Articles
“Paul's Last Will and Testament”
6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.
2 Timothy 4:6-8
These verses are often referred to as Paul’s “Last Will and Testament.” The apostle knows his life has come to an end—he will be executed, probably that winter (4:9)—so he reflects on his life and looks confidently to his future reward with Christ. There is no boast in his claim, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” As always, Paul means to encourage others through his example. Timothy would have been brokenhearted to learn that his mentor’s death was imminent (“I am already being poured out… the time of my departure has come”). So Paul cheers his protégé with the knowledge that he meets death with the confident, joyful anticipation of receiving his crown. But he also challenges Timothy to persevere in the same spirit of faith after his death.
Note that Paul spells out his present (6), past (7) and future (8) in this passage.
Paul’s present: sacrifice (6) — The legal machinations that would lead to his execution were “already” at work. He is “being poured out as a drink offering,” a reference to an Old Testament ritual in which worshipers poured out a libation before the altar as a sacrifice. Paul’s life is like one of those drink offerings, given sacrificially to the Lord. And this was no epiphany that his impending execution brought about. Paul always viewed his life as a sacrifice. Consider his words to the Philippians (which he wrote from an earlier imprisonment he was released from), “Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all.” (Phil. 2:17) The same can be said about his view of death as a “departure.” His desire was always to “depart and be with Christ.” (Phil. 1:23) His death, shameful as it might have looked to others, was no defeat but a passage, literally a “loosing,” akin to sailors loosing a ship from its moorings. Paul views death as weighing anchor from this earthly life and setting sail for heavenly shores and the presence of the Lord.
Paul’s past: completion (7) — Paul reflects on his past with three verbs that share the concept of fulfillment. He records his spiritual legacy not to boast but to exhort Timothy (and us) to the same perseverance. In the Greek, Paul places the object first in each case to emphasize not what he has done but the fight, the race and the faith that are the Lord’s (each with the definite article “the” before it). It’s about what the Lord has accomplished through him in the fight, the race and the faith (1 Tim. 1:12-17; 2 Tim. 2:1). All three of the images he employs—the tough soldier who continues to fight (2:4; 1 Tim. 6:12), the single-minded athlete who competes according to the rules (2:5; 1 Tim. 6:12; cf. 1 Cor. 9:24-27) and the disciple who keeps the faith (1:13-14; 2:15, 22; 1 Tim. 6:14)—were used previously to encourage Timothy to persevere. It is not that Paul has won the race or that the battle is over, but rather that, by God’s grace, Paul has completed his part in them. This assurance allows him to face his “departure” with confidence.
Paul’s future: reward (8) — “Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day.” Paul is not trumpeting his accomplishments or stating that he has earned this crown. His certainty lies not in his own achievements but in the Lord himself, that “righteous judge,” who will “award” him the crown. Paul assures Timothy that the same awaits him and “all who have loved his appearing.” This kind of certainty and self-confidence can only come from a humble recognition of the great power that enables them to be what they are: God’s grace (1 Cor. 15:10; Gal. 2:20; Phil. 4:13; 1 Tim. 1:12). Paul’s aim here is to encourage Timothy (and us) to share his confidence in receiving our eternal reward.
And what is that reward? Paul calls it a “crown of righteousness”. James and Jesus use the same image of a victory wreath but call it the “crown of life” (Jas. 1:12; Rev. 2:10). Therefore, the reward is eternal life and righteousness, both things saints already possess in this life (1 Jn. 5:13; Rom. 5:1). If we already possess them how can Paul say we will be awarded them “on that day”? Prior to the judgment (“that day”), we still “hunger and thirst for righteousness” (Mt. 5:6) and still experience death, that final enemy yet to be eradicated (1 Cor. 15:26). Though we are already declared “righteous” in Christ and have “passed from death to life” (Jn. 5:24), we will not receive those gifts in their fullness until they are awarded to us “on that day” of judgment. Then death will be swallowed up in victory (1 Cor. 15:54) and we will live in “a new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” (2 Pet. 3:13) God has this crown waiting for “all who have loved his appearing.” The ESV renders this in a way that suggests Paul is speaking of Jesus’ previous “appearance,” his first coming. But the context suggests he is referring to his second coming, when he will vindicate the faithful and punish the wicked (2 Thess. 1:5-12). It works either way. We show our love for his first coming and his second coming in the same way, by living a life of faithfulness and perseverance, the very thing Paul is encouraging in these verses.
Reflecting on these verses causes us to ask ourselves three questions. Are we presently living a life of sacrifice to God? (6) Can we look to our past with a sense of completion? (7) Are we confident in receiving a reward in the future? (8) If not, the words of the apostle motivate us to make any necessary changes.
