하나님나라를 꿈꾸며(Kingdom of God)

8 Therefore qdo not be ashamed of rthe testimony about our Lord, nor of sme his prisoner, but tshare in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, 9 uwho saved us and vcalled us to1 a holy calling, wnot because of our works but because of vhis own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus xbefore the ages began,2 10 and which now has ybeen manifested through zthe appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, awho abolished death and bbrought life and cimmortality to light through the gospel,

q See Mark 8:38

r See 1 Cor. 1:6

s [ver. 16]; See Eph. 3:1

t ch. 2:3, 9; 4:5

u 1 Tim. 1:1; Titus 3:4

v [Heb. 3:1]; See Rom. 8:28

1 Or with

w Titus 3:5; See Rom. 3:27

v [Heb. 3:1]; See Rom. 8:28

x Titus 1:2; [Rom. 16:25]; See Eph. 1:4

2 Greek before times eternal

y See Rom. 16:26

z See 2 Thess. 2:8

a 1 Cor. 15:26; [1 Cor. 15:54, 55; Heb. 2:14, 15]

b [Job 33:30]

c Rom. 2:7

 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), 딤후 1:8–10.

8 그러므로 너는 내가 우리 주를 증언함과 또는 주를 위하여 갇힌 자 된 나를 부끄러워하지 말고 오직 하나님의 능력을 따라 복음과 함께 고난을 받으라

9 하나님이 우리를 구원하사 거룩하신 소명으로 부르심은 우리의 행위대로 하심이 아니요 오직 자기의 뜻과 영원 전부터 그리스도 예수 안에서 우리에게 주신 은혜대로 하심이라

10 이제는 우리 구주 그리스도 예수의 나타나심으로 말미암아 나타났으니 그는 사망을 폐하시고 복음으로써 생명과 썩지 아니할 것을 드러내신지라

 대한성서공회, 성경전서: 개역개정, 전자책. (서울시 서초구 남부순환로 2569: 대한성서공회, 1998), 딤후 1:8–10.

‘주를 위하여 갇힌 자 된 나’라는 표현은 빌 1:12; 몬 1:1,  9; 엡 3:1; 4:1등에서 언급된 적이 있다. 그러나 이 구절들에서 언급된 투옥은 제1차 로마 투옥(AD 61-63)을 가리킨다. 하지만 본문 8절에서 언급된 투옥은 제2차 로마 투옥(AD 67)을 가리킨다. 이 2차 투옥중에 바울은 순교했다. 바울은 이처럼 실제적인 투옥의 고난 속에서도 복음을 부끄러워하지 않았고 디모데에게 이를 부끄러워하지 말라고 권고하고 있는 것이다. 하나님께서 디모데에게 주신 것은 두려워하는 마음이 아니라 오직 능력과 사랑과 젤제하는 마음이다. 바울은 자신이 지은 어떤 죄로 인해서 투옥된 것이 아니라 하나님의 복음을 전하다가 투옥된 것이기에 부끄러워하지 말라고 말하는 것이다. 

‘부끄러워하지 말고’는 ‘메 에파이스퀸테스’로 ‘수치를 당하다’라는 의미의 ‘에파이스퀴노마이’의 부정과거 수동태 표현이다. 여기에 동사를 부정하는 ‘메’와 함께 사용되어 ‘부끄러워하지 말라’로 사용되었다. 

 

혹시 실제로 당시 디모데가 갇힌 바울로 인하여 혹은 주를 증언함으로 인하여 부끄러워했을까? 앞서 7절에서 디모데에게 두려워하지 말것을 권고한 바 있고 디모데가 소심한 성격을 가졌다면 충분히 그런 상황에 처했을 수도 있다. 하지만 지금은 그렇지 않을지라도 혹시 언제 엄습해올지 모르는 수치의 감정을 사전에 근원적으로 차단하려는 마음에서 거듭 이런 충고를 하고 있는 것이다. 복음을 전하는 자는 매임을 받을 수 있으나 하나님의 복음은 결코 매이지 않는다. 그러므로 우리는 복음 자체에 대해 또한 복음을 전하는 것으로 인하여 당하는 어떠한 고난도 부끄러워해서는 안된다. 

 

바울은 일차적으로 부끄러워하지 말것을 명하고 나아가 더욱 적극적으로 복음과 함께 고난을 받을 것을 명한다. ‘함께 고난을 받으라’로 번역된 ‘슁카코파데손’은 본래 '고난 받다'라는 의미의 동사 ‘카코파데오’와 ‘함께’라는 의미의 접두사 ‘쉰’의 합성어이다. ‘카코파데오’는 ‘나쁜, 악한’을 의미하는 ‘카코스’와 ‘경험하다, 겪다, 고생하다’라는 의미의 동사 ‘파스코’의 합성어로 원래 ‘불행을 겪다, 고난받다’라는 의미를 지니고 있다. 바울은 그리스도의 남은 고난을 자신의 육체에 채우는 일에(골 1:24) 디모데가 동참해야함을 분명하게 요청하고 있는 것이다. 이렇게 복음과 함께, 복음을 위하여 고난 받는 것은 우리의 힘과 능력으로가 아니라 오직 하나님의 능력으로 가능하다. 

-  1:8 Because the spirit God gave us is not one of cowardice but of power, etc., Paul can “therefore” (οὖν) admonish Timothy not to “be ashamed,” i.e., embarrassed (ἐπαισχυνθῇς, aorist subjunctive with μή as a prohibition; deponent passive with transitive use: Robertson, Grammar, 817f.; cf. Kee, “Shame”) of τὸ μαρτύριον τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν. “The testimony” (τὸ μαρτύριον) is Christian preaching and the gospel generally (as in 1 Cor. 1:6; [variant reading in 2:1]; 2 Thes. 1:10; cf. especially the other PE* occurrence, 1 Tim. 2:6; BAGD s.v. 1b; H. Strathmann, TDNT IV, 504).

This testimony is “about” “our Lord” (objective gen. τοῦ κυρίου [like τοῦ Χριστοῦ in 1 Cor. 1:6]; NIV, RSV, and NEB have “to our Lord”). From this point on 2 Timothy uses κύριος without further identification (1:16, 18 [2x]; 2:7 [variant reading in 14], 19 [2x], 22, 24; 3:11; 4:8, 14, 17, 18, 22). Because of the earlier use of κύριος clearly identified as “Christ Jesus” (1:2), because τὸ μαρτύριον is more directly related to Christ (cf. 1 Cor. 1:6), and because one might more likely be in danger of being ashamed of Christ, a religious leader put to death as a criminal by Roman authorities and repudiated by Jewish religious leaders, than of God, it is most likely that κύριος here is a designation for Christ. Thus while Paul warns Timothy not to be ashamed of Christ, he also reminds Timothy, with the designation τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν, that Christ is the sovereign master of Christians’ lives.

μηδέ, “nor,” is used to continue the preceding negation (μή) and the previous verb (ἐπαισχυνθῇς; BAGD s.v. μηδέ 1a). Thus Paul urges Timothy not to be ashamed of him (ἐμέ) as one who is a “prisoner” (δέσμιον) in Rome (cf. 1:17; 4:16–17). It is striking that Paul refers to himself not as Rome’s prisoner but as “his” (αὐτοῦ), i.e., “the Lord’s” prisoner, with αὐτοῦ referring back to τοῦ κυρίου. His imprisonment is for no other reason than that he serves the Lord. Paul always refers to himself as a δέσμιος in this way (δέσμιος Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ, Eph. 3:1; Phm. 1, 9; δέσμιος ἐν κυρίῳ, Eph. 4:1). That he does so here gives Timothy perspective on Paul’s imprisonment and thereby gives him reason not to be ashamed of the apostle.

Paul joins an imperative to the prohibition μὴ ἐπαισχυνθῇς with ἀλλά so that the thrust of the sentence shifts to the positive exhortation: “Do not be ashamed …, but join with me.…” The verb συγκακοπαθέω** (also in 2:3; here imperative συγκακοπάθησον; cf. κακοπαθέω** in 2:9; 4:5) means “suffer together with someone.” Since the someone is not explicitly indicated, and since Paul, who is obviously suffering, is the one encouraging Timothy to suffer together with someone, it is often assumed that the someone is Paul (e.g., NASB, NIV), although others have left that an open question with “take your share of suffering” (e.g., RSV, NEB; similarly TEV).

τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ (dative of advantage) specifies that for which Timothy is to suffer, “the gospel,” God’s good news to mankind (see vv. 9–10). This is the first of three occurrences of εὐαγγελίον in 2 Timothy (also in 1:10; 2:8; elsewhere in PE* in 1 Tim. 1:11, which see). As always Paul’s exhortation is based on God’s enabling grace, and thus he exhorts Timothy to join with him in suffering for the gospel κατὰ δύναμιν θεοῦ, with κατά used in the sense of “in” or “by.” δύναμις θεοῦ (in Pl.* in Rom. 1:16; 1 Cor. 1:18, 24; 2:5; 2 Cor. 6:7; 13:4 [2x]) harks back to the πνεῦμα … δυνάμεως of v. 6. Timothy can rely upon “God’s power” because God’s powerful Spirit is in him to give him that power (cf. Eph. 3:16, 20).

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.

NIV New International Version

RSV Revised Standard Version

NEB New English Bible

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.

NASB New American Standard Bible

NIV New International Version

RSV Revised Standard Version

NEB New English Bible

TEV Today’s English Version (Good News Bible)

 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), 372–373.

σῴζω (sōzō), 동사. 구원하다, 구하다. 미래 능동태. σώσω; 부정과거 능동태. ἔσωσα; 완료 능동태. σέσωκέν; 부정과거 능동태. ἐσώθην; 완료 중간태. σέσωσται. 히브리어 등가: ישׁע (83), מלט 1 (26). 아람어 등가: יזב (1).

1. 구출하다 — 해로움이나 악에서 벗어나게 하거나 어떤 경우에서는 구금에서 풀어 주다. 관련 주제: 구조하다.

막 8:35|| ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ σῶσαι ἀπολέσει

막 15:30|| σῶσον σεαυτὸν

눅 23:35|| Ἄλλους ἔσωσεν,

히 5:7 τὸν δυνάμενον σῴζειν αὐτὸν ἐκ θανάτου

유 23 οὓς δὲ σῴζετε ἐκ πυρὸς ἁρπάζοντες,

2. 구원 받은 (상태) — 죄에서 구해지거나 구조되다(그리고 결과적으로 심판에서).

행 2:40 Σώθητε ἀπὸ τῆς γενεᾶς τῆς σκολιᾶς ταύτης.

행 4:12 ἐν ᾧ δεῖ σωθῆναι ἡμᾶς.

엡 2:5 χάριτί ἐστε σεσῳσμένοι—

딤전 2:4 ὃς πάντας ἀνθρώπους θέλει σωθῆναι καὶ εἰς

딤전 2:15 σωθήσεται δὲ διὰ τῆς τεκνογονίας, ἐὰν μείνωσιν

3. 구원하다 (종교) — 죄와 그에 따르는 심판으로 부터 구하다 또는 악에서 구원하다. 관련 주제: 구원; 구원; 호산나.

딤후 1:9 τοῦ σώσαντος ἡμᾶς καὶ καλέσαντος κλήσει ἁγίᾳ,

딤후 4:18 καὶ σώσει εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ τὴν

딛 3:5 αὐτοῦ ἔλεος ἔσωσεν ἡμᾶς

약 4:12 ὁ δυνάμενος σῶσαι καὶ ἀπολέσαι·

약 5:20 ὁδοῦ αὐτοῦ σώσει ψυχὴν

4. 치료 받다 ⇔ 구원 받다 — 치료되다, 매임이나 다른 고통에서 구해지거나 구원받았다는 의미로.

마 9:22|| καὶ ἐσώθη ἡ γυνὴ ἀπὸ τῆς ὥρας

막 5:23 ἵνα σωθῇ

막 5:28|| Ἐὰν ἅψωμαι κἂν τῶν ἱματίων αὐτοῦ σωθήσομαι.

행 4:9 τίνι οὗτος σέσωσται,

행 14:9 ἰδὼν ὅτι ἔχει πίστιν τοῦ σωθῆναι

5. 구조되다 (상태)† — 해로움이나 악, 그리고 경우에 따라 수감에서 자유로운. 관련 주제: 구조하다.

마 24:22|| οὐκ ἂν ἐσώθη πᾶσα

행 16:30 Κύριοι, τί με δεῖ ποιεῖν ἵνα σωθῶ;

행 27:20 λοιπὸν περιῃρεῖτο ἐλπὶς πᾶσα τοῦ σῴζεσθαι ἡμᾶς.

6. 치유하다 ⇔ 구하다 — 치유하다, 구금 또는 기타 고난에서 사람을 구하거나 건져내는 것으로 생각하여.

마 9:22|| ἡ πίστις σου σέσωκέν σε.

막 5:34|| Θυγάτηρ, ἡ πίστις σου σέσωκέν σε·

막 10:52|| Ὕπαγε, ἡ πίστις σου σέσωκέν σε.

눅 17:19 ἡ πίστις σου σέσωκέν σε.

약 5:15 καὶ ἡ εὐχὴ τῆς πίστεως σώσει τὸν

• 창 19:17; 삼상 19:11; 시 3:8; 시 21:6; 시 71:4; 잠 11:31; 호 14:4; 욜 2:32; 사 10:22; 사 45:20; 렘 31:6

미래 능동태. 미래 능동태

부정과거 능동태. 부정과거 능동태

완료 능동태. 완료 능동태

부정과거 능동태. 부정과거 수동태

완료 중간태. 완료 중간태

† 현재 의미를 포함하여 나오는 현 원형의 모든 용례.

 Rick Brannan, ed., Lexham 헬라어 성경 어휘사전 (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2020).

-  1:9 As is often the case with Paul, the mention of the gospel and of God triggers a statement of praise and thanksgiving or a kind of doxology (cf. 1 Tim. 1:17; 6:15f.; Rom. 11:33–36). Here and in the following verse he gives a further statement about God and his gospel (cf. 1 Cor. 15:3–4 and especially Rom. 1:2–4).

τοῦ σώσαντος is the equivalent of an explanatory relative clause and is generally rendered as such: “who has saved” (Burton, Syntax, §426). Paul wants Timothy to remember that God, whose gospel he is asked to suffer for, has saved him (for σῴζει θεός see 1 Cor. 1:21; Tit. 3:5). σώσαντος specifies what God purposed “in Christ Jesus” and manifested in him as “our Savior” (v. 10). Christ’s work as Savior “abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light,” and thus σώσαντος means that God has saved us from death and brought us life and its attendant immortality. ἡμᾶς, “us,” in this general statement of truth designates the Christian community as a whole (cf. 2:11–13), even though it may be particularly applied to Paul and Timothy, as the designation of those “called” by God indicates.

καλέσαντος, also governed by the article τοῦ, further describes God. καλέω is used in the NT and especially in Paul of a “call” that is effectual (K. L. Schmidt, TDNT III, 489), i.e., of the choice of a person for salvation (BAGD s.v. 2). Most often in Paul, as here, it is God who calls (e.g., Rom. 8:30; 9:12 [11 in English versions], 24; 1 Cor. 1:9; Gal. 1:6; 5:8; 1 Thes. 5:24).

It is difficult to ascertain the precise force of dative κλήσει ἁγίᾳ, “a holy calling.” Some suggest that it is dative of means or of instrument, “with a holy calling” (RSV, NASB; Schmidt, TDNT III, 492; BAGD s.v. 1; Bouma) because the calling comes from a holy God. Others take it as dative of interest: called “to a holy life” (NIV; NEB: “called to be saints”; Barrett, Kelly, Lenski, Lock, Robertson, N. J. D. White). κλῆσις (Pl.* 9x: Rom. 11:29; 1 Cor. 1:26; 7:20; Eph. 1:18; 4:1, 4; Phil. 3:14; 2 Thes. 1:11) is used in both senses in the NT (see the occurrences and BAGD s.v. 1, 2). The syntactical construction of τῆς κλήσεως ἧς ἐκλήθητε in Eph. 4:1 points to the first understanding, “with a holy calling.” At the same time, the functional significance of the phrase in Eph. 4:1 is to call Christians “to walk in a manner worthy” of that calling. It may well be that the phrase here functions in that kind of double capacity.

Paul goes on to deny that God’s saving and calling is “on the basis of” (κατά, BAGD s.v. II.5d; seen especially Tit. 3:5) “our deeds,” as he does elsewhere (Rom. 3:20; 9:11; Gal. 2:16; and especially Eph. 2:9; cf. Marshall, “Faith and Works”). ἡμῶν carries on the persistent reference to the first person plural that marks this section (vv. 7, 8, 10, 14; cf. v. 2).

The introduction of a positive statement by ἀλλά after a negative statement continues a pattern seen also in vv. 7 and 8. God has not saved and called us because of our works, but “on the basis of” (κατά, BAGD s.v. II.5d) his plan and grace. πρόθεσις (Pl.* 6x: Rom. 8:28; 9:11; Eph. 1:11; 3:11; 2 Tim. 1:9; 3:10) has as one basic set of meanings “plan, purpose, resolve, will.” Here, as in most of the Pauline occurrences (except 2 Tim. 3:10), it is used of the divine purpose. ἰδίαν, “his own,” emphasizes that it is God’s own purpose and no one else’s. Since χάριν, “grace,” is connected to ἰδίαν πρόθεσιν by καί, it is also governed by ἰδίαν. Thus salvation is not only on the basis of God’s purpose but also on the basis of “his own” χάρις, the gracious intention of God. Paul also links these two elements, God’s purpose or will and his gracious intention, elsewhere as the basis for human salvation. In Rom. 8:28 God’s “purpose” is set in the context of his love (vv. 35, 39), in Rom. 9:11 in the context of his mercy (vv. 15f., 18), in Eph. 1:11 and 3:11 in the context of his grace (1:6–7; 3:2). One term emphasizes God’s plan, the other his attitude and intention. For κατὰ χάριν* elsewhere in Paul see Rom. 4:4, 16; 12:6; 1 Cor. 3:10; 2 Thes. 1:12.

In the participial construction that follows singular τὴν δοθεῖσαν refers either to πρόθεσιν and χάριν as one, or, more likely, just to χάριν as that which is “given” to us (for δίδωμι with χάρις in Paul cf. Rom. 12:3, 6; 15:15; 1 Cor. 1:4; 3:10; 15:57; 2 Cor. 8:16; Gal. 2:9; Eph. 3:8; 4:7; 2 Thes. 2:16). God saved us and called us by giving his grace to “us” (ἡμῖν designating all Christians).

Grace was given to us in Christ πρὸ χρόνων αἰωνίων. When used of time πρό consistently has the meaning “before” (see BAGD s.v. 2 for the occurrences). But what is the meaning of the combination πρὸ χρόνων αἰωνίων** (Rom. 16:25; Tit. 1:2)? Except for the rendering of the RSV, “ages ago,” there is a consensus among commentators and translations that the phrase, literally “before times eternal,” is best understood here as “from all eternity” (NASB, NEB) or “before the beginning of time” (NIV, TEV). This is in accord with Paul’s perspective, which speaks of God’s decision before time and the world began (1 Cor. 2:7: πρὸ τῶν αἰωνίων; Eph. 1:4: πρὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου).

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

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.

RSV Revised Standard Version

NASB New American Standard Bible

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

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.

NIV New International Version

NEB New English Bible

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.

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.

RSV Revised Standard Version

NASB New American Standard Bible

NEB New English Bible

NIV New International Version

TEV Today’s English Version (Good News Bible)

 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), 373–375.

-  1:10 Paul moves from God’s eternal plan and the grace resident in Christ to the manifestation of that grace in the appearing of Christ as the Savior who accomplishes salvation by abolishing death and providing life and immortality. The shift is indicated by the verb φανερόω and the temporal adverb νῦν, “now,” “at the present time,” which is set in contrast to πρὸ χρόνων αἰωνίων (v. 9).

The feminine singular participle φανερωθεῖσαν agrees with χάριν, as did the previous participle τὴν δοθεῖσαν, and parallels that previous participle. That earlier clause related that God’s grace was given to us in Christ “before the beginning of time.” This clause relates that “now” God’s grace has been “made visible” or “revealed” (other Pauline uses of φανερόω most like this one are in Rom. 16:26; Col. 1:26; and the other PE* occurrences, 1 Tim. 3:16; Tit. 1:3). This manifestation of grace has taken place “through” (διά) Christ’s “appearance.” Paul is the only NT writer to use ἐπιφάνεια** (also in 2 Thes. 2:8; 1 Tim. 6:14; Tit. 2:13; 2 Tim. 4:1, 8), “appearing” or “appearance,” and he uses it exclusively of the “appearing” of Jesus in his first (only here) or second coming (the other occurrences). Paul thus states that God’s grace was made visible in the earthly ministry of Jesus, in which this Jesus appeared in his capacity as “Christ,” the anointed one (Χριστοῦ, see 1 Tim. 1:1f.), and as “our Savior” (τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν). Paul refers to Jesus as σωτήρ 6x in his letters (Eph. 5:23; Phil. 3:20; Tit. 1:4; 2:13 [see the comments there]; 3:6) and once in Acts (13:23). As the “Savior” Christ accomplished what Paul goes on to describe, and it is through those acts that God made his grace known and saved us.

καταργήσαντος μὲν τὸν θάνατον describes the effectiveness of Christ’s work as Savior from a negative perspective. The μέν … δέ particles indicate both “connection and contrast” (Fairbairn; cf. further Robertson, Grammar, 1150–53). Hence θάνατον, “death,” is defined in part by contrast to “life and immortality” (cf. Jn. 5:24). The “life” that is brought is not physical but spiritual life, and “immortality” itself speaks of life beyond physical death. Therefore, “death” here must be the spiritual death associated with sin (cf. Rom. 6:6 [the same verb]; 7:24; 8:2). Christ has “abolished” (καταργήσαντος) this death, so that it no longer has a hold on his people. Thus Paul speaks of Christ bringing “life” to Christians (cf. Rom. 6:4, 11, 13). When those who belong to Christ are resurrected, the last aspect of “death,” physical death itself, will also be abolished (cf. 1 Cor. 15:26, using the same verb as here), and this, too, will occur on the basis of Christ’s decisive work, which, according to Heb. 2:14, took place in Jesus’ own death.

Christ has “brought life to light” (φωτίσαντος, Pl.* 4x: also in 1 Cor. 4:5; Eph. 1:18; 3:9). He has thus “not only shown it, but effectively manifested it” (H. Conzelmann, TDNT IX, 349). “Life” (ζωήν) here is the supernatural and spiritual life that was promised to believers in Christ (cf. 1:1). Christ embodies life (he speaks of himself as the life in Jn. 11:25; cf. Col. 3:4) and brings it to give to others (Rom. 5:17; 6:4; 2 Cor. 4:10–11; 1 Jn. 5:11–12). Paul joins to ζωήν the word ἀφθαρσίαν** (also in Rom. 2:7; 1 Cor. 15:42, 50, 53, 54; Eph. 6:24), “incorruptibility,” “immortality,” to provide the appropriate eternal dimension, just as he sometimes adds the word “eternal.”

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), 375–376.