“When
I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in
your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you
also, therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through
the laying on of my hands. For God has
not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
-2 Timothy 2:5-7. “But as for you,
continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from
whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy
Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which
is in Christ Jesus.” 2 Timothy 3:14-15 (both references NKJV).
Timothy’s
mother Eunice and his grandmother Lois are mentioned by name only once in the
Bible, in 2 Timothy 3:14. Luke, in
writing the Acts of the Apostles, records the story of Timothy’s call and going
with Paul and Silas when they were in Lystra.
We read: “And behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a
certain Jewish woman who believed, but his father was Greek. He was well spoken of by the brethren who
were at Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted
to have him go with him. And he took him
and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in that region, for they all
knew that his father was Greek (Acts 16:1-3)
Timothy and his mother and grandmother were likely converted to
Christianity (from Judaism) on Paul’s first missionary journey while he was in
Lystra. By the time Paul returned on his
second missionary journey, Timothy was already an outstanding Christian
there. Lois and Eunice were Jews by
birth, but Timothy’s father (unnamed) was Greek. That is why Paul thought it best to
circumcise Timothy so that no criticism would be forthcoming from Jewish
Christians they might meet. Eunice and
Lois’s influence made such an impact that Paul felt it worthy of noting in his
epistle to Timothy.
Family
influence is a strong factor in helping children to become Christians and to
assist them to develop in Christ-like graces.
Paul commended Timothy that his faith had first lived in his mother
Eunice and in his grandmother Lois. They
had prepared Timothy with a solid education in the Jewish Scriptures, taught him
to be responsible, and trained him in strong character traits. Paul called Timothy his “son in the
gospel.” He trusted Timothy to be sent
on important missions for Christian teaching and training. He assigned Timothy hard places to assist
struggling congregations and to instruct in problems concerning doctrine and
Christian discipline.
Paul
wrote in 1 Timothy 6:11-12: “But you, O man of God, flee these things
and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on
eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good
confession in the presence of many witnesses.” (NKJV). What Paul was urging Timothy (and us) to
flee was the love of money, which “is the
root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10) and causes people to “wander away from the faith and pierce
themselves through with many pangs” (v. 10).
Paul urged Timothy to embrace the fruits of the Spirit including
godliness, faith, love, patience and gentleness. These characteristics had been taught to
Timothy from his youth up by his mother and grandmother. “”I’d
rather see a sermon anytime than hear one,” is a truth about the value of
Christian example. In the home,
fortunate the children who see sermons (and godly qualities) practiced and
lived out by Christian elders who provide genuine examples of Christ-likeness.
Timothy
had that example in Eunice and Lois, and in Paul after he met him and was
mentored by the apostle. Let us pray
that we can be godly examples for others.
–Ethelene Dyer Jones 03.23.2014.
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