And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day. 2 Timothy 1:11-12
2 Timothy. The Call to Commitment
Paul’s final letter, written just before his execution in Rome. Paul calls on Timothy, his younger friend and follower, to live as a good soldier if Jesus Christ in the face of growing opposition.
Paul can look back over his own life with satisfaction, knowing that he has “kept the faith.” The crowning righteousness is soon to be his. And so this letter marks the passage of leadership from one generation to the next.
Date & Author. Paul writes this letter to Timothy during his last imprisonment in Rome, probably about A.D. 67.
Theme. Last words of famous people are often revealing. Here Paul unveils, not only his parting advice, but also the values and the commitments that have shaped his own life — and can shape ours.
Outline
Greeting
I. The Glory of the Calling 1:1, 2
II. The Life of Commitment 1:3-18
III. The Difficulties to Be Faced 3:1-4:8
Parting Remarks
Questions Ansered 2 2 Timothy.
- What are the chief duties of Christian leaders?
- What might a life of full commitment cost me?
- What are the reasons why full commitment is the wisest choice an individual can make?
- How shall I respond to the evils around me and to people who oppose what I believe in?
[At the end of his life, right before his execution, Paul wrote, that because of the gospel, he had suffered because of the gospel. “Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day. ”
I will remember Paul’s confession of faith at the end of his life. I know whom I have believed… I am convinced.]