The Bible — World English Bible

2 Timothy 1

In brief

In 2 Timothy 1, Paul writes from prison to Timothy, his child in the faith. He remembers his sincere faith, inherited from his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice, and urges him to stir up the gift of God. God did not give a spirit of fear but of power, love and self-control, so Timothy has no reason to be ashamed of the gospel or of Paul the prisoner. Paul recalls salvation by grace, gives the example of his own confidence, and invites Timothy to guard the good deposit through the Holy Spirit.

The chapter in 4 parts

  1. v. 1-5Greeting and the memory of a sincere faith passed on
  2. v. 6-10Stir up the gift of God: power, love and self-control
  3. v. 11-14I know whom I have believed: guard the good deposit
  4. v. 15-18Those who left and the faithfulness of Onesiphorus

1Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, according to the promise of the life which is in Christ Jesus,

2to Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

3I 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

4longing to see you, remembering your tears, that I may be filled with joy;

5having 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.

6For this cause, I remind you that you should stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.

7For God didn’t give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control.

8Therefore don’t be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner; but endure hardship for the Good News according to the power of God,

9who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before times eternal,

10but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the Good News.

11For this I was appointed as a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.

12For this cause I also suffer these things. Yet I am not ashamed, for 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.

13Hold the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.

14That good thing which was committed to you, guard through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.

15This you know, that all who are in Asia turned away from me, of whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes.

16May the Lord grant mercy to the house of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain,

17but when he was in Rome, he sought me diligently and found me

18(the Lord grant to him to find the Lord’s mercy in that day); and in how many things he served at Ephesus, you know very well.

Key verses

Verse 5
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.

Paul recalls the faith of Lois and Eunice, which lives in Timothy too. Faith is often passed on through family, without excusing anyone from making it their own.

Verse 6-7
For this cause, I remind you that you should stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God didn’t give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control.

The gift of God is like a fire to be fanned. God did not give a spirit of fear but of power, love and self-control: fear is not the mark of his Spirit.

Verse 9
who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before times eternal,

God saved us and called us not because of our works but according to his own purpose and grace, given to us in Christ Jesus before times eternal.

Verse 12
For this cause I also suffer these things. Yet I am not ashamed, for 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 says he knows the one he has believed: his confidence does not rest on his comfort, since he suffers, but on the person of Christ, able to guard what has been entrusted to him.

Verse 14
That good thing which was committed to you, guard through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.

Guarding the good deposit means preserving the truth of the gospel, and Paul specifies that this is done through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, not by our strength alone.

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Frequently asked questions about 2 Timothy 1

What does it mean to stir up the gift of God in 2 Timothy 1:6?

The verb evokes rekindling a smoldering fire. Paul reminds Timothy that the gift received from God must not die out through timidity or routine. It is up to him to cultivate it and put it into practice, relying on the Spirit.

What does a spirit of power, love and self-control mean?

Paul contrasts this spirit with fear. God gives power to act in spite of fear, love to serve others and self-control to discern. The verse is often quoted in answer to fear, as a reminder that it does not come from God.

What is the good deposit to be guarded?

The deposit is the truth of the gospel entrusted to Timothy, with the ministry that goes with it. Paul asks him to guard it faithfully, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in him. It means passing on the gospel without distorting or abandoning it.

Articles quoting 2 Timothy 1

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World English Bible translation — public domain.