New Testament
2 Timothy
Paul's last letter — a dying man handing the lamp to his spiritual son.
Letter · 4 chapters · About 12 minutes
Paul, c. AD 66–67, from a Roman dungeon
Overview
Paul is in a cold cell, expecting execution, and most of his friends have left. He writes to Timothy — timid, young, tearful Timothy — one final time.
The letter is full of handover language: fan into flame the gift, guard the deposit, entrust to faithful people. The lamp is passed, not dropped.
It ends with the serene verdict of a finished life: I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
What it keeps returning to
Not a spirit of fear
God gives power, love, and self-control — the antidote to timidity.
Passing it on
Faith is a relay. What you received, entrust to others.
Finishing
The goal of a life is not ease but completion.
Start here
2 Timothy 1:3–14
'Fan into flame the gift of God.'
2 Timothy 3:14–17
The God-breathed Scriptures.
2 Timothy 4:6–8, 16–18
The farewell — and 'the Lord stood by me.'
“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”