The Believer’s Judgment In 2 Timothy, Part 2

By Greg A. Couser

[Greg A. Couser is senior professor of New Testament and Greek, Cedarville University, Cedarville, Ohio.]

Abstract

The first part of this article noted that the final eschatological judgment plays a central role in Paul’s advice to Timothy in 2 Timothy and looked at what 2 Timothy 1 reveals about the stakes of this judgment. Part 2 examines the remainder of 2 Timothy and draws conclusions about the nature of the final assize.

2 Timothy 2:11–13

In this passage Paul works out what Christ’s resurrection means for the life of the believer.[1] In particular this passage spells out the already/not yet implications of the resurrection. This whole poetic structure depicts the interwoven character of the present and the future. The posture established and maintained by a person toward Christ now determines the future posture of Christ toward the person. Though the final judgment is not mentioned explicitly, it lies under the surface since someone decides the relationship of the present to the future. The σύν- compounds, from their wider use in Paul (cf. esp. Rom 6:8; Col 2:12–13), fit alongside the mention of “that one” (ἐκεῖνος) in the final lines to clarify that it is Christ who will bear witness to the believer’s present relationship to him before God in the end and/or will judge the believer based on that present relationship.[2] The language of denial points to Christ’s role as witness. Christ will determine the believer’s standing with God in the eschaton by being a witness for the prosecution or the defense (cf. 2 Tim 1:18). A sharing with Christ in death (συναπεθάνομεν, aorist; a reference to conversion) means a future sharing in Christ’s presence and thus the fullness of eschatological life.[3] An ongoing endurance in the present (ὑπομένομεν, present tense) in service to Christ means a future sharing in his reign (cf. 2 Tim 4:18; Matt 10:22; 24:13; Mark 13:13). Then, should there be a denial of Christ at some time in the future (ἀρνησόμεθα, future tense), this would lead to a future denial of that person. However, if the believer is unfaithful (ἀπιστοῦμεν, present tense) Jesus remains faithful; he is incapable of acting inconsistently with his commitment to the believer (cf. 2 Tim 1:12).

Particularly interesting for our enquiry are at least two more questions. First, are the first two apodoses, “we will live together” (2:11b) and “we will reign together” (v. 12a), merely two ways of speaking about the same thing? Second, what is the force and interplay of the last two conditional statements, which are concluded by an explanatory phrase (vv. 12b–13)? With the first question, there is warrant for seeing these two apodoses as delineating different dimensions of a believer’s life in the future, each of which has its own corresponding, present counterpart. The protasis of verse 11b speaks of an act of identification with Christ at conversion.[4] This aspect of the believer’s present relationship with Christ leads to the future expectation of sharing in the fullness of eschatological life in the age to come, the life that is Christ’s and the life believers experience by virtue of their union with him (cf. 1 Tim 1:1, 10; Col 3:4). The second conditional statement (2 Tim 2:12a), however, speaks of a relationship between the character of the believer’s present life and future participation in the rule of Christ. From the near context and the book as a whole, endurance seems to refer to a faithfulness to Christ expressed in personal fidelity to Christ and faithful proclamation by life and word of the (apostolic) account of God’s saving acts in Christ by the Spirit (cf. 2 Tim 1:8–14; 2:8–10, 15). Each thought refers to a different dimension of Paul’s teaching about the Christian’s life in the present and its relationship to the future hope.

As seen previously, Paul depicts conversion as union with Christ, a dying with him and a rising to life with him initiated in the present through faith that looks toward the eschaton for its completion. So also Paul can speak of the relationship between the quality of the believer’s life now and the ability to share in the future kingdom rule (cf. Rom 5:17). Even the ironic nature of 1 Corinthians 4:8, the only other place in Paul where συμβασιλεύω occurs, does not negate the reality it mocks. From Paul’s references elsewhere, the problem in 1 Corinthians 4:8 is not with the Corinthians thinking that they would reign with Christ but in thinking that they were reigning this side of their consummative resurrection.[5] This strand of Paul’s thought posits an active role in the future kingdom as judges and rulers alongside Christ (1 Cor 6:2–3).[6] This assumes a share in Christ’s eschatological life is essential for entrance into the kingdom but refers to a different dimension of the believer’s experience within that eschatological kingdom. There seems to be no reason to limit “reign together” to “enjoy Christ’s reign as a member of his kingdom.” To draw on the wording of 2 Timothy 4:18, it seems that reigning with Christ assumes being “saved into his kingdom” but looks beyond it to kingdom life itself.

Given this understanding of the first two conditional statements, what are the force and interplay of the last two couplets, which are concluded by an explanatory phrase (vv. 12b–13)? Is Paul asserting that Christ is faithful to his character such that all the unfaithful, the deniers, can count on judgment?[7] Or is Paul assuring Timothy of Christ’s ability to guarantee the arrival of his people at the goal for which he has saved them, despite their lapses of unfaithfulness? Concerning the tone of verse 13, Knight argues convincingly for a note of assurance, since God’s faithfulness consistently functions to encourage, not warn.[8] This makes verse 13 a counterpoint to the warning about denial in verse 12b.[9] It assures Timothy that even apostates will not threaten the realization of God’s saving purposes for his people (cf. 2:9–10, 19). This, in turn, suggests that “unfaithfulness” represents a lapse by a believer that falls short of denial.[10] It assumes that a believer’s unfaithfulness can be overcome by Christ’s faithfulness so that the ultimate realization of salvation is not in jeopardy. In light of the treatment of 1:12 in the previous article, it seems that the believer who has entrusted himself to Christ would be incapable of a final repudiation of Christ that would meet with Christ’s repudiation of him.

When it comes to the final judgment for the believer, Christ is the figure around which everything in the present and future revolves. Not only is Christ active in the judgment as witness, but Paul clearly affirms that the present posture of an individual toward Christ determines Christ’s future posture toward the individual. Two groups come to the judgment: those united with Christ by faith (cf. 2 Tim 1:5, 12; 3:15) and those who have rejected Christ’s claims about himself. The latter group will have their desire to be free of Christ granted, although, ironically, it will be because Christ powerfully displays the very identity they denied as he banishes them from his presence (cf. 2 Thess 1:8–9; Matt 10:33). The former come to the judgment as participants in the life of Christ. Paul’s description of his ministry being κατ᾽ ἐπαγγελίαν ζωῆς τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ (2 Tim 1:1; cf. 1 Tim 1:16; 6:12) suggests it is participation in the life of Christ now and, even more importantly, anticipation of its fullness yet to be realized that enables and directs endurance in service to Christ. It could also be this life that serves as the basis for Paul’s assurance of Christ’s never-failing commitment to them despite lapses that fall short of denial. They can count on God to keep his promises, which now are theirs by virtue of their union with Christ.

What is unclear is the relationship between the life of endurance that leads to sharing in Christ’s future rule and unfaithfulness overcome by Christ’s faithfulness. On the one hand, Paul could be implying simply that a life of endurance does not exclude temporary lapses in faithfulness. By doing so, he also reaffirms the already/not yet character of the Christian life against the distortion of the over-realized message of the antagonists (2:17–18). At the same time, he grounds Timothy’s ministry in life’s realities this side of the consummation (cf. 1 Tim 5:23–25). On the other hand, he leaves space for an assessment of believers that could affect the character of their rule with Christ without threatening their entrance into Christ’s kingdom. The possibility of such a space derives primarily from two factors. First, the believers’ experience of eschatological life and their sharing in Christ’s rule are differentiated and presented primarily with a future orientation here. Second, Paul earlier (cf. the treatment of 1:15–18 in part 1) cast a vision of the believer arriving at the judgment expecting to be both welcomed as a believer and held accountable to Christ for service.

2 Timothy 2:15

Does this passage look to the presentation of believers before God at the final judgment, or does it refer to present service? Paul uses the verb παριστῆμι elsewhere to call believers to put themselves at God’s disposal for service as those raised to life and freed from sin’s dominion (e.g., Rom 6:13, 16; 12:1). However, the adjuration formula in verse 14, “I solemnly bear witness (to you) in the sight of God,” strongly suggests that the eschatological assize is in view. Paul regularly uses διαμαρτύρομαι and ἐνώπιον together to admonish Timothy as his apostolic delegate with respect to his responsibilities at Ephesus (1 Tim 5:21 [cf. 6:13];[11] 2 Tim 4:1). It is a solemn appeal to speak and act in a manner that will meet with God’s approval.[12] It emphasizes: (1) God’s current oversight; (2) the congruence of the admonition with God’s saving will and with Timothy’s commission at Ephesus toward the outworking of that will; and (3) from its regular association with the eschaton (1 Tim 5:21 [cf. 6:23–24]; 2 Tim 4:1), thoughts of the future eschatological assize. The idea of judgment is also suggested by δόκιμον, a term that envisions Timothy presenting himself before God in the end in a manner that God would approve (cf. 2 Tim 3:8; 1 Cor 9:27).[13] In this case, if Timothy is to be a workman who has God’s approval at the judgment, his life and words need to cut a straight path for the truth through the labyrinth of theological falsehoods threatening the Ephesian churches (2:15).[14] By doing this he will pass the test of faithfulness to the gospel and so be able to stand before God without shame.[15]

Various points emerge here. First, is Paul urging Timothy to persevere under the real or implied threat of losing his salvation? Or is he urging Timothy to carry out his responsibilities in the face of a real or implied threat of a response from God that falls short of reprobation? In other words, can Timothy stand before God ashamed as a son? It is hard to be decisive here. At the same time, 2 Timothy 1:12, 2:13, 19, as discussed previously, create a theological backdrop that makes a threat of reprobation unlikely. What is threatened is the opportunity for Timothy to present to God the type of service fitting for one who has been saved by him. He risks appearing empty-handed before the one who has acted in Christ by the Spirit to deliver him from death and bring him to life (cf. 2 Tim 1:6–14). This is an appeal of love, not fear. Furthermore, it does not seem to provide space for apostasy. After all, the apostate is the one who is ashamed of God now (either secretly or openly), not one afraid of being ashamed before God in the end.

Second, this passage hints at the circumstances of the believer’s judgment by speaking of the evaluative criteria—fidelity to Christ and the mission of God by proclaiming the gospel by life and word[16]—and of one of the possible outcomes of the evaluation, shame, the pain over one’s own disgraceful behavior. There is, however, no indication of what God’s response might be.

2 Timothy 4:1

In this passage Paul solemnly (re-)imposes obligations on Timothy as a representative of God and Christ Jesus (see the discussion of διαμαρτύρομαι in 2:15 above).[17] The obligations are delineated (vv. 2–5) and then encouraged with Paul’s account of his own service (vv. 6–8). The presence of the divine tribunal emphasizes that Paul is representing the tribunal’s will, that the tribunal is present at the delivery and so knows that Timothy has heard their expectations, and that they will ultimately hold Timothy accountable for his fulfillment of the charge. This last point is especially emphasized with the further description of Christ as judge and the mention of the eschatological events that accompany judgment.[18]

Paul first calls both God and Christ as witnesses to his adjuration to Timothy. God the Father receives no elaboration while Christ’s role and activities are centered. Christ is the “one who is about to come” to establish “his” kingdom at “his appearing.” However, the mention of God as a witness indicates that he will play a role in the judgment, though that role is left unspecified. Looking back at 2:18, this allows a judgment scenario in which Christ makes his judgment known to the Father, who determines the ultimate disposition of a given case. Paul emphasizes the personal role of Christ in shaping God’s ruling (favorable or otherwise) on the last day. Second, Paul makes it clear that this judgment will call the living and the dead to account,[19] in a comprehensive judgment that gathers all of humanity before the bar of God’s justice. Second Timothy 4:1 also emphasizes the unchallenged sovereign power of the tribunal. All strata of humanity will be called to judgment, even if they have to be resurrected to appear. The thought here closely parallels what Paul says in Romans 14:11 with the help of Isaiah 45:23 (cf. Phil 2:10–11) in a context also dealing with the judgment of the believer: “ ‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’ ” Third, the judgment will occur in conjunction with Christ’s appearance and the consummative establishment of his kingdom—events that are imminent (“about to judge”).[20] Given the connection of kingdom with judgment, the eschatological consummation of God’s kingdom at Christ’s return seems to be in view (e.g., 1 Cor 6:10; 15:24–28, 50; Gal 5:21).[21] Whereas judgment raises the specter of a negative outcome, the mention of Christ’s appearance (a visible, helping intervention)[22] and his kingdom (cf. 4:18) evokes images of his triumph and, consequently, of the vindication, security, and full blessing of his people. These references fill in the positive side of the two emphases of judgment and vindication in what is another reference to the Day of the Lord.[23]

The nature of the judgment, beyond its comprehensiveness, is largely left unspecified. Contextually, we can infer that the evaluative criteria once again center on Timothy’s service to God as specified in Paul’s directives (vv. 2–5). It seems that Timothy will be judged according to his fulfillment of God’s charge coming to him through Paul. Paul urges him to “fulfill his ministry” (4:5) so that he can present himself, like Paul (vv. 7–8), as someone who anticipates reward and not censure. This is possibly the single most comprehensive portrait of what Paul had in mind by an “unashamed workman” (2:15). Secondarily, by picturing both Timothy’s appearance before the eschatological tribunal and also the appearance of every individual, this charge appeals to Timothy’s concern for those who are the focus of his ministry. Urgency is called for because Paul sees the ministry window at Ephesus closing (possibly one of the “hard times” expected in the “last days” [cp. 4:3 with 3:1]). Christ’s eschatological in-breaking (and all that it entails) is at hand. What outcomes are possible for those coming to judgment is not made clear. The description of the event suggests both positive and negative outcomes. The primary force of the adjuration seems to be positive, especially given verse 8.[24] Timothy is urged to do his work confident that it will lead to recognition and reward when Christ’s eschatological assize convenes. Whatever negative possibility might exist for Timothy, reprobation seems unlikely, given the following example of Paul (vv. 7–8). The “shame” of 2:15 and/or the absence of some reward that would have otherwise been due to Timothy seems a better fit for the context.

2 Timothy 4:8

This section falls within Paul’s “last will and testament.” Here he reviews his life and expresses his confidence in the eventual, positive outcome to encourage Timothy in dire circumstances. Paul encourages him by letting him know that Paul is not in despair, so Timothy can face his own dire circumstances with a confidence of attaining the goal of faithfulness.

Paul expresses his confidence that (Jesus) the Lord, who is also the judge, has already laid aside a “crown of righteousness” for him. Paul has no doubt about what the outcome of the assessment will be. He is looking forward to his reward, and he is confident that the award will be a fitting recompense,[25] since it is coming from the judge who will do what is right.[26] He cannot pervert justice; he will do as he “promised” (2 Tim 1:1; cf. v. 12), for he is incapable of being untrue to himself (2:13). When Paul appears before him on “that [eschatological] day,” the Lord will give him this “crown.” In the context, the granting of the crown is tied to his faithful service to the course given him by the Lord (cf. 1 Cor 3:8).[27] It is also tied to his settled posture of yearning for his Lord’s appearance (contrasted with Demas’s attitude in verse 10). As with Alexander in verse 14, Paul expects a response from Christ that will correspond to his service for Christ; his judgment of Paul will likewise be “according to works.”[28] At least two crucial issues emerge here. First, what is the crown? Second, what is the relationship between the crown and Paul’s service to Christ?

In the main, two options emerge for understanding the “crown”; both are tied to how the genitive, τῆς δικαιοσύνης, is understood (cf. Rom 5:17; 2 Cor 6:7; Gal 5:5). Is it a “reward” for service[29] or the culmination of his salvation (“future justification”)?[30] Marshall and Towner suggest that both are at work here.[31] They argue that the righteousness looks to the eschatological gift of God that is part and parcel of the fulfillment of his promises in salvation. At the same time, “the idea of return or recognition for service rendered cannot be removed from this passage.”[32] Paul anticipates a response from Christ that “accords with” his service to Christ (v. 7).[33] They push back against turning Paul’s notion of righteousness into a salvation by works or diminishing the way Paul incentivizes believers to appropriate the resources they have in Christ. Gift and reward exist together in tension with one another.

To probe this tension, it is important to remember that in 2 Timothy 1:12 Paul’s confidence in arriving at the goal of his salvation in Christ comes from his confidence in Christ’s commitment to him. He “knows” the one in whom he believes. He has full confidence that Christ will keep him so that he can expect a positive assessment at the final assize. This is buttressed in 2:13 by his affirmation that Christ’s faithfulness will overcome lapses of unfaithfulness and in 2:19, where the notion of “seal” conveys the ideas of God’s action to acquire and protectively maintain that which is his (cf. 1:12 in part 1). This suggests that Paul’s confidence, to the degree that it looks to arriving at his final salvation, is rooted in his confidence in God’s work in Christ by the Spirit to bring him to the final goal (cf. 4:17–18).

However, the indicative calls for the imperative. Paul emphasizes the importance of appropriating God’s provision in Christ by the Spirit to enter fully into the new life believers have in Christ, both for their own growth in Christ as well as for their effectiveness in ministry (e.g. 2 Tim 1:6–7, 14; 2:1).[34] Moreover, though Paul attributes anything good in him to God’s grace (1 Tim 1:14; 2 Tim 2:9; cf. 1 Cor 15:10), he also suggests that God differs in his expectations for individuals. Believers have one common mission (cf. 1 Tim 2:1–7; 4:10; 2 Tim 1:13) but differing responsibilities within that mission. This is intimated in 2 Timothy as Paul speaks of his ministry (4:18; cf. 1 Tim 1:12; 2:7) and Timothy’s (4:5; cf. 1 Tim 1:3, 18; 4:6) as callings that fall within God’s overall expectations for any believer but nonetheless contain elements unique to the individual.

Paul expresses this most directly in his reference to the final assize in 1 Corinthians 3:5–15. He speaks of “servants” who play different roles (v. 5) toward the common goal of maximizing God’s purposes for them personally and for the church at Corinth corporately. All such spiritual “increase”—personal or corporate—is due solely to God’s working (vv. 6–7), but each worker is nonetheless accountable for his or her responsibilities. Poignantly, in verse 8 Paul states, “The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor.” Servants are not in competition with each other, nor is the church to prefer or elevate one over the other (cf. v. 21). Each represents differing gifts given to the church for its edification (cf. v. 22; 12:27–31), and all are held accountable for how they have completed what God expected of them. In addition, Paul pictures different outcomes for these servants depending on how they fulfilled their respective roles (vv. 14–15).

Finally, the reward is “not a matter of salvation versus condemnation, but of a reward received by faithful servants, the focus being on praise from God and the knowledge of his pleasure.”[35] In short, as Guthrie argues, Paul has a rewards theology.[36] Guthrie develops this along five lines: (1) God will give rewards on the basis of what a believer does in this life; (2) the rewards are partially received here, but mostly reserved in heaven; (3) the final rewards will be granted on the day of judgment; (4) the rewards are of a spiritual nature but their character is not otherwise specified; and (5) there is no suggestion that salvation itself comes under the category of reward.[37]

This more textured understanding of the believer’s assessment before Christ in the end is not compromised by Paul’s affirmation that what he anticipates is available to any believer who yearns for Christ’s appearance as he does. Marshall rightly points to the inclusive statement “not only . . . but also” to exclude suggestions that some sort of ego trip is on display here.[38] Like Paul, all believers are united in their confident expectation that Christ will secure their final salvation. And all believers, by their appropriation of God’s provision for them in Christ by the Spirit, can reach their own maximal potential for bringing delight to their enlisting officer as a soldier of Christ Jesus (2:3–4). All can stand before the heavenly tribunal shameless (v. 15). Neither is this textured view of the believer’s judgment compromised by either of the potential ways of viewing Demas’s departure.[39] The strong language Paul uses to describe Demas’s abandonment certainly could be due to his theological abandonment of Paul and thus of the gospel itself.[40] It could relate equally well to the intense sense of hurt and loss Paul feels at the unwillingness of a close friend and co-worker to stand with him in the face of his impending martyrdom.[41] Is this the kind of defection seen in Peter’s denials (Mark 14:66–72) or John Mark’s abandonment of Paul and Barnabus (Acts 13:13; 15:36–39), both of which were taken as egregious lapses but turned out to be temporary? Or is this a matter of “they went out from us because they were not of us” (1 John 2:19)? Though the former seems more likely, the ultimate status of Demas is not materially relevant to the argument of a more textured final judgment.

Once again Paul has Christ at the center of the believer’s final judgment. Not only is Christ the judge, but also judgment of the believer revolves around service to Christ in the present. As seen throughout, the final judgment is met with a confidence that ultimate salvation is not in question. This confidence rests in the character of Christ to secure the believer’s final salvation. In the near context (4:18) Paul testifies that “the Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen” (cf. Rom 8:33–34). At the same time, clear intimations point to judgment that involves more than merely confirming status as a believer and clearing the way for a full enjoyment of consummated salvation. Paul expects to be recompensed by the Lord according to his service. He confidently looks forward to standing before God unashamed, having kept his charge (4:17).[42] However, potential to maximize one’s faithfulness to Christ remains, as Paul also leaves space for standing before the judge with shame at not doing so (cf. 2:15).

Conclusion

From our study, Paul’s view of the believer’s judgment in 2 Timothy fits most easily into the “loss of rewards” category. The warnings are more than just rhetorical devices and they are for believers. Nonetheless, Paul reflects an inner dynamic of the Christian life that makes it impossible to envision acts of unfaithfulness by a believer as anything more than lapses from an otherwise progressive movement toward greater delight in Christ and service to him.

Second Timothy has much to say concerning the contours of the believer’s experience at the final judgment. Consistently, Christ is at the center. He is present as both judge and advocate. It is his assessment of the believer and his representation of that believer to the Father that determines the ultimate outcome of the eschatological assize. In addition, the heavenly tribunal convenes to consider one thing: the believer’s disposition toward and service to Christ in the present age. However, as seen throughout, the final judgment is met with a confidence that ultimate salvation is not in question. This confidence rests in the character of Christ to secure the believer’s final salvation. At the same time, there are clear intimations that this judgment does more than confirm a believer’s status as a believer and clear the way for a full enjoyment of consummated salvation. Paul also expects to be recompensed by his Lord in a manner corresponding to his service to him. Paul confidently looks forward to standing before God unashamed, having kept his charge. Paul also urges Timothy to fulfill his calling so that he will not feel shame by arriving empty-handed. There is certainly some impact on the believer’s experience of kingdom life that arises from the character of service in this life. There seems to be something to lose, even as there is something to gain.

With our nod to the teaching of Jesus, maybe Paul thinks of the gain as being able to present back to God the type of life that has most fully given itself toward the ends intended in his saving work in Christ by the Spirit. Even as the outworking of God’s saving work in believers leads to centering satisfaction and ultimate delight in pleasing the one who has created and redeemed them, Paul’s deep affection for the Lord he serves is incentivized now (and into the kingdom) by the prospect of feeling increased delight in Christ’s delight in his work. This, in turn, will be met by the greatest reward: fuller and greater opportunities to reflect his love for his Lord through serving him (and, consequently, to feel his Lord’s delight in his service).

In short, Paul’s delight in fulfilling his commission and in standing before Christ as a faithful servant is a fruit of his transformation. His delight in Christ drives his service even as it increases his dread of appearing before his Lord empty-handed. This delight in presenting the fruits of his labor to Christ suggests that the reward for his labor is a greater delight in pleasing Christ met by more opportunities to do the will of Christ, to serve his Lord.

Paul seems to make room for the fact that all servants will be given work to do in the consummated kingdom commensurate with their affection for the master in this life. And, as people made right in their understanding of themselves so that they now fully accept what the Lord decrees as good and fitting, they will rightly receive the measure of Christ’s delight for themselves and also with respect to their brothers and sisters, as they serve within the consummated kingdom.

Notes

1. That the eschaton is in view is clear in the language of “reign” (cf. 4:1, 18) and “deny” (cf. Matt 10:33).
2. George W. Knight, The Faithful Sayings in the Pastoral Letters (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1979), 116.
3. Line 1 deals with the experience of life as a result of participation in Christ’s death and resurrection (cf. Rom 6:8; Col 2:12–13). This life, of course, is the eschatological life that has broken into the present (2 Tim 1:1, 10; cf. “with eternal glory” in 2:10; 1 Tim 1:16; 4:8; 6:12, 19). Though this eschatological life effects real change in the present, the believer looks to it not only for the fulfillment of God’s promise of life but also for the blessedness it holds. At the same time, given the backdrop of the over-realized eschatology promulgated by antagonists together with the future emphasis of the remaining apodoses, the primary emphasis seems to lie on the eschatological fulfillment of the experience of this new life in Christ. Paul uses this hymn to put the “not yet” back in a right relationship with the “already.” See Philip H. Towner, The Goal of Our Instruction: The Structure of the Theology and Ethics in the Pastoral Epistles, Journal for the Study of the New Testament Supplement 34 (Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1989), 106.
4. See C. K. Barrett, The Pastoral Epistles, New Century Bible (Oxford: Clarendon, 1963), 104; Knight, Faithful Sayings, 117–18; George M. Wieland, The Significance of Salvation: A Study of Salvation Language in the Pastoral Epistles, Paternoster Biblical Monographs (Milton Keynes: Paternoster, 2006), 152–53.
5. Anthony C. Thiselton, The First Epistle to the Corinthians, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2000), 359.
6. This was a repeated emphasis in Jesus’s teaching (Matt 19:28; 20:21; Luke 19:11–27; 22:30; cf. Rev 3:21).
7. Walter Lock, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Pastoral Epistles, International Critical Commentary (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1924), 96.
8. Knight, Faithful Sayings, 128–30.
9. Jouette M. Bassler, “ ‘He Remains Faithful’ (2 Tim 13a),” in Theology and Ethics in Paul and His Interpreters: Essays in Honor of Victor Paul Furnish, ed. Eugene H. Lovering Jr. and Jerry L. Sumney (Nashville: Abingdon, 1996), 181.
10. Philip H. Towner, The Letters to Timothy and Titus, New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2006), 513; William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2000), 517–18.
11. As Nauck explains, the two expressions can be treated together since “sinn-gemӓẞ” they have “die gleiche Bedeutung.” W. M. Nauck, “Die Herkunft des Verfassers der Pastoralbriefe: Ein Beitrag zur Frage der Auslegung der Pastoralbriefe” (PhD diss., Göttingen University, 1950), 42.
12. Cf. G. Stӓhlin, “Zum Gebrauch von Beteuerungsformeln im Neuen Testament,” Novum Testamentum 5 (1962): 125–26. Stӓhlin calls this a “Beschwörungsformel” that is intended to insure the reliability of another’s acts or words.
13. See Judith M. Gundry Volf, Paul and Perseverance: Staying In and Falling Away (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1990), 233–47, esp. 236.
14. As Marshall points out, in this context ὀρθοτομοῦντα seems to carry the sense of guiding the word of truth along a straight path without being turned aside by worldly debates and impious talk. The stress is more on directness of speech than faithfulness to the truth, “although clearly these cannot be separated.” I. Howard Marshall, The Pastoral Epistles, International Critical Commentary (London: T&T Clark, 2004), 749.
15. J. N. D. Kelly, A Commentary on the Pastoral Epistles, Thornapple Commentaries (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1981), 183. The thought of presenting oneself or others before God at the judgment is also found in Romans 14:10; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Colossians 1:22, 28; and Ephesians 5:27.
16. See Gordon D. Fee, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, New International Biblical Commentary (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1988), 255; George W. Knight III, The Pastoral Epistles: A Commentary on the Greek Text, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1992), 411; and Marshall, Pastoral Epistles, 748. Thornton explains that “word of truth” “refers to the apostolic gospel, or perhaps at times more generally to the body of Christian doctrine with the gospel at its core.” Dillon T. Thornton, Hostility in the House of God: An Investigation of the Opponents in 1 and 2 Timothy, Bulletin for Biblical Research Supplement 15 (Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 2016), 68.
17. Bauer et al. classify the use of διαμαρτύρομαι here as “to exhort with authority in matters of extraordinary importance, freq[uently] w[ith] ref[erence] to higher powers and/or suggestion of peril, solemnly urge, exhort, warn.” Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed., ed. Frederick William Danker (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 233, s.v. διαμαρτύρομαι.
18. See also Rom 2:16; 14:12; 1 Cor 4:5 (note the interplay of God and Jesus in judgment reminiscent of 2 Timothy 1:18); and 2 Cor 5:10.
19. Cf. 2 Cor 5:10; 1 Thess 4:16–17; Rom 14:9; Acts 17:31. Interestingly, in Romans 14:9, Paul refers to the living and dead as those over whom Jesus has established his lordship by virtue of his death and resurrection (cf. Acts 10:40–43; 17:30–31). This is interesting in light of the prominence of the references to Jesus as Lord in the context of judgment (2 Tim 1:18; 2:19; 4:8; and esp. 4:17–18).
20. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, 572. On the use of the accusatives here, see Daniel B. Wallace, Greek Grammar beyond the Basics (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996), 204–5. Paul joins an oath structure to an adjuration formula, highlighting the weightiness of the charge.
21. Paul can also refer to the kingdom as a present reality, a sphere of God’s rule meant to be characterized by a certain manner of life (e.g., Rom 14:17; 1 Cor 4:20; Col 1:13; 4:11). However, the context of judgment along with Christ’s appearance clearly places the present dimension in the background.
22. On the nature of the event envisioned by Paul’s use of ἐπιφάνεια, see Andrew Y. Lau, Manifest in Flesh: The Epiphany Christology of the Pastoral Epistles, Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament 2/86 (Tübingen: J. C. B. Mohr, 1996), 182–88, 223–24, 263.
23. Cf. 2 Tim 1:12, 18 and comments in part 1.
24. Marshall, Pastoral Epistles, 799.
25. Paul uses ἀποδίδωμι here and in 4:14. It conveys the idea of a “fitting recompense” (Kelly, Pastoral Epistles, 210) or of “a return or recognition for service rendered” (Marshall, Pastoral Epistles, 809).
26. Ceslas Spicq, “δίκαιος,” in Theological Lexicon of the New Testament, trans. and ed. James D. Ernest (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1994), 1:324.
27. Paul spells out the nature of God’s unique call to him explicitly in verse 17 (cf. 2 Tim 1:11; 1 Tim 2:7; Rom 15:14–21).
28. Alexander’s case envisions the final judgment, but because his believing or unbelieving status is unclear, he offers little for our study of the believer and judgment.
29. See N. J. D. White, “The First and Second Epistles to Timothy and the Epistle of Titus” in The Expositor’s Greek Testament, ed. W. Robertson Nicoll (repr., Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1983), 4:178–79; Kelly, Pastoral Epistles, 209.
30. Gordon D. Fee, Pauline Christology: An Exegetical-Theological Study (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2007), 469; Fee, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, 290; Knight, Pastoral Epistles, 461.
31. Marshall, Pastoral Epistles, 809, and Towner, The Letters to Timothy and Titus, 615–16.
32. Marshall, Pastoral Epistles, 809.
33. Though Paul presents himself as supremely confident in his assessment of his own life, this need not create tension with his reticence to trust his own assessment of the full character of his service to Christ, as he does in 1 Corinthians 4:5. Even in the near context of this passage, Paul can express his confidence in the God-honoring character of his service (1 Cor 3:10). His reticence need only signify that the final declaration of the character of his service is Christ’s prerogative and that a number of Paul’s own assessments could be wrong. Paul gives no impression throughout his writings that, on the whole, he cannot know the true nature of his relationship to Christ and of his acts in service to Christ.
34. Note Lock’s comments here: “With St. Paul there is always Χριστός behind the ἐγώ (Gal 2:20), always the thought of the grace which enables him who can do nothing by himself to do all things in his strength (1 Cor 15:10, Phil 4:13, 1 Ti 1:12); and to one who so recognizes the power which enables him to be what he is, there is true self-confidence, a legitimate self-praise; especially when, as here, the purpose is to give confidence to a younger man to follow.” Lock, Pastoral Epistles, 112. Cf. Victor C. Pfitzner, Paul and the Agon Motif: Traditional Athletic Imagery in the Pauline Literature, Supplements to Novum Testamentum 16 (Leiden: Brill, 1967), 184–85.
35. Roy E. Ciampa and Brian S. Rosner, The First Letter to the Corinthians, Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2010), 148.
36. Donald Guthrie, New Testament Theology (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1983), 860–62. See also Floyd Vivian Filson, St. Paul’s Conception of Recompense, Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament (Leipzig: Hinrichs, 1931), 135–37.
37. Guthrie, New Testament Theology, 862.
38. Marshall, Pastoral Epistles, 809.
39. References to Demas as a member of Paul’s circle include Colossians 4:14 and Philemon 24.
40. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, 589–90.
41. Marshall, Pastoral Epistles, 815.
42. Could this be Paul realizing the desire he expressed in Philippians 1:20: “I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death”?