2 Timothy 1:14 Note
Note 30
Timothy received many good things from the Lord. What good thing was Paul
talking about?
The wording of this command is nearly identical to other statements Paul
made about the Gospel. Romans 3:2 says that God committed the oracles of God
unto the Jews. This is speaking of the Word of God. Paul said in 1
Corinthians 9:17 that a dispensation of the Gospel had been committed unto
him.
In 2 Corinthians 5:19, Paul said the Lord had committed unto us the
word of reconciliation. Paul said in Galatians 2:7 that the gospel of the uncircumcision had been committed unto him. And in 1 Timothy 1:11, Paul told
Timothy that the glorious Gospel of the blessed God had been committed to
his trust.
Therefore, it appears that Paul was speaking about the revelation of the
Gospel in which he had so carefully instructed Timothy. That is the “good
thing” Paul was referring to in this verse.
Paul had previously told Timothy, toward the end of his first letter, to
“keep that which is committed to thy trust” (1 Timothy 6:20). In just a
couple of verses, Paul told Timothy to take the things he had learned from
him and commit them to faithful men who will be able to teach others (2
Timothy 2:2). This is definitely talking about the truths of the Gospel.
Note 31
The word “commit,” as used in this verse, means “entrust” and “to consign”
(American Heritage Dictionary). God has entrusted unto us the message of His
love and what that has provided. That is an awesome responsibility. Every
one of us believers who know the truth has a sacred trust that we have to
take seriously. Others won’t know if we don’t tell them (see note 32 at this
verse).
Note 32
It is an awesome responsibility to have God’s truths entrusted unto us (see
note 31 at this verse). How can any of us possibly execute such a trust
successfully? The answer is that we can only do it through the power of the
Holy Spirit.
That is certainly one of the reasons the Lord has given us the indwelling
power of the Holy Spirit. In Acts 1:8, Jesus specifically mentioned
receiving power to be witnesses at the coming of the Holy Spirit. We were
never intended to live the Christian life in our own strength. God wants to
live through us by the power of His Holy Spirit.
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