2 Timothy 1:12 Komentář

In this chapter, after the inscription and salutation, the apostle expresses his great affection for Timothy, and highly commends him; exhorts him to various things relating to his office, as a preacher of the Gospel; and concludes with taking notice of the kindness shown him by Onesiphorus. The inscription and salutation are in Ti2 1:1 and then follows the preface to the epistle, in which the apostle testifies his great love to Timothy, and commends him; by declaring his thankfulness to God, that he had reason always to remember him in his prayers; by his desire to see him again, who had shed so many tears for him, that his joy might be filled; and by taking notice of his unfeigned faith, the same with that which had dwelt in his ancestors, Ti2 1:3. And then he proceeds to exhort him to the exercise and improvement of his ministerial gift; to show a fortitude of mind, and a manly spirit in the cause of Christ; and to suffer cheerfully for the sake of it, Ti2 1:6 and in order to animate and encourage him to the same, he gives a summary of the Gospel, as containing in it the great doctrines of salvation, and eternal life, according to the free grace of God through Jesus Christ, Ti2 1:9 and observes, that he himself was appointed a preacher of it to the Gentiles, Ti2 1:11 and instances in himself, as suffering for it, without being ashamed; and as having a strong confidence in Christ, as able to keep him, and what he had committed to him, Ti2 1:12 and then returns to his exhortation to Timothy to hold fast the Gospel of Christ; to which he urges him from the consideration of the nature and value of it, being a form of sound words, and that famous good thing, and of the means and manner in which he came to the knowledge of it; and chiefly from its being committed to him by the Holy Ghost, that dwelt in him; and also because of the general defection of the Asian professors from it, Ti2 1:13 but he excepts one person, Onesiphorus by name, whom he commends for his kindness to him both at Ephesus and at Rome; and therefore entreats of the Lord mercy, both for him and his house, at the great day, Ti2 1:16.

For the which cause I also suffer these things,.... The present imprisonment and bonds in which he now was; these, with all the indignities, reproaches, distresses, and persecutions, came upon him, for the sake of his being a preacher of the Gospel; and particularly for his being a teacher of the Gentiles: the Jews hated him, and persecuted him, because he preached the Gospel, and the more because he preached it to the Gentiles, that they might be saved; and the unbelieving Gentiles were stirred up against him, for introducing a new religion among them, to the destruction of their idolatry and superstition; and the sufferings which he endured were many; and he was appointed to them, as well as to the Gospel, which he preached. Nevertheless I am not ashamed; neither of the Gospel, and the truths and ordinances of it, for which he suffered; but he continued to own and confess it constantly, and to preach it boldly; none of these things moved him from it: nor of the sufferings he endured, for the sake of it; since they were not for murder, or theft, or sedition, or any enormity whatever, but in a good cause; wherefore he was so far from being ashamed of them, that he took pleasure in them, and gloried of them. Nor was he ashamed of Christ, whose Gospel he preached, and for whom he suffered; nor of his faith and hope in him. For it follows, for I know whom I have believed. A spiritual knowledge of Christ is necessary to faith in him: an unknown Christ cannot be the object of faith, though an unseen Christ, as to bodily sight, may be, and is. Knowledge and faith go together: they that truly know Christ, believe in him, and the more they know him, the more strongly do they believe in him: such who spiritually and savingly know Christ, have seen the glories of his person, and the fulness of his grace; and they approve of him, as their Saviour, being every way suitable to them, and disapprove of all others; they love him above all others, and with all their hearts; and they put their trust in him, and trust him with all they have; and they know whom they trust, what an able, willing, suitable, and complete Saviour he is. This knowledge which they have of him, is not from themselves, but from the Father, who reveals him to them, and in them; and from himself, who gives them an understanding that they may know him; and from the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: and be it more or less, it is practical, and leads to the discharge of duty, from a principle of love to Christ; and is of a soul humbling nature, and appropriates Christ to a man's self; and has always some degree of certainty in it; and though it is imperfect, it is progressive; and the least measure of it is saving, and has eternal life connected with it: and that faith which accompanies it, and terminates on the object known, is the grace, by which a man sees Christ in the riches of his grace; goes to him in a sense of need of him; lays hold upon him as a Saviour; receives and embraces him; commits its all unto him; trusts him with all; leans and lives upon him, and walks on in him till it receives the end of faith, even eternal salvation. And I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. By that which he had committed to him is meant, not the great treasure of his labours and sufferings for Christ, as if he had deposited these in Christ's hands, in order to be brought forth at the great day of account to his advantage; for though his labours and sufferings were many, yet he always ascribed the strength by which he endured them to the grace of God; and he knew they were not worthy to be compared, nor made mention of, with the glory that was to be revealed in him. Rather this may be understood of the souls of those he had been instrumental in the converting of, whom he had commended to Christ, hoping to meet them as his joy and crown of rejoicing another day; though it seems best of all to interpret it either of his natural life, the care of which he had committed to Christ, and which he knew he was able to preserve, and would preserve for usefulness until the day appointed for his death; or rather his precious and immortal soul, and the eternal welfare and salvation of it: and the act of committing it to Christ, designs his giving himself to him, leaving himself with him, trusting in him for eternal life and salvation, believing he was able to save him to the uttermost; even unto the day of death, when he hoped to be with him, which is far better than to be in this world; and unto the day of the resurrection, when both soul and body will be glorified with him; and to the day of judgment, when the crown of righteousness will be received from his hands. And what might induce the apostle, and so any other believer, to conclude the ability of Christ to keep the souls of those that are committed to him, are, his proper deity, he having all the fulness of the Godhead, or the perfections of deity dwelling in him; his being the Creator and upholder of all things; his having accomplished the great work of redemption and salvation, by his own arm; his mediatorial fulness of grace and power; and his being trusted by his Father with all the persons, grace, and glory of the elect, to whom he has been faithful. And now the consideration of all this, as it was a support to the apostle, under all his afflictions, and sufferings for the Gospel, and in a view of death itself, so it may be, as it often has been, a relief to believers, under all the sorrows of this life, and in a prospect of death and eternity. Philo the Jew (b) speaks in like manner as the apostle here of , "the depositum of the soul": though he knew not where to commit it for safety, as the apostle did, and every true believer does. (b) Quis rer. Divin. Haeres. p. 498, 499.

"For the which cause I also suffer these things, nevertheless I am not ashamed. For I know Whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day." "I am not ashamed," he says. For are chains, are sufferings, a matter for shame? Be not then ashamed! Thou seest how he illustrates his teaching by his works. "These things," he says, "I suffer": I am cast into prison, I am banished; "For I know Whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed to Him against That Day." What is "that which is committed"? The faith, the preaching of the Gospel. He, who committed this to him, he says, will preserve it unimpaired. I suffer everything, that I may not be despoiled of this treasure, and I am not ashamed at these things, so long as it is preserved uninjured. Or he calls the Faithful the charge which God committed to him, or which he committed to God. For he says, "Now I commit you to the Lord." (Acts xx. 32.) That is, these things will not be unprofitable to me. And in Timothy is seen the fruit of the charge thus "committed." You see that he is insensible to sufferings, from the hope that he entertains of his disciples.

Paul says [elsewhere], “I have kept the faith,” but the same apostle also says, “For I know whom I have believed, and I am certain that he is able to keep that which I have deposited with him against that day.” “That which I have deposited with him” means: What I have commended to him, for some [Latin] copies do not have the word depositum but commendatum, which is clearer. Now what do we commend to God’s keeping save those things which we pray he will preserve? Is not our very faith among these? For what did the Lord commend for the apostle Peter, by his prayer for him, when he said to him, “I have prayed for you, Peter, that your faith shall not fail”? This means that God would preserve his faith and that it would not fail by giving way to temptation.

The “deposit” is the power and grace offered to Paul by the Spirit for serving the Lord.

The “deposit” is the pledge of the Spirit given to Paul that he may be preserved.

For this reason I suffer as I do, but I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day. For this reason I suffer as I do. What then is that reason? Because I am a messenger and an Apostle. As if he were saying: I am not being overcome as a criminal and dragged to prison. but I am not ashamed. For the greatest glory is to suffer something for Christ. Do you see how Paul prepares the disciple for afflictions? You will show that if someone does not fear to be ashamed, the danger itself will be easier with the help of Christ. that he is able to guard my deposit. He calls the faith a deposit [παραθήκην], which Christ entrusted [παρέθετο] to him to preach. Either Paul means the believers, whom God entrusted to him to teach, or those whom he entrusted to God. "Behold, I entrust you to the Lord." (Acts 20:32) Among those entrusted is also Timothy. Therefore, Paul says: "for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day."

I suffer for preaching to the Gentiles. I suffer not as an evildoer. At the same time he makes his speech more credible: if, he says, I did not believe that death has been destroyed, I would not suffer so. Do you see how he himself shows by his deeds that which he urges upon Timothy, that is, not to be ashamed of sufferings. What boldness! What unwavering confidence! I know, he says, and am firmly convinced. By "deposit" the apostle means either the faith and the preaching: Christ Himself, who entrusted this to me, will preserve it, and I endure all things so that this treasure of mine may not be plundered; or by "deposit" he means the believers, whom Christ entrusted to him, or whom he himself committed to the Lord, as he says in another place: "I commend you, brethren, to God" (Acts 20:32). As if the apostle were saying: I am not ashamed, hoping that I will bring many to God, whom He will also preserve, so as to glorify them for my sake. Or by "deposit" he means the reward: everyone who does something good deposits it with God for safekeeping, so as to be crowned for it in due time.

Then when he says, for which cause I also suffer these things, he shows what he is suffering as a result of being faithful to his office, saying, I suffer these adversities, namely, chains and ennui, and this for the faith of Christ: I labor even unto bands (2 Tim 2:9). And he says, for which cause, because suffering of itself is not praiseworthy, but only when it is for a just cause: blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice's sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matt 5:10). That is why I am not ashamed, because it is no shame to suffer for justice's sake: let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief . . . but if as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name (1 Pet 4:15); and they went from the presence of the counsel, rejoicing that they were accounted worthy to suffer reproach for the name of Jesus (Acts 5:41). Then when he says, for I know whom I have believed, he affirms the certainty of his hope, which enables him not to be ashamed: and this is the fulfillment of God's promise; hence he says, whom I have believed. And note that in one way to believe is an act of faith. His meaning, therefore, is this: I know that the one who promised is faithful and capable of bestowing eternal life, which he promised to every man that remains faithful. But this seems to indicate that knowledge and faith are the same, and that the thing known and the thing believed are the same, whereas it is the nature of the known to be seen, and that of the believed to be unseen. I answer that there are two things in faith, namely, that which is believed, and he who is believed. There cannot be knowledge of that which is believed, because that would destroy the nature of the thing believed; but there is knowledge of the one believed, because there is the clearest evidence that God is faithful. And so he says, I know whom I have believed: believe not every spirit, but try the spirits, if they be of God (1 John 4:1); the innocent believes every word (Prov 14:15). In another way, believing refers to the faith placed in a person, to whom one entrusts something; and this is the truer meaning. As if to say: I have entrusted myself, my labors and sufferings to God; and I know that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him, against that day. Note that the thing which is committed, namely, the deposit, can be described in two ways: in one way, as referring to what I have deposited; this is the way a man deposits or commits his salvation to God, when he dedicates himself entirely to God: casting all your care upon him, for he hath care of you (1 Pet 5:7); cast your care upon the Lord, and he shall sustain you (Ps 54:23). In another way, he deposits his works when he receives his reward not immediately, but later; this is the way persons who act well commit the reward to God against that day, when he will judge the hidden things of men, to whom God will render the wages of their labors (Wis 10:17): say to the just man that it is well, for he shall eat the fruit of his doings (Isa 3:10). Or, that which I have committed, i.e., the office entrusted to me, namely, to work for the Gospel: this man is to me a vessel of election, to carry my name before the gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel (Acts 9:15). And God is able to keep his apostle until death.

Paul's address to Timothy, and declaration of his affection for him, Ti2 1:1-4. His account of the piety of Timothy's mother and grandmother, and the religious education they had given their son, Ti2 1:5. He exhorts him to stir up the gift of God that is in him, and not to be ashamed of the testimony of the Lord, Ti2 1:6-8. How God has saved them that believe; and how Christ has brought life and immortality to light by the Gospel, Ti2 1:9, Ti2 1:10. The apostle's call to preach it, and the persecutions which he had been obliged in consequence to endure, Ti2 1:11, Ti2 1:12. Timothy is exhorted to hold fast the form of sound words, Ti2 1:13, Ti2 1:14. And is informed of the apostasy of several in Asia: and particularly of Phygellus and Hermogenes, Ti2 1:15. And of the great kindness of Onesiphorus to the apostle in his imprisonment, Ti2 1:16-18.

I am not ashamed - Though I suffer for the Gospel, I am not ashamed of the Gospel; nor am I confounded in my expectation; his grace being at all times sufficient for me. For I know whom I have believed - I am well acquainted with the goodness, mercy, and power of Christ; and know that I cannot confide in him in vain. That which I have committed unto him - This is variously understood. Some think he means his life, which he had put, as it were, into the hands of Christ, in order that he might receive it again, in the resurrection, at the great day. Others think he means his soul. This he had also given into the hands of his faithful Creator, knowing that although wicked men might be permitted to take away his life, yet they could not destroy his soul, nor disturb its peace. Others think that he is speaking of the Gospel, which he knows will be carefully preserved by the great Head of the Church; for, though he shall be soon called to seal the truth with his blood, yet he knows that God will take care that the same truth shall be proclaimed to the world by others, whom God shall raise up for that very purpose.

This Epistle is the last testament and swan-like death song of Paul [BENGEL]. according to the promise of life . . . in Christ--Paul's apostleship is in order to carry into effect this promise. Compare "according to the faith . . . in hope of eternal life . . . promise," &c. (Tit 1:1-2). This "promise of life in Christ" (compare Ti2 1:10; Ti2 2:8) was needed to nerve Timothy to fortitude amidst trials, and to boldness in undertaking the journey to Rome, which would be attended with much risk (Ti2 1:8).

For the which cause--For the Gospel cause of which I was appointed a preacher (Ti2 1:10-11). I also suffer--besides my active work as a missionary. ELLICOTT translates, "I suffer even these things"; the sufferings attendant on my being a prisoner (Ti2 1:8, Ti2 1:15). I am not ashamed--neither be thou (Ti2 1:8). for--Confidence as to the future drives away shame [BENGEL]. I know--though the world knows Him not (Joh 10:14; Joh 17:25). whom--I know what a faithful, promise-keeping God He is (Ti2 2:13). It is not, I know how I have believed, but, I know WHOM I have believed; a feeble faith may clasp a strong Saviour. believed--rather, "trusted"; carrying out the metaphor of a depositor depositing his pledge with one whom he trusts. am persuaded-- (Rom 8:38). he is able--in spite of so many foes around me. that which I have committed unto him--Greek, "my deposit"; the body, soul, and spirit, which I have deposited in God's safe keeping (Th1 5:23; Pe1 4:19). So Christ Himself in dying (Luk 23:46). "God deposits with us His word; we deposit with God our spirit" [GROTIUS]. There is one deposit (His revelation) committed by God to us, which we ought to keep (Ti2 1:13-14) and transmit to others (Ti2 2:2); there is another committed by God to us, which we should commit to His keeping, namely, ourselves and our heavenly portion. that day--the day of His appearing (Ti2 1:18; Ti2 4:8).