2 Timothy Chapter 1
Showing all 18 verses for 2 Timothy Chapter 1.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus, "
"Paul introduces himself - someone sent by God's own choice, not his own ambition, to carry the promise of real life found in Jesus."
I called Paul not because he earned it but because I chose him - that's how it works with anyone who wants to do good in the world. You don't have to prove yourself worthy first; the invitation comes before the achievement.
"To Timothy, my dearly beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. "
"To Timothy, whom Paul loves like a son: may you have God's favour, kindness, and inner peace."
Love isn't diminished by rank or role. Notice how Paul greets someone he mentored - not with instructions first, but with affection. Start every relationship, especially one where you have influence, from a place of genuine care.
"I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day; "
"I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience just as my ancestors did, because I never stop thinking of you in my prayers, day and night."
Even facing death, Paul thought of someone else before himself. That's what love looks like when it's real - it doesn't shrink under pressure, it turns outward. Who do you carry in your thoughts, especially when things get hard for you?
"Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy; "
"I long to see you again - I remember your tears - because seeing you would fill me with joy."
I don't ask you to hide your tears or pretend you don't need people. Paul remembered Timothy's tears and wanted to see him again - that longing for connection is not weakness, it's what makes us human, and it's good.
"When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also. "
💡 Highlighted words feature Jacobean 1611 tooltips to clarify shifted 17th-century English terms.
"I remember your sincere faith - the same faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois, then your mother Eunice, and now, I'm convinced, lives in you too."
What you live out in front of the people you love matters more than what you tell them. Lois and Eunice didn't lecture Timothy into faith - they lived it, and it took root. Be the kind of example worth inheriting.
"Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. "
"That's why I'm reminding you to fan back into flame the gift God gave you, the one you received when I laid my hands on you."
Whatever you're good at, whatever spark you have to help people or make things better - don't let it go cold from neglect or fear. I'm asking you to actively stir it up, not wait for the right mood to strike.
"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. "
"God didn't give us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and a sound, clear mind."
Fear can feel like it's just part of who you are, but I want you to know it doesn't have to run your life. Power to act, love that reaches outward, and a mind that stays clear under pressure - that's what's available to you, right now, whatever you're afraid of.
"Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; "
"So don't be embarrassed to speak up for the Lord, or embarrassed of me, his prisoner. Instead, be willing to share in the hardship that comes from doing what's right, relying on God's strength, not your own."
Don't let fear of what others think decide who you stand by. I never asked anyone to face difficulty on their own strength - real courage draws on something bigger than willpower, and it's there for you when you need it.
"Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, "
"God saved us and called us to a purpose - not because of anything we did to earn it, but because of his own plan and generosity, decided before time even began."
You don't need to perform your way into being valued - not by me, not by anyone who truly loves you. What's offered to you was decided out of generosity, not as a reward for good behaviour. Rest in that instead of striving for it.
"But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel: "
"And now that plan has been revealed through the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who has broken the power of death and shone a light on life that never ends."
Facing an ending - any ending, not just death - doesn't have to be pure dread. I want you to see that endings can be walked into with clear eyes and real peace, not because they don't matter, but because they're not the whole story.
"Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. "
"I was appointed to proclaim this message, to be an apostle, and to teach it to non-Jewish people."
Know what you're here to do, and let that be more central to who you are than your current struggles. Paul's mission didn't change because his circumstances got worse - and that consistency is a kind of freedom.
"For the which cause I also 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. "
💡 Highlighted words feature Jacobean 1611 tooltips to clarify shifted 17th-century English terms.
"That's why I'm suffering as I am now. But I'm not ashamed, because I know the one I've put my trust in, and I'm convinced he can guard what I've entrusted to him until the day it counts."
You don't need every answer to have peace. What matters is who - or what - you've placed your trust in, and whether that trust is well-placed. I want you to know that kind of settled confidence is available, even in your hardest moments.
"Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. "
"Hold on to the pattern of solid teaching you heard from me, holding it with faith and love."
It's not enough to know what's right - hold it with love, not just correctness. I never wanted truth to be used as a stick to beat people with; carry your convictions the way you'd carry something precious, gently and firmly at once.
"That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us. "
"Guard that good thing entrusted to you, with the help of the Spirit living in us."
You're not meant to protect what matters to you all by yourself, gritting your teeth. Draw on whatever strength and support is available to you - you were never meant to carry everything alone.
"This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me; of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes. "
"You know that everyone from the province of Asia has turned away from me, including Phygellus and Hermogenes."
I don't ask you to pretend abandonment doesn't hurt. Paul names it plainly, without bitterness twisting into revenge - that's the balance: be honest about pain, but don't let it curdle into hatred.
"The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus; for he oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain: "
"May the Lord show kindness to Onesiphorus and his household, because he often lifted my spirits and wasn't embarrassed by my imprisonment."
When someone shows up for you at personal cost, remember it, name it, be grateful for it out loud. And I ask you to be that person for someone else - the one who isn't embarrassed to stand close to someone going through hard times.
"But, when he was in Rome, he sought me out very diligently, and found me. "
"In fact, when he was in Rome, he searched hard for me until he found me."
Real love goes looking. It doesn't wait for convenience; it searches. I want you to notice the people willing to go out of their way for you, and to be willing to go out of your way for others too.
"The Lord grant unto him that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day: and in how many things he ministered unto me at Ephesus, thou knowest very well. "
"May the Lord grant him mercy on the day of judgement - and you know very well how much he helped me back in Ephesus too."
It's the pattern that counts, not just the one grand gesture. I notice the people who help quietly and repeatedly, over time, more than the ones who make a single show of it - and so should you.