1:1 Like the first letter to “Timothy,” 2 Timothy claims to have been written by Paul. However, there is serious doubt among scholars as to whether this claim of authorship is plausible. See the comment to 1 Timothy 1:1 for additional discussion of the authorship question. 2 Timothy does display a more personal tone than 1 Timothy, and includes more biographical details. This can be taken as evidence of authenticity, or as evidence that a non-Pauline author is trying to make his forgery appear genuine. The latter was indeed a common ploy among ancient authors.
The state of scholarly opinion is such that “about 80 to 90 percent of modern scholars would agree that the Pastorals were written after Paul’s lifetime, and of those the majority would accept the period between 80 and 100 [A.D.] as the most plausible context for their composition.” (Raymond E. Brown, An Introduction to the New Testament, p.668.) As noted in the comment to 1 Timothy 1:1, a false claim of authorship means that these letters start out with a lie in the very first sentence, and their credibility after that point is thus seriously undermined. Paul’s authority rested on his claim to have received a personal revelation from the risen Jesus. But what authority can be placed on the writings of an unknown author whose life we know nothing about?
1:6 Here the author says that Timothy received his gift from God through the laying on of Paul’s hands. However, in 1 Timothy 4:14, it was the council of elders that laid their hands upon Timothy to convey the divine gift.
1:7 These words could not be more opposed to those of the genuine Paul. The author here claims that God has given him (and other Christians) a spirit of “self-control.” But compare this to Paul’s words from Romans: “I do not recognize what I do. For I do not do what I wish, but what I hate.” This is hardly what we would expect to hear from a man who is endowed with a divine gift of self-control.
1:9 Here it is clear that salvation does not come from one’s own actions (“works”) but through God’s grace which reflects “his own purpose.” Thus, the author of 2 Timothy, like Paul himself, stands in conflict with the author of James, who proclaims that “a man is justified by works, and not by faith alone.” (James 2:24) Christian attempts to reconcile these two points of view are unsuccessful. See an extended discussion on the question of faith vs. works in the comment to James 2:14-26.
Those apologists who would try to reconcile the position of Paul (salvation through God’s grace) with that of James (salvation through works) miss the essential theological contradiction between the two. They do not complement each other, but represent two diametrically opposed theological landscapes. Salvation through works implies justice – i.e., people get what they deserve, based on their actions. No forgiveness is required or given. Salvation through grace implies arbitrariness – i.e., the sovereign authority (God in this case, or the king in secular matters) determines our fate. We get not what we deserve, but what God is willing to give us. Salvation by faith is not exactly the same as salvation by grace, and in fact, contradicts it as does the salvation by works doctrine - because faith is also an act on the part of the individual (assuming that the individual has a free choice as to whether or not to believe in the required doctrine). Thus, salvation by faith implies that there is something an individual can do about his own salvation, but salvation by grace makes clear that it is out of the individual’s hands.
1:10 The word “Savior” appears ten times in the Pastoral letters of 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus. But this word barely existed in the real Paul’s vocabulary. In the letters of undisputed Pauline authorship, “Savior” appears only once, in Philippians 3:20, and the reference is to the Lord Jesus Christ as “a Savior” not “the Savior.” It is perhaps significant that Philippians is one of the least important letters of Paul from a theological standpoint, while the imposing theological treatise to the Romans never grants Jesus the title of Savior. To be sure, Paul uses the verb “save” in connection with Jesus in Romans and other letters, but its use in the Pastorals as a title for Jesus indicates an evolution in vocabulary and viewpoint away from the time in which Paul wrote.
It is also worth noting that the word “Savior” does not appear anywhere in the gospels of Matthew and Mark, and only once with reference to Jesus in Luke’s gospel (Luke 2:11).
1:11-12 Even with God on his side, indeed because of it, “Paul” expects to suffer. Why should God’s people suffer in this world? It is the same question that has perplexed the Jews throughout centuries of captivity and oppression. The author here trusts God to balance things out in the indefinite future, at the judgment day, but there is no explanation as to why suffering is required in the first place, nor any evidence that this supposed balancing will ever occur.
1:13-14 The writer calls upon “Timothy” to follow the doctrine which he has been taught. And not just the doctrine but the words. And not just the words, but the “pattern” of the words. As many commenters have pointed out, a major concern in the Pastoral letters is to urge conformity with established church doctrine and ritual. This may seem authoritarian, but it is no worse than Paul’s own position, as when he invoked a curse on those who preached a gospel different from what he had taught. (Galatians 1:8-9)
1:15 We do not know whether “all who are in Asia” should be taken to mean literally that all the Christians in Asia (i.e., Asia Minor, or modern-day Turkey) have turned against “Paul” in rebellion against his theology, or whether the reference is only to a small group of associates and personal followers, of whom Phygelus and Hermogenes are named as examples.
2:2 The importance of faithfully handing down the doctrines previously transmitted is again emphasized. There were many varieties of Christianity competing for attention during the late 1st and early 2nd centuries, and the particular branch represented by Paul’s tradition stressed the need for doctrinal purity in order to avoid being contaminated by these alternate forms of the religion. For an overview of the early varieties of Christianity, see Bart D. Ehrman, Lost Christianities.
2:4-6 These examples “stress the fact that if one wants to achieve success in any profession, he must devote himself to it completely.” (The Interpreter’s Bible, vol.11, p.479.)
2:8 That Jesus was descended from David “in the flesh” is mentioned by Paul in Romans 1:3. However, it was never a centerpiece of Paul’s theology, and it is perhaps an exaggeration by the author here to refer to it as a point "preached in my gospel.” The descent of Jesus from David, especially “in the flesh,” contradicts the birth stories of Matthew and Luke, who both have Jesus sired by the Holy Spirit, thus breaking the chain of fleshly descent from David. Matthew and Luke have their own points of contradiction with each other on the genealogy question. See the comments to Mathew 1:6 and Luke 3:23-38.
2:11 “The saying is sure,” (RSV) or “It is a faithful saying,” (KJV) is a phrase only found in the two letters to Timothy. This is another indication that these letters were not authored by Paul, who never used the phrase in his genuine letters.
2:12 “If we deny him, he also will deny us.” This echoes the teaching of Matthew 10:33: “Whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.” But Peter three times denied Jesus (Matthew 26:75; Mark 14:72). Therefore, we must inescapably conclude that Peter has been denied access to the kingdom of God because of his denial of Christ.
2:14-16 The implication here is that the opponents of “Paul” have nothing substantive to say. They are merely disputing about words, not about meaningful concepts. The true Christian will avoid such “vain babblings” and stick to the truth that was handed down by the accepted authorities.
2:18 At numerous points in the New Testament we are reminded that the early Christian movement was plagued by strife and discord, even on core theological concepts. Here we learn that some members have taught that the resurrection has already occurred. These are not scoffers who say that there is no resurrection at all – although there were proponents of that view as well. (1 Corinthians 15:12) Rather the dispute is about whether the resurrection has already happened or is yet to occur. That Christians have already experienced their resurrection perhaps seems like a bizarre notion to a modern Christian; yet it finds support in Colossians 2:12 and 3:1, as well as Ephesians 2:1 and 2:5-6. For additional points of discord among the early Christians, see the comment to Acts 21:20-21.
2:19 “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord keep away from wickedness,” is not a direct quotation from any passage of scripture, although it is presented as such. Naming the name of the Lord, however, is not in itself enough to ensure salvation. As Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to me Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 7:21) And in Luke 6:46, Jesus asked, “Why do you call me Lord, Lord and do not do what I say?”
2:20 This metaphor of the precious and common vessels parallels that of Paul in Romans 9:21-23. But contradictory lessons are drawn by Paul on the one hand and the author of 2 Timothy on the other. While in 2 Timothy the reader is exhorted to purify himself so as to raise himself from a dishonorable vessel to an honorable one, in Romans, there is no such option available. Paul’s version of the metaphor carries no hope, but only despair for those who were shaped by God as vessels for destruction, for the sole purpose of displaying his power and wrath.
2:24 The word translated here as “servant” in most English translations, is the Greek doulos, whose basic meaning is “slave,” and which appears often throughout the New Testament. Translators frequently try to soften the harsh connotations of “slave” by substituting less unpleasant terminology. However, “slave” is the correct and literal translation.
2:25-26 The author, if he is the same one who wrote 1 Timothy, must have had a change of heart as to how heretics should be dealt with. Here the advice is to correct the opponents “with gentleness.” But in 1 Timothy 1:20, the unfortunate Hymenaeus and Alexander were handed over to Satan. Delivering wayward Christians to Satan was also the method practiced by Paul in 1 Corinthians 5:5. It seems that if errant brethren managed to escape the “snare of the devil” (v.26) they still had to watch out for their own leaders, who threatened to return them to the evil one’s grip.
3:1 The implication is that the last days are now here, as predicted by “Paul” when he supposedly wrote the letter. That the last days were to be characterized by violence, turmoil, immorality, astronomical catastrophes and false teachers is attested in the Bible as well as in the popular traditions of the time, in both Judaism and Christianity. (See for example, the list of calamities foretold in Mark ch. 13 and Matthew ch. 24.) It is not explained why God would allow events to spin out of control, but Christians profess to believe that all this commotion is part of God’s mysterious plan, of which no one understands the purpose.
3:2-4 All this wickedness is expected to characterize people’s actions in the end times. But wickedness also characterized the people of early times, leading God to drown most of the human race in the flood. So from beginning to end, humanity has distinguished itself by moral depravity. If a product is thus flawed, wouldn’t we normally assign the responsibility for its imperfections to its maker?
3:5 This verse indicates that the wicked behavior he has just described is expected from Christians, who hold to “a form of godliness,” but who deny its real meaning and power. Non-believers would not even hold to the form of Christianity, so they cannot be the objects of this criticism. The author declares that such people should be avoided, contrary to his earlier advice to correct one’s opponents with gentleness. (2:25)
3:6-7 We must understand these verses as referring to the efforts of opposing preachers to approach gullible women in their homes and persuade them to believe in their allegedly false doctrines. “Capture” (RSV) should not be taken literally to mean that these women are being kidnapped. “Captivate” ( NASB) is closer to the intended meaning. It is ironic, however, that the author of 2 Timothy accuses his opponents of preying on the weak minds of unsuspecting women, because this was one of the charges levelled by pagan critics against Christianity, whose members were disproportionately represented by women and slaves in the early years.
3:8 These names (Jannes and Jambres) do not appear anywhere in the Old Testament. There was literature in late Jewish and early Christian times which identified them as Pharaoh’s magicians (Exodus 7:11), who engaged in a competition of magical tricks with Moses and his brother Aaron, while the Hebrews were still in captivity in Egypt. See The Interpreter’s Bible, vol.11, p.502, for additional details.
3:12 To say that all those who try to live a godly life in Jesus will be persecuted is hardly a great selling point for the young religion, but we must remember that this letter appears to have been written to a church leader, perhaps a young pastor, and not to a congregation of ordinary believers as were most of the genuine letters of Paul.
3:15 The “sacred writings” (RSV, NASB) or “holy scriptures” (KJV, NIV), would refer to the Hebrew scriptures, i.e., the Old Testament. The writings which we call the New Testament were not considered to be scripture, even by the early apostolic fathers such as Clement, Ignatius, and Papias. On the development of the New Testament writings as “scripture,” see Bruce M. Metzger, The Canon of the New Testament, especially chapter 3, which deals with the views of the apostolic fathers.
3:16 “All scripture is inspired by God” leaves open the question of what constitutes scripture? The Greek word simply means “writing,” but as we have already noted, the New Testament writings were not widely acknowledged as scripture even by the early authorities of the church. If the author of 2 Timothy is writing in the early 2nd century as an admirer of Paul, he may very well have considered Paul’s letters to be “scripture.” But this raises difficulties, too – because contrary to the general principle expressed here that “all scripture is inspired by God,” Paul specifically calls out passages in his letters which are not the word of God, but his own opinions. (E.g., 1 Corinthians 7:12; 7:25; 2 Corinthians 8:10.)
4:1 Christ Jesus is declared to be the one who is to “judge the living and the dead.” But this contradicts the gospel of John, where we read that Christ did not come to judge the world. (John 3:17; 12:47) However, the gospel of John has its own contradictions on this point, as Jesus says just the opposite in John 9:39. For a summary of the numerous inconsistencies in John’s gospel on the question of who is to judge the world, see the comment to John 5:22.
4:3-4 Again we must wonder at the utter ineffectiveness of every plan that God comes up with. The initial creation of the human race ended in widespread wickedness and mankind’s destruction by the flood. And after the appearance of Christ, the preaching of the gospel falls on the deaf ears of those who will “turn away from the truth and embrace fables.” Could not an omniscient God have foreseen these problems and corrected the design before implementing his project?
4:6 The perspective adopted by the author is that of Paul, nearing the end of his life, and awaiting execution. The purpose of the letter has been to pass on instructions to his associate, “Timothy,” and exhort him to preserve the teaching which has been handed down to him. By adopting Paul’s name as the writer of the letter, the author hopes to profit from Paul’s authority and stature in the church to shore up support for the author’s doctrines.
4:8 In keeping with the athletic imagery (“I have finished the race”), the crown of righteousness may be the reward for leading a righteous life. It is to be presented to “Paul” by the Lord, as an athlete might be crowned with a laurel wreath as a prize for victory in the Olympic games.
4:9-13 It seems very strange that a man on the verge of death (v.6) would be concerned about regaining his cloak and some books and parchments. It is possible that this section and the greetings in v.19, referring to numerous associates and acquaintances of Paul, were added as a touch of realism by the author writing under Paul’s name. The passage sounds like something Paul might have written, although its contrast with the seriousness of the preceding section renders its authenticity suspect.