The deep conviction of the writer that he was about to be put to death for holding the Christian faith (2 Tim. 4:6-8) is to be kept in mind in all discussions of this letter. Paul does not envisage writing anything further to Timothy, nor perhaps to anyone else. He hopes that Timothy will be able to reach him before the end (4:9), and his request for his cloak and his scrolls (4:13) shows that he anticipated an interval before his execution. Nevertheless the letter is written in the shadow of the scaffold and is to be seen as what Paul considered to be important in his last communication to a trusted subordinate. Not the least of the letter’s values is that it shows us the way a Christian martyr should face death. Those who live comfortably in secure communities should not belittle this contribution, for in many lands with anti-Christian governments, people still die for their faith. Indeed, a recent press report informs us that in our time an average of 330,000 Christians are martyred for their faith each year, which means that there may well be more martyrs today than at any other period in history. Certainly martyrdom for the faith is much more common than most Western Christians realize, and accordingly it is well that we appreciate Paul’s attitude to dying for Christ. It is important that modern Christians take heed to his calm contemplation of what lay ahead—and the quiet faith that undergirded all he was doing and his going about his necessary business. There is no fanaticism here, nor any attempt at grandstanding. The apostle writes from a lowly posture and sets the example of the way Christians should die for their faith. He writes also of how they should live for it, even if this means suffering along the way (e.g., 1:8).
Paul also brings out something of the importance of their heritage. He speaks of “the good deposit that was entrusted to you” (2 Tim. 1:14; the same word “deposit” is used in v. 12, with possibly much the same meaning, so the RSV). In line with this, Paul has much to say about what God has done, such as his reference to the gospel, followed by the power of God, salvation, the call to a holy life, grace given in Christ “before the beginning of time” and now revealed in our Savior, the destruction of death, and the gift of life and immortality (1:8-10)—an enormous freight to be carried within three verses. It is of abiding importance that believers are not given a list of instructions as to what constitutes the path of the service of God and then left to themselves as they try to work it all out. The foundation of all Christian life is what God has already done, and Paul makes it clear that all that Christians are asked to do is to live out the consequences of God’s saving act. This they can do without timidity, for God has given them “a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline” (1:7). In line with this, the apostle exhorts Timothy to pass the teaching on “to reliable men who will also be qualifed to teach others” (2:2). There is a “given” about the Christian faith; it is something inherited from the very beginning of God’s action for our salvation, and it is to be passed on as long as this world lasts. Paul is not arguing that believers should be insensitive to currents of thought and action in the world about them, nor is he saying that the Christian is a kind of antiquarian, interested in antiquity for its own sake. He is saying that there is that about the essence of the Christian faith that is not open to negotiation. God has said and done certain things, and Christians must stand by those things whatever the cost. We should bear in mind his notable statement about Scripture (3:16-17); God has spoken, and we neglect what he has said to our peril.
Paul is clear that the cost of discipleship may be great. He speaks of suffering, both his own and that of other believers (2 Tim. 1:8, 12; 2:9, 12; 3:11-12). He likens Christian service to that of a soldier, an athlete, and a hardworking farmer (2:3-6). He leaves Timothy in no doubt that, while our salvation is a free gift from God, it is also demanding. In living out its implications, the believer is going to run into difficulties and will find that the God who sent his Son to die on the cross is always served at cost. Paul uses the illustration of the variety of articles in a large house—some costly, some cheap, some for noble purposes, and some for ignoble; the believer is to aim at being fit for noble purposes (2:20-21). Cleansing is costly.
The Christian will meet with opposition, sometimes from people who profess to be Christians themselves. Part of the value of this letter to us is its warning against those who wander from the truth (2 Tim. 2:14-18). Especially is this true of “the last days,” when there will be people who have a form of godliness but deny its power (3:1-5). In accord with this, Paul insists on the importance of “sound teaching” (1:13), which some people will reject, gathering teachers “to say what their itching ears want to hear” (4:3). Paul is not contending for adherence to some dead orthodoxy; rather, he insists that God has laid a “solid foundation” that stands firm (2:19).