Paul, an apostle of ‘ISA1 AL-MASIH2 through the will of God3, according to the promise of the life which is in AL-MASIH ‘ISA, 2to Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and AL-MASIH ‘ISA our Lord.
3I thank God, whom I worship as my forefathers did, with a pure conscience. Without fail, I remember you in my prayers, night and day 4longing to see you, remembering your tears, that I may be filled with joy; 5having been reminded of the unfeigned faith that is in you; which lived first in your grandmother Lois, and your mother Eunice, and, I am persuaded, is in you also.
6For this reason, I remind you that you should stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control. 8Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord4, nor of me his prisoner; but endure hardship for the Injil 5 according to the power of God, 9who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given to us in AL-MASIH ‘ISA before time began.10This has now been revealed by the appearing of our Saviour, AL-MASIH ‘ISA, who abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the Injil. 11For this, I was appointed as a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the nations. 12For this reason I also suffer these things.
Yet I am not ashamed, for I know him whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to guard that which I have committed to him against that day.
13Hold the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which is in AL-MASIH ‘ISA. 14That good thing which was committed to you, guard through the Holy Spirit6 who dwells in us.
15This you know, that all who are in Asia have turned away from me; including Phygelus and Hermogenes. 16May the Lord grant mercy to the house of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chains, 17but when he was in Rome, he sought me diligently, and found me 18(the Lord grant to him to find the Lord’s mercy in that day); and in how many things he served at Ephesus, you know very well.
- 1:1 ‘ISA – The names ‘ISA (Arabic), ISHO (Syriac) and JESUS (Greek, IESOUS) are all derived from the Hebrew name YEHOSHUA, which means “YAHWEH saves.” (YAHWEH is God’s personal name revealed to Prophet Musa in the Taurat, Exodus 3:15 – God said moreover to Musa, “You shall tell Bani-Israel this, ‘YAHWEH, the God of your fathers, the God of Ibrahim, the God of Ishaq, and the God of Yaqub, has sent me to you.’ This is my Name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered to all generations.”) ↩︎
- 1:1 AL-MASIH – an Arabic title equivalent to the Messiah (Hebrew) or Christ (Greek), all of which mean the Anointed One, that is, God’s Chosen One. In ancient times, divinely-appointed kings, priests and prophets were anointed with oil to signify their appointment to office. All of them point ahead to God’s ultimate Anointed One, the Messiah, AL-MASIH. Al-Kitab unanimously points to ‘ISA Ibn Maryam as the only person worthy to bear the title AL-MASIH. He is the one whom God sent into this world to save people from sin, and to usher in God’s Kingdom at his Second Coming. ↩︎
- 1:1 God, English translation of theos. It is the Greek equivalent of elohim and eloah (Hebrew) which are related to allah (Arabic) and alaha (Syriac), all of which translate as “God,” and refer to the one true God. ↩︎
- 1:8 Lord, translated from the Greek kurios. Depending on context, it can refer to: 1. God, 2. ’ISA AL-MASIH, 3. men in authority, such as kings, landlords, etc., 4. a respectful salutation meaning, “sir.” In this verse, it almost certainly refers to ‘ISA AL-MASIH. ↩︎
- 1:8 Injil, this Arabic word is derived from Euangel (Greek) and means “good news” or “Gospel” (old English for ‘good news’). Depending on context, Injil can refer to,
1. the whole Christian New Testament containing 27 books,
2. the first 4 books of the New Testament, that is, the Injil according to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, or,
3. the message or “good news” of forgiveness of sins through ‘ISA AL-MASIH, revealed in the holy Injil (or New Testament). ↩︎ - 1:14 Holy Spirit, or the Spirit of God; not an angel or created being, but the uncreated, eternal Spirit of God himself who was present and active at the creation of heaven and earth (see Genesis 1:2), and today lives inside of every follower of ‘ISA AL-MASIH, empowering them to live in a way pleasing to God. ↩︎