Chapter I.
(Vers. 1, 2.)
(Vers. 1, 2.) Paul the apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life, which is in Christ Jesus, to Timothy, his beloved son. For this reason, he is called an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, in order to teach the extent and importance of the promise that exists in the future through faith in Christ; so that through his preaching, he may bring about the growth of discipleship in the salvation of the Lord. For they are suitable servants who by their perseverance and faithfulness enhance the work of their masters. He writes this to his beloved son so that he may become an imitator of this matter, passing on the same things to others, so that through a succession of translators he may be a competent teacher, through whom the affirmed truth may gain many to the promised life. Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. He desires this grace from the Father in mercy, that it may be present to him, and from Christ Jesus our Lord, because God bestows his grace through Christ, so that there may be one grace from both.
(Vers. 3, 4, 5.)
(Verses 3, 4, 5.) I give thanks to my God, whom I serve with a clear conscience as my ancestors did, as I constantly remember you in my prayers day and night, longing to see you, as I recall your tears, so that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. Because I am reminded of your good qualities, I give thanks to God, who was also mindful of Timothy, a remarkable man, and who has given us this gift from God; for it is not undeserved, as he thinks of good men. And because the same God is the God of the Christians as he was of the Jews, he testifies that he gives thanks to God, to whom his ancestors served. For when his ancestors hoped for what he began to preach, their faith was united. And because he succeeded in the service of his parents, and because he was still with them when they served God, he rightly says: To whom I serve as my ancestors did. How? In a pure conscience, he says; for he once persecuted the Church, but he did so out of love for God, not out of ill will. And in a similar way it is written in the letter to the Hebrews that Levi, who received tithes, also gave tithes to Melchizedek; for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him. So here, he declares that he served God through his ancestors, just as Levi is said to have offered tithes through his ancestor. For Levi is the father of Jacob, the grandfather of Isaac, and the great-grandfather of Abraham. Therefore, he professes his great memory of Timothy and how he eagerly desires to see him again, being reminded of the tears that Timothy shed out of love when the Apostle was departing from him. Therefore, he desires his lover not undeservedly so that he may be filled with joy from shared happiness, for the sake of sincere faith, which signifies both in his way and in his mother, certainly and most certainly. Therefore, every affection here is because of faith, which was inviolate in them.
(Vers. 6, 7.)
(Verse 6, 7) For this reason, I remind you to stir up the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of self-control. Therefore, he indicates that he remembers the sincerity of his parents' faith, in order to strengthen him. For who, upon hearing the praise of those in whom he himself participates, would not grow, adding courage to such virtues. Therefore, through the reception of the gift of grace accepted by the ordination of the priesthood, it rejuvenates itself, comforting its mind with the eagerness of the soul, rejoicing in itself, just as one rejoices in the newness of ordination. Finally, he adds: For God did not give us the spirit of fear, but of power. For a renewed man emerges from fear, receiving the spirit of joy because of justification; for every unjust person is in fear, not strong but weak: not in love but in hatred; not in the sobriety of the mind, but wounded by error. But if he lacks these, he will be unfaithful, weak, and undisciplined.
(Vers. 8.)
(Verse 8) Therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner. It teaches us to have steadfastness and not to be afraid in professing our faith. For there is no reason to be ashamed of it, because even though Christ was seen in the flesh, He was also revealed as God in His deeds. Though He was crucified, He rose from the dead and appeared to many, and then, as He was being taken up to heaven, a cloud received Him (Acts 1:9). Therefore, it is not a cause of weakness, but of power; for where weakness is presumed, power is revealed. So, a foolish person who is proven to have conquered is said to be weakened. In this way, it does not pertain to the Apostle to be ashamed since if he is said to be humiliated by pressures and beatings, on that account he confounds his detractors because he is seen to be wondrous in signs and miracles by his nod. So that it may be understood that he is not humiliated by weakness but by his will for a certain advancement in merits. Therefore, God allows his servants to be humiliated by the wicked so that He does not appear to unjustly give them rewards.
(Vers. 9.)
(Verse 9) But collaborate in the Gospel according to the power of God, who made us safe. For by the power of God death was conquered, so that we may be saved; according to this, it is fitting for us to partially repay the Redeemer. Since we cannot fully respond to all His benefits, let us faithfully and earnestly carry out His mission. And He called with His holy calling. A holy calling is when the chosen ones are elected to govern the holy people of God. And the elder is called holy, who is chosen as a leader of holiness. Not according to our merits. It is true; because if you were to investigate thoroughly, no man can be considered worthy to be a vicar of Christ; for all those he has chosen were sinners beforehand. Therefore, in comparison to others, these have been found worthy: but in reality, they are all unworthy. But according to His purpose, and the grace which is given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages began. Since by His own good pleasure God decreed long ago to save sinners (for God foreknew what would happen in man before He created him and sinned), He determined how they would be restored, at what time, by whom, and by what means they could be saved, so that it might not seem that this gift is granted by the merit of those who are saved or by those through whom they are called, but rather by the grace of God through faith in Christ.
(Vers. 10.)
(Verse 10) Now indeed, revealed through the illumination of the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ. The gift of God, which was hidden in mystery before the ages, is testified by the incarnation and coming of Christ, when people began to receive the forgiveness of sins.
(Vers. 11.)
(Verse 11) He indeed destroyed death, but he illuminated life with eternity through the Gospel, in which I am placed as a preacher, and apostle, and teacher of the Gentiles. In what way Christ saved his people, he showed by saying that he destroyed death, which was hostile to man, so that it could not rise from the underworld: only then did he illuminate life with eternity, so that, rising from the dead, he could no longer die. For life is obscure, which is defined by time, while it is asleep, while it is ignorant, while it is poorly conducted. And how life is illuminated, he shows; because through the Gospel eternal life is given to believers, preached by the teacher of the nations.
(Vers. 12.)
(Verse 12.) For this reason, I suffer these things. While proclaiming the gift of God, he endures the devil as an enemy; to awaken pressures to him, because he delivers the people from his jaws. But I am not ashamed. In this, he is secure, because through tribulations there is a great promised reward, he is not put to shame, but he boasts in pressures. For I know whom I have believed, and I am certain that he is able to guard what has been entrusted to me until that day. This is what he says, with what hope and confidence of the magnificence of the Savior he is secure; because what is entrusted to him, is safe. But what does he commend to them, if not their salvation? So that he, enduring it for them, may find salvation with them when he begins to judge; so that, punishing the unbelievers, he may declare them worthy of eternal life.
(Vers. 13, 14.)
(Verses 13, 14.) Having the form of sound words, which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. Guard the good that has been entrusted to you through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. He refers to his commandments and works as the form of sound doctrine, which he commands us to follow, so that we may keep them with the help of the Holy Spirit.
(Vers. 15, 16.)
(Vers. 15, 16.) For you know this, that all those in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes. These ones he mentions were full of deceit; they pretended to be friends of the Apostle in order to learn from him, so that they could then slander him or cause trouble through others. But after they saw that they had been exposed, they turned away from him. May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus; for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains. This double kind of refreshment is to be understood: because he refreshed him both in the necessity of imprisonment with his own solace, and supplied whatever was needed to him or to those who were in need. For he was not ashamed to approach and seek the man placed in custody, in hope of those things which were promised; for those whom he mentions above, because they were ashamed of the cross of Christ, deserted the Apostle in his time of need.
(Vers. 17, 18.)
(Verse 17, 18.) But when I was in Rome, he diligently sought me out and found me. May the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that day. When the Apostle came to Rome, he was guarded by soldiers after appealing to Caesar; then Onesiphorus, out of love and with great effort, sought him out. The Apostle found his visitation so welcome that he commended him to the Lord, that he may find mercy from the Lord on the day of judgment; just as he sought out the Apostle, may he also find mercy when seeking it from the judge. For he prays that the Lord, the Father of heaven and earth, may find favor with the Lord of the human race, namely the Son. This is similar to what is said in Genesis: And the Lord rained sulfur and fire upon Sodom and Gomorrah from God out of heaven (Gen. XIX, 24).
But you know better than anyone how much he served me in Ephesus. Because some people are accustomed to serving individuals rather than causes, wanting to please those in power, the Apostle Onesiphorus shows his general goodness, so that he does not seem to have presented himself to someone when he served the Apostle; it is well known that he was magnanimous to all.