New Testament

2 Timothy

2 Timothy is Paul’s last surviving letter, written from prison in Rome as he expects to die soon (). He urges Timothy not to be ashamed of the gospel or of Paul’s chains, to guard the truth entrusted to him, to endure suffering, to continue in the Scriptures, and to “preach the word” (). It belongs in the Bible as a charge handed from one generation of gospel workers to the next, grounded in Christ Jesus, “who has abolished death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the gospel” ().

Author: The letter names Paul (1:1) and is full of personal details, names and requests. It shares the authorship debate over the Pastoral Letters, though even some scholars who doubt 1 Timothy and Titus think 2 Timothy preserves genuine material from Paul, while traditional scholars hold that he wrote all three.
Audience: Timothy, “my beloved child” (1:2), probably still in or near Ephesus. Paul recalls Timothy’s tears, his sincere faith received from his grandmother Lois and mother Eunice, and the gift given through the laying on of Paul’s hands (1:4–6).
When: If written by Paul, shortly before his death under the emperor Nero, usually placed in the mid-60s AD. Early tradition, recorded by Eusebius, holds that Paul was beheaded in Rome.
Where: Paul is in chains in Rome (1:8, 1:16–17), has already made a first defense in court (4:16), and has been deserted by many, with only Luke beside him (4:11).
Genre: 2 Timothy is a farewell letter, much like the last words of Moses or of Jesus to His disciples: an older leader near death hands on a charge to his successor. Solemn charges (4:1–2) sit beside very ordinary requests for a cloak and books (4:13). Read it as Paul’s testament, written to pass on both the message and the example of faithfulness.

Shape of the book

Do Not Be Ashamed · ch 1Paul thanks God for Timothy’s faith, urges him to fan into flame God’s gift and share in suffering, and contrasts those who deserted him with faithful Onesiphorus.
A Good Soldier of Christ Jesus · ch 2Entrust the teaching to faithful people, endure like a soldier, athlete and farmer, remember the risen Christ, handle the word rightly and correct opponents gently.
Terrible Times and the Sacred Scriptures · ch 3A portrait of godless people in the last days is set against Paul’s example of endurance and the God-breathed Scriptures that make wise for salvation.
Preach the Word: The Final Charge · ch 4A solemn charge to preach, Paul’s reflection on finishing the race, and final requests, warnings and greetings.

Themes

Suffering for the Gospel. Paul asks Timothy to join him in suffering for the gospel by the power of God (). He is not ashamed, “for I know whom I have believed” (), and he states plainly that “all who desire to live godly lives in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” ().
Guarding and Handing On the Truth. Timothy must hold to the pattern of sound teaching and guard the treasure entrusted to him with the Spirit’s help (). He in turn is to entrust what he heard from Paul to faithful people who will be able to teach others (), four generations of teachers in one verse.
The God-Breathed Scriptures. Timothy has known the Holy Scriptures from infancy, and they are able to make him wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus (). “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (), so that God’s servant is fully equipped ().
Faithfulness to the End. Paul looks back: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (). He looks ahead to the crown of righteousness, given not only to him but to all who long for the Lord’s appearing ().
God’s Faithfulness in Human Failure. Many deserted Paul (, , ), but the Lord stood by him and strengthened him (). Even if we are faithless, Christ remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself ().

Where Christ is

Christ is the Savior whose appearing revealed God’s grace given “before time began” and who “has abolished death” (). Paul tells Timothy to remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead and descended from David (), and he writes in view of Christ’s coming as the judge of the living and the dead ().

Raised From the Dead, Descended From David. Promise and fulfillment. God promised David an offspring whose throne He would establish forever (). Paul’s gospel is summed up as Jesus Christ, raised from the dead and descended from David (), the same pairing that opens Romans. (; ; )
The Lord Knows Those Who Are His. Echo. When Korah rebelled, Moses said the Lord would show who belonged to Him and told the people to depart from the tents of the wicked (, ). Paul applies that scene to the church facing false teachers: God’s foundation stands firm, and everyone who names the Lord must turn away from wickedness (). (; ; )
Scriptures That Lead to Christ. Fulfillment. The Scriptures Timothy knew from childhood, the Old Testament, are able to make him wise for salvation “through faith in Christ Jesus” (). Paul assumes what Jesus taught His disciples: the Law and the Prophets speak of Him. (; ; )
Deserted, Yet Delivered From the Lion. Echo. At his first defense everyone deserted Paul, but the Lord stood by him and he was delivered “from the mouth of the lion” (), language that recalls the cry of , the psalm Jesus prayed on the cross. Like his Lord, Paul is abandoned by friends and entrusts himself to God. (; ; ; )

Reading well, key terms and common misreadings

Read it well

Read it as last words. Start with 4:6–8, then read the rest in light of a man who knows his race is nearly finished.
Follow the names. Deserters (1:15, 4:10, 4:14) and faithful friends (1:16–18, 4:11, 4:19–21) show the real cost of loyalty.
Read 3:16–17 with 3:14–15. “All Scripture” referred first to the Old Testament Timothy knew; Christians apply it also to the New Testament, and 2 Peter 3:16 already places Paul’s letters alongside the other Scriptures.
In 3:8 Paul names Jannes and Jambres, names from Jewish tradition for Pharaoh’s magicians, who are unnamed in Exodus 7:11.
Compare Paul’s farewell to the Ephesian elders (Acts 20:17–38) and his words about being poured out in Philippians 2:17.

Key terms

Deposit, what is entrusted παραθήκη (parathēkē) — Something placed in another’s keeping for safekeeping. Used for what Paul has entrusted to God and for the gospel entrusted to Timothy (1:12, 1:14).
God-breathed θεόπνευστος (theopneustos) — Breathed out by God, a word found only here in the New Testament (3:16). It describes the source of Scripture, which is why it is useful for teaching and training.
Appearing ἐπιφάνεια (epiphaneia) — A visible manifestation, used for Christ’s first coming (1:10) and for His future return (4:1, 4:8).
Be ashamed ἐπαισχύνομαι (epaischynomai) — To feel shame about something or someone. Paul urges Timothy not to be ashamed of the testimony or of Paul’s chains, as Paul and Onesiphorus were not (1:8, 1:12, 1:16).
Poured out like a drink offering σπένδομαι (spendomai) — To be poured out as a libation, wine poured on a sacrifice. Paul uses it for his approaching death (4:6), as he did in Philippians 2:17.
Handle rightly ὀρθοτομέω (orthotomeō) — Literally to cut straight, like a road or a furrow. Timothy must accurately handle the word of truth (2:15).

Easy to misread

Treating 3:16 mainly as a theory about how Scripture was written. The text names its source, God-breathed, and its purpose, equipping God’s servant for every good work (3:17). Readers differ on how far its implications reach, but the verse itself is about origin and usefulness.
Reading “the last days” (3:1) as describing only some distant future. Paul tells Timothy to turn away from such people now (3:5), and the New Testament treats the last days as already begun with Christ (Acts 2:17, Hebrews 1:2).
Setting the gift and the teaching against each other in 1:6 and 2:2. Catholic, Orthodox and many Anglican readers see ordination and a succession of ministers here, while many Protestant readers stress the faithful handing on of the apostolic teaching. The letter holds both: a gift given through laying on of hands, and a deposit of teaching to be guarded and passed on.

Further reading: David Guzik, Enduring Word · Matthew Henry on CCEL · BibleProject overview video