◄ 2 Timothy 1:6 ►
For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.
Study Bible
For this reason

Paul grounds his exhortation in Timothy’s sincere faith, first evident in Lois and Eunice and now dwelling in him. Timothy’s spiritual heritage did not replace personal faith, but it provided a faithful foundation for his calling and service.

2Ti 2:1 You therefore, my child, be strong in the grace…
1Co 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace to me…
Eph 3:7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace…

I remind you

Paul writes as a spiritual father encouraging a trusted coworker. Timothy knew the truth and had received a ministry calling, yet faithful servants still need renewed encouragement amid opposition, suffering, and discouragement.

Rom 15:15 However, I have written you a bold reminder on some points,…
1Co 4:17 That is why I have sent you Timothy, my beloved…
2Pe 1:12 Therefore I will always remind you of these things…

to fan into flame

Timothy was to stir up and actively exercise what God had entrusted to him. A fire grows dim when neglected, but it burns brightly when supplied with fuel and oxygen; likewise, spiritual gifts flourish through faith, obedience, prayer, Scripture, and service.

2Pe 1:13 I think it is right to refresh your memory…
Rom 12:11 Do not let your zeal subside; keep your spiritual fervor,…
1Th 5:19 Do not extinguish the Spirit.

the gift of God,

God had equipped Timothy for the work assigned to him in the church. The gift was not a product of natural ability alone, nor a source of personal status, but divine enablement for strengthening believers, guarding sound doctrine, and proclaiming the gospel.

1Co 12:4 There are different gifts, but the same Spirit.
Rom 12:6 We have different gifts according to the grace given us.…
1Pe 4:10 As good stewards of the manifold grace of God,…

which is in you

The gift had been genuinely given to Timothy and remained present within him. God’s calling required Timothy’s willing participation, courage, and disciplined use of the ability entrusted to him.

1Co 3:16 Do you not know that you yourselves are God’s temple……
Jhn 14:17 The world cannot receive Him, because it neither sees Him…
Col 1:27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles…

through the laying on of my hands.

Paul had participated in Timothy’s recognition and commissioning for ministry, likely alongside the elders mentioned in 1 Timothy 4:14. The laying on of hands publicly affirmed God’s call and set Timothy apart for service, while the gift itself came from God rather than from human hands.

1Ti 4:14 Do not neglect the gift that is in you…
Act 19:6 And when Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit…
Act 13:3 And after they had fasted and prayed, they laid…

Persons / Places / Events
1. Paul
The apostle who authored the letter to Timothy, providing guidance and encouragement.

2. Timothy
A young pastor and protégé of Paul, recipient of the letter, tasked with leading the church in Ephesus.

3. Ephesus
The city where Timothy was serving as a church leader, known for its diverse culture and challenges to Christian faith.

4. Laying on of Hands
A significant event in Timothy's life, symbolizing the impartation of spiritual gifts and authority.

5. Gift of God
Refers to the spiritual gifts and calling Timothy received, which Paul urges him to rekindle.
Teaching Points
Rekindling Spiritual Gifts
Believers are encouraged to actively nurture and develop the spiritual gifts God has given them.

The Role of Mentorship
Paul’s relationship with Timothy highlights the importance of mentorship in spiritual growth and leadership development.

The Power of Remembrance
Remembering past spiritual experiences and affirmations can strengthen faith and resolve in current challenges.

Active Participation in Ministry
Spiritual gifts are not to be dormant; they require active participation and engagement in ministry.

The Importance of Spiritual Authority
The laying on of hands signifies the importance of recognizing and submitting to spiritual authority and commissioning.
Bible Study Questions
1. What specific spiritual gifts do you believe God has given you, and how can you "fan them into flame" in your current context?

2. How does the practice of laying on of hands in the early church inform our understanding of spiritual authority and commissioning today?

3. In what ways can you seek out or become a mentor to help nurture spiritual gifts in yourself or others?

4. How can remembering past spiritual experiences and affirmations help you face current challenges in your faith journey?

5. How do the teachings in Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12 about spiritual gifts complement Paul's exhortation to Timothy in this passage?
Connections to Other Scriptures
1 Timothy 4:14
Paul previously advised Timothy not to neglect his gift, emphasizing the importance of using spiritual gifts for ministry.

Romans 12:6-8
Discusses the diversity of spiritual gifts and the importance of using them according to the grace given to each believer.

1 Corinthians 12:4-11
Explores the variety of spiritual gifts and their purpose in building up the body of Christ.

Acts 6:6
Describes the laying on of hands as a practice for commissioning and empowering individuals for ministry.

2 Peter 1:13
Peter also speaks of the need to remind believers of their calling and responsibilities.
Sermons
A Missionary SermonA. Raleigh, D. D.2 Timothy 1:6
A Neglected Gift EnkindledLife of Paley.2 Timothy 1:6
An Ordination SermonA. Horneck, D. D.2 Timothy 1:6
Christian EnthusiasmJ. W. Burn.2 Timothy 1:6
Grounds of St. Paul's Appeal to St. TimothyA. Plummer, D. D.2 Timothy 1:6
Increase of GraceJ. Barlow, D. D.2 Timothy 1:6
Individual GiftsH. W. Beecher.2 Timothy 1:6
Latent Spiritual PowerJ. P. Gledstone.2 Timothy 1:6
Ordination2 Timothy 1:6
Our Gifts, and How to Use ThemC. H. Spurgeon.2 Timothy 1:6
Private Helps to Stir Up GraceJ. Barlow, D. D.2 Timothy 1:6
Quickening the MemoryW.M. Statham 2 Timothy 1:6
Self-EducationA. Tynman.2 Timothy 1:6
St. Paul's Concern About St. TimothyA. Plummer, D. D.2 Timothy 1:6
Stirring the FireW.M. Statham 2 Timothy 1:6
The Apostle's Admonition to Timothy to Stir Up the Gift of God Within HimT. Croskery 2 Timothy 1:6
The Christian Exhorted to Stir Up the Gift of God that is in HimG. Calthrop, M. A.2 Timothy 1:6
The Gifts of God are to be Stirred Up Within UsJ. Barlow, D. D.2 Timothy 1:6
The Graces of God's Spirit are of a Fiery QualityJ. Barlow, D. D.2 Timothy 1:6
The Latent Spiritual Force in ManDavid Thomas, D. D.2 Timothy 1:6
The Nemesis of Neglected GiftsA. Plummer, D. D.2 Timothy 1:6
The Ordinances of God are not Without ProfitJ. Barlow, D. D.2 Timothy 1:6
The Stirred Up WillJ. W. Burgon, M. A.2 Timothy 1:6
Watching the Heart FlameH. D. M. Spence, M. A.2 Timothy 1:6
Address and SalutationR. Finlayson 2 Timothy 1:1-14
People
Christians, Eunice, Hermogenes, Lois, Onesiphorus, Paul, Phygellus, Timotheus, Timothy
Places
Asia, Ephesus, Rome
Topics
Afresh, Cause, Fan, Flame, Gift, God's, Grace, Hands, Hence, Imposition, Kindle, Laying, Mind, Power, Putting, Reason, Rekindle, Remembrance, Remind, Stir, Wherefore, Within, Yours
Dictionary of Bible Themes
2 Timothy 1:6

     4826   fire
     5325   gifts
     7372   hands, laying on
     7745   ordination
     8145   renewal, people of God
     8150   revival, personal
     8349   spiritual growth, means of
     8437   giving, of talents
     8467   reminders

2 Timothy 1:6-7

     7967   spiritual gifts, responsibility

2 Timothy 1:6-8

     7758   preachers, call
     8359   weakness, spiritual

Library
The Form of Sound Words
The Apostle most earnestly admonished Timothy to "hold fast the form of sound words which he had heard of him in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus." I do not suppose that by this it is intended that Paul ever wrote out for Timothy a list of doctrines; or that he gave him a small abstract of divinity, to which he desired him to subscribe his name, as the articles of the church over which he was made a pastor. If so, doubtless the document would have been preserved and enrolled in the canons …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 2: 1856

Christianity
WHAT IS CHRISTIANITY? WHAT is Christianity? The question seems a belated one. It never was more pertinent than now. Its pertinency rests upon two facts. First: the modern drift in Christianity and its absolute failure. Second: the phenomenal triumph of primitive Christianity. The modern drift is antagonistic to doctrine and repudiates the miraculous. It sets aside the virgin birth, has no toleration for atonement by sacrificial death, and positively refuses to accept the bodily resurrection of our …
I. M. Haldeman—Christ, Christianity and the Bible

The Seventh Word from the Cross
While all the words of dying persons are full of interest, there is special importance attached to the last of them. This is the Last Word of Jesus; and both for this reason and for others it claims particular attention. A noted Englishman is recorded to have said, when on his deathbed, to a nephew, "Come near and see how a Christian can die." Whether or not that was a wise saying, certainly to learn how to die is one of the most indispensable acquirements of mortals; and nowhere can it be learnt …
James Stalker—The Trial and Death of Jesus Christ

In Death and after Death
A sadder picture could scarcely be drawn than that of the dying Rabbi Jochanan ben Saccai, that "light of Israel" immediately before and after the destruction of the Temple, and for two years the president of the Sanhedrim. We read in the Talmud (Ber. 28 b) that, when his disciples came to see him on his death-bed, he burst into tears. To their astonished inquiry why he, "the light of Israel, the right pillar of the Temple, and its mighty hammer," betrayed such signs of fear, he replied: "If I were …
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life

Abaelard had Defined Faith as an Opinion or Estimate: Bernard Refutes This.
Abaelard had defined faith as an opinion or estimate: Bernard refutes this. 9. It is no wonder if a man who is careless of what he says should, when rushing into the mysteries of the Faith, so irreverently assail and tear asunder the hidden treasures of godliness, since he has neither piety nor faith in his notions about the piety of faith. For instance, on the very threshold of his theology (I should rather say his stultology) he defines faith as private judgment; as though in these mysteries it …
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux—Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux

Perseverance Proved.
2. I REMARK, that God is able to preserve and keep the true saints from apostacy, in consistency with their liberty: 2 Tim. i. 12: "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." Here the apostle expresses the fullest confidence in the ability of Christ to keep him: and indeed, as has been said, it is most manifest that the apostles expected …
Charles Grandison Finney—Systematic Theology

Elucidations.
(Dinocrates, cap. ii. p. 701.) The avidity with which the Latin controversial writers seize upon this fanciful passage, (which, in fact, is subversive of their whole doctrine about Purgatory, as is the text from the Maccabees) makes emphatic the utter absence from the early Fathers of any reference to such a dogma; which, had it existed, must have appeared in every reference to the State of the Dead, and in every account of the discipline of penitents. Arbp. Usher [9011] ingeniously turns the tables …
Tertullian—The Passion of the Holy Martyrs Perpetua and Felicitas

Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity Paul's Care and Prayer for the Church.
Text: Ephesians 3, 13-21. 13. Wherefore I ask that ye may not faint at my tribulations for you, which are your glory. 14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 and that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that ye may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward man; 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; to the end that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be strong …
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. III

"And this is his Commandment, that we Should Believe on the Name of his Son Jesus Christ, and Love one Another. "
1 John iii. 23.--"And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another." It is a common doctrine often declared unto you, that the most part of those who hear the gospel do run, in their pretended course to heaven, either upon a rock of dashing discouragement, or the sands of sinking presumption. These are in all men's mouths; and no question they are very dangerous, so hazardous, as many fools make shipwreck either of the faith, or a good …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Discerning Prayer.
INTRODUCTORY. BY D.W. WHITTLE. To recognize God's existence is to necessitate prayer to Him, by all intelligent creatures, or, a consciously living in sin and under condemnation of conscience, because they do not pray to Him. It would be horrible to admit the existence of a Supreme Being, with power and wisdom to create, and believe that the creatures he thought of consequence and importance enough to bring into existence, are not of enough consequence for him to pay any attention to in the troubles …
Various—The Wonders of Prayer

Assurance
Q-xxxvi: WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS WHICH FLOW FROM SANCTIFICATION? A: Assurance of God's love, peace of conscience, joy in the Holy Ghost, increase of grace, and perseverance therein to the end. The first benefit flowing from sanctification is assurance of God's love. 'Give diligence to make your calling and election sure.' 2 Pet 1:10. Sanctification is the seed, assurance is the flower which grows out of it: assurance is a consequent of sanctification. The saints of old had it. We know that we know …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

The Communion of Saints.
"The Saints on earth, and those above, But one communion make; Joined to their Lord in bonds of love, All of His grace partake." The history of the extension of the Church of Christ from one land to another, and of the successive victories won by the Cross over heathen races from age to age, gives by itself a very imperfect idea of the meaning of the words "The Holy Catholic Church." Because, with the outward extension of the Church, its influence upon the inner man needs always to be considered. …
Edward Burbidge—The Kingdom of Heaven; What is it?

Concerning God's Purpose
1. God's purpose is the cause of salvation. THE third and last thing in the text, which I shall but briefly glance at, is the ground and origin of our effectual calling, in these words, "according to his purpose" (Eph. i. 11). Anselm renders it, According to his good will. Peter Martyr reads it, According to His decree. This purpose, or decree of God, is the fountainhead of our spiritual blessings. It is the impulsive cause of our vocation, justification, glorification. It is the highest link in …
Thomas Watson—A Divine Cordial

The Secret Walk with God (I. ).
Pastor, for the round of toil See the toiling soul is fed; Shut the chamber, light the oil, Break and eat the Spirit's bread; Life to others would'st thou bring? Live thyself upon thy King. Let me explain in this first sentence that when in these pages I address "my Younger Brethren," I mean brethren in the Christian Ministry in the Church of England. Let me limit my reference still further, by premising that very much of what I say will be said as to brethren who have lately taken holy Orders, …
Handley C. G. Moule—To My Younger Brethren

Predestination and Calling
Eternal Father, who shall look Into thy secret will? None but the Lamb shall take the book, And open every seal. None but he shall ever unroll that sacred record and read it to the assembled world. How then am I to know whether I am predestinated by God unto eternal life or not? It is a question in which my eternal interests are involved; am I among that unhappy number who shall be left to live in sin and reap the due reward of their iniquity; or do I belong to that goodly company, who albeit that …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 5: 1859

Twelfth Day for the Spirit to Convince the World of Sin
WHAT TO PRAY.--For the Spirit to convince the World of Sin "I will send the Comforter to you. And He, when He is come, will convict the world in respect of sin."--JOHN xvi. 7, 8. God's one desire, the one object of Christ's being manifested, is to take away sin. The first work of the Spirit on the world is conviction of sin. Without that, no deep or abiding revival, no powerful conversion. Pray for it, that the gospel may be preached in such power of the Spirit, that men may see that they have …
Andrew Murray—The Ministry of Intercession

Pastor in Parish (I. ).
Master, to the flock I speed, In Thy presence, in Thy name; Show me how to guide, to feed, How aright to cheer and blame; With me knock at every door; Enter with me, I implore. We have talked together about the young Clergyman's secret life, and private life, and his life in (so to speak) non-clerical intercourse with others, and now lastly of his life as it stands related to his immediate leader in the Ministry. In this latter topic we have already touched the great matter which comes now at …
Handley C. G. Moule—To My Younger Brethren

"That which was from the Beginning, which we have Heard, which we have Seen with Our Eyes, which we have Looked Upon, and Our Hands Have
1 John i. 1.--"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life." It is the great qualification of a disciple, or hearer, to be attentive and docile, to be capable of teaching, and to apply the mind seriously to it. It is much to get the ear of a man. If his ear be gotten, his mind is the more easily gained. Therefore, those who professed eloquence, and studied to persuade men to any …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

"Now the End of the Commandment," &C.
1 Tim. i. 5.--"Now the end of the commandment," &c. We come now, as was proposed, to observe, Thirdly,(474) That faith unfeigned is the only thing which gives the answer of a good conscience towards God. Conscience, in general, is nothing else but a practical knowledge of the rule a man should walk by, and of himself in reference to that rule. It is the laying down a man's state, and condition, and actions beside the rule of God's word, or the principles of nature's light. It is the chief piece …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Prefatory Scripture Passages.
To the Law and to the Testimony; if they speak not according to this Word, it is because there is no light in them.-- Isa. viii. 20. Thus saith the Lord; Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls.--Jer. vi. 16. That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive. But …
G. H. Gerberding—The Way of Salvation in the Lutheran Church

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