2 Timothy, Part One
Greeting - Remembering Our Calling
2 Timothy 1 1v1-2
15th May 2026
Paul's second letter to Timothy is probably his last letter, written shortly before he was executed. It was his last opportunity to encourage and instruct his protege, Timothy. It’s a beautiful letter, filled with pastoral concern, wisdom and faithfulness. He begins:
2 Timothy 1v1-2
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, in keeping with the
promise of life that is in Christ Jesus,
To Timothy, my dear son:
Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
This form of introduction was very common at the time, and can be found in all Paul's letters. First, it identifies the sender of the letter. Second, it identifies the recipient or recipients of the letter. Third, it pronounces a blessing on the recipient or recipients.
Paul identifies himself as an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, in keeping with the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus. Of course, Timothy knew who Paul was. I think Paul was reminding Timothy of his status and therefore his authority, based on God’s calling him to his role in the church. Perhaps Timothy, by nature a rather timid man, needed to be reminded that both Paul’s authority in the church and his own come from God and must not be disregarded.
The word "apostle" means "one sent out". Paul was sent out by the will of God. It was God who ordained Paul to be an apostle, who sent Paul out from the church at Antioch to preach the Good News of Jesus across modern-day Turkey and Europe:
Acts 13v1-3
Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas,
Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a member of the court
of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set
apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."
Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them
off.
Thus Paul travelled with God's authority. He was an apostle of Christ Jesus. He was sent by God to serve Jesus. He was not sent to talk about his own opinions or beliefs. He was not sent to impress people with his oratorical skills or his wisdom. He was not sent to make money. He was sent to preach the Good News of Jesus. So are all ministers of the Gospel. Being a church leader is not a career. It's not about finding a way to make a living and pay the bills. It's about dedicated service to Christ in obedience to God, whatever the cost.
Paul was an apostle in keeping with the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus. The Gospel of Christ is the promise of life – eternal life. That eternal life can be lived by those – and only by those – who believe the Gospel. The moment we repent and believe in Jesus, we are born again. We become new people. We inherit eternal life. As Jesus told Martha:
John 11v25-26
"… Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,
and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die."
The purpose of an apostle is to travel, to preach the Gospel, to plant churches and to teach about the eternal life that Jesus offers. He has no other purpose. There is no higher calling. This is how Paul identifies himself – a man whose life is dedicated to serving Jesus in this way.
Paul addresses his letter to Timothy, my dear son. Timothy was not Paul's son according to the flesh but in the church, in Christ, we form relationships that are closer than earthly family relationships. Jesus went so far as to say:
Luke 14v26
"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife
and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot
be my disciple."
People can misunderstand this saying. When Jesus uses the word "hate" He doesn't mean "wish harm upon"; He means "be willing to neglect". Jesus is saying that a true disciple of Christ, as Paul certainly was, must be willing to put God first, and that means to turn his back on his family if his service to Christ requires it. God gives us great compensation when we make this sort of sacrifice. As Jesus also said:
Matthew 19v29
"everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or
children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold and will
inherit eternal life."
Part of this compensation is the love of fellow Christians, some of whom become closer than a brother, closer than a son, closer than a father. Paul saw Timothy as his son. He addressed his first letter to Timothy:
1 Timothy 1v2
To Timothy, my true child in the faith:
He told the Philippians:
Philippians 2v22
… you know Timothy's proven worth, how as a son with a father he has served
with me in the gospel.
Paul concludes this introduction with the blessing: "Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord". This is exactly the same blessing as Paul gave Timothy in his first letter to him. We always need these things from God. The Greek word "charis" has been translated into the English word "grace" for so long that it would seem strange to use a different English word for it. However, a better translation would be "generosity". It means God's predisposition to give. Paul prays that God would be generous to Timothy, and that He would show him mercy and give him peace. Mercy is not treating us as we deserve. Because of God's mercy, we can experience His peace.
Timothy was working as the pastor of the church in Ephesus. That role would have had many challenges. Timothy and the Christians under his care would have experienced persecution, temptation, false teaching and demonic attacks (as Ephesians 6v10-18 suggests). Timothy would have needed courage, patience, and the ability to endure suffering of various kinds. He needed God's generosity to provide for his spiritual, emotional and practical needs. He needed God's mercy when he made mistakes, and when he committed sin, as we all do. He needed God's peace in the midst of his own turmoil and the turmoil of the Christians around him.
Paul knew what discipleship to Christ, allied with church leadership, can cost a man. He didn't pray that Timothy would be spared this trouble. He knew from his own experience that trouble was inevitable if Timothy was to fulfil his calling. Paul prayed instead that God would give him the resources – the grace, mercy and peace – that he would need.
May God give you the grace, mercy and peace that you need to live the life God has called you to live, in Jesus's name. Amen.