Go to Related Reading
About this book

2 Timothy

About this book
Chapter 1

1 From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to further the promise of life in Christ Jesus, 2 to Timothy, my dear child. Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord! 3 I am thankful to God, whom I have served with a clear conscience as my ancestors did, when I remember you in my prayers as I do constantly night and day. 4 As I remember your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. 5 I recall your sincere faith that was alive first in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice, and I am sure is in you. 6 Because of this I remind you to rekindle God’s gift that you possess through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God did not give us a Spirit of fear but of power and love and self-control.⁠ 8 So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me, a prisoner for his sake, but by God’s power accept your share of suffering for the gospel. 9 He is the one who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not based on our works but on his own purpose and grace, granted to us in Christ Jesus before time began, 10 but now made visible through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus. He has broken the power of death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel! 11 For this gospel I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher. 12 Because of this, in fact, I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed because I know the one in whom my faith is set and I am convinced that he is able to protect what has been entrusted to me until that day. 13 Hold to the standard of sound words that you heard from me and do so with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 14 Protect that good thing entrusted to you, through the Holy Spirit who lives within us. 15 You know that everyone in the province of Asia deserted me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes.⁠ 16 May the Lord grant mercy to the family of Onesiphorus because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my imprisonment.⁠ 17 But when he arrived in Rome, he eagerly searched for me and found me. 18 May the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that day! And you know very well all the ways he served me in Ephesus.

Texts in conversation

Compare Romans 8:15 and 2 Timothy 1:7

New Testament

Share:

Summary

2 Timothy repeats themes from Romans about refusing fear and trusting the Spirit, so that it reads like one of Paul’s own letters.

Passages

Romans 8:15

New Testament
14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery leading again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness to our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 And if children, then heirs (namely, heirs of God and also fellow heirs with Christ)—if indeed we suffer with him so we may also be glorified with him.
55–58 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Romans

2 Timothy 1:7

New Testament
6 Because of this I remind you to rekindle God’s gift that you possess through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God did not give us a Spirit of fear but of power and love and self-control. 8 So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me, a prisoner for his sake, but by God’s power accept your share of suffering for the gospel.
70–80 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in 2 Timothy

References

"... In this text in 2 Timothy there is a clear connection with the language of Romans 8:15. The suitability of a text from Romans for instructing Timothy need not be questions (Rom 16:21). Both texts are “Spirit” texts, though, as we will see, the situation in which we find Timothy in 2 Timothy requires a reshaping of the earlier teaching. It is in the reshaping of the text, I would argue, where the evidence for conscious intertextuality emerges. The basic observation to be made from this comparison of translations is that NIV and NRSV treat the reference to “spirit” as a reference to the human spirit. In my judgment, this cannot have been intended in either Romans or 2 Timothy in view of the dominance of the Holy Spirit in each case. The TNIV has corrected the NIV; and the GNB’s theological reading of the texts in question shows good Pauline instincts. ..."
Phillip Towner, Intertextuality: Lost (and Found) in Translation (Seoul: Korean Bible Society, 2007), 104–120.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

Your feedback

Romans 8:15 and 2 Timothy 1:7

Leave a comment

Your questions and comments are welcome!

Comments

Glossary

Search the Library