April 30, 2023 – 2 Timothy 1:1-7 – An Emotional Introduction

“Why was Timothy crying?”

Download discussion questions:  2 Timothy 1:1-7

I encourage you to look at the passage in 2 Timothy before you read this Blog entry.  What do you see in the text yourself?  What questions come to your mind?  How would you interpret what the writer says?  After even a few minutes examining and thinking about the text you will be much better prepared to evaluate the comments in the Blog.

The first meeting of our group focused on an introduction to the inductive method of Bible study[1].  Since not much time was left to actually explore the passage, we decided to work on our own during the week.  If you have read previous blogs here you will note that this is a difference.  In the past, the studies began and ended in the course of about an hour.  The first part of the hour was spent looking at the passage individually, which limited the time left for discussion.  Most likely, this study will follow the format of doing “homework” (as much or as little as is practical for each individual) and then pooling our results in the group discussion.  Either approach works well depending on the group you are in.

The observation part of our discussion noted the various names included in Paul’s comments, such as members of Timothy’s immediate family, Lois and Eunice.  While we try to minimize cross-references and other sources of information outside the passage, it was helpful to know that Timothy was an occasional companion of Paul in Acts, and a leader or possibly pastor of a church in Ephesus.

The passage contains several terms of emotion or affection: “beloved son,” “longing to see you,” “filled with joy,” as well as “tears.”  Certainly the two men had a close bond.  One of the questions early in our discussion was, “Why was Timothy crying?”  Another observation noted that Paul “recalled” the tears, possibly remembering a difficult parting in the past.  Other observations, such as the exhortations at the end of the passage might indicate Timothy’s discouragement as a leader of a church (not uncommon today as well).  Knowing your friend and mentor was in prison, sentenced to death, would be devastating.

Paul’s encouraging words raised another question in our group. What was the “gift” that Timothy had received?  And why did it need to be “rekindled” or (as one member shared from a different translation), be “fanned into flame”?  In our discussion, someone remarked that Paul didn’t define what the gift was because there was no need.  In a personal letter to his protégé they both were well aware of that gift.  Our speculation focused mainly on teaching or perhaps preaching in light of Timothy’s leadership role.  Whatever the exact nature of the gift, the urging to “fan into flame” might relate back to the idea of Timothy’s discouragement in ministry.

We discussed briefly the familial references: “beloved son” (which we took as metaphorical, not that Paul and Timothy were actually blood relatives), as well as the mention of Timothy’s mother and grandmother and Paul’s forefathers.  The importance and value of a spiritual heritage seem to have been on Paul’s mind.  That family heritage as well as the long history shared with Timothy made Paul certain of the genuineness of Timothy’s faith.

That discussion led us into the rich relational nature of the Christian life.  Only a close relationship would endure such a direct confrontation as “kindle afresh” with the implication that Timothy had neglected that gift.  Only one confident in a relationship could offer that appeal.  Only one confident in a relationship could receive it.

The relationship between Paul and Timothy led our discussion naturally into the question, Who in your life could you say something like that to?  Who in your life could say something like that to you? We all need relationships that will care about us enough to say difficult things for our good.  We all need the relationships that embolden us to say difficult things to others for their good.

Someone asked about the “spirit” mentioned in verse 7, as well as the word “us.” (Good observation leads to interpretation questions that leave no detail unexplored!)  Since this is a personal letter, could the “us” mean only Paul and Timothy?  Or can we interpret that powerful statement as applying to all believers.  While either reading is possible the consensus in our group was that the broader testimony of Paul’s writing would make that limited use of “us” unlikely.  Paul repeatedly speaks of the work of God in all believers, and that would include the power and love and discipline he shares with Timothy.

On the word “spirit” we wondered if Paul meant the Holy Spirit or simply a general reference to our human attitude or disposition.  English translations[2] vary between “spirit” and “Spirit” but that is a matter of the translators’ interpretation, since the word is the same in the original language, and the upper- and lower-case letters were not used to indicate the distinction.  We concluded that Paul may have simply meant the personality trait or “spirit of timidity.”

However, some further reading (after our group finished) provided another perspective:

Although the NIV’s translation of “spirit” in this verse with a lower case s is possible (since the definite article is absent in Greek) and follows the traditional English versions (KJV, RSV), it is most highly improbable and quite misses both the relationship of this sentence to verse 6 as well as Paul’s own usage and theology elsewhere. That Paul is referring not to some “spirit” (or attitude) that God has given us (him and Timothy, but ultimately all other believers who must equally persevere in the face of hardship), but to the Holy Spirit of God is made certain by several items: (a) the explanatory for that begins this sentence gives it the closest possible tie to verse 6; (b) the close relationship between charisma (“gift;’ v. 6) and the Spirit (v. 7) is thoroughly Pauline (see on 1 Tim. 4:14); (c) the words power and love are especially attributed to the Spirit in Paul; and (d) there are close ties between this verse and 1 Timothy 4:14, where the “gifting” of Timothy is specifically singled out as the work of the Spirit.[3]

So here is an example of the value of further research and reading.  The understanding of a scholar such as Gordon Fee can add much to the limitations of an hour or two of inductive study.

But starting with an inductive study of the text itself is invaluable.  Other resources can be incredibly useful, but as mentioned elsewhere[4], using them too soon can restrict our understanding.  The time spent individually and in our group discussion about the “spirit” or “Spirit” question stimulated thinking:  about Scripture, about the Holy Spirit and the role He exercises in our life.  A quick look into a commentary might have provided an interesting answer, but it would have done so much less for our spiritual formation and our relational connections in our group.

Once again, always start with the text.  Wrestle with questions even when answers are not quick to come.  Follow the example of Martin Luther, who “beat importunately upon Paul at that place [Romans 1:17], most ardently desiring to know what St. Paul wanted.”[5]  His wrestling with the text changed his life and started the Protestant Reformation.  What might God do in your life as you diligently think through questions in a passage of Scripture?

[1] Further comments and suggestions are available on the GoodNotSafe web site:
https://www.goodnotsafe.com/remember-the-signs/

[2] https://www.biblegateway.com/verse/en/2%20Timothy%201:7
It is interesting to note that some translations have even changed over the years.  For example, the NIV (2011) included on the Bible Gateway page has “Spirit” while the 1984 NIV has “spirit.”

[3] Gordon D. Fee, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus in The New International  Biblical Commentary (Peabody, Massachusetts:  Hendrickson Publishers, 2000), 226.

[4] https://www.goodnotsafe.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Background-Resources.pdf

[5] Quoted by John Piper, The Legacy of Sovereign Joy (Wheaton, Illinois:  Crossway Books, 2000), 91;
also http://www.desiringgod.org/biographies/martin-luther-lessons-from-his-life-and-labor