that he
would not suffer for Christ, but was telling Him to draw his strength
to face the hardships from Jesus.

     II Timothy 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,"

     By grace are ye saved, not of works lest any man should boast.
Jesus Christ gave His body on the cross that you and I might be saved.
We are not saved, because we are worthy, but because He is worthy. It
is the precious blood of the Lamb of God {Jesus Christ} that saved us.
He traded us His righteousness for our sin. Jesus took our sin upon
His body on the cross. He in turn clothed us in His righteousness. The
plan of salvation was from the foundation of the world. We are saved
to become sons of God. It was part of the plan for us to become sons
of God.

     II Timothy 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:"

     To "make manifest" is to make real. Jesus abolished sin {for the
believer} on the cross. He abolished death, when He rose from the
tomb.
To those who will believe,  He has given eternal life. It was the
Light of Jesus that shone on Paul and caused him to believe. The good
news of the gospel is that we have eternal life in Jesus Christ. Death
and sin no longer rule in our life. When we accept Jesus as our
Saviour, we receive forgiveness of sins and receive eternal life in
Him.

     II Timothy 1:11 "Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an
apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles."

     Paul is speaking of three different things here. Preaching, in
this sense, is to bring people to the knowledge of God and get them
saved. Apostle, in the sense it is used here, would mean anointed with
signs and wonders following. The Gentiles had never been taught in
God's ways, as the Jews had. Paul was to teach them and bring them
along in the ways of God. Jesus had specifically called Paul to
minister to the Gentiles.

     II Timothy 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."
     Jesus left no question about it when He called Paul. He told him
he would suffer for the gospel. Acts 9:16 "For I will shew him how
great things he must suffer for my name's sake."  To suffer for
Christ, brings great rewards in heaven. Romans 8:17 "And if children,
then heirs; heirs of God, and jointheirs with Christ; if so be that we
suffer with [him], that we may be also glorified together."   Paul,
never once, complained about the suffering. He felt that the job he
was given was worth suffering for.  Paul's suffering was because he
was a preacher, apostle, and teacher of the Gentiles. His greatest
persecution came from the Jews, who could not accept the Gentiles as
equals. Paul was thoroughly convinced that God was able to protect him
wherever he was, if that was part of God's plan. Paul was ready and
willing to go and be with God, if that were his fate. Paul was not
ashamed to be imprisoned, or even killed for the gospel. He knew God
was with him.

     II Timothy 1:13 "Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou
hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus."

     The main purpose of this chapter was to help Timothy stand strong
in the time of Paul's death. Keep the faith and continue to love God
more than you love your own life, was the message he wanted Timothy to
remember. Do not be shaken by what happens, stay in the Word of God.
This is like a father comforting a son at his death. Paul had made a
pattern with his life that Timothy must follow. The sound words that
Paul had brought set the pattern for the others to follow. Paul always
expressed the importance of the Word. Place your faith and your love
in Jesus.

     II Timothy 1:14 "That good thing which was committed unto thee
keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us."

     In the last lesson, we discovered that the Truth was the good
thing that had been committed to Timothy. The Holy Ghost leads us into
all Truth. John 16:13 "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come,
he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself;
but whatsoever he shall hear, [that] shall he speak: and he will shew
you things to come." The Holy Ghost is our Teacher and Guide.

     II Timothy 1:15 "This thou knowest, that all they which are in
Asia be turned away from me; of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes."

     This is speaking, probably, of those of Asia who were in Rome
with Paul. They probably had not stood up for Paul fearing the loss of
their life. Paul, of course, does not mean the churches of Asia. This
has to be speaking of the Christians from Asia who had followed Paul.
This letter to Timothy was actually going to Ephesus which was a city
in Asia.

     II Timothy 1:16 "The Lord give mercy unto the house of
Onesiphorus; for he oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my
chain:"

     We see from this that not everyone had abandoned Paul. He had
visited Paul while he had been in prison. Paul speaks a blessing on
Onesiphorus' entire family for the comfort he gave him.

     II Timothy 1:17 "But, when he was in Rome, he sought me out very
diligently, and found [me]."

     It seems he was a Christian from another area other than Rome. He
had gone to the trouble to look up Paul and help him. The very
diligently would make you believe, it was not easy to get in to see
Paul.

     II Timothy 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."

     We see from this that he was from Ephesus which was in Asia.
Perhaps, Paul mentioned him to show an exception. Paul is saying, that
God will reward him in the day of the Lord. This man had come a very
long way, and searched Paul out to help him in his time of need. God
would not overlook this. He would be mightily blessed in the life to
come. He would receive a prophet's reward.

































                        2 Timothy 1 Questions


1.  What is another name letter is called?
2.  Who wrote this letter to Timothy.
3.  Where was he, when he wrote it?
4.  Approximately when was it written?
5.  When do the history books tell us that Rome burned?
6.  Who do the fables say fiddled while Rome burned?
7.  What terrible outcome for the Christians occurred, because of Rome
    burning?
8.  How does history say Paul was killed?
9.  What does Paul call himself in verse 1?
10. What endearing relation does Paul call Timothy in verse two?
11. Was he really Paul's son?
12. What reassurance does Paul have that the work will go on, if he is
    executed?
13. Where is the only peace any of us can find?
14. Why does Paul mention his forefathers in verse 3?
15. How often did Paul pray for Timothy?
16. What did Paul desire Timothy to do?
17. Paul told Timothy, he was mindful of _______ _____________.
18. What two women made Paul confident of Timothy's strength in the
    faith?
19. What does "unfeigned" mean?
20. Paul wanted Timothy to stir up what within him?
21. Who had annointed Timothy?
22. What chapter of the Bible tells us of the gifts of the Spirit?
23. How are the gifts of the Spirit received?
24. God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of ________, and of
    ______, and of a ________ _______.
25. What does away with fear?
26. What two things did Paul tell Timothy not to be ashamed of?
27. Why was Paul telling him to be bold?
28. Quote Mark chapter 8 verse 38.
29. God has called us, not because of our works, but because of what?
30. What does to "make manifest" mean?
31. What did Jesus abolish for the believer?
32. What 3 things did Paul say, he was appointed to be?
33. Quote 2 Timothy chapter 1 verse 12.
34. What does Romans chapter 8 verse 17 tell us about suffering with
    Christ?
35. Who did Paul's greatest persecution come from?
36. What was the main purpose of this chapter?
37. What was the good thing which was committed unto him?
38. Who turned against Paul in time of trouble?
39. Who stood by him and refreshed him?
40. Where was Ephesus located?