2 Timoteo 1

VBL · Chapter 1/4

1Esta carta viene de parte de Pablo, apóstol de Cristo Jesús y escogido por Dios, y es enviada con el fin de contar sobre la promesa de una vida real, es decir, en Cristo Jesús.

2Te la envío a ti, Timoteo, mi querido Hijo. Ten gracia, misericordia, y paz de parte de Dios el Padre y de Cristo Jesús, nuestro Señor.

3Siempre pienso en ti y estoy muy agradecido con Dios, a quien sirvo así como lo hicieron mis ancestros, con una clara conciencia. Nunca te olvido en mis oraciones.

4¡Recuerdo cuánto llorabas y deseo tanto verte! Eso me haría realmente feliz.

5En mi mente siempre está el recuerdo de tu fe sincera en Dios, la misma fe que tenían tu abuela Loida y tu madre Eunice, y sé que esa misma fe sigue viva en ti.

6Por eso quiero recordarte que debes revitalizar el don de la gracia de Dios que recibiste cuando puse mis manos sobre ti.

7Dios no nos dio un espíritu de temor, sino un espíritu de poder, de amor y de cordura.

8Así mismo no se avergüencen de contar a otros sobre nuestro Señor, ni se avergüencen de mí. En lugar de ello, estén listos para participar del sufrimiento por causa de la buena noticia a medida que Dios los fortalece.

9Él es el que nos ha salvado y nos ha llamado para vivir una vida santa, no por medio de lo que hacemos, sino por medio del propio plan de Dios y por medio de su gracia.

10Él nos dio esta gracia en Cristo Jesús antes del principio de los tiempos, y ahora está revelada en la aparición de nuestro Salvador Cristo Jesús. Él destruyó la muerte, dejando en evidencia la vida y la inmortalidad por medio de la buena noticia.

11Fui designado como predicador, apóstol y maestro de esta buena noticia.

12Esa también es una razón por la cual sufro todas estas cosas, pero no me avergüenzo, porque sé en quién he confiado. Estoy seguro de que él puede cuidar de lo que le he confiado hasta el Día de su regreso.

13Deberían seguir el modelo del buen consejo que aprendieron de mí, con una actitud de fe y amor en Cristo Jesús.

14Guarden la verdad que les fue confiada por medio del Espíritu Santo que vive en nosotros.

15Ustedes ya saben que todos los de Asia me abandonaron, incluso Figelo y Hermógenes.

16Que el señor sea bondadoso con la familia de Onesíforo, porque a menudo me cuidó y no se avergonzaba de que yo estuviera en la cárcel.

17Cuando estuve en Roma, se tomó la molestia de buscarme y me encontró.

18Que el Señor le otorgue su bendición en el Día del Juicio. (Timoteo, tu eres muy consciente de cuántas cosas Onesíforo hizo por mi cuando estuve en Éfeso).

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Paul, now imprisoned and near the end of his life, writes with affection to Timothy, recalling his sincere faith inherited from his grandmother and mother. He encourages him not to be ashamed of the gospel and to rekindle the gift of God within him.

Explanation

This is considered Paul's last letter, written from prison in Rome shortly before his death, which gives a personal and urgent tone to every word. He recalls the faith of Lois and Eunice, Timothy's grandmother and mother, showing how faith can pass from generation to generation within a family. The apostle asks Timothy not to be ashamed of the gospel, even at the cost of suffering, and to rekindle the spiritual gift he received through the laying on of hands. The application for today is that courage in faith often needs to be reignited, and a family's spiritual legacy can sustain future generations.

Fun facts

  • This letter is traditionally regarded as Paul's 'spiritual testament,' written during his second imprisonment in Rome, unlike the milder first imprisonment mentioned in Acts 28.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. 2 Timoteo 1:1Paul writes this second letter to Timothy already imprisoned in Rome, expecting to be executed; it is the last letter of his that we have, and a tone of farewell marks the whole book.
  2. 2 Timoteo 1:2Paul calls Timothy “my dearly beloved son” and repeats his usual greeting, but here, written near the end of his life, it carries a more personal weight.
  3. 2 Timoteo 1:3Paul recalls that he serves God with the same clear conscience his Jewish forefathers had, and says that he prays for Timothy constantly, night and day.
  4. 2 Timoteo 1:4Paul remembers Timothy’s tears, probably from their last farewell, and says that seeing his friend again up close would bring him real joy.
  5. 2 Timoteo 1:5Paul recalls that Timothy’s faith comes from a family line, passed down through his grandmother and his mother before him — according to the book of Acts, his mother was a converted Jew and his father was Greek, which made Timothy something of a bridge between the two cultures. It is a personal detail that shows how faith was passed on within families, not only through public preaching.
  6. 2 Timoteo 1:6Paul refers to the same gesture mentioned in 1 Timothy 4:14, the moment when hands were laid on Timothy to formally commission him for service. Here he asks Timothy to reignite that disposition, like rekindling a fire that may have been cooling because of discouragement.
  7. 2 Timoteo 1:7This is one of the most quoted verses in the letter: Paul recalls that the spirit God gives is not one of fear, but of power, love, and self-control, an encouragement for Timothy to lead without cowardice.
  8. 2 Timoteo 1:8Paul asks that Timothy feel no shame either about speaking of Jesus or about visiting him, a prisoner, but that he share in the hardships of the gospel with the strength that comes from God.
  9. 2 Timoteo 1:9Paul recalls that salvation did not come as a reward for merit, but because of a plan and a grace of God that already existed before the world began.
  10. 2 Timoteo 1:10This ancient plan, Paul says, became visible when Jesus appeared, conquering death and bringing to light a life that never ends.
  11. 2 Timoteo 1:11Paul repeats, as he had already said in 1 Timothy 2:7, that he was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles, the non-Jews.
  12. 2 Timoteo 1:12“Deposit” was a commercial term, used for something valuable left in the trustworthy keeping of another person. Paul uses the image to say that he entrusts his life and his mission to God like someone leaving something precious in the keeping of someone fully trustworthy, until the day of final judgment.
  13. 2 Timoteo 1:13Paul asks Timothy to hold on to everything he learned from him as a model, keeping the faith and love that come from Christ Jesus as a constant reference.
  14. 2 Timoteo 1:14Paul repeats the image of the “deposit” he already used before (1:12), now asking Timothy to guard that same trust with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in him.
  15. 2 Timoteo 1:15Paul, already imprisoned and near the end of his life, feels abandoned by Christians from the region of Asia, part of modern-day Turkey, whom he knew well, including Ephesus. It is this climate of loneliness that makes the praise that follows, about someone who did the opposite, stand out even more.
  16. 2 Timoteo 1:16Looking for a prisoner in Rome, especially someone accused for reasons tied to the emperor, could be risky and compromising for whoever paid that visit. Paul highlights Onesiphorus’s effort precisely because of this risk, in contrast to those who chose to keep their distance.
  17. 2 Timoteo 1:17Unlike those who avoided Paul (1:15), Onesiphorus made a point of seeking him out as soon as he arrived in Rome, even knowing the risk of associating with a prisoner.
  18. 2 Timoteo 1:18Paul closes his praise of Onesiphorus with a request for blessing, also recalling all the help he had already given before, in Ephesus.

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