Tag: Grace

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2 Timothy 1:2b – Three Gifts

Image of three gifts, wrapped in paper with ribbons on them. (Grok)

Grace, mercy, and peace…

Summary: In his role as an apostle, Paul is able to offer the gifts of God to Timothy and us.   

The structure of Paul’s first sentence in this letter is interesting. Here is the whole sentence—watch what he does: 

“Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, according to the promise of the life which is in Christ Jesus, to Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Paul is an apostle. He is sent by the Lord Jesus to be an emissary for the Gospel. His specific mission is to the Gentile world. 

When God sends a representative, they do not go alone. God goes with them. Often, although not always, signs and wonders go with the person representing God. Moses, for example, performed many great signs before Pharaoh and the people of Israel. 

In Paul’s particular case, he, too, has performed signs and wonders. These signs testify to the fact that God is working through Paul and that his testimony is affirmed by the power of God. 

Now, we see him doing something different. 

In addition to preaching the Gospel, Paul is dispensing gifts from the Father. He doesn’t say, “May the grace of God be with you.” Instead, he confidently says that he is sending grace, mercy, and peace from the Father and Jesus Christ to Timothy. 

And what lavish gifts! 

Grace — the favor of God poured out on a person by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

Mercy — Instead of the punishment we deserve because of our fallen nature, God extends his love and affection to us. 

Peace — the peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7, RSV). 

It is hard to express the profound effect that the combination of these three gifts can have on a person. 

Imagine receiving a letter from Paul directed to you personally. In the letter, he opens with the same words he has written to Timothy. Now realize that God, in fact, offers you these same gifts! 

His mercy is extended to all people. As long as we are alive in the flesh, we have the opportunity to return to God and be welcomed home. 

When we accept Jesus as our Savior, God’s grace is poured into our lives in the form of the Holy Spirit. 

When we have God’s mercy, the love of Jesus, and the grace that comes with the presence of the Holy Spirit, we also have God’s peace. 

Application: Enjoy the gifts of God!  

Food for Thought: How do grace, mercy, and peace help us to be disciples of Jesus? 

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1 Timothy 6:21b – Daily Grace

1940's style photo of a large family praying before a meal (Grok)

Grace be with you all.

Summary: As we conclude our study of 1 Timothy, Paul offers us a reminder of the goodness of God.   

Well, we are finally here. We have reached the end of a long and fascinating journey through Paul’s first letter to Timothy. Along the way we have learned about Paul and Timothy as people, and also as brothers in Christ. We have also learned about the Gospel and how we are to live it. 

Paul’s next-to-last sentence was especially challenging. In it, he warns about the dangers of false knowledge and cautions that there is a danger of ‘departing from the faith.’ For many of us, the idea of leaving the faith is terrifying. So frightening, in fact, that we don’t even want to consider it a possibility. 

Paul understands. 

We know he understands, because having made the statement about false knowledge, he ends his letter with “Grace be with you all.” 

What, exactly, does that mean? 

The word Paul used, charis, is a word that means things like “benefit, favor, gift, grace(- ious), joy, liberality.”* If God gives you or me grace, it means he is making allowances for who we are and what we do. 

Grace is not a free pass to do whatever we please. It is more like an ointment or a salve that is applied to a wound to ease pain and speed healing. 

Having God’s grace in our lives is the difference between looking over our shoulders constantly to see if we have been found out, and relaxing on the couch, confident that the cop on the street outside is there to protect us, not haul us to jail. 

Paul’s passion for the Gospel is amazing. He never seems to waver in the slightest. Everything is about Jesus Christ—nothing else matters. Except that in life we have stubbed toes, parking tickets, hurt feelings, and … dare I admit it? … occasional trips to the freezer for an ice cream when no one is looking. 

These things happen. 

Timothy won’t always get it perfectly right. He is human. Mistakes will be made, and hopefully, lessons will be learned. The Good News is that, not only did Jesus die on the cross for our sins, but he offers us grace for our daily lives as well. 

Application: Live for Jesus in the big things and the small.  

Food for Thought: How does God’s grace help strengthen our faith?

*”G5485 – charis – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (NIV).” Blue Letter Bible. Web. 25 Aug, 2026. <https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g5485/niv/mgnt/0-1/>.

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1 Timothy 6:12b – The Gift

Gift box with bow. (Pixabay)

Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 

Summary: It is helpful to remember that two things can be true at the same time.   

It is easy to read this passage as encouragement. In fact, I am certain that is how Paul meant it. He just finished describing the “fight” that Timothy is to seek out. Not a “fight” like a conflict between people, but the challenge of accomplishing a task greater than any human competition: staying true to our Lord Jesus Christ, no matter what. 

Now, in this passage, Paul says, “Take hold of the eternal life….” 

Do you know what bothers me about this? It seems to conflict with Paul’s other teachings about faith: 

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Do you see the difference? 

On the one hand, Paul says, “Take hold,” as if we have to do something to earn eternal life. On the other, he says salvation is “the gift of God… so that no one can boast.” 

What is going on here? 

Centuries before Paul wrote his letter, the prophet Malachi, speaking for God, says: 

“Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord Almighty.” (Malachi 3:7)

Later, another Apostle, James, would write something similar: 

“Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” (James 4:8)

There is a bit of a paradox at work here. God is unchanging (Hebrews 6:17), so it is up to us to respond to him. We can reject him or embrace him, but he will not be ignored. 

Salvation is indeed a gift, as Paul says, but what do we do when someone gives us a gift? Do we say, “Put it on the floor and I’ll get to it later?,” or do we say, “Thank you!” and reach out to accept it? 

To receive the gift, we have to accept it. When we unwrap it and open the box, when we discover that the gift is eternal life, we have to “take hold” of it if we want to have it. 

Application: Accept God’s gift. Reach out and take it!  

Food for Thought: What happens when a person ‘takes hold’ of eternal life? 

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1 Timothy 2:15 – Living by Faith

Portrait of a family (Pixabay - courtesy of Alisa Dyson Family)

But women will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety.

Summary: Paul’s words can feel challenging, yet if we look at them in the fullness of his meaning, we discover a message that is both egalitarian and demanding. 

Paul’s view of men and women is interesting.

Earlier in verse eight, Paul says he wants men to pray, lift up holy hands, and do this without anger or disputing. Prayer requires a man to rely on God instead of themselves. Lifting up “holy hands” means our hands are clean — we haven’t been doing something we shouldn’t. Doing anything without anger and disputing can be challenging. But Paul is not finished yet. He goes on by telling women how he wants them to address their challenges, and then he says this:

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1 Timothy 1:14a – Liquid Grace

An alabaster jar of sparkling liquid being poured out (Grok)

The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly …

Summary: Grace is an interesting word. It can mean everything or nothing, depending on how we look at it.   

Paul’s letters to Timothy are different than his other letters. He writes to Titus in a similar way, but the personal references do not seem as personal as they are with Timothy. He writes to the churches about the same topics, but his letter to Timothy seems to assume a deeper shared understanding of the Gospel. 

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1 Timothy 1:2b – The Itch

Three monkeys are grooming each other (scratching their itch!) - Pixabay

Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

Summary: Paul is only on verse two, and already he is using words that we need to think about before we move on. 

As mentioned earlier,* it is always helpful to define terms, especially when we are discussing something important like legal matters or things such as our relationship with the Creator of All Things. 

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