According To The Promise Of Life?

Hello all friendly Scholars!

Today I begin a one-day study of 2nd Timothy and am curious to your thoughts on verse 1. Good grief, I can't even get past the first verse without needing the below to be addressed.

2 Timothy 1:1 KJV - "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus . . ."

Four points seem to be made:
1) Paul is an Apostle
2) Chosen by God
3) According to the Promise of Life
4) Life is in Christ Jesus

How do we go from Paul, an Apostle chosen by God, to "According to the Promise of Life"? I've looked at multiple translations, but they all seem to be conveying the same message without any extra Words to help explain things (as God would have us understand them).

As usual, I do not resort to commentary until after I speak with you all. I value your opinions over any commentator. This means that I'm more interested in what you're hearts and personal understanding are "telling" you.

Thank you!

Try the Complete Jewish Bible text:

1 From: Sha'ul, an emissary of the Messiah Yeshua by God's will, which holds forth a promise of life through being united with Messiah Yeshua

Even the King James states that united with Jesus affords us the promise of eternal life.

My selahings go to spiritual life—the promise of eternal life.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

- John 3:16 (NRSV)

Maybe it’s referring to the promise of life to the Gentile world. Israel was supposed to be the light to the Gentiles, so God is fulfilled that promise through Paul ministry to the Gentiles.🤷🏻‍♂️

I have never heard of that Translation, but I wish I had a copy. I am particularly interested in how the Blessed Jews would interpret NT writings.

Do you have a link for this Jewish translation?

Yes, I understand what the Promise of Life is, I'm just wondering what the connection it between itself and the rest of the three points made. What I am asking may be insignificant and a dead end that won't necessarily amount to anything.

Paul is an apostle (a sent one), chosen by God for salvation and eternal life.

I think I got it. So, Paul was selected for more than just Apostleship, but also Eternal Life. I just worked my way to Chapter 2 and found the following:

2 Timothy 2:19 NLT - "But God's truth stands firm like a foundation stone with this inscription: "The LORD knows those who are his," and "All who belong to the LORD must turn away from evil."

THE LORD KNOWS WHO ARE HIS

Yes!

Isn't it astonishing that the Eternal Plan of God would involve a man who would, admittedly, kill Christians . . . and convert him to one who would unpack and explain the hidden, Mysterious Plan of God. The only possible way that God could use a man who murdered Christians, would be to give him a new heart that would be per-configured to Seek, Love, and Worship the Lord forever. Along with that new heart, the Holy Spirit.

100%!

OH . . . MY . . . GOODNESS! The Complete Jewish Bible translates Colossians 2:9-15 as follows:

"For in him, bodily, lives the fullness of all that God is. 10 And it is in union with him that you have been made full — he is the head of every rule and authority.

11 Also it was in union with him that you were circumcised with a circumcision not done by human hands, but accomplished by stripping away the old nature’s control over the body. In this circumcision done by the Messiah, 12 you were buried along with him by being immersed; and in union with him, you were also raised up along with him by God’s faithfulness that worked when he raised Yeshua from the dead. 13 You were dead because of your sins, that is, because of your “foreskin,” your old nature. But God made you alive along with the Messiah by forgiving you all your sins. 14 He wiped away the bill of charges against us. Because of the regulations, it stood as a testimony against us; but he removed it by nailing it to the execution-stake. 15 Stripping the rulers and authorities of their power, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by means of the stake."

The above translation further expresses the Spiritual Circumcision of Christ better than any Christian translation. THAT is EXACTLY why it is important for us to not only understand Spiritual Circumcision, but to understand it so that we can talk about the very Doctrine that is so close and dear to them. It must be difficult for a Blessed Jew to deny the translation of their own Scholars, regarding the utter core doctrine of the Bible.

A+

Thank you for the info.
I love the word of God and KJV is my fav.
I tabbed this to do a comparison.
This keeps free space on my phone also.
So thx again for the heads up !

There are several points to note which will clarify this verse.

1. Saul of Tarsus was already elected by God and Christ (from eternity past) to be the leading apostle of Christ and the primary writer of the NT epistles, since he would eventually become Paul, the apostle chosen by God.

2. God knew that this zealous Pharisee and persecutor of Christians would eventually be converted and travel throughout the Roman empire several times for preaching the Gospel and establishing churches. He would also suffer greatly for his service to Christ.

3. Paul was aware of this after his conversion: But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace, To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood: (Gal 1:25,16)

4. "To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen" connects Paul to the promise of eternal life through Christ. God promised eternal life to those who would believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom 6:23 and other verses). And when Paul preached the Gospel this became a reality for hundreds of Jews and Gentiles. No one could receive the gift of eternal life until and unless Christ has died on the cross and shed His precious blood for our redemption. Then risen again for our justification. When a person is justified by grace through faith, he or she immediately receives the gift of eternal life, and this gift is irreversible. So Paul "preached Christ and Him crucified".

5. All those who are adherents of false religions are called "the heathen" in Scripture. The Greek word is ethnos which means the nations, or the Gentiles, and in this context they are the heathen because they all worship idols.

The promise is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, which is a quickening Spirit. Ephesians 2 explains the new birth. Verse 5 says "even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ".


Acts 2:38 Peter says "repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. Neither because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children, but in Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, they which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted for the seed (Rom 9:7-8)

according to the gospel which is a gods promise of life oaul was an apostle and witness of the gospel the promise of life which everything is according to the gospel .

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”
‭‭John‬ ‭5:24‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord,….
‭‭Romans‬ ‭1:1, 3‬ ‭KJV‬‬

the gospel is the promise of life

“Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus,”
‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭1:1‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope;”
‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭1:1‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to our trust.”
‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭1:11‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Promise of life is the everlasting gospel that promises salvstion , the Holy Ghost , eternal Life in his kingdom

“Do all things without murmurings and disputings: that ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2:14-16‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Word of life all mankind is called to believe and share with others promise of life in Christ Jesus our hope

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
‭‭John‬ ‭3:16‬ ‭KJV‬‬


“For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: ( promise of life )whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.”
‭‭John‬ ‭12:49-50‬ ‭KJV‬‬

anytime you hear the word of life , the book of life ect it’s a reference to the gospel that promises mankind eternal life who believe

By the way, that's my favorite avatar you have up. Love . . . it!

I wanted to share this Scripture below, as it pertains to this thread. It's the opening to 2nd Timothy and gives more details to what Paul was alluding to in the OP:
2 Timothy 1:1 NLT - "This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus. I have been sent out to tell others about the life he has promised through faith in Christ Jesus."

What Paul wrote confirms what this group has concluded.

When you get to verse 6, you will read that Paul ordained Timothy to preach the Gospel. His laying on of hands (IMO) also caused Timothy to receive the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, as this is how he did it to others.

6 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. (KJV)

CJB:

6 For this reason, I am reminding you to fan the flame of God's gift, which you received through s'mikhah from me.

(S’mikhah is the laying of hands, an event with an identifiable history, in the Scriptures going back to the time of Yitz’chak (Isaac), formalised by Moshe (Moses), and is a key function of the Body of Yeshua ) CJB Translated

also though

“Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: but in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.

The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all that word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judæa, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead. To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.

While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.”
‭‭Acts‬ ‭10:34-37, 42-44‬ ‭KJV‬‬