2nd Timothy Study, Part 1

Okay, I couldn't wait! So here goes!

2nd Timothy, chapter one, verses one and two, being the introduction.

1. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus,
   
2. To Timothy, my dearly beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
   

It is quite clear in the first sentence who the author of this letter/book is, it is Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ! The next part of the verse says: By the will of God. What does that mean? Well, by the will, means that whatever is spoken of does or is the purpose or wish of some one. In this case, God. So, Paul is an apostle because that is what God wanted him to be. Then, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus. Huh? What is the promise of life? I am not certain of this myself, but the first thing that came to me was the fact that Jesus died on the cross to give us life. So, the promise of life could mean that because Jesus took the penalty for our sins, we can live forever with Him in Heaven. The last part kinda helps with that, by saying: ...which is in Christ Jesus. What are your thoughts on this verse?

The second verse tells us to whom Paul the apostle is writing, Timothy; or Timotheus. Paul says next: my dearly beloved son. Did he have a son? No. Was Paul even married? No. Then why does Paul say: my dearly beloved son? It was probably because they were both followers of Jesus Christ, and felt like family, and/or because Paul was kind of like a father to Timothy. He had probably taught him a lot about God, and encouraged him to come into the ministry. (I know that some people have studied Timothy and found out more about him, but I don't know much of anything about him, so please just bear with me!) Next, Paul says: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. Note that Paul says, our Lord. So, it shows that they have a common faith. That they both believe the same things. What are your thoughts on this verse?

What I would advise y'all to read is Acts 9:1-22, the conversion of Paul. Paul had a unique experience in being introduced to his Savior. The first 22 verses of Acts 9 tell how Paul was showed mercy by God, and went from a big persecutor of the Church to someone who died for God. Really an amazing story of transformation!