WRITER, The apostle Paul.

PLACE AND DATE. Probably written from Rome between 65 and 67 A.D. It contains the last recorded words of the Apostle.

PURPOSE.
(1) General, to encourage and instruct a young pastor in his ministerial work.

(2) Special, to request Timothy, his son in the gospel, to hasten to Rome in order that he might have the comfort of his companionship # 2Ti 1:4 4:9,21

HISTORICAL OCCASION. It is generally believed that Paul suffered two imprisonments at Rome, and that it was during the second that this epistle was written. Formerly he had had a certain degree of liberty and lived in his own hired house.
# Ac 28:30

At that time he had been accessible to his friends, but now he is in close confinement and Onesiphorus had difficulty in finding him, # 2Ti 1:17 He had been deserted by many of his former associates, # 2Ti 1:15 and was expecting very soon to be led out to execution. # 2Ti 4:6 There is a pathetic strain of loneliness running through the epistle, and it is not surprising that he was anxious to see his beloved Timothy.

PECULIARITIES OF THE EPISTLE.
Both epistles to Timothy contain urgent exhortations. It has been surmised that Timothy was not robust. See
# 1Ti 5:23

Perhaps he was temperamentally timid
# 2Ti 1:6,7

Hence the word "ashamed" appears prominently in the epistle. He was urged not to be ashamed of HIS TESTIMONY, HIS PRISONER FRIEND
# 2Ti 1:8

or his WORKMANSHIP
# 2Ti 2:15

He was exhorted to regard himself as a soldier in the midst of a hard campaign
# 2Ti 2:3,4

THE EPISTLE MAY BE DIVIDED INTO FOUR PARTS, the chapters furnishing the natural divisions.

SYNOPSIS.
PART I. Personal Greetings, Exhortations and Experiences.
Ch. 1.
(1) The affectionate greeting
# 2Ti 1:1-4

(2) A reminder to Timothy of his godly ancestry, and an exhortation to earnestness and courage
# 2Ti 1:5-8

(3) A reference to the plan of salvation through Christ
# 2Ti 1:9,10

(4) Personal allusions to the writer's own call to the work, and his unswerving confidence in the Lord
# 2Ti 1:11,12

(5) A second exhortation
# 2Ti 1:13,14

(6) A reference to the disloyalty of the churches in Asia, and a commendation of the constancy of Onesiphorus
# 2Ti 1:15-18

PART II. Chiefly Counsels to the Young Servant of the Lord.
Ch. 2.
(1) As a Spiritual Soldier, Athlete and Husbandman.
(a) To be strong in divine grace and select faithful helpers
# 2Ti 2:1,2
(b) To manifest soldierly qualities of endurance and separation from worldly entanglements
# 2Ti 2:3,4
(c) As a spiritual athlete to keep the rules of the game
# 2Ti 2:5
(d) As a husbandman expecting fruits
# 2Ti 2:6

(2) Truths to be kept in mind:
(a) The resurrection of Christ, the preaching of which had led to Paul's imprisonment
# 2Ti 2:7-9
(b) Suffering for the church, and dying with Christ, lead to eternal life and spiritual honour
# 2Ti 2:9-12

(3) Counsels in respect to dealing with heresy and religious controversy.
(a) By earnest admonitions to the contentious
# 2Ti 2:14
(b) By seeking to become a skillful expositor of the truth
# 2Ti 2:15
(c) By shunning religious vagaries and strange doctrines which eat into spiritual life and overthrow faith
# 2Ti 2:16-18
(d) By remembering the strength of divine foundations and that Christians must separate themselves from evil
# 2Ti 2:19
(e) By remembering that the church, like a great house, has some vessels of honour and some of dishonour, and it should be the ambition of all to be vessels "meet for the Master's use"
# 2Ti 2:20,21

(4) Counsels respecting personal desires and dealing with strife.
(a) The importance of personal purity and spiritual ambitions
# 2Ti 2:22
(b) The necessity of avoiding foolish questions and strife, by patient treatment of opposers, with the hope that they will repent
# 2Ti 2:23-26

PART III. Chiefly Predictions of Apostasy, and Social Corruption, coupled with an exhortation to steadfastness.
Ch. 3.
(1) The various evil characteristics of men in the last days, who under the guise of religion will practice
sensuality
# 2Ti 3:1-6
Their stupidity and folly will one day be manifest to all men
# 2Ti 3:7-9

(2) Parenthesis, references to persecution
# 2Ti 3:11,12

(3) A prediction of the rising tide of sin
# 2Ti 3:13

(4) An appeal to Timothy to be steadfast in view of his spiritual opportunities and early training in the Scriptures
# 2Ti 3:14,15

(5) The power of the inspired Word of God to equip and perfect the Christian worker for his task
# 2Ti 3:16,17

PART IV. A Solemn Charge, a Victorious End, a Sad Desertion, a Pathetic Appeal, a Perfect Confidence.
Ch. 4.
(1) The Solemn Charge:
(a) Concerning faithfulness in delivering the message
# 2Ti 4:1,2
(b) Predictions of a time when men would despise the truth, and seek teachers who would pander to their own lusts
# 2Ti 4:3,4
(c) The exhortation to an earnest and faithful ministry
# 2Ti 4:5

(2) The close of Paul's Career.
(a) It ends in the spirit of victory
# 2Ti 4:6-8
(b) In perfect confidence in the Lord
# 2Ti 4:17,18

(3) The Need of Companionship, and some things to relieve the hardships of imprisonment
(a) The loneliness caused by the departure of friends and the desertion of inconstant associates
# 2Ti 4:10-12,16
(b) Some comforts needed to cheer the prison life
# 2Ti 4:13
(c) Timothy urged to come quickly
# 2Ti 4:9,21
(d) Final greetings and benediction
# 2Ti 4:19-22