2 Timothy 1.10b-Jesus Christ's Broke the Power of Death and Made Fully Know Eternal Life and Immortality Through the Gospel
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Thursday February 26, 2015
Second Timothy: Second Timothy 1:10b-Jesus Christ Broke the Power of Death and Made Fully Known Eternal Life and Immortality Through the Gospel
Lesson # 15
2 Timothy 1:3 I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience the way my forefathers did, as I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day, 4 longing to see you, even as I recall your tears, so that I may be filled with joy. 5 For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well. 6 For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline. 8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God 9 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity 10 but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. (NASB95)
“Who abolished death” is composed of the following: (1) verb katargeō (καταργέω), “who abolished” (2) particle of affirmation men (μέν), which is not translated (3) noun thanatos (θάνατος), “death.”
The verb katargeō means “to break the power of” death and does not mean “to abolish” since all unsaved people will suffer the second death in the lake of fire which is eternal condemnation.
The word men is used in conjunction with de in a correlative sense meaning together these two words are uniting the mutually exclusive concepts of the second death, i.e. eternal condemnation and eternal life in that Jesus Christ broke the power of the former for the Christian and provided the latter for them as well.
The noun thanatos refers to eternal condemnation which is called “the second death” in Revelation 20:14.
“And brought life” is composed of the following: (1) verb phōtizō (φωτίζω), “brought to life” (2) conjunction de (δέ), “and” (3) noun zoe (ζωή), “life.”
The verb phōtizō means that Jesus Christ made eternal life fully known by revealing clearly and in some detail during His First Advent by revealing it through His earthly life, death and resurrection.
The noun zōē refers to eternal life which is the life of God and was manifested by Jesus Christ during His First Advent.
“And immortality to light through the gospel” is composed of the following: (1) conjunction kai (καί), “and” (2) noun aphtharsia (ἀφθαρσία), “immortality” (3) preposition dia (διά), “through” (4) noun euangelion (εὐαγγέλιον), “the gospel.”
The noun aphtharsia means “immortality, incorruptibility” and speaks of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and specifically it speaks of the resurrection body which He made fully known to His disciples when He was raised from the dead.
The noun euangelion means “the proclamation of the gospel” and refers to the victorious proclamation that Jesus Christ’s spiritual and physical deaths on the cross and resurrection have broken the power of the second death and made fully known eternal life as well as the resurrection body.
The noun euangelion is the object of the preposition dia which means “through, by means of” since it functions as a marker of means.
This would indicate that the communication of the gospel was the means by which God communicated to sinners that His Son Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection broke the power of the second death.
It was also the means by which God communicated to sinners that His Son made fully known eternal life as well as the resurrection body.
Second Timothy 1:3 I make it my habit of expressing gratitude to God (the Father), whom I make it a habit of serving with a clear conscience as the forefathers, when I always make it my habit of bringing you into remembrance during my intercessory prayer requests during the day as well as during the night. 4 Consequently, I greatly desire to see you when I remember your tears in order that I would become filled with joy. 5 I make it my habit of expressing gratitude to God (the Father) because I have clung to the memory of your sincere faith which first lived in your grandmother Lois as well as in your mother Eunice. Indeed, I am convinced that it lives in you. 6 For this reason, I want to cause you, at this particular time, to remember to continue making it your habit of exercising with enthusiasm the spiritual gift originating from God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God (the Father) by no means gave each and every one of us a Spirit who produces cowardice but rather power as well as divine-love and in addition self-discipline. 8 Therefore, do not permit yourself to be ashamed of the Lord’s testimony or me, His prisoner but rather I solemnly urge you to accept your share of suffering for sake of the gospel in accordance with the power produced by God. 9 The one who saved each and every one of us. Indeed, the one who effectually called each and every one of us by means of an invitation to privilege which is holy. Never because of our meritorious actions but rather because of His own gracious predetermined plan which was brought into existence for the benefit of each and every one of us in association with the Christ who is Jesus before eternal ages. 10 But now has been revealed by means of the appearing of our Savior, Jesus, who is the Christ who on the one hand broke the power of (eternal) death while on the other hand making fully known (eternal) life by revealing it as well as immortality through the proclamation of the gospel. 10 But now has been revealed by means of the appearing of our Savior, Jesus, who is the Christ. On the one hand He broke the power of (eternal) death while on the other hand He made fully known (eternal) life by revealing it as well as immortality through the gospel. (Author’s translation)
“On the one hand He broke the power of (eternal) death while on the other hand He made fully known (eternal) life by revealing it as well as immortality through the gospel” is a correlative clause which is uniting the mutually exclusive concepts of the second death, i.e. eternal condemnation and eternal life.
“Death” refers to eternal condemnation which is called “the second death” in Revelation 20:14.
A spiritually dead person who dies physically will suffer this second death in the lake of fire for all eternity.
The reason is their rejection of Jesus Christ’s as their Savior since only faith in Jesus Christ can deliver the spiritually dead sinner from this second death since His spiritual and physical deaths on the cross solved the problem of the second death for the sinner in that it broke its power over the sinner who trusts in Him as Savior.
Jesus Christ did not abolish the second death since all unsaved people will suffer the second death in the lake of fire which is eternal condemnation.
Eternal condemnation which is “the second death” according to Revelation 20:14 will never be permanently eradicated.
Rather Paul is saying here in Second Timothy 1:10 that Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection broke the power of physical and spiritual death since His spiritual death solved the problem of spiritual death in the human race and His resurrection dealt with the problem of physical death in the human race.
Spiritual death in the human race results in physical death and ultimately it results in eternal condemnation which is “the second death.”
The Christian’s faith in Jesus Christ appropriates Jesus Christ’s victory over spiritual and physical death so that they are no longer under the dominion of spiritual and physical death and will never face the second death as the unregenerate will.
At the moment of conversion, through the baptism of the Spirit, the Christian is identified with Jesus Christ in His spiritual and physical deaths on the cross as well as His resurrection and session at the right hand of the Father.
The Christian’s union and identification with Christ has broken the power of physical and spiritual death for them.
The power of spiritual death has been broken through this union and identification with Christ because their identification with Christ in His spiritual death solved their problem with spiritual death by negating it.
The power of physical death has been broken through their union and identification with Christ in His physical death since it solved their problem with physical death by negating it.
Also, the power of physical death has been broken through their union and identification with Christ in His resurrection since it guarantees that they will be raised from the dead like Christ was.
Therefore, ultimately, for the benefit of those who have faith in Him, Jesus Christ’s substitutionary spiritual and physical deaths on the cross and His resurrection broke the power of the second death, i.e. eternal condemnation.
Then, in other half of the correlative clause in Second Timothy 1:10 Paul says that Jesus Christ made eternal life fully known by revealing clearly and in some detail and He did this of course during His First Advent by revealing it through His earthly life, death and resurrection.
“Life” refers to eternal life which is the life of God and was manifested by Jesus Christ during His First Advent.
It is received as a gift by the sinner the moment they exercise faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and is experienced by the justified sinner after conversion through obedience to the teaching of the Word of God.
1 John 1:1-3 teaches that the Lord Jesus Christ who is the incarnate eternal life of God came into the world in order that He might give eternal life to men and He did this so that men could enjoy and experience fellowship with God.
In Second Timothy 1:10, “immortality” speaks of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and specifically it speaks of the resurrection body which He made fully known to His disciples when He was raised from the dead.
Lastly, “through the proclamation of the gospel” indicates that the proclamation of the gospel was the means by which God communicated to sinners that His Son Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection broke the power of the second death.
It was also the means by which God communicated to sinners that His Son made fully known eternal life as well as the resurrection body.
This proclamation was a victorious proclamation because it proclaims victoriously that Jesus Christ’s spiritual and physical deaths on the cross and resurrection have broken the power of the second death and made fully known eternal life as well as the resurrection body.