The Second Letter to Timothy
CHAPTER 1
Exhortation to Courage in the Service of the Gospel
1:1-12—Address and Salutation
"Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God": The whole question of New Testament letters and their greetings and farewell has already been reviewed (pages 8-13). The Revised Version here gives the order "Christ Jesus", the more usual form in these Letters. Unlike the First Epistle, however, which described his apostolate as "according to the commandment of God", Paul here uses his more frequent way of defining his commission—"through the will of God", as in 1 Corinthians 1:1, 2 Corinthians 1:1, Ephesians 1:1 and Colossians 1:1. Even in this intensely personal letter the Apostle is making clear upon what authority he writes, especially since he is handing over his charge: He who called him is "the God whose I am, and whom I serve" (Acts 27:23).
"According to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus": For a man under sentence of death "the promise of life" takes on an added significance. Such expressions of faith and confidence abound in this Letter, from the statement that "God hath not given us the spirit of fear" (verse 7) to the allusion to the Lord's prayer in 4:18: "And the Lord shall deliver me . . . and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom" (page 344). He might "suffer trouble" in the Gospel (2:8-13), but it spoke of the resurrection of Christ, and gave the promise that "if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him", and that there was laid up for him a crown of righteousness which the Lord would give him when he came (4:8).
Eternal Life in the Purpose of God
There is, however, even more in this expression than a personal statement of faith: it was the very will of God, that life should be given to men in Christ Jesus. It is the very "hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began; but hath in due times manifested his word through preaching .. . according to the commandment of God our Saviour'' (Titus 1:2-3, pages 15 and 353).
At the time of his first imprisonment Paul had written: "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21), thus revealing his deep insight into the true nature of the Gospel message committed to him. It revealed a way of life which is wholly centred in Christ—"For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:3)—and also the hope of ultimate salvation from death at the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ. For he has "abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel" (2 Timothy 1:10). The "new life" is that which will spring up into eternal life for those who, having partaken of the divine mind, will become partakers of the divine nature" (2 Peter 1:1-4).
Verse 2: "To Timothy, my dearly beloved son: Grace, mercy and peace": For the salutation in general see page 16. Onesimus had been "begotten in my bonds" (Philemon 10) and the apostle had travailed in pain for his "little children", the Galatians (4:19). We sense an even deeper affection, however, in this final address to Timothy.
It is almost the Hebrew sense of "beloved" or "darling", meaning 'only one' (cf. Psalm 22:20, margin), since so many have parted from or abandoned Paul (1:15; 4:10-16,20), while Timothy was yearning for his lost companion and spiritual father, now writing his "last will and testament". And what greater blessing could he bestow than "Grace, mercy and peace", "from God the Father", who is the source of all the blessings of salvation, and from "Christ Jesus our Lord", the mediator through whom they are bestowed?
1:3-5—Thanksgiving
Verse 3:
"I thank God": For the special form of this expression in the original see on 1 Timothy 1:12, page 27. Although using a conventional device of ancient letter writing (pages 8-13) in introducing at this point an expression of thanks or a blessing, or an assurance that he is offering prayers on behalf of the recipient, Paul is not merely following custom, but expressing all that is in his heart. In 1 Timothy 1:12 the thanksgiving is delayed until he has stated the purpose of the letter. In Ephesians and 2 CorinÂthians he ascribes blessing to God, the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ; otherwise all his letters except Galatians and Titus express a genuine feeling of gratitude, as he remembers those to whom he is writing.
So he thanks God for the faith of the Romans, the grace given to the Corinthians, the fellowship in the Gospel of the Philippians, the faith and love of the Colossians, the work of faith, labour of love and patience of hope of the Thessalonians, the love and faith of Philemon, and the unfeigned faith of Timothy.
Nothing could express more clearly the "motivation" of the Apostle: those amongst whom he laboured were his joy; indeed, his hope and crown of rejoicing would be to stand approved with them in the presence of the Lord Jesus at his coming (1 ThessaloÂnians 2:19).
"Whom I serve from my forefathers": The word latreuo, 'to serve', bears the double meaning, like the word "ministry", of acts of service and a religious service, like the Breaking of Bread or the "services" in the Temple. For the Apostle, there was no distincÂtion, since his whole life was ministry or worship. The Law taught this, when it made clear that one honoured the Lord by "rising up before the hoary head" or avoiding the unjust balance and the unjust weight, as well as by coming before Him with sacrifice and offering.
In fact, the worship of the man who neglected the observance of its spirit in daily life was unacceptable. What Paul had been taught to observe from his childhood, therefore, he pursued with a zeal made even greater by his knowledge of its relationship to the faith in Christ. For him the Law was fulfilled not superseded, and nowhere does he speak of its observance with disrespect. His clashes with the Judaisers arose because of their insistence that salvation came by the works of the Law and not by faith in the covenants of promise.
A Sense of Gratitude
Paul's sense of gratitude for his upbringing and his feelings for his kinsmen are frequently expressed, as for example in Romans 9:3-5 and Philippians 3:4-6. Even there, however, he recognises the much greater privilege of having the knowÂledge of God in Christ—the glory that excelleth, beside which even the glory of the Law seems dim. For him there was a continuity of service. His apostleship ministered to the same God, was based upon the same hope of the resurrection, and was a worshipping of "the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets" (Acts 24:14), although his kinsmen believed it to be a sectarian ministry.
"With pure conscience": It was a great comfort for a man on a criminal charge to be able honestly to make that claim. It was a claim to which Paul attached great importance, as for example when arraigned before the Sanhedrin: "Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day" (Acts 23:1); and before Felix: "And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men" (24:16; see also 2 Corinthians 1:12; 4:2).
As we have already noted, many passages in the Pastoral Epistles refer to the importance of a pure conscience, that is, of a Scripturally informed conscience, able to distinguish right from wrong and rightly divide the word of truth in practice as well as theory (page 44; also Titus 1:15, page 365).
There is a deeper meaning behind the word, therefore, than the mere idea of knowing nothing against oneself, for "I am not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord" (1 Corinthians 4:4). True worship and service depends upon a pure conscience, since the Lord offers forgiveness of sins that He may be feared, and we are able to serve the living God with a conscience purged from dead works (Hebrews 9:14). So although Paul, in his zeal for the Lord God, had been in fact "a blasphemer, and a persecutor and injurious", he had "obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief (1 Timothy 1:13; pages 29-30), and was "put into the ministry" of his apostleship.
Remembrance in Prayer
"That without ceasing I have remembrance ofthee in my prayers": Once again the conventional expression of concern for the recipient of the Letter is transformed, giving us an insight into the spirituality of an Apostle who has the capacity for taking others into his pastoral care through prayer and intercession for them (Romans 1:9; Philippians 1:3; Colossians 1:3). "Without ceasing" is applied by him to prayer, thanksgiving and remembrance in Romans 1:9 and 1 Thessalonians 1:3; 2:13; 5:17, and refers of course to a continual habit and not something which is continuous: we must never abandon the practice of prayer. In the Hebrew idiom of Psalm 109:4, "I—prayer", the italicised "give myself unto" has been inserted by the translators to fill up the meaning for the English reader. For the Psalmist it is as though "I" and "prayer" were the same thing. "Night and day" is the usual Hebrew order of words; for the beginning "the evening and the morning" marked the day in God's time (Genesis 1).
It is evident that much more attention should be paid by the twentieth century disciple to the question of prayer on behalf of the Brotherhood in general and individuals in particular. In the discussion of this point two views usually emerge: (1) that there should be special prayer for particular purposes, in cases of sickÂness or other distress, or projects being planned by the ecclesia; (2) others feel that such prayers and intercessions should be part of the regular pattern of ecclesial life, the special need giving direction to the prayer of, say, the presiding brother when the ecclesia assembles for its weekly worship.
It is a great pity that there should even appear to be a conflict of view on such a matter. The important thing is not whether there should be a special "prayer meeting or not", but that the intercession should be made, if not in public then in private. Both practices have Scriptural precedent, for besides the Apostle's private devotions which we are now considering, there were occasions when "prayer was made without ceasing of the church", for Peter for example (Acts 12:5). The ministry of prayer is something in which all can engage; and many can testify to the strength, courage and increased faith that comes from the knowledge that others, individually or collectively, remember them "without ceasing" in their prayers.
A Deep Longing
Verse 4: "Greatly desiring to see thee": The longing to see Timothy is expressed twice more, in the phrase "Do thy diligence to come" (4:9,21). Perhaps the request formed part of Paul's earnest supplications, and there is certainly the implication that if the young man tarries any longer he will be too late. This yearning to see again a beloved face or even to behold for the first time those who were known only by their spiritual relationship, is a frequent theme of Paul, so important to him were the persons of those in Christ.
His was no fellowship in the abstract: it had to do with sharing with people the fellowship of Christ's sufferings in joyful anticipaÂtion of the glory to follow. Epipothed indicates 'strong yearning' as in the following passages:
"For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end that ye may be established; that is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me." (Romans 1:11-12)
"(The saints which) by their prayer for you . . . long after you for the exceeding grace of God in you." (2 Corinthians 9:14)
"For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:8; see also 1 Thessalonians 3:6)
"Being mindful of thy tears": Some have deduced a certain weakÂness of character in Timothy from these words and from the strong exhortatory tone of the letter. But sensitivity of feeling is not weakness of character, and probably both men had sensed that at his arrest Paul was being parted from Timothy for the last time, as it may well have proved to be. There is no record of such emotion at any previous partings from one another, when for example Paul left Timothy at Ephesus previously (1 Timothy 1:3); but the departure of Paul from Miletus on an earlier occasion had caused a whole congregation to weep sore, "sorrowing most of all for the words which he spake, that they should see his face no more" (Acts 20:38).
"Tnat I may be filled with joy": The words "tears" and "joy" are next to each other in the Greek, as are "suffering" and "glory" so often in the Apostle's thought. Joy at the prospect of a reunion is in proportion to the sorrow of parting. "To fill", sometimes "to fulfil", is a characteristic word of Paul's (23 times in his epistles). If he preached the Gospel, it was fully (Romans 15:19); if he was joyful, he felt that that joy was fulfilled (Philippians 2:2), and he could wish nothing better than that his readers should be filled with joy and peace, as he would be filled with comfort (2 Corinthians 7:4) and God would fill (supply) all his need (Philippians 4:19). His service was nothing if not wholehearted.
Unfeigned Faith
"When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee": The Revised Version makes it clear that while "mindful" in verse 4 means that he has recalled something to his mind, no doubt as he remembered Timothy in his prayers, here Paul has been reminded in some way of Timothy's faith. We have no means of determining who or what had reminded him. Could it have been a letter from Timothy, or some incident that happened in Rome? Or might it have been Onesiphorus, whose household was at Ephesus (2 Timothy 4:19) and who had been a frequent, welcome visitor to Paul in his prison (1:16-18)? At all events, the reminder stimulated the desire to see the young man and to exhort him to continue in that faith.
"Which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and in thy mother Eunice": It is remarkable that this should be the only reference to a grandÂmother in the New Testament. Both women were Jewesses, and it is probable that the words applied to the younger in Acts 16:1, "a certain woman which . . . believed", meant that she was a believer in Christ. Paul is not here indicating that the grandÂmother believed first and Eunice and Timothy believed afterÂwards, but that the women were the first of his family to become disciples. From 3:14-17 we learn that they had diligently followed the precepts of the Law and instilled into the next generation the knowledge of the Scriptures which provided the true education in righteousness. (Contrast with the "old wives' fables" which Timothy was to refuse, 1 Timothy 4:7, page 126.) In spite of the fact that Eunice had married a Gentile, the mother's influence had prevailed (or was it the influence of Lois primarily?), in accordance with the principle that emerges from the record of the Kings. For of many of them it is written: "And he did that which was right (or evil) in the sight of the LORD. And his mother's name was ..." (for example see 1 Kings 15:2; 2 Chronicles 13:2, etc.).
"And I am persuaded that in thee also": The Apostle's thankfulness for his own upbringing (verse 3) and for the value of his spiritual heritage no doubt strengthened his confidence in Timothy's own grounding in Scripture as the basis of his faith in Christ and as the motive of his careful observance of its principles in practice.
Arising from the faith which dwelt in Lois and Eunice, the topic of "Believers and Faithful in the New Testament" is taken up in Essay 27.
Brought up in the Law
It is not stretching imagination too far to suggest that Lois dwelt in Eunice's house and together with her daughter saw to it that the son of the marriage with the Gentile was firmly brought up in the Law of the Lord. They were, of course, Hellenistic Jews, and for some reason had not seen to it that the boy was circumÂcised (Acts 16:3). The women had joined the small ecclesia which grew up as a result of the first preaching of the Gospel in Lystra, a preaching which centred around witness to the living God (a characteristic Old Testament expression), and the power Christ had given Paul to heal. The young man himself was baptized, possibly by Paul himself at the first return with Barnabas to organise the ecclesia there. On his second journey, this time with Silas, Paul chose Timothy to accompany him (to take Mark's place?) because he had already formed an estimate of his true worth.
In any event, the importance attached by Paul to a sure grounding in the Scriptures, primarily the Old Testament, and training in godly habits, clearly emerges. There are equally clear messages for us today. All concerned with the care of the young, whether children or young people, which means every ecclesia in effect, should ponder deeply how they strike the balance between instruction in righteousness and "activities" of a recreational kind. Is the balance in some cases tending to swing too much in favour of simple "togetherness" and entertainment or recreaÂtional pursuits on the grounds that young people nowadays are not attracted to us without our "sugaring the pill"? "How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" (Psalm 119:103).
1:6-14—Encouragement from Experience Verse 6: "Wherefore I put thee in remembrance": It is precisely because of his confidence in Timothy that the Apostle urges him to bring his full qualities and privileges fully into service and to be prepared to suffer affliction for the Gospel—affliction such as Paul was then enduring and to which Timothy would himself become more and more exposed (verse 12; 2:3-13).
There have been three different expressions for remembering in the Epistle, and more are to follow (2:8,14). It is almost as though Paul is like Moses, instructing his people of that which is to come after his death and urging them above all things to remember—remember what the Lord had done and what the disciple should do in defence and confirmation of the Gospel. Phrases exhorting to remembrance are characteristic of the Book of Deuteronomy. But although Paul's exhortation is urgent and follows what has gone before by one of the strongest linking expressions ("For the which cause . . .", RV) used by him only here, in verse 12 and in Titus 1:13, it is expressed in gentle terms: he reminds Timothy of certain things, confident that he will respond.
"That thou stir up the gift of God": The subject of the gift that Timothy received was discussed at some length in the note on 1 Timothy 4:14 (page 134). Here the gift is likened to a fire which has to be "kindled into flame", a reminder that just as "the spirits of the prophets are subject unto the prophets" (1 CorinÂthians 14:32), so the use of the other gifts was dependent upon the willingness of the recipient to exercise them. In the face of the determined opposition of the false teachers in Ephesus, the possiÂble impending persecution and the probable death of Paul, Timothy could rely upon the strength he had been given if only he would exercise it.
"Which is in thee through the laying on of my hands" (RV): The topic of the laying on of hands was considered in connection with 1 Timothy 4:14; see also Essay 16, page 141.
Verse 7—The Spirit of Power, Love and Self-Discipline
"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear": The primary meaning here seems to be that the "gift of God" could certainly not have been a spirit of cowardice. The Revised Version "gave us not" indicates that the gift was given once for all in the past, that is, at the time of the laying on of Paul's hands in Timothy's case. The "us" then refers to Paul and Timothy who both had received such a gift. The Apostle gently brings himself into his exhortaÂtion, since his purpose is not to rebuke the younger man, even by implication, but to encourage him and build him up. People like ourselves should not be fearful. We may boldly say, "The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me" (Hebrews 13:6). Imprisoned and under the shadow of death as he was, Paul was proclaiming his own confidence that "the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom" (2 Timothy 4:18).
"But of power, and of love, and of a sound mind": In place of one failing unworthy of the man of God, Paul speaks of three positive qualities with which Timothy was fully equipped: power to enable him to fulfil his arduous task in Ephesus and enable him to dominate any situation that might arise; love to enable him to give self-sacrificing service in the spirit of the true servant of the Lord who "must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves" (2:24-25); and self-discipline, the ability to "take heed unto thyself (1 Timothy 4:16).
Three Positive Qualities
Power is frequently associated with the Spirit of God in action. Paul's preaching at Corinth had been "in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: that your faith should . . . stand ... in the power of God" (1 Corinthians 2:4,5). The Gospel came to the Thessalonians not "in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance" (1 Thessalonians 1:5). It is evident that it is not a power to work miracles that is under discusÂsion here, since there is no evidence that Timothy either could or was ever instructed to work any, as surely it would have seemed from a human standpoint advantageous to do in resisting the gainsayers. It was a moral power and a God-given authority which enabled him where necessary to reprove and rebuke (4:2; Titus 2:15).
Love is an essential quality for the shepherd (John 10:11; 15:13) if he is to feed the flock as well as protect it from the grievous wolves (Acts 20:28-29; John 21:15-17). The supreme example was that of the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls, who suffered and was kind (1 Corinthians 13).
The Pastoral Epistles strongly emphasise the need for self-discipline. Sophronismos is a "oncer" in the Greek Bible, but the idea it represents appears in several related words, and is one of the key themes of the three books. Some translations call it simply discipline, that is, the discipline Timothy was to exercise over the ecclesia, but that misses the major point of Paul's advice to him: Take heed unto thyself, and the ability to influence others will follow. We have already commented on sophrosune (1 Timothy 2:9, page 71), a word of almost identical meaning: it stood for 'a true sense of responsibility' in ecclesial servants, and comÂmunicated through them to the ecclesia as a whole. When we come to the Letter to Titus we shall see how the ecclesias in Crete were to have this sense developed in them by wholesome teaching: the aged men would become "temperate" {sophron), the aged women likewise, so that they might teach the young women "to be sober" {sophronizein) and "discreet" (sophron), and the young men would be "sober-minded" (sopkronein) (see on Titus 2:2-6).
The Best Gifts
It can justifiably be asked, If the spirit of power, love and self-discipline was a "charismatic" gift and the Apostle was talking of himself and Timothy, wherein is the exhortation for us today who have no such gifts? How can the ecclesias be adequately organised and led without men of such moral force and authority?
The answer is to be found in 3:15-17. The man of God is wise unto salvation, adequately equipped to reprove, correct and instruct in righteousness, in short, "throughly furnished unto all good works" by taking heed to the inspired Scriptures. Is not the Gospel itself "the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth" (Romans 1:16)? Those who are sons of God, being led by the Spirit of God (Romans 8:14), are, and always have been, those who have absorbed the Word of God and are transformed by the renewing of their minds by diligent attention to it. They too ' 'have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father" (Romans 8:14-16; see also the chapter on "The Best Gifts'' in the author's The Spirit of God, or the article with the same title in The Christadelphian, 1975).
Verse 8: "Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord": The allusion to Romans 1:16 is now seen to be inescapable and confirms the view that the exhortation is equally valid for us today: the Gospel, to him that believes, can be " the power of God unto salvation"—"a spirit of power, of love and of a sound mind". "The testimony of our Lord" is either the testimony borne by him, and the sense is then that of "the good confession" in 1 Timothy 6:12 to which Christ bore witness by his death; or to the testimony about him, which is more probable.
1 Corinthians 1 helps us here, for Paul refers to "the testimony of Christ" in this sense in verse 6, and then gives two reasons why men might feel ashamed of it. To the Jew the very idea of a crucified Christ was a stumbling-block, and the persecutions Paul and the other apostles endured, according to the Acts, were mainly at the hands of their countrymen for proclaiming the death and resurrection of their Messiah. To the most tolerant of pagans the idea that the salvation of the world would come through a man put to death by the Romans was plain nonsense.
Among the people who would respond to such a message would be "not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, but . . . the weak things of the world . . . the base things of the world . . . and things which are despised" (verses 27-28). Timothy might well recall those words since he had delivered the letter to Corinth and had probably heard it read out to the ecclesia. He would also have remembered, therefore, that "Christ crucified" was "unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men" (verses 24-25). The whole apostolic vocation was to bear witness to this (Acts 1:8; 26:16) in the knowledge that "whosoever 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" (Mark 8:38).
Ashamed of the Gospel in Modern Times
In our day, when the force of the words "adulterous and sinful generation" can be even more clearly seen, the world is more used to the idea of "Christ crucified". It is the moral implications of the Gospel—its revelation of the righteousness and wrath of God, and the absolute standards imposed upon the disciple— upon which it pours scorn. For the tolerant age which allows a man the freedom of speech to proclaim what he likes is also the permissive society which, ironically, is intolerant of righteousÂness. We have need, therefore, of the same exhortation not to be ashamed of the testimony and of the encouragement to follow the apostles' example: "They spake the word with boldness." Moreover, Paul sought the prayers of the saints, "that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak" (Acts 4:31; Ephesians 6:19-20).
"Nor of me his prisoner": "His" is the most important word here. For although Paul was chained like any common criminal and association with him might well be considered humiliating if not dangerous, Timothy need have no qualms: the Apostle was not Nero's prisoner, he was Christ's. It is an expression of utmost confidence in the God and the Master whose he was and whom he served. It may be well at this point to consider briefly both the whole question of Paul's imprisonment and his attitude to it, especially since this whole epistle breathes a spirit of resignation, trust and hope which the fact of his imprisonment has produced: see Essay 28, "The Lord's Prisoner", page 252.
A Fellowship of Suffering
"But be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel": "To suffer evil with" (sunkakopathein), although not a word coined by the Apostle himself, is used only by him in the Greek Bible (2:3 also), and it illustrates his use of sun- compounds. There is a. fellowship in the sufferings of the Gospel in which Timothy would gladly share since they were on behalf of the same Lord whose prisoner Paul was. The translation "of the gospel" is deceptive; we could easily imagine that the sufferings resulting from preaching were all that is meant. "Sufferings for the gospel" more accurately represents the Apostle's thought here and, indeed, his whole outlook. Grammarians call this usage "the dative of advantage"; the sufferings were for the benefit of the Gospel message. Paul would have agreed:
"But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things
which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance
of the gospel; so that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the
palace, and in all other places." (Philippians 1:12-13)
The brethren who had witnessed Paul's earlier imprisonment "waxed confident ... to speak the word without fear", so powerÂful was the witness Paul bore. Timothy should now be prepared to share more closely the affliction with equal confidence. There was another aspect to suffering for Christ's sake: it was a privilege (Acts 5:41). Moreover, "yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto" (1 Thessalonians 3:3). For Paul it was a filling up of "that which is lacking of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church" (Colossians 1:24, RV), and therein he could rejoice.
"According to the power of God": The Gospel is "the power of God unto salvation" (Romans 1:16). Therefore God is able to strengthen His servants for their tasks, assuring them that no test will prove beyond their capacity to bear (1 Corinthians 10:13).
Verse 9: "Who hath saved us": There has been some discussion as to whether verses 9 and 10 are taken from a hymn used in the first century ecclesia. The careful balance of words and the compact nature of the summary of the character of the Gospel point to this. Evidence for the use of such hymns in worship and of the existence of extracts from them in these Letters to reinforce or familiarise a point is not lacking. We have already alluded to this in general terms (see comments on "The Faithful Sayings", page 49, and "Great is the Mystery of Godliness", page 116). A more detailed study of the question and of the reasons why this writer thinks the Apostle may himself have been the author of at least one hymn will be reserved until we come to 2 Timothy 2:11-13 (see Essay 32, page 289). Here we limit ourselves to comment on verses 9-10 in context, and for a discussion of salvation and being "saved" refer the reader to Essay 29, "God our Saviour".
' 'And called us with an holy calling'': The grace of God is especialÂly seen in "the calling", or the invitation to respond to and so to participate in what God has accomplished in Christ. "The gifts and calling of God are without repentance" (Romans 11:29), but we ourselves have to give diligence to make our calling and election sure (2 Peter 1:10). For "many are called, but few are chosen" (Matthew 22:14). In Paul's letters "call" denotes the first stage in the individual process of salvation: God who Himself is holy has called us out of the world to a life of consecration: we are "called to be saints" (1 Corinthians 1:2) or "called to holiness" (1 Thessalonians 4:7). Those whom He calls He will also justify and eventually glorify (Romans 8:30). This calling is always ascribed by Paul to God as Father, which is consistent with the Lord's own declaration that "no man can come unto me except the Father which hath sent me draw him" (John 6:44). It is God who bears us on eagles' wings and brings us unto Himself (1 Corinthians 1:9; Galatians 1:6; Romans 8:28).
"Not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace . . . ": The complete inadequacy of human nature with respect to all things Divine is repeatedly emphasised in Scripture, to counteract one of the greatest of all human failings—pride arising from a feeling of self-sufficiency, which is basically a denial of the supremacy of God. Israel were warned that their election and privilege were based upon God's covenants with the fathers which He kept with their children, and not upon their superiority in number or in righteousness (Deuteronomy 7:7).
The man of the highest attainments in wealth, strength or wisdom could make his boast only in his humble acceptance of the Divine ways (Jeremiah 9:23-24). In that passage which especially outlines the meaning of salvation—a deliverance from all the evil of the world and its consequence so outstanding that it could only be compared to an exchanging of death for life—it is twice declared, "By grace ye are saved ... for by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast" (Ephesians 2:5-9). Perhaps even now we are not completely delivered from the concept that somehow by our doctrinal orthodoxy alone or by our punctilious carrying out of certain acts we can earn salvation. Without adequate ideas about God we can neither know nor respond to His purpose; and when we do know and believe, our faith can be expressed only in what we do. But that response is not our righteousness, which can only be based upon faith in what God has done, "according to the good pleasure of his will": see Essay 30, page 256.
Verse 10: "But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ": The purpose determined before the creation of the world was made visible in the historical facts of the life and death of "Christ Jesus" (RV: for the order of words see on 1 Timothy 1:1, page 15), who is revealed as "our Saviour" because he embodies God's purpose to save. It is noteworthy that Christ never claimed the title of Saviour for himself (see Essay 29, page 255). The concept of an everlasting purpose in historical manifestation is frequent in Scripture. Isaiah particularly links the God of Creation with the covenants with Israel (chapters 40-45; see also Psalms 135, 136, 147 etc.). The purpose in Christ is also an eternal mystery "made manifest to his saints" (1 CorinÂthians 1:26; Romans 3:21; also especially Romans 16:25-27). See also notes on 1 Timothy 3:16 (pages 102-105); and for the phrase "the appearing" see pages 213, 214 and on Titus 2:11-14, especially pages 393-395.
"Who hath abolished death": The saving work of Christ is now summarised, with an emphasis appropriate to a man under sentence of death but also an apostle by the will of God according to the promise of life. Katargeo, 'abolish', is a powerful word, as its various translations clearly show: "make of none effect", "make void", "destroy", "loose from", "deliver from" (Romans 3:3,31; 4:14; 6:6; 7:2,6); "bring to nought", "come to nought", "fail", "vanish away", "put down", "be done away", "abolish" (1 Corinthians 1:28; 2:6; 13:8,10,11; 15:24; 2 Corinthians 3:7,13) and notably "The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death" (1 Corinthians 15:26).
Death, with the definite article as in the verse we are conÂsidering, reigned as a tyrant (Romans 5:14), but henceforth has no power (cf. Hebrews 2:14) since Christ abolished it by his resurrection, granting the hope of resurrection to all that are his. If they are still subject to death they know that they will come forth from the grave.
"And hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel": To reveal the true nature and reality of eternal life was to pour a flood of light over what had previously been hidden and obscure. "For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ", in whom "was life, and the life was the light of men" (2 Corinthians 4:6; John 1:4). This life is characterised by immortality, or more correctly, incorruptibility, the term Paul uses regularly to describe the resurrection-body (1 Corinthians 15:42,50,53), which is a body changed from corruptibility (verse 52) and "fashioned like unto (the Lord's) glorious body" (Philippians 3:21). IncorrupÂtibility is a gift which derives from God Himself, "who only hath immortality" (1 Timothy 6:16; Romans 2:7).
Contrary to the theory of those who think that these Letters betray ideas akin to Gnosticism, with their stress upon knowledge, "Paul affirms that this disclosure has been made through the gospel, by which he means not just the Christian message, but the entire revelation of God in Christ which forms its content" (Kelly, A Commentary on the Pastoral Epistles).
The important parenthesis of verses 9 and 10 provides the doctrinal foundation for the exhortation to Timothy which Paul now resumes. Such passages are again entirely characteristic of his writings and provide us with a good pattern for our own exhortations. They should not be mere spiritual homilies, psychoÂlogical sketches or expressions of personal experience, but a solid basis of Scripture from which may be drawn both patience and comfort, that we may have hope.
Verse 11: "Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles": Paul's "whereunto" is almost triumphant: for the Lord's prisoner he might be, but for such a Gospel as this who would not gladly suffer, especially since the Word of God was not bound? No prisoner he, in reality, for he had been appointed to a great work, no less than the proclamation of the Gospel. The three offices named are referred to in 1 Timothy 2:7, on which see the note on pages 65,66. As a "preacher" (more correctly, "herald") he had to give the message the greatest possible publicity, even by his sufferings if necessary; as an "apostle" he spoke not of himself, but had to transmit faithfully what had been committed to his trust by the one who had sent him; as a "teacher" he had to guide into the way of wisdom and truth by personal example as well as by the content of his message. See Essay 4 on "Sound Doctrine", pages 46-48. The parallels between Paul's situation and commission and Timothy's would be clear enough to the young man: he too had to render a public witness, and might have similarly to endure (2:3). The exhortation begun in 1:6 thus comes full circle with the words which follow.
Verse 12: "For the which cause I also suffer these things": The reason for confidence, even pride, in his sufferings is that nothing can alter God's purpose. If then he suffers for this cause, he must as surely rejoice in the crown of life yet to be bestowed: "For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ" (2 Corinthians 1:5).
"Nevertheless I am not ashamed": See on verse 8. But the Apostle's confidence goes beyond not feeling ashamed because he is despised—"the filth and offscouring of all things unto this day" (1 Corinthians 4:13)—bound like any thief or cut-throat. He knows he will never be put to shame, "according to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed" (Philippians 1:20). And why should he be, if Christ, the risen Christ, is not ashamed to call us brethren, and God is not ashamed to be called the God of men of faith (Hebrews 2:11; 11:16)? Or as the Psalmist put it: "Our fathers trusted in thee . . . and thou didst deliver them. They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not ashamed" (Psalm 22:4,5, RV).
"For I know whom I have believed": For the thought behind the rest of this verse, see Essay 25 on "The Good Deposit" (page 221). As God had entrusted to Paul the Gospel as a deposit, so Paul had entrusted his life to Him, confident that his "life was hid with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:3).
The Exhortation Resumed
Verse 13: "Holdfast the form of sound words": After the digression upon the testimony of the Lord and his own relationship to it, Paul resumes his exhortation to Timothy begun in verses 6-9. Timothy is to keep as his pattern the sound or healthful teaching he had received from Paul, his spiritual father. The only way to comÂbat the other-teachers and faithfully to discharge his responsibility as overseer in Ephesus was to be a herald and a teacher of the Gospel as it had been committed to him.
Hupotuposis was the artist's sketch or the author's synopsis in which the essence or the spirit of the work contemplated was exactly caught. Once it had been laid down, the detailed picture or the finished book was an exposition of it. So Paul is not here concerned with some creed or formula to be repeated but is urging Timothy to be unswervingly loyal to the teaching "which thou hast heard of me". An example of such a hupotuposis is given us in 2:8—"Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel''. Any exposition of the Gospel which nullified that vital point of doctrine was a cankerous, not a healthful word (2:17,18).
Even though the doctrine that it does not matter what one believes so long as it is sincerely held finds no place in the Pastoral Epistles, the spirit in which one holds and proclaims the Truth is important. It must be "in faith and love in Christ Jesus". Timothy had to live as well as hold the faith, manifesting all the qualities of the true believer, as in 1 Timothy 4:12, where faith and love are among the attributes which make him in his turn a tupos, an example, for others to follow (cf. Titus 2:7 and note, page 390). We do well to bear this exhortation in mind today, when the remedies offered for the ecclesias of the late twentieth century are either an emotional zeal which is said to render doctrine unimporÂtant, or a rigid traditionalism to be preserved by whatever method even when the end scarcely justifies the means. To follow either is not to know what manner of spirit we are of.
Verse 14: "That good thing which was committed unto thee" is quite simply "the good deposit" (page 221). The Revised Version's "guard" is the more faithful rendering of the verb. Paul obviousÂly regards Timothy as his "successor" and "legatee" (2:2), who is to preserve the Gospel safe from corruption and distortion. It was not only a matter of maintaining a historical tradition: the very life of the ecclesia depended upon it.
"Keep by the Holy Spirit which dwelleth in us": The "us" here is certainly Paul and Timothy. The young man is not to rely upon his own strength but upon that which God would give, indeed had already given if Timothy would "kindle it into flame" (1 Timothy 4:14; page 134). According to Paul in 1 Corinthians (12:4-11,28-31) there had been given to the servants of the first century ecclesia an appropriate endowment of the Spirit for the necessary tasks of grounding, settling and edifying the infant community (Ephesians 4:11-16). The interesting and vitally important fact emerges, however, that the gift was still "subject unto the prophets" or other recipient (1 Corinthians 14:32) and was no substitute for faith, hope and love (1 Corinthians 13). The sense of personal responsibility was necessary to ensure that the gift was exercised to the edifying of the ecclesia, and some of the elders of Ephesus who had been "ordained" by Paul had not been impelled by an inescapable sense of duty toward God, but had been more conÂcerned with "drawing away disciples after themselves" (Acts 20). Although the "us" of this passage, therefore, probably refers to Paul and Timothy, rather than to believers in general, the exhortation can be taken to ourselves, even though the Spirit-gift of "ordination" is not for us. Paul would show the same fatherly concern for us today, that we should hold fast the form of sound words, as we have been taught of him through the power of his word. For, as with Timothy, it would have no power in us if we were not receptive; and "if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his" (Romans 8:9). Moreover, we too have not to strive in our own might, but in that which God supplies to those who put their trust in Him.
1:15-18—Examples to Follow—and Avoid
Verse 15: "This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me": Many and varied are the explanations given of this sentence, from the wholesale defection of all the ecclesias in Asia to the failure of some of Paul's friends to stand with him in his trial (see 4:16). Certainly Paul is referring to something that affected him personally, but it is stretching "in Asia" too far, to imagine that it refers to some who had come "out of Asia" and were now back home, instead of staying to support the Apostle. Moreover, "this thou knowest" seems too emphatic to imply other than that Timothy knew because he, like the defectors, was in Asia at the time, rather than that Paul was now confirming what Timothy had only just gathered from the returning Asiatics.
There is no reason why "all in Asia" should not mean all those in Ephesus, the capital of the Roman province, on whom Paul had placed reliance either as personal friends or as faithful elders. As has been pointed out, "all are turned away" is consistent with the language of a man in prison deserted by trusted companions. "Turned away" is indeed a strong phrase, as in 4:4, Titus 1:14 and Hebrews 12:25. The personal pronoun, however, suggests that it is not the apostasy of the brethren Paul has in mind, but possibly the attitude of these brethren at the time of his arrest— a strong contrast to the tears of Timothy, of which Paul also retained a vivid and poignant recollection (1:4). It is possible, though, that Paul is referring to the "other-teachers", who had rejected his warnings and had brought such a different atmosÂphere into the ecclesia from that obtaining at the time of the visit described in Acts 20. "Phygellus and Hermogenes" are not known apart from the single reference to them here.
Verse 16: "The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus": It has been inferred, probably correctly, that Onesiphorus was dead at the time Paul wrote this, since there is a two-fold reference to his house (also in 4:19), as though his family had survived him and were in some need or difficulty (but see verse 18 below). Aptly named "a bringer of benefit", Onesiphorus is also known only through these references in 2 Timothy. Unlike Phygellus and Hermogenes and the rest, he had been an active supporter of Paul's.
"For he oft refreshed me": The word for "refreshed" is a "oncer", although it is related to "the times of refreshing" of Acts 3:20. The Old Testament antecedents of Peter's words there show the refreshing to be a time of renewal of spirit, of springs in the desert and of comforting—all of which Onesiphorus represented for the Apostle in prison. It is salutary to realise that even a Paul can feel the need of companionship, and although we do not know in detail the form the refreshing took, we do not need much imagination to realise how much benefit was derived from the visit, the spiritual conversation, perhaps the prayers together, and the gifts of food and other things to compensate for the rigours of a prison regime. "Lord, when saw we thee ... in prison, and came unto thee?"
"And was not ashamed of my chain": See the notes on verse 8 (pages 239,252). It could be that Onesiphorus had placed himself in some danger in his diligent searching for and frequent visits to a prisoner who had fallen foul of the Imperial authorities.
Verse 17: "He sought me out very diligently and found me": The record of Paul's case was almost certainly kept in the Tabularium, the Imperial public record office which still stands at one end of the Forum, beneath the Palazzio Senatorio or "City Hall" of modern Rome. There was no reason why the details or the whereabouts of Paul should have been widely known, however, and if Onesiphorus were a stranger in Rome he would have had difficulty in tracking down the Apostle. Important though he was to the Christians at Rome, Paul was but one of many awaiting trial, and the brethren may well have been reluctant at first to claim too accurate a knowledge to communicate to a comparative stranger. Alternatively, if Paul was still a notable prisoner as a leader of a now suspect sect (cf. Barabbas, Matthew 27:16), there was a further reason why the brethren would wish to prove Onesiphorus' credentials before giving him the information: caution ruled even if they were not afraid.
If Paul were not confined in the notorious Mamertine Prison, we must add to the foregoing the difficulty of finding one's way in a city as vast as Rome, and still suffering from the effects of the devastating fire of AD 64. At any rate, the diligence of Onesiphorus was rewarded, and Paul's statement is almost a cry of triumph: "And he found me!"
A Prayer for Mercy
Verse 18: "The Lord grant unto him": This verse has been taken as conclusive proof that Onesiphorus was not dead at the time Paul wrote. If he were, the argument runs, we have the only example of a prayer for the dead in Scripture. In so far as the Catholic practice of prayers for the dead is in view, that their souls may be released from purgatory, or any other practice which envisages survival after death, one can have sympathy with the objection. But the prayer is "that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day"—the day of judgement, which the Apostle has constantly in view in these Letters and in expectation of which he makes his solemn exhortations and warnings (1 Timothy 6:13-16; 2 Timothy 4:1; Titus 2:11-14, and notes).
The prayer for mercy "in that day" is natural to the Apostle, therefore, and, in full cognisance of the fact that for Onesiphorus, if he were dead, the book was made up already, as it were, and the course of his life irrevocably run, Paul can still with prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let his request be made known unto God (Philippians 4:6).
There remains the question of the identity of the two "Lords" of this passage: the first has the definite article, the second does not. Are both words to be applied to the Lord Jesus? Certainly the judgement is committed into the hands of the Son, and the underlying idea of Matthew 25 in this passage makes this identification of "the Lord" more probable. For all Onesiphorus' many acts of kindness, being done to Paul, had been done to Jesus, and Paul requests that when the Son of Man comes in his glory, he will say unto Onesiphorus, "Come, thou blessed of my Father . . . Inasmuch . . .". Yet it is God who is both the source of mercy and the Judge of all the earth (Romans 2:6; 3:6; 1 Timothy 6:14-15), as His very Name declared in, for example, Exodus 34:6-7.
How remarkable, then, to discover that Kyrios, without the article, is in fact the Septuagint form of the Name of God, rendered in the Authorised Version of the Old Testament as LORD. When Paul writes of mercy para Kyriou, "from the Lord", he must surely have this in mind. No doubt also, Paul intenÂtionally repeats the verb "find" from the previous verse: what better reward for a diligent attempt to find the Apostle in order to minister unto him, than that the seeker should_/i'n<f mercy of the Lord in the day of his coming?
"And in how many things he ministered unto me at Ephesus, thou knowest very well": Onesiphorus' behaviour in Rome was evidently well in keeping with his character, since he had been equally assiduous in the Apostle's service and no doubt in that of others in Ephesus. At any rate, Timothy had personal knowledge of these acts of kindness, as the verb for "know" indicates. In verse 15 it was oidas, the knowledge of facts: here it is ginoskeis, a more intimate knowledge based on experience. Perhaps the best comÂment on this whole section, and upon Onesiphorus, is to be found in Hebrews 6:10—"For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister."
ESSAY 27
Believers and Faithful in the New Testament uncircumcised". "So then they which are of (the) faith are blessed with faithful Abraham"—the believer (Galatians 3:9). In 2 CorinÂthians 6:15 the believers are Christians, Jew or Gentile, as the parallel between "Christ" and "he that believeth" and between "Belial" and "an infidel"—he that is "not a believer"—indicates. Finally, in Acts 10:45, converted Jews are described as "they of the circumcision which believed . . .".
AS a further proof that "the faith which dwelt" in Lois and Eunice was not the belief in God which all Jews professed but the faith in Christ, Hendriksen (1 & 2 Timothy and Titus, New Testament Commentary, Banner of Truth Trust) makes some interesting points on which the following comments are based:
- Eunice is introduced at the beginning of Paul's second journey
as a believing Jewish woman. - "Belief and "faith" are the same word in Greek, and it is
therefore probable that the sense of Lydia's words in Acts
16:15, after the Lord had opened her heart to those things Paul
was saying and she was baptized, is "If ye judge me to be a
believer in the Lord, come into my house". Before her baptism
she had been described (verse 14) as one that worshipped God,
which is the term usually applied to religious proselytes (Acts
13:43), devout women (13:50) and devout Greeks (17:4) who
assembled at the synagogue with the Jews and who were
amongst the first to respond to the apostolic preaching (17:4
again). - In Acts 16:31 and 34 the Philippian gaoler is described as
"believing in God with all his house" after his baptism.
It seems that Paul uses the term for those who had formerly trusted in the promises, whether Jew or Gentile, and then had eagerly accepted Christ as the confirmation and fulfilment of those promises. In Romans 4:12 Abraham is the father of them "who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet
ESSAY 28 The Lord's Prisoner
THE word for "prisoner" (desmios) is the usual Greek expression and always denotes that the captive was not merely in prison but bound, either in wooden stocks or a collar (Acts 16:24), or in chains. There is frequent reference to the use of chains in the New Testament, and on occasions in a speech Paul indicated his own fetters to emphasise his point: "For the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain" (Acts 28:20). Onesiphorus was "not ashamed of my chain" and was a frequent visitor to the Apostle's prison in Rome (2 Timothy 1:16-17). The first precaution taken by the captain of the guard in Jerusalem, when he rescued Paul from the mob, was to bind him with two chains before opening his enquiry (see Mark 5:3; Luke 8:29; Acts 12:6,7; 21:33).
Tradition and Truth
In Rome there are many traditions about Peter and Paul and relics supposedly associated with them in their sojourn there are displayed for veneration. We can dismiss the superstitious element, of course, and question the traditions, but we can sometimes learn from the objects or places themselves.
In the Church of St. Peter in Chains in Rome, the supposed fetters that bound that Apostle are on view. Whatever their true origin they are very old and at least are fashioned on the ancient model, if not themselves of the first century. They are of iron and very heavy, and would obviously chafe the limbs and weary the captive, encumbered as he was in every movement. Together with the scourgings which were freely administered as part of the process of interrogation, they expressed the brutality of the treatÂment meted out to all who came into conflict with the law and order of the day. Certainly such humiliation should never have been inflicted upon any ambassador, much less one who came with a message of reconciliation and peace.
Whether Paul bore his chains throughout the long journey from Caesarea to Rome for his first imprisonment is doubtful, especially in view of the high regard in which he was held by the centurion in charge. Apparently the prisoners on the wrecked ship were not in chains either, otherwise the soldiers would not have advised killing them to prevent their escape. It is probable that Paul was only loosely fettered on the march up the Appian Way until the point where the road dips down and the city opened out in full view. There was then but a short march to the gate, and so the prisoner was once more heavily secured in the manner traditional for captives being brought into the city.
Where was he then imprisoned? There are two possibilities. If the word praitorion in Philippians referred to the camp of the Praetorian Guard, then Paul was incarcerated in the barracks on the northern side of the city. But in fact the transport and guarding of prisoners from the provinces was not the duty of the emperor's personal bodyguard, but of the troops stationed in the castra peregrina, or barracks for troops from outside the city. It is far more likely that the translation "Caesar's palace", or imperial court, is the correct one since the palace was a general headÂquarters, and probably housed those who, having appealed to the emperor, were detained until sentence was formally passed which determined their fate—death, imprisonment or liberty. The evidence suggests that Paul, who had to wait the statutory two years to see if his accusers came to conduct the prosecution, as the law demanded, was taken there first and then transferred to "house arrest" in his own hired house (Acts 28:30).
A Grim Abode
The second imprisonment envisaged in 2 Timothy was, however, a vastly different affair. The arrest and prosecution were a matter of state, not of private or provincial concern; for this there was no "open" prison. Again tradition puts both Peter and Paul in the Mamertine Prison, at the foot of the Capitoline Hill. This was the scene of famous executions in Roman history and the place where the captives led in a Roman general's triumph were done to death, before the procession went on its way up to the Capitol to give thanks for victory to the supreme gods of the Roman world.
Again, there is nothing inherently improbable in such a tradition. From what is known of dungeons in the Ancient World (compare the gaol which still stands in Philippi), the Mamertine Prison is as typical as any. It is gloomy, dank and chill, even sinister in its atmosphere, the kind of place in which Paul would regard with apprehension the onset of winter and urgently request "the cloke that I left at Troas with Carpus" (2 Timothy 4:13). The present-day visitor to the lower cell can easily understand why Paul so greatly appreciated the visits of Onesiphorus, who "oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain"—truly a breath of fresh air to revive the spirit of a man who knew that the time of his departure was at hand (1:16; 4:6).
It is interesting to note, in passing, that in 2 Corinthians 2:14-16 (RV) we have a probable allusion to the ceremony of a Roman triumph, during which incense was offered as the procesÂsion passed by, the conquering general escorted by prominent citizens and his victorious army, for whom the occasion was one of joy. Accompanying them also were the mourning captives, destined either for slavery or death. The Gospel proclaimed the Lord's triumph, as "he led captivity captive", to bring life and peace to those who received it, but judgement and death to those who refused.
"Now thanks be unto God, which always leadeth us in triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest through us the savour of his knowledge in every place. For we are a sweet savour of Christ and God, in them that are being saved, and in them that are perishing; to the one a savour from death unto death; to the other a savour from life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?" (2 Corinthians 2:16)
Who, indeed!
ESSAY 29 "God our Saviour"
"SAVIOUR" as a title of God is characteristic of the Pastoral Epistles (page 34). Throughout the Old Testament God's power to save is emphasised by psalmist and prophet, who take up the theme from the Song of Moses at the Red Sea: "The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation" (Exodus 15:2; Psalm 118:14; Isaiah 12:2). Saving grace is revealed in that holy Name which expresses all His compassion and forgiveness, together with His judgement (Exodus 34:6,7). But in what sense is it true that He hath saved us? Some have found a matter for conÂtroversy in the question of whether salvation is a "present possesÂsion". There are those Scriptures which speak of salvation and eternal life as already granted, and those which refer the gift of both to the day of judgement and recompense.
As usual, the resolution of the problem lies in rightly dividing— holding a straight course in—the Word of God. The language which speaks of God's purpose as already fulfilled expresses the finality of all God's works from His point of view: "He spake and it was done"; they "were finished from the foundation of the world" (Psalm 33:9; Hebrews 4:3). Man's part as an individual in the work of God, however, is not so sure. Those whose names are already written in the book of life may have them blotted out; one of the twelve appointed to sit upon thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel, turned out to be a son of perdition. God can call things that are not as though they are, and even the dead "live unto him"; but for us victory is not certain until "the only wise God our Saviour" presents us "faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy" (Philippians 4:3; Revelation 3:5; Matthew 19:28; John 17:12; Mark 12:26,27; Jude 24,25).
ESSAY 30 The Good Pleasure of His Will
"GOOD WILL", "good pleasure", "be well pleased" are all translations of either the verb eudoked or the noun eudokia. The Old Testament equivalent is ratzon translated "good will" in Deuteronomy 33:16. The theme we have been considering can be summed up beautifully in a brief consideration of the "good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself". The expressions mentioned above occur in Luke 2:14, Ephesians 1:5,9, Philip-pians 2:13, and 2 Thessalonians 1:11. The contexts are the birth of Christ, the predestination of the saints to adoption as God's children by Jesus Christ, the revelation of the mystery of God's will, a prayer that God "may fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power". In Matthew 11:26 the phrase, "for so it seemed good (eudokia) in thy sight", figures in the Lord's comment upon Psalm 8, which is eloquent of the purpose of God in the manifestation of His Name.
The verb occurs especially with reference to God's acknowÂledgement of His beloved Son at his baptism (Matthew 3:17; Mark 1:11; Luke 3:22) and at the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:5; 2 Peter 1:17). Its Old Testament roots are seen in Isaiah 42:1 (quoted in Matthew 12:18) and in Psalms 51:18 and 103:21.
The passages in the Psalms are closely related to the forgiveness of sins; the creation of a clean heart and the renewal of a right spirit, that a man may be enabled to worship rightly; the redempÂtion of our life which is, apart from God's mercy, as a flower of the field; and the praise of His glory by the works of His hands, His angels and ministers alike (see Essay 51, "For We are His Workmanship", page 423).
In Deuteronomy 33:16, which refers to "the good will of him who dwelt in the bush", God's purpose in the manifestation of Himself and the glorifying of His Name was enunciated, a purpose to be unfolded with power and compassion. Israel, alas, did not respond and so, said Paul, "with many of them he was not well pleased" (1 Corinthians 10:5) and so could not accomplish His purpose in them.
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