2 Timothy
Chapter 1
Overview
Paul opens this personal letter to Timothy, a beloved coworker he regards as his own child. Paul is imprisoned, and following Jesus has become costly enough that shame, fear, and abandonment are real dangers. He remembers Timothy’s family, urges him to rekindle God’s gift, and anchors courage in God’s power and grace. The chapter then moves from broad claims about life defeating death to painfully specific names: some people walked away, while Onesiphorus searched Rome to find Paul. Loyalty here is not loud; it is a small fire kept alive in hard weather.
1From Paul, an authorized messenger of Jesus the Messiah by God’s will, serving the promise of life found in Jesus the Messiah.
2To Timothy, my beloved child: May God the Father and Jesus the Messiah, our Lord, give you grace, mercy, and peace.
3I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience as my ancestors did. Night and day, I never stop remembering you in my prayers.
4I remember your tears and long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy.
5I am reminded of your genuine faith. It first lived in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am convinced that it lives in you as well.
6For this reason, I remind you to fan God’s gift within you back into flame—the gift you received when I placed my hands on you.
7God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but a spirit of power, love, and self-control.
8So do not be ashamed of the message about our Lord or of me, his prisoner. Instead, join me in suffering for the good news, relying on the strength God provides.
9God saved us and called us to a life devoted to him. He did this not because of anything we had done, but because of his own purpose and generous kindness. He gave us this kindness in Jesus the Messiah before time began.
10Now this kindness has been revealed through the appearance of our Savior, Jesus the Messiah. He made death powerless and brought life and immortality into the light through the good news.
11God appointed me to proclaim this good news as his authorized messenger and teacher.
12That is why I am suffering these things. But I am not ashamed, because I know the one I have trusted. I am convinced that he is able to protect what I have placed in his care until that final day.
13Take the reliable teaching you heard from me as your model. Follow it with the faith and love found in Jesus the Messiah.
14With the help of God’s Holy Spirit, who lives within us, protect the precious teaching entrusted to you.
15You know that everyone in the Roman province of Asia has turned away from me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes.
16May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus. He often lifted my spirits and was not ashamed that I was in chains.
17Instead, when he came to Rome, he searched diligently for me until he found me.
18May the Lord show him mercy on that final day. You know better than anyone how much help he gave in Ephesus.