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2 Timothy
Chapter Four
I.
Content of the Chapter
The Ambitions God’s Workers should Have
I.
Preach the word (v.1-4).
II. Endure afflictions (v.5).
III. Be willing to be poured out (v.6-7).
IV. Love the appearing of the Lord (v.8).
V. Be forsaken by men (v.9-13).
VI. But have the presence of the Lord (v.14-17).
VII. To Him be glory (v.18-22).
II.
Verse by Verse commentary
2Tim. 4:1 “I charge you therefore
before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at
His appearing and His kingdom:”
YLT: “I do fully testify,
then, before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who is about to judge living and
dead at his manifestation and his reign --”
Meaning of Words: “kingdom”: the realm
of dominion; “charge”: instruct solemnly and seriously (the emphatic tone).
Literal Meaning: “I…therefore
before God” similar phrases
were mentioned six times in the first and second books of Timothy (1Tim. 2:3;
5:4, 21; 6:13; 2Tim. 2:14; 4:1) and they have the following meanings: 1) it
shows that one has the responsibility before God; 2) it is serious and solemn
and it is not the causal talk; 3) speaking according to the authority given by
God; 4) teaching according to the revelation and light given by God.
“And
the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead” “judge” refers to the judgment of the last
days when the Lord comes for the second time. “Judge the living” indicates that
when the Lord comes, He shall gather all the people who are still alive on the
earth before Him to execute the judgment (Matt. 25:31-46). “Judge…the dead”
indicates that all the dead who had not partaken in the first resurrection
(Rev. 20:5) shall stand before the throne and be judged according to their
works (Rev. 20:12-13). “Jesus
Christ” is the Lord
appointed by God to judge the living and the dead (Acts. 10:42; 17:31;
“Charging you at His appearing and His kingdom” “His appearing” refers to the appearing
when He comes for the second time and He shall execute the judgment at that
time (Matt. 16:27). “His kingdom” indicates that He shall reign with overcomers
when the heavenly kingdom is fully realized (Rev. 20:4, 6).
This
sentence shows that Paul encouraged Timothy by the Lord’s appearing and His
kingdom to stand firm for the truth, and be loyal to his ministry so that he
could receive reward and reign with the Lord when the Lord comes for the second
time (See v.8; 2:12).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The authority that a preacher speaks does not
lie in his knowledge, eloquence and position but depends on whether he speaks
before God.
2) Christians should always live before God and be
able to give an account for his words and deeds to God confidently.
3) The more preachers know God and Christ, the more
spiritually powerful they speak.
4) Watchman Nee said in his psalm that, “I’m daily
gazing at the light out of His judgment seat, that all my living and works may
stand before the test of fire”.
5) The kingdom of heaven is not the salvation that
the Lord gives believers but the reward. We should run the race before us in
the warning and hope of the kingdom.
6) The only thing which could comfort, encourage
and attract a faithful servant of the Lord is the glorious “appearing” of the
Lord whom he loves all his life.
2Tim. 4:2 “Preach the word! Be ready
in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering
and teaching.”
YLT: “preach the word; be
earnest in season, out of season, convict, rebuke, exhort, in all
long-suffering and teaching,”
Meaning of Words: “ready”: emergent,
urgent, always ready, stand by; “exhort”: comfort, advice.
Literal Meaning: this verse shows the
connotation of “charging” (See v.1):
1) The
content: “preach the word” is the imperative verb; “preach” refers to preaching
the gospel and teaching the sound word of God (See v.3).
2) The
time: “in
season and out of season” “in season” refers
to good opportunities; “out
of season” refers to bad
opportunities; this sentence shows that preaching the word should not be
restrained by time.
3) The
attitude: “be ready” is the second imperative verb in this sentence. “Ready”
refers to putting his whole in and trying his best to do.
4) The
means: “with
all longsuffering and teaching” “all longsuffering” refers to all patience, i.e. “endurance”
(See 2Cor. 6:6; 12:12); “teaching” refers to teaching various kinds of truths
from different kinds of angles.
5) The
way: “convince,
rebuke, exhort” “convince” implies
correcting errors; “rebuke” refers to awakening; “exhort” refers to the
positive guidance. The above-mentioned three words are the imperative verbs.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Christians should be ready to preach the gospel
to men and bear witness for the Lord.
2) The longer the time passes, the father men
depart from the truth (See v.3) and therefore we should preach the word in
season, otherwise it will be out of season forever.
3) We should neither preach the gospel and bear
witness to the Lord seasonally nor be off and on by the influence of
environment. We should know that the holy words of the Lord are “the words of
eternal life” (See John. 6:68) which themselves are not restrained by time. And
therefore each day is our opportunity to preach the word before the Lord comes
again to conclude this age.
4) Regardless of the number of those who listen to
the word and the good or bad of the place of meeting and zeal and idleness of
those who join the meeting, we should be ready to preach the word and never be
perfunctory.
5) For the coming judgment and the reward of the
kingdom (See v.1), we shall be condemned unfaithful and unable to partake in
the kingdom if we are not ready to preach the word.
6) The work of preaching may be not effective
immediately and therefore we should be with all longsuffering.
7) We should never “meet changes with constancy” in
the work of preaching and we should give various kinds of teachings with
different kinds of expressions at all times for the degree and need of the
targets.
2Tim. 4:3 “For the time will come
when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires,
because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers;”
YLT: “for there shall be
a season when the sound teaching they will not suffer, but according to their
own desires to themselves they shall heap up teachers -- itching in the
hearing,”
Meaning of Words: “not endure”: not
tolerate, not suffer, not contain; “sound”: blameless, healthy, wholesome;
“heap up”: pile up, amass, the unnecessary accumulation.
Literal Meaning: “For the time will come” “for” refers to the reason for charging
(See v.1). “The time” refers to the time when perilous times come (See 3:1).
“When
they will not endure sound doctrine”
“not endure” refers to disliking from their hearts. “Sound doctrine” refers to the healthy doctrine (See 1Tim. 6:3).
“But
according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap
up for themselves teachers” “have itching ears” indicates that they like listening to the
words which sound comfortable and pleasant.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Men are unwilling to give their eras to what
they should listen to and like listening to what they should not give their
ears to. So is the world and the carnal Christians.
2) There is one lust in men’s nature that men like
listening to new things (Acts. 17:21) regardless of whether the words conform
to the truth. And therefore the heretical teachers could have loopholes to
exploit.
3) The reason why heresies are well received by men
is that they pander to men’s lusts. Some new reasons are made up so that men
will feel no qualm to persist in their old ways after men have heard them.
4) It is true that preachers should not keep back
anything because men do not endure sound doctrine. However, they should try
their best to improve the skills in preaching so that the truth could be sent
into the ears of listeners.
2Tim. 4:4 “and they will turn their
ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.”
YLT: “and indeed, from
the truth the hearing they shall turn away, and to the fables they shall be turned
aside.”
Literal Meaning: “and they will turn their
ears away from the truth” “turn their ears
away” refers to refusing to hear.
“And
be turned aside to fables” “be turned aside”
refers to getting off track rapidly; “fables” refers to the groundless words.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Men turn their ears away from the truth first
and then will be turned aside to fables. And therefore the best way to guard
against heresies is to be fully filled by the sound words of God.
2) The world has been destroyed to a certain degree
that the more groundless the stories are (even the fantastic myths), the more
men like giving their ears to them.
2Tim. 4:5 “But you be watchful in
all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your
ministry.”
YLT: “And thou -- watch
in all things; suffer evil; do the work of one proclaiming good news; of thy
ministration make full assurance,”
Meaning of Words: “be watchful”: be
sober, be on alert, be discreet; “an evangelist”: declaring the glad tidings;
“fulfill”: accomplish.
Literal Meaning: “But you be watchful in all
things, endure afflictions” this sentence
shows what preachers should know in the negative aspects: 1) “be watchful in all things”, i.e. being vigilant everywhere and being
alert against the attacks of enemies; 2) “endure afflictions” it means that no matter how carefully men
are on guard, they still suffer persecution and tribulation unavoidably and
therefore they have to endure them.
“Do
the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” this sentence shows what preachers should know in
the positive aspects: 1) “do
the work of an evangelist”, i.e. being ready
to preach the word in season and out of season (See v.2); 2) “fulfill your ministry”, i.e. trying one’s best to obtain the
greatest effect.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Though men will not endure sound doctrine (See
v.3) and turn their ears away from the truth, we should still do the work of an
evangelist because it is our ministries.
2) It is the problem of others if they reject the
truth. It is our problem if we do not fulfill our ministries and the Lord shall
ask us.
3) To the faithful and wise preachers, it is not
accounted to fulfill their ministries to preach the word of God outside of
their suffering for the Lord but to obtain the achievements of preaching in
their enduring afflictions.
2Tim. 4:6 “For I am already being
poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand.”
YLT: “for I am already
being poured out, and the time of my release hath arrived;”
Meaning of Words: “departure”: setting
sail, striking camp,
release, casting off the boat; “at hand”: falling in suddenly, coming
unexpectedly.
Literal Meaning: “For I am already being
poured out as a drink offering” here it used the
ceremony of the sacrifice the drink-offering in the Old Testament (Num.
15:1-10) as a metaphor for Paul’s devoting his life to God. The Roman citizens
did not have the punishment of crucifixion but had the decollation. He
predicted that he was going to die soon and pour his fresh blood.
“And
the time of my departure is at hand”
“departure” refers to the death in the flesh (See Pill. 1:21-22). “Is at hand”
shows that he had predicted that he would be martyred for the Lord.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) To those who do not have Christ, death is the
greatest disaster and therefore men are afraid of death and reject the death.
However, to those who know Christ, it is far better to depart and to be with
Christ (Pill. 1:23).
2) The world is reduced to being servants of Satan
through fear of death (Heb. 2:15) and Christians are willing to lay down their
own necks for the sake of preaching because they are not afraid of death (Rom.
16:4).
2Tim. 4:7 “I have fought the good
fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
YLT: “the good strife I
have striven, the course I have finished, the faith I have kept,”
Literal Meaning: “I have fought the good
fight” “the good fight”
in the original refers to all kinds of sports competitions and here it
specially refers to fighting the spiritual fight of faith (1Tim. 6:12); “have
fought” in the original means that “I have suffered the good pain”.
“I
have finished the race” “the race” refers
to the race that lies before every believer (Heb. 12:1).
“I
have kept the faith” “the faith” refers
to the faith which was once delivered unto the saints (Jude. 3).
“Have fought, have finished and have kept” the
three verbs are the perfect tense, showing that at that time, Paul was
convinced that he had finished what the Lord had entrusted him
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Every normal Christian has triple duties to do:
a) partaking in the spiritual conflicts; 2) finishing the heavenly race; 3)
keeping the faith.
2) All the labor, pain and tribulation that we
suffer for the Lord are good and valuable.
3) Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which
so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set
before us (Heb. 12:1).
4) It is easy to hear the faith and it is difficult
to keep the faith. If we want to keep the faith, we have to know that the
“faith” is the most precious gift.
2Tim. 4:8 “Finally, there is laid up
for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will
give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His
appearing”
YLT: “henceforth there is
laid up for me the crown of the righteousness that the Lord -- the Righteous
Judge -- shall give to me in that day, and not only to me, but also to all
those loving his manifestation.”
The
Background: “crown” in the
ancient Olympic sports meet, overcomers would gain the head-ring woven by the
laurel’ leaves and it was called the crown.
Literal Meaning: “Finally, there is laid up
for me the crown of righteousness”
“the crown of
righteousness” is a metaphor for
God’s acceptance and satisfaction.
“Which
the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day” “righteous” indicates that the rewards and
punishment are just: not only the failures will be punished but also the
overcomers will be rewarded. “That Day” refers to the Day when men are judged
before the judgment seat of Christ.
“And
not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing” “all who have loved His appearing” refers to those who feel that they have the
assurance of overcoming like Paul and therefore they love the Lord to come as
soon as possible.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Loving the appearing of the Lord and loving the
Lord Himself are inseparable. If we indeed love the Lord, we shall love His
appearing.
2) Let our hearts to rise from the ground to meet
the Lord and be with Him first. Those who love the Lord all live in the second
coming of the Lord and their hearts are not bound by anything or anyone on
earth.
3) Though we cannot receive the great commission
and be used greatly by the Lord like Paul, if we “love” the Lord’s “appearing”
wholeheartedly, regard the Lord’s final perfect manifestation as a mark and
walk in it all the time, we shall receive the Lord’s “crown of righteousness” like Paul.
2Tim. 4:9 “Be diligent to come to me
quickly;”
YLT: “Be diligent to come
unto me quickly,”
Literal Meaning: “be diligent” means
that the time is short and one has to put into practice without any delay.
2Tim. 4:10 “for Demas has forsaken
me, having loved this present world, and has departed for
Thessalonica--Crescens for
YLT: “for Demas forsook
me, having loved the present age, and went on to Thessalonica, Crescens to
Literal Meaning: “for Demas…having loved this present world” the name of “Demas” was mentioned three times in
the epistles of Paul (this time is included) (Col. 4:14; Philem. 24). However,
Paul never praised him and it shows that probably his intention and attitude to
serve the Lord were not good from the beginning. “Love” and “love” in v.8 are
the same word in the original. “This present world” is opposite to “the coming kingdom”, showing that
he only minded the present reality and ignored the reward in future.
“Has forsaken me, and has departed for Thessalonica” “has forsaken me” indicates that he
departed from Paul without his permission. However, it does not mean that Demas
departed from the truth. “Thessalonica” was within the borders of
“Crescens
for
“Titus
for
2Tim. 4:11 “Only Luke is with me. Get
Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for ministry.”
YLT: “Lukas only is with
me; Markus having taken, bring with thyself, for he is profitable to me for
ministration;”
Literal Meaning: “Only Luke is with me” “Luke” was the author of the Gospel of
Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. He was a physician. Paul kept Luke with him
probably because he needed his care concerning his healthy condition.
“Get
Mark and bring him with you” “Mark” was the
author of the Gospel of Mark and he was also named John. He departed from the
group privately and returned to
“For
he is useful to me for ministry” “is useful” refers
to being helpful. He was able to share the work of preaching.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) We could lean many spiritual lessons from the
case between Paul and Mark. We should never condemn one side invariably and
exalt the other side.
2) In the New Testament, the one who has the
brightest spiritual light should be Paul and the one who has the best character
should be Barnabas. Such two fellow-workers separate from each other for Mark,
showing that it is unavoidable for men to have different opinions in the
church, however, we should not hate each other for disagreement.
3) Though Paul and Barnabas did work together
later, they still respected each other (See 1Cor. 9:6; Col. 4:10). Mark served
the Lord with Barnabas and became a faithful and useful preacher later. It
proves that Barnabas did not have the dispute because of selfishness at that
time.
4) Mark was given a lesson by Paul who refused to
work with him for the moment because his temporary failure. Both sides did not
turn to be completely isolated from each other all their lives. It shows that
believers may separate for different opinions, however, they are still
concerned about each other in the Lord.
5) Mark was born in
a rich family and was pampered since childhood. He could not suffer the labor
of going out to serve the Lord and departed from the group halfway. But later
he was trained to be a useful vessel. It shows that we could not make the final
decision according to one’s temporary performance and we should never regard
anyone as one who is unable to be trained.
6) Paul did not keep the record and used men
according to their abilities. Regardless of whether one was his student, he
greatly used him who was helpful to the work of the Lord. He was a good example
of a masterbuilder.
2Tim. 4:12 “And Tychicus I have sent
to
YLT: “and Tychicus I sent
to
Literal Meaning: when Paul wrote this
epistle, Timothy was probably in
2Tim. 4:13 “Bring the cloak that I
left with Carpus at
YLT: “the cloak that I
left in
Meaning of Words: “Carpus”: fruit.
Literal Meaning: “Bring the cloak that I left
with Carpus at
“And
the books, especially the parchments”
“the books” refers to the books made by bulrushes. Probably they were various
kinds of reference books. “The parchments” refers to the documents that were
more valuable and were transcribed in the sheepskin. Probably they were the
scriptures of the Old Testament.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The “cloak” is for the need of the “body”; the
“books” are for the need of the “soul”; the “parchments” are for the need of
the “spirit”. Christians should give consideration to various kinds of needs of
the spirit, the soul and the body. We should keep the balance and be
thoughtful.
2) Some preachers advocate that men do not need to
read any books except the Bible. Those who have said so indeed forget that: a)
The spiritual giant like Paul still read books before his death. Are we more
spiritual than him? b) Preachers themselves have read many books which help
them to have a little foundation. How could we kick away the ladder? c) Reading
the spiritual books and listening to the word are the different approaches to
the same purpose. If we could “listen to” the word, why cannot we “read” the
books?
3) We never graduate in reaching the Bible and
books. Christians should live and learn until we meet the countenance of the
Lord.
2Tim. 4:14 “Alexander the coppersmith
did me much harm. May the Lord repay him according to his works.”
YLT: “Alexander the
coppersmith did me much evil; may the Lord repay to him according to his
works,”
Literal Meaning: “Alexander the coppersmith
did me much harm.” The name of
“Alexander” was also mentioned in other two places in the New Testament (Acts.
19:33; 1Tim. 1:20). However, no document could prove that the three places
refer to the same person. “The coppersmith” may be related to the business of
making shrines and statues for false gods at that time. “Did me much harm” probably refers to falsely incriminating
Paul by rigging events or evidence when he was tried in court.
“May
the Lord repay him according to his works” It means that Paul was powerless to other’s
unreasonable persecution and he only handed him over to the hand of the
righteous Lord. However, it does not mean that Paul cursed him or hoped the
Lord to punish him.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) When facing the persecution of wicked ones, if
the politics and the law cannot protect us, Christians have to hand them over
to the hand of the gracious Lord peacefully. He is the supreme ruler of the
universe and we should let Him decide for us.
2) Every one shall be “rendered” according to what
he has done in this life, whether good or bad (Ps. 62:12; Prov. 24:12;
2Tim. 4:15 “You also must beware of
him, for he has greatly resisted our words.”
YLT: “of whom also do
thou beware, for greatly hath he stood against our words;”
Meaning of Words: “greatly”: very,
extremely, highly.
Literal Meaning: “You also must beware of him” from this we could know that Timothy’s way
to
“For
he has greatly resisted our words”
this sentence has two interpretations: 1) retorting Paul’s explanation in
court; 2) preaching the heresies and resisting the truth (See 3:8).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) It is said by a common saying that, “one should
not do harm to others, but should always guard against the harm others might do
to him”. The Lord also teaches us to beware of false prophets (Matt. 7:15) and
beware of men (Matt. 10:17).
2) Working for the Lord is as sheep in the midst of
wolves and therefore we should be wise as serpents and harmless as doves (Matt.
10:16).
2Tim. 4:16 “At my first defense no
one stood with me, but all forsook me. May it not be charged against them.”
YLT: “in my first defence
no one stood with me, but all forsook me, (may it not be reckoned to them!)”
Literal Meaning: “At my first defense” It does not refer to the defense during
Paul’s being put into the Roman prison for the first time. It refers to the
defense that Paul made in the hearing when the court session was opened for the
first time, after he was imprisoned for the second time.
“No
one stood with me, but all forsook me”
At that time many Christians hid themselves because they were afraid of being
involved by the case and did not come forward to speak in defense of Paul (See
1:15). “But
all forsook me” does not indicate
that they all rejected the faith but that they dare not bear witness for him
because they were afraid of stirring up trouble.
“May
it not be charged against them” It is similar to
the words that the Lord and Stephen said at the point of death (Luke. 23:34;
Acts. 7:60), showing that he fully received the arrangement of God’s hands and
did not have regret and hatred toward men.
2Tim. 4:17 “But the Lord stood with
me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me,
and that all the Gentiles might hear. Also I was delivered out of the mouth of
the lion.”
YLT: “and the Lord stood
by me, and did strengthen me, that through me the preaching might be fully
assured, and all the nations might hear, and I was freed out of the mouth of a
lion,”
Literal Meaning: “But the Lord stood with me
and strengthened me” It shows that the
Lord’s presence is his source of strength.
“So
that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles
might hear.” It indicates that
his receiving the trail in Roman court contrarily gave him a chance to preach
the gospel so that the unbelieving officials and jailors could hear the gospel
(See Pill. 1:12-13).
“Also
I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion” “the
mouth of the lion” is a metaphor and
it refers to the extreme danger because it is illegal to throw Roman citizens
to the lion for their crimes. Here the single word “the lion” probably refers
to Satan.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) God will never disregard us when we suffer
tribulation------no matter how tough the circumstances are and how bad the
conditions are, God will still give us strength.
2) God has not promised skies always blue and
flowers strewn pathways. However He has promised grace for us to keep
unshakable. His presence and grace are enough for us to overcome hardship and
tribulation.
2Tim. 4:18 “And the Lord will deliver
me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. To Him be
glory forever and ever. Amen!”
YLT: “and the Lord shall
free me from every evil work, and shall save [me] -- to his heavenly kingdom;
to whom [is] the glory to the ages of the ages! Amen.”
Meaning of Words: “Amen”: verily,
trustworthy.
Literal Meaning: “And the Lord will deliver
me from every evil work” “every evil work”
includes:1) every evil work that a man may suffer when he lives in the flesh in
the world; 2) every evil work that the wicked one (Matt. 6:13) adds to
believers.
“And
preserve me for His heavenly kingdom.”
“His heavenly
kingdom” refers to
receiving the reward of the kingdom.
“To
Him be glory forever and ever. Amen!”
There is a definite article before “glory” in the original, indicating that the
glory is of God and it is God’s glory. It is the glory that God manifests
Himself. “Forever
and ever” means generation
by generation and keeping on recurring ceaselessly.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) When living in the world, unavoidably we may
suffer every evil work which comes from the wicked one the devil. And therefore
we should, according to what the Lord has taught us in person, pray to the Lord
to ask Him to “deliver us from the evil one” (Matt. 6:13). And we should also
have the faith like Paul that we trust that “the Lord will deliver me (us) from every evil work”.
2) To all those who glorify God, we should glorify
Him forever and ever. Many people only glorify God temporarily in their
walkings and they turn to glorify themselves quickly.
2Tim. 4:19 “Greet Prisca and
YLT: “Salute Prisca and
Aquilas, and Onesiphorus' household;”
Literal Meaning: “Greet Prisca and Aquila” wherever they arrived the husband and wife
opened their house to take fellow-workers in (Acts. 18:1-3) for the gathering
of the church (
In the Bible the name of the wife Prisca was placed before
“And
the household of Onesiphorus” “Onesiphorus had close relation with Paul and Paul
remembered his household very much with gratitude (See 1:16-18).
2Tim. 4:20 “Erastus stayed in
YLT: “Erastus did remain
in
Literal Meaning: “Erastus stayed in
“But
Trophimus I have left in
2Tim. 4:21 “Do your utmost to come
before winter. Eubulus greets you, as well as Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all
the brethren.”
YLT: “be diligent to come
before winter. Salute thee doth Eubulus, and Pudens, and Linus, and Claudia,
and all the brethren.”
Literal Meaning: “Do your utmost to come
before winter.” “Do your utmost”
it is the second urgency (See v.9). “Winter” it is inconvenient to travel for
the climate.
“Eubulus
greets you, as well as Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the brethren” these brothers probably dare stand with
Paul at that time and they were estimable.
2Tim. 4:22 “The Lord Jesus Christ be
with your spirit. Grace be with you. Amen.”
YLT: “The Lord Jesus
Christ [is] with thy spirit; the grace [is] with you! Amen.”
Literal Meaning: “The Lord Jesus Christ be
with your spirit.” “Your spirit”
shows that in such perilous opportunity, Paul was greatly concerned with the
condition in the “spirit” of Timothy (See 1:7).
“Grace
be with you. Amen.” “You” refers to
all believers in
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) We should ask the Lord to strengthen our spirit
in person so that we could stand firm for Him and fight the good fight of
faith.
2) In the life of Christians, we need God’s grace
at all times.
III.
Outlines of the Spiritual Lessons
Preaching the Word
II. Because the word of God must be spread
out (v.2).
III. Because the time when men depart from
the truth will come (v.3-4).
IV. Because only when we fulfill our
ministries shall we do the work of an evangelist (v.5).
The
II. With all longsuffering;
III. With teaching;
IV. Convincing, rebuking and exhorting.
Men’s Reactions to
the True and False Truth
II. Because men have itching ears, they will
heap up for themselves teachers (v.3b).
III. Men will turn their ears away from the
truth (v.4a).
IV. Men are turned aside to fables (v.4b).
Paul Charged Timothy
to Bring Four Things
II. “Bringing the cloak that…”
(v.13a)------helping the body to defend against the cold.
III. “And the books” (v.13b)------helping the mind to grow.
IV. “Especially the parchments”
(v.13c)------helping the spirit to make progress.
──
Caleb Huang《Christian Digest Bible
Commentary Series》
Translated by Sharon Ren