If you would, go ahead and take your Bibles and turn with me to the NT book of 2 Timothy. Today, we begin a new series. This series will be team-taught by myself and the other elders here at VBVF. And my goal today is modest. I want to introduce you to this great book of the Bible, a book that has been very influential upon my own life, especially in the couple decades that I’ve served as a pastor.

I want to answer for you six questions this morning in an effort to introduce this book. Those questions are broadly, 1) Who, 2) What, 3) When, 4) Where, 5) Why, and 6) How. More specifically those questions are… 

1. Who wrote 2 Timothy, and to whom was it written?

2. What is 2 Timothy?

3. When was 2 Timothy written?

4. Where did Paul send the letter, and where was Paul when he wrote it?

5. Why did Paul write 2 Timothy?

6. How do we apply the truths of 2 Timothy? 

You can see those questions in your notes and follow along as we go.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Let’s start with the easiest question first. 

1) Who wrote 2 Timothy, and to whom was it written? 

Well this is clearly stated in the first two verses of the book. 2 Timothy 1:1 states, 

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God according to the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus, 

So there it is, the first word of the book—“Paul.” But let me complexify this issue just a bit. The author is clearly the Apostle Paul. But notice I wrote “authors” not just “author” in your notes. That’s because we know that the Holy Spirit is the co-author of this text. 

Authors: The Apostle Paul and the Holy Spirit (2 Tim 1:1; 2 Tim 3:16–17; 2 Pet 1:21)

And we know that in part from what the book of 2 Timothy says itself. Paul says, in this very book, 

2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness 

At VBVF, we believe in the dual-authorship of Scripture. This is clearly derived from that 2 Timothy 3 passage. And I typically quote that passage every time I start a series through a book of the Bible. It’s only right to quote it here, in the original context of its writing. 

But that’s not the only Scripture that alludes to dual-authorship. The Apostle Peter says similarly, 

2 Peter 1:21 No prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

So there is both a human and a divine component to Scripture. The human author is Paul. And I will say from time to time through our study of 2 Timothy that “Paul wrote” this or “Paul wrote” that. Those statements are true, and there are elements, on a human level, of Paul’s personality, writing style, vocabulary, etcetera in the text. But keep in mind that at all times when we deal with Scripture, understood is the fact that the Holy Spirit was the co-author. 

Paul (or Saul as he was first named) in the Bible was originally a great persecutor of the church. He stood by approvingly as the evangelist Stephen was stoned by Jewish leaders (Acts 7:58). He relentlessly pursued and persecuted Christians. Acts 8:3 says this Saul was “ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.” 

But on the road to Damascus, the risen Christ appeared to Paul in a dramatic scene and asked “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” Paul was radically converted after that encounter and became one of the staunchest advocates for Christ in the first century world. And God used Paul to write many of the NT books including the book of 2 Timothy. 

In terms of the recipient or recipients of this book, we see that in verse 2. 

2 To Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. 

So Timothy is the clear recipient of this letter. But let me complexify this matter a bit too. Yes, Paul wrote this book to Timothy. Timothy was a young leader in the church in Ephesus. He was strategic to Paul’s missionary work throughout the first century. He may even have been Paul’s best friend. And the letter here to Timothy is extremely personal. 

But it’s not as if Timothy was supposed to hoard it for himself at the church where he served. Paul actually wrote this letter with the intent that Timothy would read it out loud to the church body. We know that from the way that Paul uses pronouns at the end of this book and also at the end of 1 Timothy.

Paul says in 2 Timothy 4:22,

22 The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you. 

The “your” in that verse is singular. The “you” at the end is plural. This is the equivalent to Paul saying, “Grace be with y’all,” if you will. And so, the writing of this letter was for Timothy, yes… all of the pronouns throughout this book are singular except for that last one… but this letter was also meant to be read before the church body. 

And let me add this. One of the implications of the dual-authorship of Scripture is that the audience of the letter is more than just the original, historical recipient(s) of that ancient document. Yes, there is an immediate context with which Paul wrote. There was a historical situation that he wanted to address, and a historical person, Timothy, who he was addressing. 

But since we believe in the dual-authorship of Scripture, we know that the Holy Spirit has preserved this letter in such a way that it would address a broader context including the church here today, twenty centuries later. So we should think of the recipients of this book as Timothy, the church where Timothy served, and also all of God’s people throughout church history including us here in San Antonio, Texas.

Recipients: Timothy and all of God’s people (2 Tim 2:2; 2 Tim 3:16–17)

That reality is hinted at in that seminal passage in chapter 3. 

2 Timothy 3:16–17 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here’s a second question we want to answer. 

2) What is 2 Timothy?

The answer to this question, very simply put, is that 2 Timothy is Scripture. It is part of our Christian Bible. More particularly it is a letter. We use the term “epistle” sometimes, but that simply means a letter. And we can see that in the way that 2 Timothy is presented. It has an author, a recipient, an introduction, and a conclusion. This is a letter. And it is…

One of Paul’s 13 letters canonized as Christian Scripture (2 Pet 3:15–16)

Paul wrote thirteen books of the NT. And 2 Timothy is the thirteenth of those writings. In other words, it was the last of his extensive writings that were recorded as Scripture. Some believe it may even be the last words that Paul ever wrote, days, maybe even hours, before his execution. 

In one of the most fascinating passages of Scripture, the Apostle Peter wrote, 

2 Peter 3:15–16 And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.

One of the things that Peter affirms in this statement is that Paul’s letters were already considered Scripture during Paul’s lifetime. This is an amazing statement. Peter puts Paul’s writings on par with the OT during Paul’s lifetime, just a few decades after Jesus’s death and resurrection. 

The process of canonization is fascinating. There’s more that I could say about this process, but I don’t have time right now. Suffice it to say that the early church affirmed Paul’s writing as Scripture as well as Peter’s and the other books of the Old and New Testament in the first few centuries after Christ. But Peter recognized it as Scripture very early on, before the turn of the first century. And so 2 Timothy takes its place as one of Paul’s Scriptural writings and also as:

One of the 66 books of the Bible inspired by the Holy Spirit (2 Tim 3:16–17; 2 Pet 1:21)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now, let’s answer some harder questions.

3) When was 2 Timothy written?

It’s not possible to be exact about this. But the best historical reconstruction for the date of this work is A.D. 67 or thereabouts. 

Approximately A.D. 67, just before Paul’s execution 

The book of Acts ends with Paul in prison in Rome. More than likely, Paul was released from prison around A.D. 62. And after that, he travelled to cities both east and west of Rome. It was during this time that he sent the epistle of Titus to Titus, and the epistle of 1 Timothy to Timothy.

But after all that, Paul was imprisoned in Rome again. And this time was the last time for him. Because he was executed by the Roman Emperor Nero around A.D. 67. It was during that last imprisonment and shortly before his death, that he wrote 2 Timothy. I can’t say with exactitude when it was written, but we can ballpark it. Paul wrote this book in the final stages of his life. 

And that’s what makes 2 Timothy a fascinating letter. There’s a sense of urgency in this book. Paul is more emotional, and he’s more reflective in this book than others. And that’s probably because he’s suffering greatly and he knows he’s about to die. That feeling is palpable in this book.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here’s a fourth question for us.

4) Where did Paul send 2 Timothy, and where was Paul when he wrote it?

We’ve already answered the second part of that question. But let me answer the first part too. 

Paul wrote to Timothy who was in the city of Ephesus (1 Tim 1:3; 2 Tim 1:18)

Paul wrote from prison in Rome (2 Tim 1:8, 16–18; 2:9)

Paul has several references to being imprisoned and being chained in this book. For example, he writes,

2 Timothy 1:8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner,

Similarly he says,  

2 Timothy 1:16 May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains

He also says, 

2 Timothy 2:9 I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound!

So it’s clear that he wrote this letter from prison. And it was a letter written from Rome. Because he says about Onesiphorus…

2 Timothy 1:16–17 May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains, but when he arrived in Rome he searched for me earnestly and found me— 

Now in terms of the letter’s destination, we can derive that from several statements in 1 and 2 Timothy. For instance, Paul wrote in 1 Timothy the following:

1 Timothy 1:3 As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine

The best way to understand that verse is that Paul wrote 1 Timothy from Macedonia to Timothy who was at Ephesus. Paul had set up the church in Ephesus and spent much time there. Probably after Paul’s initial imprisonment in Rome (recorded in Acts), Paul was released. 

He then travelled around visiting locations including Ephesus. And at some point, after visiting the island of Crete and then Macedonia, he left Timothy at Ephesus and Titus at Crete and wrote to them simultaneously. Those writings became the books of 1 Timothy and Titus.

Later, when Paul was imprisoned in Rome again, Paul wrote a second letter to Timothy. And it seems as if Timothy was still located in Ephesus. Because Paul says, 

2 Timothy 1:18 may the Lord grant [Onesiphorus] to find mercy from the Lord on that day!—and you well know all the service he rendered at Ephesus. 

So, our best estimation is that Timothy was still stationed in Ephesus, as a pastor, when Paul wrote this second letter to him. Paul wrote 1 Timothy to Timothy while he was in Ephesus. Paul wrote 2 Timothy to Timothy while he was in Ephesus. And Timothy’s leadership role in Ephesus was no easy assignment.

Here’s the ancient location of Ephesus in the Roman Empire.

You can see that it is centrally located between Rome and Jerusalem (and also Antioch). This made it strategic for the spread of the gospel throughout the ancient world. Paul had visited most of these regions, planting churches and sharing the gospel with the Jews first, and then the Gentiles. 

Ephesus is now an uninhabited city in the modern-day country of Turkey. But during Paul’s day it was an important city in the Roman Empire and the most important city in the Roman province of Asia. Even today, you can travel to Turkey and see some of the city monuments that still remain that have been well-preserved. For example, here are the ruins of the Library of Celsus. You can go and see this today in Turkey.

The city of Ephesus shows up a lot in the Bible. The book of Ephesians was Paul’s letter to the church at Ephesus earlier in his ministry. Paul spent more than two years at Ephesus at one point in his ministry (Acts 19:10; 20:31). Ephesus is also one of the seven churches that Jesus (via the Apostle John) wrote a letter to in the book of Revelation (Rev 2:1–7).  

And just so you know, Ephesus, as a city, was pagan to its core. You could say that about most, if not all, of the cities of the Roman Empire. But this was especially true of Ephesus. Ephesus was a great center of Emperor worship. Also the temple of Artemis was located there. That temple was one of the seven great wonders of the ancient world. Below is a model of how that great structure would have looked in Paul’s day. 

Once when Paul was in Ephesus, he started a riot with his preaching endeavors (Acts 19:21–41). If you remember, that’s where the people chanted “GREAT IS ARTEMIS OF THE EPHESIANS” for two solid hours! People chant “USA” in our day for what? Maybe 60 seconds tops. Imagine chanting a chant for two solid hours. Nobody chants that long. 

And this is the city that Paul sent Timothy to. Timothy was no slouch (see Paul’s comments on how much he trusted Timothy in Phil 2:19–24). Paul had Timothy (and Silas) stay in Macedonia after he had been chased out of town (Acts 17:13–15). Paul sent Timothy to Thessalonica to instruct the church there—a city that Paul had been run out of (Acts 17: 1–10; 1 Thess 3:1–3). Paul later sent him to Corinth and the dysfunctional church there (1 Cor 4:17, 16:10–11). Timothy was stationed in Ephesus when Paul wrote 2 Timothy to him. In fact Timothy stayed stationed in Ephesus, that pagan bastion of Artemis worship, between the writings of 1 and 2 Timothy. That’s like four years! And things had gotten harder for Timothy in Ephesus since he had first gotten there, not easier.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here’s a fifth question for us. 

5) Why did Paul write 2 Timothy?

You might say, “Tony, that’s interesting the Who, What, When, and Where of 2 Timothy. But I’m more interested in the “Why” question. Why did Paul write this book?”

If you’re asking that this morning, I think that’s fantastic. It’s important to get beyond those first level questions of Scripture and get to the second level, the Why and the How. So let me turn to that now.

Why did Paul write 2 Timothy? Here’s why. Here are the two primary themes of this book. The first is this.

To emphasize the power and the authority of God’s Word (2 Tim 1:5; 3:14–17; 4:1–2)

And I’m not just deriving that theme from 2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is breathed out by God…” I’m also deriving this from 2 Timothy 4:1. Because at a climactic moment in this book, Paul tells Pastor Timothy, “Preach the Word [Timothy]. Here’s the broader context of that:

2 Timothy 4:1–3 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.

Those verses have been three of the most important verses for the Protestant tradition that we belong to. And let me add to that, those three verses have been three of the most important verses of my life and my calling. How could it be otherwise? 

To Paul, the Scriptures weren’t just the hidden secret truths that only he and the apostles and the clergy were privy to. They were the fuel that fired up the church of Jesus Christ. And it was the responsibility of every church and every pastor to preach, hear, heed, and obey the Scriptures.  

Additionally, Paul mentions the importance of mama and grandmama teaching young Timothy the Scriptures long before he was a leader in the church (2 Tim 1:5; 3:14–15). We’ll talk more about mama Eunice and grandmama Lois next week. 

But let me just be clear here, teaching and believing the Scriptures isn’t a “boys club.” Yes, men are called to teach as elders to the church as a whole. But teaching takes more shapes than just that. And God wants all men and all women in the church to receive and believe the preached Scriptures. Paul didn’t tell Timothy to send the women out of the church and teach only to the men. That’s the opposite of what Paul wanted Timothy to do.  

And an essential part of this commitment to God’s Word, involved a commitment to the gospel. Timothy was called to preach the Word of God (the Scriptures) and the WORD of God (the Son) held therein. And part of that involved training up godly men who could do that likewise and chasing off anyone who compromised the truth of the gospel. 

Paul says in chapter 2, 

2 Timothy 2:1–2 You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.

In other words, pass it on. Paul is telling Timothy, not so subtly, “I’m about to die Timothy. But I’m passing on the gospel to you. But you can’t sit on it. You’re going to die eventually too. So pass on what you have heard from me to others. And don’t let compromisers get a foothold in the church!” And we should be thinking likewise as the church of Jesus Christ. Because we aren’t going to live forever. We need to pass on to the next generation that which has been entrusted to us.

So that’s one theme—“The power and the authority of God’s Word.” Sola Scriptura, you might call it. A second theme is the following. And this is going to strike a chord with many of us in this room. 

Why did Paul write 2 Timothy? Here’s why…

To emphasize the importance of finishing life well (2 Tim 4:6–7)

Paul says memorably and poignantly, 

2 Timothy 4:6–7 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  

Paul had been beaten, bloodied, and bruised for the gospel of Jesus Christ. But he never quit. And he says here, “By the grace of God I’m going to break the tape of this race called life. I didn’t phone it in at the end. I didn’t quit when it was hard. I didn’t coast to the end. I finished and I fought the good fight like a good soldier of Jesus Christ all the way to the end.” 

I’ll just tell you church, we need this. We need these two themes pressed deeply into our psyches. We need to be reminded of the authority of God’s Word. 

And we need the encouragement from the Apostle Paul to finish well this race called life. We need that encouragement often, don’t we? Because there are an infinite number of distractions in this world that are attempting to steer us off course. And if we’re not careful, if we’re not vigilant, our race will be compromised.   

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And here’s a final question for us. Let’s answer the question how.

6) How do we apply the truths of 2 Timothy?

Let me give you two answers to that question, and then we’re done. And let me address this question in the context of our series through 2 Timothy in the next few months here at VBVF. Let me give you two orientations for application. There’s the vertical and the horizontal.

First the vertical. I would say that God wants us to apply the truths of 2 Timothy…

Vertically, with eyes fixed on God on his glory

So as you come to church, come willing and ready to worship the Lord. Come willing and ready to sing these songs of worship. And maintain that worshipful mindset as we open up God’s Word, read God’s Word, and apply God’s Word. These are not the words of man, ultimately. This is God’s revelation to us. God has spoken to us. And we need to be attentive to hearing from him.

And as we hear from him in his Word, we will become better knowers of God and worshippers of God. A lot of people think that we sing songs of worship to gear up for God’s Word. It’s like Derek and the worship team are the opening act for the main event or something. I don’t agree with that. 

Everything that we do on Sunday morning is essential at church. Everything we do here is mutually beneficial. We study God’s Word to be better worshipers of him. And we worship God to be better students of his Word. And we gather as the church to worship God from start to finish. From the opening announcements to the closing prayer. From soup to nuts, you might say. 

And as part of that, we want to apply these Scriptures vertically with our eyes fixed on God and fixated on his glory. But we also want to apply these Scriptures horizontally.

Horizontally, with our hearts committed to loving, faithful obedience 

We don’t come to God’s Word just for facts. We come for formation. We don’t settle for information of the Scriptures. We want transformation. We are doers of God’s Word, not just hearers. And part of my job is moving past the dissemination of facts from pastor to parishioners. Facts are easy. It’s easy to find out stuff in the Bible. The hard work of Bible study, and the hard work of spiritual growth and discipleship is actually living out what the truths of Scripture tell us. 

So that’s on me, as your pastor. That’s on our elders too who will be teaching this series through 2 Timothy with me. Don’t settle for facts, gentlemen. We need more than that. But that’s also on you, church. We can give you lots of good, thoughtful, powerful, transformative teaching from God’s Word. But you’ve got to do more than just listen. You’ve got to do more than just show up. Although you’ve got to at least show up! You’ve got to live it out. You’ve got to love it. You’ve got to apply it.  

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You might say, “We’re ready, Pastor Tony! Let’s do it!” Good. Come back next week, and we’ll get after 2 Timothy again. But before we sing a closing song of worship, let me share this with you. This should inform not just your Sunday morning intake of God’s Word, but also your personal devotions. Here’s a great reminder from the great Baptist preacher, Charles Spurgeon on “the Bible.”

“This Bible is a book of authority; it is an authorized book, for God has written it. Oh, tremble, tremble, lest any of you despise it; mark its authority, for it is the Word of God. Then, since God wrote it, mark its truthfulness… [H]ad I written it, there would be men who would pull it to pieces at once, and perhaps quite right too. But this is the Word of God.”

“[C]ome, search ye critics, and find a flaw; examine it from its Genesis to its Revelations, and find an error. This is a vein of pure gold, unalloyed by quartz, or any earthy substance. This is a star without a speck; a sun without a blot! a light without darkness; a moon without its paleness; a glory without a dimness. O Bible! it cannot be said of any other book, that it is perfect and pure; but of thee we can declare all wisdom is gathered up in thee, without a particle of folly.” 

“This is the book untainted by any error; but is pure, unalloyed, perfect truth. Why? Because God wrote it. Ah! charge God with error if ye please; tell him that his book is not what it ought to be. I have heard men with prudish and mock-modesty, who would like to alter the Bible; and (I almost blush to say it) I have heard minister’s alter God’s Bible, because they were afraid of it … Gentlemen! pull the velvet out of your mouths; speak God’s word; we want none of your alterations… Blessed Bible; thou art all truth.”