calling to mind the unfeigned faith which [has been] in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and in thy mother Eunice, and I am persuaded that in thee also.
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.
For which cause I put thee in mind to rekindle the gift of God which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.
Paul writes to Timothy in a time of decline and widespread unfaithfulness. His first request is not for new work but for the renewal of something already given. Three questions follow: what was this gift, why were hands involved, and why does a gift from God need stirring at all?
Paul does not open with a command. He speaks first of how dear Timothy is to him, and only then turns to the charge.
Timothy was not less dear to the apostle, but more dear, because he had passed through deep exercise and severe sifting. But he could not leave him under possible discouragement. He would not simply point him to those who had gone before him in faith, nor cheer himself in a general way. He adds, "For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands."
What exactly was placed in Timothy? One writer links it to another verse about him.
This gift was the special energy of the Holy Spirit imparted to Timothy. There is no reasonable doubt that it is the gift spoken of in 1 Tim. 4:14. There it came through prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the body of elders; here, through the laying on of Paul's hands. The elders joined with Paul, but the power was in the apostle alone. God used him as the one channel of so great a gift. The difference between the prepositions "with" and "by" shows this.
How does this compare with the way gifts usually come?
We learn here also that Timothy received his gift in an exceptional way, by the putting on of Paul's hands. This is certainly extraordinary. The Spirit of God normally gives gift by His own independent operation (1 Cor. 12:7-11). But in Timothy's case the Spirit of God used Paul as the instrument.
Can anyone repeat this today? One writer is blunt:
No one can imitate this case without an apostle and a properly chosen body of elders, not to speak of prophecy. And the claim to do so is a harmful pretence, unless the power is there to give the gift that was given then.
The command itself is a picture of fire.
To "stir up" the gift means to stir it into a "flame," to "rekindle" it. God had used Paul as the instrument in giving a gift to Timothy. This gift needed rekindling. The danger of decline, which was already starting to show itself, is clear from this exhortation. The rekindling of a gift needs constant use of the Word of God and fellowship with the Lord, as well as a prayerful exercise of the gift itself.
Why would a God-given thing ever cool? One writer points to what surrounds us:
It was a true gift that was in him, and yet he still needed to rekindle it. That is a strong word. It shows the need we have even about what God Himself has given. Contact with the things around us tends to dull our very sense of the gift within. So we need to keep turning to God, so that the gift stays in the divine energy that alone suits it.
What could make Timothy hold back? One writer points to how people were receiving his ministry.
Then comes the danger to the servant of the Lord. He sees that people no longer receive his ministry. So he is tempted to retire, to fall silent, or to decide with Jeremiah not to speak in the Lord's name to the people any more (Jer. 20:9). Paul knew Timothy's heart and the way he leaned. So he guards him against this trap. He urges him to rouse himself, and by constant use to stir up the gift he had received to correct and build up the Lord's people.
The conclusion drawn is the opposite of retreat:
There are difficulties, dangers and general unfaithfulness, and the ministry seems to show little result. Then comes the danger of thinking it is almost useless to use gift. So we need the warning against letting the gift fall into disuse. We are to stir it up; and, in a day of ruin, to be all the more insistent in its use.
- Gift given. Timothy's gift was the special energy of the Holy Spirit. It came through Paul's hands, and the elders joined with him — "by" Paul, "with" them.
- Gift dimmed. The things around us dull even what God Himself has given. That is why a real gift can still need rekindling.
- Gift rekindled. The remedy is not a new gift but a fanned flame. It takes constant use of the Word, fellowship with the Lord, and prayerful use of the gift itself.
- Gift used. The snare is silence — retiring like Jeremiah when the ministry is no longer welcome. Paul's answer is to rouse himself and keep using it.
- Gift needed most. In a day of decline the temptation says the work is useless; the exhortation says be all the more insistent.