2 Timothy 1:9Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

If He is so powerful in calling and so good that He does this by grace and not as a debt, then one must not be afraid. If even when He had to save us, His enemies, He saved us by grace, how much more will He assist us when He sees our own effort? “Not according to our works,” he says, “but according to His own purpose.” That is, He saved us not by anyone’s compulsion or counsel, but according to His own purpose, moved by His own goodness. This is the meaning of the words, “according to His own purpose and grace, given to us in Christ Jesus before times eternal.” That is, it was predestined without beginning that this should be “in Christ Jesus.” This too is no small thing: that God willed this from the beginning, and therefore not through repentance. How, then, can one say that the Son is not eternal? He Himself also willed this from the beginning.

He also declares what was accomplished by the Savior’s becoming man: “Who abolished death and brought life and incorruption to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher, Apostle, and teacher of the nations.” For the Only-begotten Word, having become man, ended the dominion of death and granted us the promise of eternal life. The Apostle expressed this by saying “brought to light,” meaning that He showed it beforehand. And He ordained me, Paul says, as preacher of this, so that I might bring the gospel of these good things to all nations.

It was prepared from eternity, before eternal years, and has now been revealed through the illumination, in Russian, the manifestation, of our Savior Jesus Christ, Who brought life and incorruption to light through the gospel. Through preaching, Christians are called to the life and incorruption acquired by Jesus Christ, the destroyer of death.

Therefore he also said of himself in the Epistle to the Romans, ‘I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes’ (1:16). Here also he counsels his disciple to preach this with boldness. God gave us the grace of the Holy Spirit, not that we should fear dangers for piety, but that, filled with divine power, we should fearlessly confess and proclaim,” says Blessed Theodoret. This is so “that they might not only be chaste and prudent themselves, but also bring others to chastity and teach them understanding, and that they might not waver in abiding in love for their neighbors,” says Blessed Theophylact. “Chastity is the gift of sound-mindedness always, and especially in need: what to say and how to act. Thus the Lord promised, ‘It will be given you in that hour what you should speak’ (Mt 10:19). Thus one may understand here the active prudence granted to pastors,” says Bishop Theophan. “One must not be afraid,” says St. John Chrysostom. “If even when He had to save us, His enemies, God saved us by grace, how much more will He assist us when He sees our own effort? Your part is to resolve and show readiness. God’s part is to ease and give rest. Do not be ashamed that I, who raise the dead, perform countless signs, and have traversed the whole world, am now bound. I am bound not as an evildoer, but for the Crucified One. If my Lord was not ashamed of the Cross, neither shall I be ashamed of chains. If our Lord and Teacher endured the Cross, much more should we endure chains.” “God permits His servants to be humbled by the unrighteous so that it may be plain to all that He prepares and distributes crowns to them justly. The grace of God was hidden in mystery from eternity. It was openly revealed through the Incarnation and coming of Jesus Christ the Savior,” says Ambrosiaster. “It was marked out without beginning and before the ages that this grace should be given to us in Christ Jesus our Lord. It is no small thing for us that God was well pleased concerning us from before eternity. God does this from Himself, drawn by His own goodness,” says Blessed Theophylact. “None of us can imagine why he would deservedly be called to salvation, except perhaps the necessity of perishing without it. This draws the mercy of God, Who cannot endure that His creature should perish. This is God’s mercy and God’s good pleasure. This calling is called holy because it proceeds from the holy God and Father, acts through the grace of the Holy Spirit, and leads to sanctification in the incarnate Son of God, Who sanctifies and consecrates all,” says Bishop Theophan.

He did this not because we were worthy of it, but according to His own will and grace.

Therefore, he says, for such is the Apostle’s aim in these words, if He showed such good will toward us when we were His enemies, how much more will He give us strength now?

When we have become His friends and willingly go into sufferings for His sake, He will give us strength to bear them and escape from them.” Theophylact says the same.

These two understandings of the words “according to the power of God” do not contradict each other. One completes the other.

The spirit of power is received by all Christians, and still more by apostolic successors. It is sufficient for the endurance of sufferings for the faith.

Yet it must be rekindled, as the Apostle indicated together with the indication of its gift. By what must it be rekindled? By what is now being discussed, that is, by contemplation of the ordering of our salvation.

The incarnate divine economy of our salvation vividly impresses upon consciousness the incomprehensibly great power and majesty of God, who saves us.

Moreover, this power and majesty are reflected in the very act of each person’s salvation, as belonging to him.

Contemplate this, and be inspired to suffer willingly and courageously for the divine economy of salvation which is already working in you. Suffer for the glory of God, who has so wondrously saved you.

Therefore, “according to the power of God” means this. Be moved and drawn to this co-suffering by contemplation and awareness of the power of God in the ordering of your salvation.

It is as though he said: you are obliged to co-suffer according to the measure of the power manifested in the ordering of your salvation.

It is impossible to fulfill this in deed completely. Yet it is both possible and necessary to strive toward it as far as one has strength, or as much strength as one has received.

The Apostle depicts the very divine economy of salvation fully, as is his custom. He begins with its determination in the pre-eternal counsel of God.

Even then, as the Son of God, He was well pleased to take upon Himself its accomplishment through the Incarnation. Therefore all graces were assigned and given to us in consequence of this.

But all this was hidden in the mystery of the Godhead. It became manifest when the Son of God came through the Incarnation.

By death He destroyed death, and by the Resurrection He made life and incorruption shine forth, first “in Himself, so that afterward He might make it belong to all of us” (Chrysostom).

This is accomplished by grace, for the sake of faith, in the mysteries. Faith is awakened and begotten by the Gospel proclamation.

The one who follows the Gospel with faith is called. The called one is filled with grace in the mysteries and enters the path of salvation according to God’s divine economy, sharing also in its power.

The Apostle briefly impresses all this upon the mind. Who, contemplating all this and still more sharing in the saving power, will not be ready to endure everything for the saving faith?

“Who saved us and called us.” The first word signifies salvation as it was ordered by the Lord, the whole incarnate divine economy.

The second word signifies how each person being saved enters into participation in it, namely by being called through the Gospel. So it was in the beginning, and so it always has been, is, and will be.

Salvation has been ordered; the supper is ready. The word of God goes everywhere, inviting all who desire. Come, taste, and you will become a partaker of salvation.

This calling is called holy because it comes from the holy God and Father. It is effected by the grace of the Holy Spirit and leads to sanctification in the incarnate Son of God, who sanctifies and makes all holy.

As the divine economy of salvation itself was accomplished, so also the calling to receive salvation in it is accomplished by God. It is not according to our works, but according to His good pleasure, κατα προθεσιν.

This means according to His will. Since He willed good for us, it is good will and benevolence.

We, that is, our race, presented nothing on our part for which it would have been worth ordering our salvation. We had only complete powerlessness for it and all-sided helplessness.

These called forth and drew the divine mercy. One may conjecture that it was needed for the purposes for which the world was given being, and toward which it is led by paths incomprehensible to us.

Yet all this too is the work of God’s good pleasure. Likewise, each nation and each person is called to participation in salvation by the good pleasure and grace of God.

None of us can present anything for which he deserved to be called to salvation. We can present only the inevitability of perishing without it.

This draws the mercy of God, which does not endure that His creature should perish. So it happens, is experienced, and is recognized by all who are called to salvation.

None of them can say whence or how the calling Spirit comes. Yet His voice is clearly heard by the heart, with a certain compulsion to follow this voice.

This is God’s mercy. This is God’s good pleasure. “God accomplishes this from Himself, drawn by His own goodness” (Theophylact).

Here let us note that the calling to salvation must not be confused with the actual accomplishing of salvation. This does not occur without efforts properly our own.

It is the fruit of the joint action of grace and freedom. Therefore not all who are called are saved, and the called are more numerous than the chosen.

The chosen are those who have actually obtained salvation.

This grace is called given to us before eternal times because it was determined to be given to us in the pre-eternal counsel.

This occurred together with the Son of God being well pleased to take upon Himself the work of the incarnate divine economy of salvation.

Therefore the grace given before eternal times is also given in Christ Jesus. “It was marked out without beginning and before the ages that this grace would be given to us in Christ Jesus our Lord.

It is no small thing for us that God was well pleased concerning us before all eternity” (Theophylact).