1Paul, an apostle of Messiah Yeshua by the will of God, according to the promise of life in Messiah Yeshua, 2To Timothy, my beloved son: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Messiah Yeshua our Master.

According to Biblical historians, out of all the extant epistles of the Apostle Paul, this is the last one that he wrote. Paul was nearing the end of his life and had become infamous all over the known world for his message of Good News. Timothy, being heavily associated with Paul, could have begun to distance himself from Paul and his strong stance the equality of all men, namely that all men are sinners and are in need of the salvation that comes through Yeshua the Messiah. As we’ll see, as we did in Paul’s first epistle to Timothy, this second epistle to Timothy is filled with exhortations to remain strong and true to the truth of God. 

Firstly, Paul reminded Timothy that he (Paul) is an apostle of the Messiah Yeshua by the will of God. In other words, Paul was sovereignly chosen by God to proclaim the message of Good News. Specifically, Paul’s message of Good News was according to the promise of life in Messiah Yeshua. The promise of life in the Messiah was first proclaimed by God to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (cf. Genesis 3:15) and was proclaimed through the millennia to the people of God. Now, in these last days, the message was proclaimed among the nations by Paul of Tarsus. It’s in this mission that Paul found his purpose and his intention was that this mission will live on in Timothy. Timothy was Paul’s true child in the faith (cf. 1 Timothy 1:2) and he was Paul’s beloved son. As we’ll see, though Paul’s relationship to Timothy was as a loving father, this did not diminish the authority he possessed, as given to him by the God to preserve the truth of God’s word. Paul’s greeting to Timothy was the same that he used in his first epistle; Paul desired for Timothy that God would grant him grace, mercy and peace. Notice that grace, mercy and peace is from God the Father and the Messiah Yeshua, for it is God who bestows grace, – that is, He gives us the blessing we do not deserve – mercy – that is, He withholds the punishment we rightly deserve – and peace – that is, the relationship with Him that results in a life without dismay, all through the sacrificial death, glorious resurrection and on-going work of intercession of the Messiah Yeshua.

3I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience the way my forefathers did, as I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day, 4longing to see you, even as I recall your tears, so that I may be filled with joy. 5For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well.

Again, according to Biblical historians, Paul was in prison during the writing of this epistle. As we’ll see in later chapters, Paul was nearing the end of his life. At this time, only Luke had remained with him (cf. 4:11). Even in this dire situation, the Apostle set his sight on things above and shared with Timothy this giving of thanks. Even though Paul was in prison and may have been on his way to execution, he was not in this situation due to any sinful behaviour. In fact, Paul was confident that he served God with a clear conscience. The word “serve” is used in the Scriptures to refer to worship, either through sacrifices or prayer. Here Paul reiterated what he confessed to his fellow Jews of Rome, namely that he served God the way his forefathers did. In Acts 28:17 he said: “After three days Paul called together those who were the leading men of the Jews, and when they came together, he began saying to them, ‘Brethren, though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans.’” This is similar to the statement he made to Felix: “But this I admit to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect I do serve the God of our fathers, believing everything that is in accordance with the Torah and that is written in the Prophets” (Acts 24:14). Contrary to the common Christian perception and depiction of the Apostle Paul, he never abandoned Judaism and continued to keep the Torah and the customs of the Jewish people. This evident in the very next thing he mentioned here in this epistle, that is, that he constantly prayed. To constantly pray or to pray without ceasing (cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:17) is to pray in the morning and afternoon, paralleling the morning and afternoon burnt offerings given at the Temple in Jerusalem (cf. Numbers 28:1-6). Paul explicitly defines what he means by the term "constantly" by including the fact that he prays “night and day.” 

Paul remembered Timothy in his daily prayers, motivated by his memory of their last time together. The genuineness of Paul’s desire to see Timothy again is evident here, as is the godly love they had for each other. As Paul was ending his life, it was not riches or material possessions that brought him joy but rather the memory of the people he had built relationship with over the years. He then went on to remind Timothy of the sincerity of his (Timothy’s) faith and the ones responsible for the seeds that God used to grow that faith. Paul specifically noted Timothy’s mother, Eunice, and grandmother, Lois, as being the ones who had sincere faith and cultivated a similar faith in Timothy. Both Lois and Eunice were believers, looking forward to the coming of the Messiah. They most assuredly taught Timothy the Hebrew Scriptures, highlighting the many scriptures that promised the coming Redeemer (cf. 3:15). 

6For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline. 

Since Paul was sure that Timothy had genuine faith, he exhorted him to "kindle afresh" the gift God had given him. The Greek word, translated here as "gift," is "charisma" and actually refers to grace. In other words, God graciously implants a special gifting within each Believer. For Timothy, his gifting was confirmed when he was ordained as an elder; an event Paul was present ("the laying on of my hands"). As we've already noted, it's possible that Timothy was becoming discouraged or disillusioned, so Paul sought to encourage Timothy by reminding him of his calling and purpose. This is something each of us can do to become encouraged, that is, we can simply remember that God has a purpose in saving us. The reason we should be encouraged is because in our calling, God has not given us a spirit of timidity but power, love and discipline. The word "timidity" (“deilia”) refers to being cowardly or embarrassed. Again, it's apparent that Timothy was being tempted to back away from proclaiming the truth, or at the very least, his association with Paul and his teaching. If this was the case, then Paul reminded Timothy that instead of timidity, God has given us power, love and discipline. The Greek word "dunamis," here translated as "power," refers to a dynamic strength and energy. When a person becomes a believer, they are endowed with supernatural energy to live the life of God. God also gives us the ability to love, which is a translation of the Greek word "agape." This type of love refers to a sacrificial love that does not come from emotions but from making a consistent choice to put others above oneself. As believers, we are able to love like this because we have had a revelation of the very source of love, God Himself (cf. 1 John 4:16). Not only that, God has given us the ability to be disciplined. As unregenerate sinners, we had no capacity to curb our sinful desires. This is not true as believers, for while the sinful desires still exist, we are not governed by them. This is the on-going work of the Holy Spirit to sanctify us and make us more like the Messiah.