Context is absolutely essential. It’s essential for regular, every-day conversations so we understand accurately what someone is saying. Have you ever heard someone say something and immediately wondered what in the world did I just hear?? I work a lot with middle schoolers. I definitely have. And often, though with middle schoolers not always, hearing that sentence or comment in the context of the conversation as a whole brings clarity.
When we consider 2 Timothy 1:7, it isn’t the first verse, it is the seventh, and there are verses that come after. It may sound simple, but sometimes we don’t always take those verses into account for the meaning of the one verse we’re looking at. But, those verses matter.
So, what do they say?
The Apostle Paul is writing to his son in the faith, Timothy. He highlights the faith of Timothy’s mom and grandma (his dad, interestingly, is left out of this commendation…it is the faith of his mother and grandmother that has made the significant difference in Timothy’s own faith. So, shoutout to the moms and grandmas out there - pass your faith on to your kids and grandkids! It’s a significant and worthwhile endeavor that carries with it great impact in the life of each individual kid. And, the fruit of the faith of one kid can produce quite a harvest in the lives of others, as we see through Timothy and his ministry).
I remember your sincere and unqualified faith [the surrendering of your entire self to God in Christ with confident trust in His power, wisdom and goodness, a faith] which first lived in [the heart of] your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am confident that it is in you as well.
2 Timothy 1:5 AMP
Paul goes on to encourage Timothy to actually live out that faith, to fan into flame his faith and the gift God has given him as a messenger of the Gospel. This, then, is the context that leads us into the well-known verse seven. Paul is commending Timothy to put his faith and his gift into action.
I think, from time-to-time, maybe quite often, we could all be encouraged in a similar way. Who paved the way of faith before you? What spiritual influencers in your life shared the Gospel and their own lives of faith with you? Take a moment to think on that, write their names down, remember their faith and the foundation of faith you stand on. It is not a foundation that is you alone, but is built upon the community of brothers and sisters, spiritual fathers and mothers and siblings, who have poured into you, prayed with and for you, and been involved in your faith.
My own foundation of faith began with my parents. They make up the bedrock of my faith and, over time, my youth pastor became another one of those foundational people in my life. He’s actually one of the big reasons I became a youth pastor myself, so shoutout to you, Pastor Michael! Thank you for your longevity in ministry, your sustained faith, steady example of being a man of God and your love for the Word of God and sharing the Gospel with all.
If you feel like you don’t have spiritual siblings or a spiritual mother or father, I encourage you to reach out to someone who’s faith you respect, someone you look up to, and ask them to be a spiritual mentor.
Back to the Scripture - it is as we have faith in Jesus, put our faith into practice, and fan into flame the gift God has given, that we move into the kind of spirit God has given. That spirit not of timidity or cowardice, but that spirit of power and of love and of sound judgment and personal discipline. I’ve taken up enough space in this post, so I’ll turn my attention to verse seven next time.
Thanks for reading! I’d love your feedback, or even to start a conversation. What do you think so far about 2 Timothy 1? What about the faith of Lois and Eunice? The faith of Timothy? Why did he need the encouragement to fan into flame the gift of God? What do you notice about the spiritual mentorship between Paul, the spiritual father, and Timothy, the spiritual son?