Paul's Exhortations & Instructions to Brother Timothy 2nd Letter Volume 8

Paul tells Timothy to Never be Ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ Part 3

2 Timothy 1:10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel: KJV

This salvation is not just an abstract thing that those who are the elect get and those who are not the elect reject, but it is a person, that is, the 2nd person of the Trinity or the Godhead and He is our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ as Paul writes as such with these words to Brother Timothy, "But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel:" (2 Timothy 1:10) (KJV). When Paul writes here at the very beginning of this verse 'But is now made manifest', he means just what we stated above that salvation (for the souls of lost human beings) has now come to the earth just as it was announced by an angel of the Lord with these words on that day of His birth, "And in that vicinity there were shepherds living [out under the open sky] in the field, watching [in shifts] over their flock by night. And {behold,} an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord flashed {and} shone all about them, and they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people. For to you is born this day in the town of David a Savior, Who is Christ (the Messiah) the Lord!" (Luke 2:8-11) (Amplified Bible) and this fact was also testified of by some Samaritan sinners who heard the Gospel of Grace directly from the mouth of our Lord Jesus Christ many years later after His earthly birth with these words, "Then many more believed in {and} adhered to {and} relied on Him because of His personal message [what He Himself said]. And they told the woman, Now we no longer believe (trust, have faith) just because of what you said; for we have heard Him ourselves [personally], and we know that He truly is the Savior of the world, {the Christ.}" (John 4:41-42) (Amplified Bible).

The little English phrase 'made manifest' used here by the Apostle Paul is translated by the Greek word phaneroō which means (as used here) to render apparent (literally or figuratively): - appear, shew self. The English word 'appearing' is translated by the Greek word epiphaneia which means (as used here) a manifestation, that is, (specifically) the advent of Christ (past or future): - appearing, brightness. In other words, salvation of the souls of human sinners is not now and was not ever meant as some theoretical thing consisting only in the mind of human beings, but salvation is a person Jesus Christ whose advent, that is, His long awaited momentous arrival has finally been rendered apparent or appeared or His manifestation in a human body to suffer, shed His Blood, and die to be the sacrifice for the sin of humanity just as declared by God the Holy Spirit through the Apostle John with these words, "And the Word (Christ) became flesh (human, incarnate) and tabernacled (fixed His tent of flesh, lived awhile) among us; and we [actually] saw His glory (His honor, His majesty), such glory as an only begotten son receives from His father, full of grace (favor, loving-kindness) and truth." (John 1:14) (Amplified Bible) and these words also through the Apostle John in this same Chapter, "The next day John saw Jesus coming to him and said, Look! There is the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29) (Amplified Bible). Here is what Dr. John Gill had to say concerning the manifestation by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, "The grace according to which the elect of God are saved and called; though it was given to them in Christ, before the world was, yet lay hid in the heart of God; in His thoughts, council and covenant; and in Jesus Christ; and in the types, shadows, sacrifices, prophecies, and promises of the Old Testament; but is now made manifest in the clearness, freeness, and abundance of it by the appearance of Christ, as a Saviour in human nature; who is come full of grace and truth, and through whom there is a plentiful exhibition of it to the sons of men."

When Paul writes here 'who hath abolished death', he means eternal spiritual death that was and is the designation, doom, and destiny of every human being on the earth without a personal relationship and faith in Jesus Christ. The little English phrase 'who hath abolished' is translated by the Greek word katargeō which means (as used here) to be (render) entirely idle (useless), literally or figuratively: - abolish, destroy, do away, make of no effect, make void. There are three (3) types of death: Physical death of the physical body; Spiritual death, that is, every human being is born spiritually dead, that is, disconnected from God; Eternal death, that is, eternal seperation from God by virtue of resisting, rebuking, or rejecting Christ and the Gospel of Grace as the only means of salvation, just as this same Apostle Paul wrote to the Hebrew believers with these words, "Since, therefore, [these His] children share in flesh and blood [in the physical nature of human beings], He [Himself] in a similar manner partook of the same [nature], that by [going through] death He might bring to nought {and} make of no effect him who had the power of death--that is, the devil--And also that He might deliver {and} completely set free all those who through the [haunting] fear of death were held in bondage throughout the whole course of their lives." (Hebrews 2:14-15) (Ampliifed Bible).

The English phrase 'hath brought life and immortality to light' is translated by four Greek words phōtizō, zōē, kai, aphtharsia; it means to shed rays, that is, to shine or (transitively) to brighten up (literally or figuratively): - enlighten, illuminate, make to see life that is immortal and incorruptible and unchangeable. When Paul writes here at the end of this verse 'through the Gospel', he means that the Gospel of Grace is the channel or the passage or the path way that the elect of God the Father receive this immortal, incorruptible, and unchangeable life through Jesus Christ. This is what the English word 'through' which is translated by the Greek word dia describes in clear detail, for it is a primary preposition denoting the channel of an act. Here is what Dr. John Gill had to say concerning all of this being through the Gospel, "Christ was the first that rose again from the dead to an immortal life; the path of life was first shown to Him, and brought to light by Him; and though the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead was known by the Old Testament saints, yet not so clearly as it is now revealed in the Gospel; and in which is so fully attested the resurrection of Christ, and of many of the saints with Him, as well as the general resurrection at the last day: and besides, eternal life, which is the free gift of God, lay hid in His purpose, promise, and covenant, and in His Son Jesus Christ, into whose hands it was put; and which He has brought to light in a more clear manner than ever it was before; by His appearance in human nature, by His personal ministry, by His death and resurrection from the dead, and through the Gospel, as preached by His ministers; which gives an account of the nature of it, shows the way unto it, and points out and describes the persons that shall enjoy it."

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...

Sincerely in Christ,

Clifford D. Tate, Sr.
Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…