Date of Writing: The Book of 2 Timothy was written in approximately A.D. 67, shortly before the apostle Paul was put to death.
Purpose of Writing:
Imprisoned in Rome yet again,
the apostle Paul felt lonely and
abandoned.
Paul recognized that his earthly life was likely
coming to an end soon.
The Book of 2 Timothy is essentially
Paul’s “last words.”
Paul looked past his own circumstances to
express concern for the churches and
specifically for Timothy.
Paul wanted to use his last words to encourage Timothy, and all other believers, to persevere in faith
(2 Timothy 3:14)
and proclaim-the
gospel of Jesus Christ
(2 Timothy 4:2).
Key Verses:
2 Timothy 1:7,
“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity,
but a spirit of power,
of love and of self-discipline.”
2 Timothy 3:16-17,
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful
for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,
so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped
for every good work.”
2 Timothy 4:2,
Preach the Word; be prepared
in season and out of season;
correct, rebuke
and encourage--
with great patience and
careful instruction.”
2 Timothy 4:7-8,
“I have fought the good fight,
I have finished the race,
I have kept the faith.
Now there is in store for me the crown of
righteousness, which the Lord,
the
righteous Judge,
will award to me on that day--
and not only to me, but also
to all who have longed for
his appearing.”
Brief Summary:
Paul encourages Timothy
to
remain passionate for Christ
and to remain
firm in sound doctrine
(2 Timothy 1:1-2, 13-14).
Paul reminds Timothy to
avoid ungodly beliefs and practices
and to flee from anything immoral
(2 Timothy 2:14-26).
In the end times there will be both
intense persecution
and apostasy from the Christian faith
(2 Timothy 3:1-17). Paul closes with an intense plea for believers to stand firm in the faith and to finish the race strong (2 Timothy 4:1-8).
Connections:
So concerned
was Paul to warn Timothy
and those he pastored of the
dangers of false teachers that he invoked the story of the
Egyptian magicians who opposed Moses
(Exodus 7:11, 22; 8:7, 18, 19; 9:11).
Although their names are not mentioned in the Old Testament, tradition has it that these men instigated
the building of the golden calf
and were killed with the rest of the idolaters
(Exodus 32).
Paul predicts the same fate for those who resist the
truth of Christ,
their folly eventually being made
“clear to everyone”
(2 Timothy 3:9).
Practical Application: It is easy to get side-tracked in the Christian life.
We have to keep our eyes on the prize—being
rewarded in heaven
by Jesus Christ
(2 Timothy 4:8).
We must strive to avoid both
false doctrine and ungodly practices.
This can only be accomplished by
being grounded in our
knowledge of God’s Word and
firm in our refusal to accept anything
that is unbiblical.