He speaks in Rom. 1: 5 of having received "grace and apostleship", or perhaps better,

"apostolic grace", and the implication is that teachers will receive teaching grace, and

evangelists, evangelistic grace; in fact "unto every one of us is given grace according to

the measure of the gift of Christ" (Eph. 4: 7). Writing to Titus the Apostle said, "The

grace of God that bringeth salvation . . . . . teaches us" (Titus 2: 11, 12). It is therefore a

serious mistake to limit grace to initial salvation: grace operates throughout the whole

Christian life; it is at the disposal of the believer at all times, and as the Apostle once so

thankfully declared, it is "sufficient" (II Cor. 3: 5), for although the actual word "grace"

may not appear in that verse, the sentiment is too similar to that of I Cor. 15: 10 to leave

any doubt in the mind as to what the Apostle referred to.

This grace, that was so fully and freely at Timothy's disposal, is "in Christ Jesus".

That necessarily sets the seal of God upon it, and pledges the whole of heaven's strength

on behalf of the tried believer. His faith "in Christ Jesus" had proved sufficient to make

him wise unto salvation (II Tim. 3: 15), and the promise of life "in Christ Jesus" held

good whatever man might do or say (II Tim. 1: 1). We have the comfort and assurance

that our salvation is no afterthought, but that we are the subjects of a purpose and grace

that was given us "in Christ Jesus" before age-times (II Tim. 1: 9). The grace of the Lord

is so exceedingly abundant, that even faith and love are included "in Christ Jesus"

(I Tim. 1: 14; II Tim. 1: 13), and so the Apostle exhorts his son Timothy to be strong in

the only strength--"strong in grace"--that can enable in such a conflict, and points away

from human upbringing, lovely and precious as it may be; points away from weakness

and fear, discouraging and paralyzing though they be; to the fount of all grace, the

guarantee of "good success", the One in Whom the weakest may stand "more than

conqueror" in Christ Jesus.

We have considered the exhortation of II Tim. 2: 1, where the Apostle calls upon his

son Timothy to be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. We now turn our attention

to the purpose for which this strengthening grace was bestowed.

While of necessity Timothy would be called upon sometimes to preach and sometimes

to teach the Word, that is not the point of the Apostle's statement here. He focuses

attention on one thing, "the same commit". To understand what he intends by "the same"

we must, perforce, understand the first half of the verse, "the things which thou hast

heard of me", and to understand the second half of the verse and consider the character of

those who were to be thus entrusted.