Ana Patricia A.

Cruz

1C

Final Paper on Sem 1

New Testament: Second Epistle to Timothy

I. A. Hermeneutics

In the New Testament, there are three Epistles called “pastoral” because they relate to
the conduct of church leaders. In this letter Paul encouraged Timothy and offered strength to
help him carry on after Paul’s impending death. Paul was aware that his time was short, and
he desired to see Timothy, whom Paul figuratively called “my dearly beloved son” (2
Timothy 1:2). The Second Epistle of Paul to Timothy is considered to be the last epistle
written before his death, which is addressed to Timothy, his fellow missionary. The Apostle
Paul is declaring that the scriptures available were sufficient to lead one to a saving
knowledge in Jesus Christ and were "profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for
instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto
all good works"(2 Tim 3:16-17).

Culturally, as a disciple, Timothy “followed” his rabbi Paul and learned from him. He
was there with Paul as his knowledge and experience grew, and as he received deeper and
deeper revelations from God. Timothy also “followed” Paul in the sense that he “came after”
him and ended up experiencing many of the problems that Paul himself experienced. There
are versions that say, “fully known,” and although that is true, it is because Timothy closely
followed Paul that he knew all about Paul.

Paul wrote 2 Timothy from a dark and damp Roman prison cell, just before his death
in AD 67. The Roman emperor Nero had been slowly descending into madness since his
ascent to the throne in AD 54, a process exacerbated by the great fire of Rome in AD 64 that
burned half the city. With the residents of Rome in an uproar, Christians became a
convenient target for Nero, who used believers as scapegoats for his city’s own lack of
preparedness.
 The most striking feature of Paul’s encouragement comes when the aging apostle
used a phrase that showed up prominently in his letter to Timothy four years prior. In that
earlier letter, Paul exhorted Timothy to “fight the good fight” (1 Timothy 1:18) But in this
letter, Paul turned that phrase on himself, writing that he had “fought the good fight . . .
finished the course and kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7). What a great encouragement it must
have been to the young pastor of the church at Ephesus to know that his mentor boldly
modeled his perseverance in the faith, even to the point of death. Henceforth there is laid up
for me a crown of righteousness” (2 Timothy 4:7–8), indicating that he had a personal
assurance that he would inherit eternal life.

In Timothy 3:15. “wisdom for salvation.” In this case the “wisdom for salvation” is a
broad phrase that can apply in many senses. As pertaining to Timothy himself, the
“salvation” would not be referring to his receiving everlasting life, because he already had
everlasting life through faith in Christ, so rather it would be referring to the depth of
understanding about salvation and the full outworking of salvation in his life. However the
broad way the statement is worded opens the door for Timothy to have wisdom for
everlasting life salvation as it would apply to and help others. That God gave the text of the
Bible to the people who wrote it agrees with the testimony in the Scripture itself.

In 2 Timothy 1:7, Why Timothy can be bold in using the gifts God has given him:
God has given him a spirit of power and of love and of a sound mind. Paul sees the timidity
that is in Timothy; Timothy knows the fear he sometimes feels. God wants Timothy to know
that this fear isn't from the Lord; God has not given us a spirit of fear.
B. Outline of the Book

The Second Epistle to Timothy has four Chapters:

 Chapter 1. Paul speaks of the gift and power of God that is received through
priesthood ordination. He teaches that “the spirit of fear” (2 Timothy 1:7) does
not come from God and that we should not be ashamed of our testimony of
Jesus Christ. Paul testifies that Jesus Christ called him to preach the gospel
(2 Timothy 1:11).
 Chapter 2. Paul uses the imagery of a good soldier, a victorious athlete, and a
hardworking farmer to illustrate the need to endure hardships in order to
receive eternal glory. He contrasts true and false teachers and honorable and
dishonorable vessels. He warns Timothy to avoid controversies and to
patiently teach those who need to repent.
 Chapter 3 and 4. Paul describes the evil conditions of the last days and
encourages Timothy to use the scriptures in his role as a priesthood leader. He
writes of his impending death and declares, “I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy
4:7). Paul testifies that the Lord will deliver him to “his heavenly kingdom”
(2 Timothy 4:18).
II. A. Passage

2 Timothy 2:1. You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus

B. Personal Reflection

This passage reminds me of the trials that life gave me and how was I able to
surpass it all. From where I am standing at the moment, I can happily say that
everything that God gives is part of His plan into leading to where exactly we should
be.

When I was young, my parents got separated. We were living with my mother and
my grandparents. Despite of the situation, my father never missed a day without
visiting us. We grew up not living in a house with my mom and dad together, but that
what I appreciate the most is the effort that my mom and dad gave for us not to feel
different from all the other children whose parents aren’t separated. They were there
for us all throughout and they made sure to be present together on the biggest days of
our lives.

I am thankful that God has given me this kind of family. My bond with my
siblings is indescribable. We were bonded through tough and happy times and we are
all at the point wherein we know that nothing will break us apart. That whatever life
gives us, we will overcome it all, together as a family.

Another event that occurred in our lives is that when I was in second year college
in UST, my father’s business got burnt down by a fire. We have lost everything. My
dad has to begin again from the start. At first, it was really difficult, our business is at
peak and then were now back to pick up the pieces and start all over again. What
amazes me is how my father was able to handle it all. There were 3 of us, each
studying at private schools. My selfish thought at first is that my dad might make me
withdraw my enrollment in UST considering the high tuition fee. But my dad never
asked me to, he even didn’t bother requesting us to cut our expenses. We never heard
any single complaint from him. I saw him being down for the first time in my life.
And what hurts me more is that I couldn’t do anything to help him but at most
provide a moral support and make him feel loved by his children.

I finished my Accountancy Degree in UST. Through those 3 years after the fire
incident, our business has never been stable. But my dad always tells me that God has
a way, God has a reason why He let us experience pain and sufferings in life. After I
graduated and in the present, that was the only time that our business boomed. Until
now, I couldn’t help but ask my dad how he was able to surpass everything that has
happened. He has helped a lot of people despite the fact that we were down.

My father always tells me to give what you can and help when you can. During
the tough times, we experienced a lot of family friends neglecting us, thinking that we
might ask for a financial aid or assistance and that had our hearts broken. But today,
tables have turned and another thing that amazes me is what my father told me: “It’s
okay to experience pain and suffering. It’s okay to be hurt. But never return or give
the same feeling to other people.” People may have wronged you in the past, but I am
always reminded not to give it back to them because the moment they did something
wrong, it was their burden and not mine. I am thankful for all the words and learnings
that my dad has taught me.

The fact that my parents got separated and the fire accident never let me treat it as
life’s misfortune but God’s greatest blessing in disguise. As of the moment, I can say
that I have so much happiness and gratefulness that I cannot put exactly into words. I
appreciate everything that my family is. I realized that at times of misfortune and no
one is left for us, we need to be strong because we have each other as family and God
is with us and that is more than enough weapon to overcome whatever life has in
store for us.