Timothy to Hebrews - The Preterist Archive

238 Second Timothy IV. 9-22.
ble with the apostle's doctrine of grace ;
since the kindred passages,
he says, as Rom. ii. 5, scq. ; 2 Thess. i. 5, where in like manner a
reward is anticipated from the divine righteousness, regard it from a
purely objective point of view, while subjectively regarded, humility
and self-knowledge can only fear it. But how could the apostle at
2 Thess. i. 5, console his hearers with the SiKuia Kpimcj if, subjectively
regarded, the divine righteousness were only an object of dread ?
And what would become of the "peace" of faith (Rom. v. 1), if
this contrast still existed in the Christian consciousness. The apostle
refers here not to the righteousness of God in contrast with
grace, but loitliin the relations of grace in which he himself has
placed us ; he thus simjjly brings out his conduct toward us, under
and in accordance with those rehitions, and which is, therefore, but
another aspect of his faithfulness to himself. This faithfulness is to
be feared, then, only, if we are unfaithful (ii. 13); otherwise it is a
source of consolation and hope ; comp. 1 John ii. 28, iv. 17. " And
not to me only"—the apostle corrects the impression that he might in
the preceding be claiming some special reward for himself ; it is the
reward, within the sphere of grace, which every one may anticipate,
who loves and longs for his appearing ; comp. on the contrary, Luke
xxiii. 30, " they will begin to say to the mountains, fall on us," etc.
On the Perf. ip/afr.j in its relation to the present, comj). Winer's
Gr., § 40, 4, p. 244. On emcjidveta of the future advent, Tit. ii. 11,
13 ;
1 Tim. vi. 14. On d^andv as denoting the longing of love for
something future, 1 Pet. iii. 10.
§ 6. Directions for Timothy's Speedy Coming. — Salutations.
(iv. 9-22).
Vers. 6-8 serve the apostle as a natural transition for urging and
enforcing the personal wishes intimated in ch. i. 4, 8, 15-18. Timothy
is to come to Rome to the imprisoned and forsaken apostle. He describes
his deserted condition, gives some special CDUimissions in the
event of his coming (9-13), recounts the progress and condition of his
affairs, (^14-18), adds the salutations which Timothy is to deliver (19),
adds some further notices regarding his solitary condition, and renews
the injunction to a speedy coming (20, 21); adds tlie salutations with
which he is charged to Timothy, and closes with the customary
blessing.—This constitutes the second main division of the epistle,
which the apostle, according to his custom of reserving the more
personal matters to the close, subjoins to his otlicial exhortations.
bears in^his respect a close analogy to the epistle to the Pliili2)pians;
see the Introduction, § 2.
It