When dealing with the question of "power" (for the words "be strong" are the

translation of endunamoo, and dunamis means "power") many a teacher immediately

goes back to Pentecost, to supernatural gifts, to the phenomena of the Acts, whereas, for

the member of the body of Christ the one great source of all power is that which raised up

Christ from the dead and seated Him far above all (Eph. 1: 19-23). Inasmuch as Timothy

had been called and commissioned during the Acts period, he had special gifts, as did

Paul himself, but even so, there is only one reference in II Tim. to the "spirit" in

connection with "power", namely, in the opening exhortation of II Tim. 1: 6, 7. Neither

the present writer nor the reader has received a gift by the laying on of an apostle's hands,

and even Timothy, who had, was pointed away from such gifts to the power in "Christ

Jesus". So also the Apostle himself testified and had experienced, as we shall see.

There are eight occurrences of endunamoo in the N.T., and it will be helpful to have

them before us, so that we may see how the mighty power that the Apostle experienced is

spoken of. An examination of the contexts of several of these references will prove that

it is "the power of His resurrection" that is in view.

In the first epistle Paul had told Timothy that, in spite of the unlovely features of his

past life, the Lord's call to the office of an apostle was accompanied by "enabling". Paul

recounted how he had been a blasphemer, a persecutor, and injurious, yet, as Timothy

well knew, the Lord enabled him. Again, in II Tim. 4:, in another context of extreme

difficulty, this time, not the Apostle's failure, but the failure and opposition of others, is

fully met by this same enabling. Paul was now in prison, withstood by some, forsaken by

others, yet, in spite of it all, the Lord strengthened him so that even there, and at that

time, the preaching was fully known and all the Gentiles heard. How could Timothy

resist the appeal set in these two extremes? "Thou, therefore, my son, be strong in the

grace that is in Christ Jesus".

While the Apostle had to record that in his younger days he was a blasphemer,

Timothy is reminded of the piety of his mother and grandmother, and his early training in

Christian truth. Now, where Paul was already a doomed prisoner, Timothy was free.

While Paul was now "aged" Timothy was comparatively young. If the Lord's enabling

was sufficient for Paul, it would be also for Timothy.

Finally, let us see how the Apostle has used this word "grace", not only for the initial

fact and plan of salvation, but for all after life and service. Not only does he affirm that

"by the grace of God I am what I am", but he declares that the grace bestowed upon him

enabled him to labour "more abundantly than they all", adding: "yet not I, but the grace

of God which was with me" (I Cor. 15: 10).