2 Timothy 1:10

1:6-14 God has not given us the spirit of fear, but the spirit of power, of courage and resolution, to meet difficulties and dangers; the spirit of love to him, which will carry us through opposition. And the spirit of a sound mind, quietness of mind. The Holy Spirit is not the author of a timid or cowardly disposition, or of slavish fears. We are likely to bear afflictions well, when we have strength and power from God to enable us to bear them. As is usual with Paul, when he mentions Christ and his redemption, he enlarges upon them; so full was he of that which is all our salvation, and ought to be all our desire. The call of the gospel is a holy call, making holy. Salvation is of free grace. This is said to be given us before the world began, that is, in the purpose of God from all eternity; in Christ Jesus, for all the gifts that come from God to sinful man, come in and through Christ Jesus alone. And as there is so clear a prospect of eternal happiness by faith in Him, who is the Resurrection and the Life, let us give more diligence in making his salvation sure to our souls. Those who cleave to the gospel, need not be ashamed, the cause will bear them out; but those who oppose it, shall be ashamed. The apostle had trusted his life, his soul, and eternal interests, to the Lord Jesus. No one else could deliver and secure his soul through the trials of life and death. There is a day coming, when our souls will be inquired after.

Thou hadst a soul committed to thee; how was it employed? in the service of sin, or in the service of Christ? The hope of the lowest real Christian rests on the same foundation as that of the great apostle. He also has learned the value and the danger of his soul; he also has believed in Christ; and the change wrought in his soul, convinces the believer that the Lord Jesus will keep him to his heavenly kingdom. Paul exhorts Timothy to hold fast the Holy Scriptures, the substance of solid gospel truth in them. It is not enough to assent to the sound words, but we must love them. The Christian doctrine is a trust committed to us; it is of unspeakable value in itself, and will be of unspeakable advantage to us. It is committed to us, to be preserved pure and entire, yet we must not think to keep it by our own strength, but by the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us; and it will not be gained by those who trust in their own hearts, and lean to their own understandings.

But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ; which purpose of God in Christ Jesus was in a great measure hidden under the Old Testament, but by the coming of Christ is made evident. Who hath abolished death; by his death he hath taken away the sting and power of death, delivering us from that which is the second death. And hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel; and through the doctrine of the gospel he hath made the promises of eternal life plain and clear; which though existent under the law, yet were very obscurely revealed, so as they lay out of the sight of most men and women, but are now brought to light, so as he who runneth may read them.

2 Timothy 1:10 . Φανερωθεῖσαν , manifested ) Those remarkable words, τῆς ἐπιφανείας , the appearing , and φωτίσαντος , bringing to light , agree with this expression.— ἐπιφανείας , appearing ) in the flesh. It does not merely mean here the very act of His coming, but the whole time of the abode of Christ among men.— τὸν θάνατον , death ) The article is used here emphatically and designedly. Paul in this passage, as it were, directly abolishes death. Hence the soldier of Christ ought now no longer to fear death.— φωτίσαντος , bringing to light [exposing to the light]) An abbreviated expression: implying, and has procured for us (that should be supplied from the antithetic word καταργήσαντος , who has abolished ) and has brought to light by the Gospel; comp. Ephesians 2:17 .— ζωὴν καὶ ἀφθαρσίαν ) A Hendiadys.— διὰ τοῦ ) Schoettgenius construes this with καλέσαντος , 2 Timothy 1:9 . We may construe thus: φανερωθεῖσαν διὰ τῆς —( καὶ ) διὰ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου , made manifest by His appearing —(and) by the Gospel .

Made manifest (φανερωθεῖσαν) See on 1 Timothy 3:16. In contrast with the preceding clause, this marks the historical fulfillment in time of the eternal, divine counsel. Comp. Titus 1:3. There is an implication that the divine counsel was hidden until the fitting time: comp. Ephesians 3:5, and see Colossians 1:26. By the appearing (διὰ τῆς ἐπιφανείας) See on 2 Thessalonians 2:8; see on 1 Timothy 6:14. Who hath abolished (καταργήσαντος) Better, since he made of none effect. In Pastorals only here. Frequent in Paul. See on make without effect, Romans 3:3, and comp. is swallowed up, 1 Corinthians 15:54. Notice the association of the verb with ἐπιφάνεια appearing in 2 Thessalonians 2:8. Brought to light (φωτίσαντος) Only here in Pastorals. In Paul, 1 Corinthians 4:5; Ephesians 1:18; Ephesians 3:9. Immortality (ἀφθαρσίαν) Better, incorruption. With this exception, only in Paul. See Wisd. 2:23; 6:9; 4 Macc. 9:22; 17:12.

10. But … now … manifest—in contrast to its concealment heretofore in the eternal purpose of God "before the world began" (2Ti 1:9; Col 1:16; Tit 1:2, 3). appearing—the visible manifestation in the flesh. abolished death—Greek, "taken away the power from death" [Tittmann]. The Greek article before "death" implies that Christ abolished death, not only in some particular instance, but in its very essence, being, and idea, as well as in all its aspects and consequences (Joh 11:26; Ro 8:2, 38; 1Co 15:26, 55; Heb 2:14). The carrying out of the abolition of death into full effect is to be at the resurrection (Re 20:14). The death of the body meanwhile is but temporary, and is made no account of by Christ and the apostles. brought … to light—making visible by the Gospel what was before hidden in God's purpose. life—of the Spirit, acting first on the soul here, about to act on the body also at the resurrection. immortality—Greek, "incorruptibility" of the new life, not merely of the risen body [Alford], (Ro 8:11). through—by means of the Gospel, which brings to light the life and immortality purposed by God from eternity, but manifested now first to man by Christ, who in His own resurrection has given the pledge of His people's final triumph over death through Him.

Before the Gospel revelation from God, man, by the light of nature, under the most favorable circumstances, had but a glimmering idea of the possibility of a future being of the soul, but not the faintest idea of the resurrection of the body (Ac 17:18, 32). If Christ were not "the life," the dead could never live; if He were not the resurrection, they could never rise; had He not the keys of hell and death (Re 1:18), we could never break through the bars of death or gates of hell [Bishop Pearson].

2 Timothy 1:10 . φανερωθεῖσαν : See note on 1 Timothy 3:16 . Bengel calls attention to the fit juxtaposition of illustria verba : φανερωθεῖσαν , ἐπιφανείας , φωτίσαντος . διὰ τῆς ἐπιφανείας , κ . τ . λ .: See on 1 Timothy 6:14 . The ἐπιφάνεια here must not be referred to the Incarnation, considered as having taken place at a particular moment in time. It includes it; the ἐπιφάνεια began then; and will be continued, becoming ever brighter and clearer, until its consummation, to which the term ἐπιφάνεια is elsewhere restricted. καταργήσαντος : We cannot, because of the absence of an article before the participles, safely translate, when he brought to nought , rather than, who brought to nought. Abolished does not express the truth. Christians all “taste of death” as their Master did ( John 8:52 , Hebrews 2:9 ), though they do not “see” it; and they are confident that they too will be “saved out of death” ( Hebrews 5:7 ). Death for them has lost its sting ( Hebrews 2:14-15 ). It need not cause any difficulty that here the undoing of death is spoken of as past, whereas in 1 Corinthians 15:26 ; 1 Corinthians 15:54 , it is “the last enemy that shall be abolished” (see Revelation 20:14 ). We have a parallel in John 16:11 , “The prince of this world hath been judged”. τὸν θάνατον : Alf., following Bengel, sees a special force in the art.—“as if he had said Orcum illum ”. φωτίσαντος : To be connected with διὰ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου .

Verse 10. - Hath now been manifested for is now made manifest , A.V.; Christ Jesus for Jesus Christ , A.V.; abolished for hath abolished , A.V.; brought for hath brought , A.V.; incorruption for immortality , A.V. Hath now been manifested ( φανερωθεῖσαν ); a word of very frequent use by St. Paul. The same contrast between the long time during which God's gracious purpose lay hidden, and the present time when it was brought to light by the gospel, which is contained in this passage, is forcibly dwelt upon in Ephesians 3:1-12 . The appearing ( τῆς ἐπιφανείας ), applied here, as in the name of the Festival of the Epiphany, to the first advent, but in ch. 4:1 and Titus 2:13 and elsewhere applied to the second advent, "the glorious appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ" ( Titus 2:13 ). Abolished ( καταργήσαντος ); i.e. "destroyed," or "done away," or "made of none effect," as the word is variously rendered ( 1 Corinthians 15:26 ; 2 Corinthians 3:11 ; Galatians 3:17 ; comp. Hebrews 2:14 ). Brought... to light ( φωτίσαντος ); as in 1 Corinthians 4:15 . Elsewhere rather "to give light," or "to enlighten" (see Luke 11:36 ; Hebrews 6:4 ; Hebrews 10:32 , etc.). For a full description of the abolition of death and the introduction of eternal life in its stead, through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, see Romans 5 . and 6, and especially Romans 6:8-11. Through the gospel; because the gospel both declares the death and resurrection of Christ, and calls us to share in them.