딤전 6:11-12 피해야 할 것과 따라야 할 것

1 11 But as for you, jO man of God, kflee these things. lPursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. 12 mFight the good fight of the faith. nTake hold of the eternal life oto which you were called and about which you made pthe good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

j 2 Tim. 3:17

k 2 Tim. 2:22

l See Prov. 15:9

m [ch. 1:18]; See 1 Cor. 9:25

n [Phil. 3:12]

o 1 Pet. 5:10

p See 2 Cor. 9:13

 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), 딤전 6:11–12.

 

11 오직 너 하나님의 사람아 이것들을 피하고 의와 경건과 믿음과 사랑과 인내와 온유를 따르며

12 믿음의 선한 싸움을 싸우라 영생을 취하라 이를 위하여 네가 부르심을 받았고 많은 증인 앞에서 선한 증언을 하였도다

 대한성서공회, 성경전서: 개역개정, 전자책. (서울시 서초구 남부순환로 2569: 대한성서공회, 1998), 딤전 6:11–12.

 

앞서 거짓 교사들은 돈을 사랑함으로 탐욕에 빠져서 사역을 했다면 진정한 하나님의 사람은 욕심이 아니라 영원을 사모하는 마음과 하나님을 경외하는 자의 마땅한 삶의 태도에 대한 자각 속에서 사역을 해야 한다. 그래서 바울은 거짓교사들과는 대조적인 사역자의 자세를 디모데에게 요구하고 있는 것이다. 

 

11절) 오직 너 하나님의 사람아, 원문에는 ‘너’에 해당하는 ‘쉬’가 먼저 등장한다. 이후 역접을 나타내는 접속사 ‘데’가 등장하는데 한글성경에서는 이를 ‘오직’으로 번역했다. 바울은 문장의 가장 앞에 디모데를 지칭하는 인칭대명사를 사용함으로 강조하고 있다.  

‘하나님의 사람’으로 번역된 ‘안드로페 데우’는 신약에 두 번(딤후 3:17) 등장하는 독특한 표현이다. 그런데 구약에서는 이 표현이 모세(신 33:1; 수 14:6; 대상 23:14), 사무엘(삼상 9:6), 다윗(느 12:24, 36), 선지자 스마야(왕상 12:22), 엘리야(왕상 17:18; 왕하 1:9), 엘리사(왕하 4:7), 레갑 사람 하난(렘 35:4), 세 명의 익명의 선지자(삼상 2:27; 왕상 13:1; 대하 25:7)에 사용되었다. 디모데에게 이러한 특별한 호칭을 사용한 것은 당시 에베소에서 활동하던 거짓 교사들과 디모데를 극단적으로 대조하며 디모데의 영적 지위를 높여주기 위한 의도를 가진다. 

 

피해야할 것과 따라야 할 것, 바울은 디모데에게 하나님의 사람으로 거짓 교사들의 전철(즉 앞선 3-10절에 서술된 멸망의 요소들)들을 피할 것을 명한다. ‘피하고’로 번역된 ‘퓨게’는 ‘떠나다, 피하다’라는 의미의 동사 ‘퓨고’의 현재 명령형으로 거짓 교사들을 멸망에 빠뜨리는 이런 요소들을 계속해서 피해야 함을 생생하게 보여준다. ‘따르며’로 번역된 ‘디오케’는 ‘추구하다, 구하다’라는 동사 ‘디오코’의 현재 명령형으로 디모데가 하나님의 사람에 걸맞는 영적 도덕적 특성을 지속적으로 따를 것을 명령한다. 바울은 이 대조적인 두 현재 명령형의 표현을 통해서 거짓 교사와 하나님의 사람을 극단적으로 대조하고 있다. 

 

‘의와 경건과 믿음과 사랑과 인내와 온유를’, ‘의’로 번역된 ‘디카이오쉬넨’은 법정에서 주로 사용되는 용어로 일반적으로 ‘공의’를 의미한다. 여기서는 하나님의 의로우심과 같이 진리에 부합하는 올바른 삶을 의미한다. 

‘경건’으로 번역된 ‘유세베이안’은 일반적으로 하나님에 대한 경외심으로 그에 합당한 삶에 힘쓰는 것을 의미한다. 여기서는 6-10절에서 말한대로 물질, 맘몬이 아닌 하나님만이 참된 경배의 대상임을 알고 경외할 것을 의미한다. 

‘믿음’으로 번역된 ‘피스틴’은 일반적으로 하나님에 대한 인간의 전적인 신뢰를 나타낸다. 여기서는 하나님과의 관계에서의 믿음뿐만 아니라 대인관계에 있어서 신실함, 정직성이란 의미도 내포한다. 

‘사랑’으로 번역된 ‘아가페’는 일반적으로 하나님께서 인간을 위해 당신의 독생자를 보내신 무조건적인 사랑을 뜻하며 동시에 이러한 신적 사랑에 대한 인간의 모방으로써 인간에 대한 자기 희생적 사랑을 나타낸다. 

‘인내’로 번역된 ‘휘포모네’는 ‘~아래’를 의미하는 전치사 ‘휘포’와 ‘머물다’란 의미의 동사 ‘메노’의 합성어로 인생의 어떠한 불행이나 고난, 그리고 역경에도 불구하고 도망가지 않고 자신의 자리에 머물러 있는 것을 의미한다. 

‘온유’로 번역된 ‘프라우파디안’은 인내와 유사한 의미를 지니는데, 인내가 힘든 상황을 참아내는 것이라면 온유는 더 나아가서 자신에게 어려움을 가져다 주는 사람에게 적대감을 가지지 않고 오히려 사랑으로 대하는 마음과 태도를 의미한다. 

이러한 거룩한 신앙의 덕목, 특성들은 비단 디모데나 사역자들에게만 요구되어지는 것이 아니라 하나님의 부르심을 받은 우리 모두에게 마땅히 요구되어지는 것이다. 

 

-  6:11 By combining the contrasting particle δέ with the personal pronoun σύ (used for emphasis), “but you,” Paul has decisively contrasted Timothy with those who wander from the faith. The interjection ὦ is infrequent in the NT (17x, Pl. 7x) and is used most often before the vocative for emphasis (Rom. 2:1, 3; 9:20; Gal. 3:1; 1 Tim. 6:11, 20). Modern English translations no longer render it with “O,” which has become rare with vocatives and might therefore convey to the reader a stilted sense, which is not what Paul intended.

(ὁ) ἄνθρωπος (τοῦ) θεοῦ** (here vocative ἄνθρωπε θεοῦ) occurs only 2x in the NT (also in 2 Tim. 3:17), but is used with some frequency in the LXX (for ʾîš ʾelohîm; see N. P. Bratsiotis, TDOT I, 233) of men such as Moses, Samuel, David, Elijah, Elisha, and lesser known leaders, including some who remain anonymous. In later writings it is generally used of “the elect of God” (e.g., David in 2 Ch. 8:14) and in Hellenistic Judaism (e.g., Epistle of Aristeas140) of a worshipper of Israel’s God (J. Jeremias, TDNT I, 364f.; cf. Dibelius-Conzelmann). It is difficult to know whether Timothy is here being designated in the specific or general way. Perhaps Paul uses the phrase in a transitional sense uniquely appropriate to the NT situation, as signified by what he says about the “man of God” here and in 2 Tim. 3:17, which amounts to a general principle for every Christian, albeit addressed to Timothy. If this is the case, then the phrase harks back to the imagery of one who was uniquely a “man of God” but is applied here to one who is both a spiritual leader and at the same time an example to all believers of what each one should be as a “man of God” (cf. especially 4:12).

The first command to Timothy is to “flee from these things” (ταῦτα φεῦγε). ταῦτα has been used previously in 1 Timothy of everything mentioned in a previous section, and there is no indication that it is used otherwise here (see above on 3:14; 4:6, 11; 6:2, especially the last two). Hence, Timothy is to flee from all the errors and sins mentioned in the previous section. φεῦγε (Pl.* 4x: 1 Cor. 6:18: immorality; 10:14: idolatry; 2 Tim. 2:22: youthful lusts) means literally “seek safety in flight” or “escape” and in a moral sense “flee from, avoid, shun”; since it is used here in contrast to δίωκε, “pursue” (as in 2 Tim. 2:22), “flee” or even “run away from” is the preferred understanding (see BAGD s.v. 3). Such an action would be an appropriate response, given Paul’s presentation of the extreme peril (see vv. 9–10).

Paul joins (δέ) to that negative command its equally necessary positive corollary, δίωκε δὲ δικαιοσύνην κτλ. As usual (cf., e.g., his “put off” and “put on” exhortations in Ephesians and Colossians), Paul indicates the positive steps necessary and does not simply warn against sin. διώκω is used predominantly in the NT, and particularly by Paul, either in the sense of persecuting someone, or in the sense of “following zealously after” or “pursuing” Christian virtues, as here (see Rom. 12:13; 14:19; 1 Cor. 14:1; 1 Thes. 5:15; 2 Tim. 2:22; cf. BAGD; A. Oepke, TDNT II, 229f.).

Six virtues are listed with no connecting links (as in Gal. 5:22–23). If “patience” may be considered to stand in the place of “hope,” then the list here includes the equivalent of the common trio of faith, hope, and love (e.g., Rom. 8:25; 1 Cor. 13:13; cf. especially 1 Thes. 1:3: τῆς ὑπομονῆς τῆς ἐλπίδος). No two virtue lists of Paul are identical. But this list shares a number of key words and concepts with five other Pauline lists (2 Cor. 6:6–7; Gal. 5:22–23; Col. 3:12–14; 2 Tim. 2:22–25; 3:10): “love” (ἀγάπη, all six lists), “faith” (πίστις, here and in three of the others), “patience” (ὑπομονή here and in 2 Tim. 3:10; μακροθυμία there and in three other lists), “gentleness” (πραϋπαθία here; πραΰτης in four other lists), and “righteousness” (δικαιοσύνη, here and in three other lists). Only εὐσέβεια (“godliness”) is present here and not represented in some other Pauline list (but ὁσιότης in Eph. 4:24, which follows δικαιοσύνη as εὐσέβεια does here, may be a virtual synonym). Outside the Pauline lists 2 Pet. 1:5–7 shares the most words with 1 Tim. 6:11 (εὐσέβεια, πίστις, ἀγάπη, ὑπομονή).

δικαιοσύνη, as used of humans in the NT, refers almost always to conduct that is in accord with God’s will and pleasing to him (G. Schrenk, TDNT II, 198). Like all Christian virtues, this “righteousness” is brought about by the transforming work of Christ (cf. Phil. 1:11) accomplished in Christians by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 14:17), so that “the law’s requirement” is fulfilled in those who “walk according to the Spirit” (Rom. 8:3, 4). Elsewhere Paul regards “all scripture” as the standard for righteousness (2 Tim. 3:17). εὐσέβεια (see 2:2; 4:7; in NT virtue lists only here and in 2 Pet. 1:6–7) designates in the LXX and in the NT “the duty that man owes to God,” and is best rendered here by “piety” or “godliness” (BAGD).

πίστις in a list of virtues means either “faithfulness,” i.e. “reliability,” or “faith,” i.e. “trust” in God. Occasionally Paul uses πίστις in the sense of “faithfulness” (cf. Rom. 3:3; Tit. 2:10; and perhaps 2 Thes. 1:4), and this has been suggested as one possibility for its meaning in Gal. 5:22. But that would be the exception in Galatians, where most of the 22 occurrences of the word mean “trust.” Also significant are Pauline usages elsewhere, especially where, as here, it is followed by “love” and “patience” (e.g., 1 Thes. 1:3; cf. Col. 1:4; 1 Cor. 13:13), where the meaning “trust” is clear. A striking instance of that combination is in Tit. 2:2, where the controlling expression “sound in” makes it clear that there πίστις means “trust.” In the comparable Petrine list, 2 Pet. 1:5ff., πίστις (v. 5) recalls v. 1, where “trust” is clearly meant. For all these reasons πίστις most likely refers here to “trust” in God rather than to “faithfulness.”

ἀγάπη (see 1:5; 4:12) means “love,” but, as so often, the object of love is not specified. Jesus’ love command involves both God and neighbor (Mt. 22:37–39), and it is possible that Paul is following that pattern and intends both. Where, however, Paul indicates or implies the object of love, it is most often human beings (e.g., Rom. 12:9; 13:10; 14:15; 2 Cor. 8:7; Gal. 5:13; Eph. 1:15; 4:2; Col. 1:4; 2:2; 1 Thes. 3:12; 5:13; 2 Thes. 1:3; Phm. 5, 7). Humans seem to be the object in 1 Corinthians 13, which is followed by words similar to those here, i.e., διώκετε τὴν ἀγάπην (1 Cor. 14:1). Thus if a specific object is intended here, and it need not be, it would probably be humans.

ὑπομονή has a wide range of nuances, which include “patience, endurance, fortitude, steadfastness, perseverance, and expectation” (BAGD), and it is difficult to say which, if any, is intended here. It is utilized of persevering in good works (Rom. 2:7; 2 Cor. 12:12), of enduring persecution (2 Thes. 1:4), and of waiting patiently for Christ’s return (Rom. 8:25). Thus Christian ὑπομονή is equally concerned with the attitude with which one endures, the actual perseverance, and one’s confidence in the final outcome, all with a dependence on God’s grace and a determination to serve Christ by means of the ὑπομονή (cf. F. Hauck, TDNT IV, 586f.). The word is probably used here in this comprehensive sense. πραϋπαθία** (a biblical hapax) means “gentleness” (cf. Pauline occurrences of its synonym πραΰτης: 1 Cor. 4:21; 2 Cor. 10:1; Gal. 5:23; 6:1; Eph. 4:2; Col. 3:12; Tit. 3:2; 2 Tim. 2:25).

These six virtues seem to group themselves into pairs (so Bernard and others, contra Hendriksen): δικαιοσύνη and εὐσέβεια represent one’s relationship with God, πίστις and ἀγάπη are the animating principles of the Christian life, and ὑπομονή and πραϋπαθία are terms for the right ways of acting in relation to a hostile world.

Pl. Paul

** all occurrences of the word or phrase in the New Testament are listed or it is identified as a New Testament hapax legomenon

LXX Septuagint

TDOT G. J. Botterweck and H. Ringgren, eds., Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament, tr. J. T. Willis, G. W. Bromiley, and D. E. Green, I-. Grand Rapids, 1974-.

TDNT G. Kittel and G. Friedrich, eds., Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, tr. G. W. Bromiley, I–X. Grand Rapids, 1964–76.

Pl. Paul

* all occurrences of the word or phrase in Paul or in the Pastoral Epistles are cited

BAGD W. Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, tr. W. F. Arndt and F. W. Gingrich. 2nd ed. rev. and augmented by F. W. Gingrich and F. W. Danker from Bauer’s 5th ed. (1958), Chicago, 1979.

BAGD W. Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, tr. W. F. Arndt and F. W. Gingrich. 2nd ed. rev. and augmented by F. W. Gingrich and F. W. Danker from Bauer’s 5th ed. (1958), Chicago, 1979.

TDNT G. Kittel and G. Friedrich, eds., Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, tr. G. W. Bromiley, I–X. Grand Rapids, 1964–76.

TDNT G. Kittel and G. Friedrich, eds., Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, tr. G. W. Bromiley, I–X. Grand Rapids, 1964–76.

LXX Septuagint

BAGD W. Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, tr. W. F. Arndt and F. W. Gingrich. 2nd ed. rev. and augmented by F. W. Gingrich and F. W. Danker from Bauer’s 5th ed. (1958), Chicago, 1979.

BAGD W. Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, tr. W. F. Arndt and F. W. Gingrich. 2nd ed. rev. and augmented by F. W. Gingrich and F. W. Danker from Bauer’s 5th ed. (1958), Chicago, 1979.

TDNT G. Kittel and G. Friedrich, eds., Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, tr. G. W. Bromiley, I–X. Grand Rapids, 1964–76.

** all occurrences of the word or phrase in the New Testament are listed or it is identified as a New Testament hapax legomenon

 George W. Knight, The Pastoral Epistles: A Commentary on the Greek Text, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle, England: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press, 1992), 260–262.

 

12절) ‘믿음의 선한 싸움을 싸우라’, ‘싸우라’로 번역된 ‘아고니주’는 본래 ‘싸우다, 힘쓰다’를 의미하는 동사 ‘아고니조마이’의 현재 명령형으로 계속해서 싸우며 힘써야 할 것을 의미한다. 이 표현은 전쟁(요 18:36)이나 운동경기(고전 9:25)를 하는데 모두 사용된다. 바울이 딤후 4:7에서 ‘내가 선한 싸움을 싸우고 나의 달려갈 길을 마치고 믿음을 지켰다’라고 언급한 것을 감안하여 볼때 바울은 이 싸우다라는 의미속에 목숨을 건 전투나 승리를 위하여 최선을 다하는 운동경기라는 중의적 의미를 모두 함축하고 있다.(월드컵, 안와골절 속의 투혼, 손흥민) 이처럼 우리의 믿음의 선한 싸움에는 불굴의 의지와 노력이 필요하다. 이 싸움은 혈과 육에 속한 것이 아니라 믿음의 진리를 고수하기 위한 것이기에 최선을 다하여 생명을 걸 가치가 있는 것이다. 이처럼 바울은 디모데에게 소극적으로 피할 뿐만 아니라 적극적으로 따르며 싸울 것을 명한다. 

 

‘영생을 취하라’, ‘영생’은 시간적인 개념이 아니라 질적 개념이다. 단순히 ‘영원한 생명’이라고 시간적으로 접근하는 것은 너무 단선적이다. 영생은 ‘예수께서 시작하신 새로운 시대의 삶’을 의미하는데 주님께서는 ‘자신을 알고 아버지를 아는 것’이라고 말씀하셨다.(요 17:3)

요한복음 17:3

3영생은 곧 유일하신 참 하나님과 그가 보내신 자 예수 그리스도를 아는 것이니이다

‘취하라’고 번역된 ‘에필라부’가 본래 ‘폭력적으로 붙잡다, 자신의 소유로 만들기 위해서 꼭 붙잡다’라는 의미의 동사 ‘에필람바노마이’의 명령형이다. 바울은 디모데가 이미 영생을 확보한 상태이지만 그것을 꽉 붙잡아 현재 자신의 것으로 누릴 것을 권면하고 있다. 우리들은 이 세상속에서 이 영생을 취하고 이것을 누리며 살아가는 것이 중요하다. 단지 영생을 받았다라고 여기고 이것을 이 땅에서의 현재의 삶속에 누리지 못하는 것은 온전한 구원을 누리는 삶이라고 할 수 없다. 왜냐하면 영생을 받았다라는 사실과 그것을 현재의 삶에서 끌어안고 누리고 즐기는 것은 다르기 때문이다. 즉 본문은 영생의 삶을 소유한 것에 만족하지 말고 완전히 자신의 것으로 만들어 줄기고 최대한 누리라고 권면하는 것이다. 

 

‘네가 부르심을 입었고’로 번역된 ‘에클레데스’는 ‘부르다’라는 동사 ‘칼레오’의 부정 과거 수동태이다. 이는 신적 수동태 표현으로 하나님께서 디모데를 부르셨다라는 사실을 분명하게 드러내준다. 이 부르심은 회심, 구원에로의 부르심이면서 동시에 사역자로서의 부르심이라고 할 수 있다. 이처럼 디모데의 회심은 많은 증인앞에서 이루어졌고 선한 증언을 하였었다. ‘증거하였도다’로 번역된 ‘호몰로게사스’는 ‘공저그로 신앙을 고백하다’라는 뜻을 지닌 ‘호몰로게오’의 부정과거형으로 단회적으로 이루어진 교회 입교시 신앙고백을 의미하는 것이다. 당시 초대교회에서는 회심자들에 대해서 엄중하게 신앙 고백의 절차를 거쳐서 교회의 일원으로 받아들였다. 이러한 증거가 선한 증언이 될 수 밖에 없는 것은 초대 교회 당시 박해가 심했기 때문이다. 즉 디모데는 예수를 주로 고백할 경우 생명의 위협을 받을 것이 분명한데 이 신앙 고백을 공개적으로 한 것이다. 

 

-  6:12 Paul continues his exhortation to Timothy with ἀγωνίζου τὸν καλὸν ἀγῶνα τῆς πίστεως, “fight the good fight of faith” (cf. the nearly identical statement in 2 Tim. 4:7). The verb ἀγωνίζομαι** (also in Lk. 13:24; Jn. 18:36; 1 Cor. 9:25; Col. 1:29; 4:12; 1 Tim. 4:10; 2 Tim. 4:7) and the noun ἀγών** (also in Phil. 1:30; Col. 2:1; 1 Thes. 2:2; 2 Tim. 4:7; Heb. 12:1) are both used of a struggle or a contest. It is disputed whether the idea behind these words as they are used here is athletics (Pfitzner, Agon Motif) or fighting (MM; cf. 1 Tim. 1:18, where military terms are used in a similarly structured clause: στρατεύῃ … τὴν καλὴν στρατείαν). The NT uses them for both (fighting: e.g., Jn. 18:36; 1 Thes. 2:2; athletics: e.g., 1 Cor. 9:25; Heb. 12:1). Although Paul may, or may not, have one or the other in view here, the emphasis in his figurative language here is not on a particular image but on the basic idea of “struggle”: Paul wants Timothy to be willing to suffer for the gospel (cf. Phil. 1:30), to struggle in its service (cf. Col. 1:29; 2:1; 4:12; 1 Cor. 9:25; 1 Tim. 4:10; 2 Tim. 4:7), and to do so when he is opposed (cf. 1 Thes. 2:2).

The present imperative form of the verb suggests that this a never-ending struggle. The struggle is regarded as “good” (καλόν), both because it is engaged in for God and the gospel and also because it is inherent to the gospel’s making its way in an evil world. That “the faith” is genitive (τῆς πίστεως) makes it unlikely that Paul refers to the struggle for the faith, i.e., for the content of the faith. He speaks, rather, of the struggle in which the Christian engages because of his or her faith and through his or her faith (cf., e.g., Bernard, Hendriksen, Kelly, Parry, Ridderbos, G. B. Wilson).

The imperative of the next clause, ἐπιλαβοῦ, is from ἐπιλαμβάνομαι, which means “take hold of” and is used here (and in 6:19) in the figurative sense “make one’s own” (BAGD). This “second imperative … extends the metaphor to focus on the prize” (Fee). As with “run in such a way that you may win” (1 Cor. 9:24) and “I press on in order that I may lay hold of (καταλάβω) that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:12), the imperative here extends the preceding imperative so that together they indicate the final outcome (note the asyndeton, i.e., that there is no conjunction between the clauses). Though the event is future, as the parallel passages just mentioned indicate, because “taking hold of” is regarded as a single event it is presented in a punctiliar aorist. Thus Paul tells Timothy: “Continually struggle the struggle of the faith, i.e. persevere, (and at the end) then once-and-for-all lay hold of eternal life” (cf. Phil. 3:12–14). αἰώνιος ζωή, “eternal life,” life without end, is regarded as future in the Pauline corpus (cf. the other Pauline occurrences of the phrase: Rom. 2:7; 6:22, 23; Gal. 6:8; 1 Tim. 1:16; Tit. 1:2; 3:7).

Timothy has been “called” to this “eternal life” (εἰς ἣν ἐκλήθης, “to which you were called”). καλέω is used here, as quite often by Paul, of God’s inner and effective call (see BAGD s.v. 2; K. L. Schmidt, TDNT III, 488f.; e.g., Rom. 8:30). Sometimes Paul states that it is God (the Father) who has called (e.g., Gal. 1:15; 1 Thes. 2:12; 4:7), and elsewhere the context usually signifies the same thing (e.g., Rom. 8:30; 9:11; 1 Thes. 5:24; 2 Thes. 2:14). Therefore, when the verb is passive and the one who calls is not named, as here, God is to be understood as the one calling (for aorist passives of καλέω, as here, cf. 1 Cor. 7:18, 20, 21, 22, in the light of v. 17; Gal. 5:13; Eph. 4:1, 4; Col. 3:15).

In Paul’s understanding God brings those he has called into the spiritual reality to which he has called them (cf. especially Rom. 8:30; also 1 Thes. 5:24). Hence that Timothy has been called (ἐκλήθης) by God to eternal life is the basis for Paul’s exhortation to Timothy to struggle and to take hold of eternal life (cf. 1 Thes. 5:23–24). The reality of the call is evidenced in the activity of struggling (cf. 2 Pet. 1:10–11; 1 Cor. 9:24–27; Phil. 3:8–14).

The καὶ introducing the next clause has “simple copulative power, and subjoins to the foregoing words another and co-ordinate ground of encouragement and exhortation” (Ellicott). “God’s is the prior action, but there must also be the response” (Fee). ὁμολογέω (Pl.* 4x: also in Rom. 10:9, 10; Tit. 1:16) means here “declare, acknowledge, confess” (BAGD) and to do so in faith (O. Michel, TDNT V, 209–11; cf. Rom. 10:9, 10). ὁμολογία** is used here in the passive sense of the “acknowledgement” or “confession” that one makes (BAGD). καλὴ ὁμολογία** is “the confession that is ordained, accepted, and confirmed by God,” and it is καλή “because God demands it and man fulfils this command of His” (Michel, op. cit., 211 and n. 35; this phrase only here and in the next verse in the NT). The “confession” required was a public acknowledgment of Jesus (Mt. 10:32; Lk. 12:8) as the resurrected Lord (Rom. 10:9–10); elsewhere Paul calls this the “confession of the gospel of Christ” (2 Cor. 9:13). Paul appeals to that confession because it acknowledges Jesus both as the one who gives salvation and promises eternal life and as the Lord of one’s life, whom one must serve (cf. Rom. 10:9, 10). Paul reminds Timothy of that historical moment when he made this confession “in the sight of” or “in the presence of” (BAGD s.v. ἐνώπιον 2a) a great number of eyewitnesses (πολλῶν μαρτύρων,** “many witnesses,” the phrase only here and in 2 Tim. 2:2 in the NT), who would have been able to testify to it and thus to Timothy’s public commitment, to which Paul now calls him.

What occasion is Paul referring to? Basically two answers have been suggested: (1) Timothy’s baptism, when he confessed his faith (e.g., Bouma, Kelly, Lock, Spicq, Wohlenberg) or (2) Timothy’s ordination as a minister of the gospel (Barrett, Hanson, Jeremias, Simpson; O. Michel, TDNT V, 216; Käsemann, “Formular”). A decision is not easy to make. God’s call, mentioned in this verse, is usually related to confession of faith, and confession is usually correlated with baptism. But the cumulative effect of various factors in this context and elsewhere seems to tip the scales in favor of identifying the occasion of the “good confession” with Timothy’s ordination: 2 Tim. 2:2, with its reference to “many witnesses,” may indicate that what is in view here is an ordination situation. Since elders lay hands on the ordinand (cf. 4:14), it may be the elders that are referred to as “many witnesses,” which would be appropriate, particularly since Paul has twice already appealed to Timothy’s ordination (1:18; 4:14). In the context of this appeal to Timothy’s confession he is being addressed as a leader, and so an appeal to his ordination would be apt. Furthermore, Paul appeals to Jesus’ confession in the next verse with the same phrase—“a good confession”—and Jesus made that confession as part of his work as the servant of the Lord. This at least indicates that the “good confession” need not be restricted to baptism. Finally, an appeal to one’s call by God to eternal life may fit with an ordination situation as well as with the occasion of baptism. Elsewhere Paul refers to God’s salvation and call where he refers to his own appointment as “a preacher, apostle, and teacher” and does so to encourage Timothy to be a faithful minister (2 Tim. 1:8–14).

** all occurrences of the word or phrase in the New Testament are listed or it is identified as a New Testament hapax legomenon

** all occurrences of the word or phrase in the New Testament are listed or it is identified as a New Testament hapax legomenon

MM J. H. Moulton and G. Milligan, The Vocabulary of the Greek Testament. London, 1930.

BAGD W. Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, tr. W. F. Arndt and F. W. Gingrich. 2nd ed. rev. and augmented by F. W. Gingrich and F. W. Danker from Bauer’s 5th ed. (1958), Chicago, 1979.

BAGD W. Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, tr. W. F. Arndt and F. W. Gingrich. 2nd ed. rev. and augmented by F. W. Gingrich and F. W. Danker from Bauer’s 5th ed. (1958), Chicago, 1979.

TDNT G. Kittel and G. Friedrich, eds., Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, tr. G. W. Bromiley, I–X. Grand Rapids, 1964–76.

Pl. Paul

* all occurrences of the word or phrase in Paul or in the Pastoral Epistles are cited

BAGD W. Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, tr. W. F. Arndt and F. W. Gingrich. 2nd ed. rev. and augmented by F. W. Gingrich and F. W. Danker from Bauer’s 5th ed. (1958), Chicago, 1979.

TDNT G. Kittel and G. Friedrich, eds., Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, tr. G. W. Bromiley, I–X. Grand Rapids, 1964–76.

** all occurrences of the word or phrase in the New Testament are listed or it is identified as a New Testament hapax legomenon

BAGD W. Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, tr. W. F. Arndt and F. W. Gingrich. 2nd ed. rev. and augmented by F. W. Gingrich and F. W. Danker from Bauer’s 5th ed. (1958), Chicago, 1979.

** all occurrences of the word or phrase in the New Testament are listed or it is identified as a New Testament hapax legomenon

BAGD W. Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, tr. W. F. Arndt and F. W. Gingrich. 2nd ed. rev. and augmented by F. W. Gingrich and F. W. Danker from Bauer’s 5th ed. (1958), Chicago, 1979.

** all occurrences of the word or phrase in the New Testament are listed or it is identified as a New Testament hapax legomenon

TDNT G. Kittel and G. Friedrich, eds., Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, tr. G. W. Bromiley, I–X. Grand Rapids, 1964–76.

 George W. Knight, The Pastoral Epistles: A Commentary on the Greek Text, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle, England: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press, 1992), 262–265.