2 Timothy 1:5 – The Nature of Faith

…having been reminded of the sincere faith that is in you, which lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, in you also.

Summary: Timothy’s faith has roots. In this meditation we explore where they go.   

This passage offers a wonderful opportunity to discuss the nature of faith. 

Timothy wasn’t raised as a Christian. He was likely born after Jesus was crucified and raised from the dead. News of Christ’s resurrection spread, but not immediately. Certain things had to happen first. 

One of those things was Paul’s conversion. Before that, Paul was busy tracking down Christians and throwing them in jail. So, a certain amount of time passed between Jesus’ resurrection and Paul’s conversion. Then, of course, Paul did not immediately start on his first missionary journey. That didn’t happen until about ten years after his conversion. Only then was the Gospel story preached in Lystra and Derbe. 

This is when Lois and possibly Eunice would have first heard the Gospel. 

Eunice and her mother were Jewish. Eunice married a Greek who was the father of Timothy. Timothy’s family, then, was half Jewish and half Gentile, yet the faith of Lois and Eunice took root and grew in Timothy, too. Paul writes that Timothy was raised with the Scriptures from infancy (2 Timothy 3:15). 

Two or three years after his first missionary journey, Paul is back in Derbe and Lystra, “and behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewess who believed, but his father was a Greek” (Acts 16:1). 

Timothy wasn’t new to the Scriptures or the idea of faith in God. More than a passive faith, his upbringing provided him with two living models of faith—his mother and grandmother. Both, no doubt, had a strong influence on the young man. Added to this was his training in the Scriptures. There was no “New Testament” in those days, but the principles of godly living are clearly laid out in the Scriptures, and Timothy knew them well. 

When his mother and grandmother accepted the news that the Messiah had come and been raised from the dead, they believed. Eventually, Timothy believed, too. 

So what can we learn about the nature of faith from this family? One thing is that they encouraged each other’s faith. “A cord of three strands is not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:12). Another thing is that their faith is based on a knowledge of God’s Word. Finally, Paul noted that the “brothers who were at Lystra and Iconium gave a good testimony about him” (Acts 16:2). Timothy’s faith was seen in his words and actions. 

Application: Faith is built with Scripture, fellowship, and action. 

Food for Thought: How does Timothy’s story illustrate the word “discipleship?” 

Please click ‘’Continue Reading” for comments. Quotes are from the World English Bible (Public Domain) unless otherwise noted.