2 Timothy 1:6-12 - "Unashamed of the Gospel"

2 Timothy 1:6-12

"Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, 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: Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day."

The call of the Gospel is not merely to believe, but to stand—unashamed, unmoved, and anchored in what God has done in Christ. Paul exhorts Timothy to stir up the gift of God within him, reminding him that the Source of faithfulness is not natural ability, temperament, or resolve, but God's Sovereign Grace in Christ alone. This charge reaches beyond the minister and presses upon every believer who names the Name of Christ.

God has not given His people a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind (v.7). Fear belongs to the flesh, to uncertainty, to self-preservation. Power belongs to the Spirit, Who reveals Christ and strengthens the heart to endure reproach. This Power is not loud or forceful; it is the settled confidence that rests in CHRIST ALONE. Where Christ is revealed, fear of men loosens its grip, and the soul is made willing to bear whatever reproach the Gospel brings.

To be unashamed of the Gospel is to identify openly with the testimony of Christ. That testimony is not personal experience or religious activity, but the message concerning Who Christ is and what He has accomplished. The Gospel is inseparable from His Person. To shrink from the Gospel is to shrink from Him. Paul’s imprisonment did not discredit the message; it confirmed it. Affliction is not an exception to the Gospel but a companion of it. Those who identify with Christ must expect to share in the afflictions that attend His truth, not by human strength, but “according to the power of God” (v.8).

This endurance rests on a foundation that precedes time itself. God “hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began” (v.9). Salvation does not begin with man’s response but with God’s purpose. Grace was not devised after the fall, nor activated by human decision. It was given in Christ before the world existed, made sure in Him, and destined to be revealed in time.

That eternal purpose was made manifest in history through the appearing of Jesus Christ. In His incarnation, obedience, suffering, death, and resurrection, He accomplished what God had purposed from eternity. By His death, Christ abolished death—not by removing physical mortality, but by satisfying the law that condemned sinners. The legal power of sin and death was broken at the cross. For those for whom Christ died, death has lost its claim.

Through the Gospel, Christ has brought life and immortality to light (v.10). These realities are not created by belief but revealed by Grace. The Spirit opens the understanding to see what Christ has already accomplished. Life is found in Him; immortality rests upon His finished work. The Gospel does not offer possibility, but proclamation. It declares what God has done to be just and to justify sinners in Christ.

This is why shame has no place among those taught of God. There is much in religion to blush over, but nothing in Christ to regret. The Gospel humbles man completely and exalts Christ entirely. It strips away confidence in works and leaves the soul resting in salvation that is entirely the work of God from beginning to end. To be ashamed of this Gospel would be to be ashamed of Christ Himself (Romans 1:1-4).

As the Spirit reveals Christ in the heart and strengthens the mind, love is directed toward God, His Son, and His people. A sound mind does not chase novelty, but one that remains fixed upon Christ crucified. Discernment grows where Grace reigns. Strength is given where Christ is honored. And endurance flows from knowing that salvation is God’s work from beginning to end.

To stand unashamed is not a mark of courage, but of Revelation. Those who see Christ clearly cannot turn away. Those who know Whom they have believed are persuaded that He is able to keep all that has been committed to Him until that day.