4:16 This verse presents the final exhortation of the section: ἔπεχε σεαυτῷ καὶ τῇ διδασκαλίᾳ, ἐπίμενε αὐτοῖς. With this exhortation comes the reason why Paul is so persistent and so concerned, because what is at stake is salvation for Timothy and his hearers.
ἔπεχω in its intransitive form takes the dative of the “thing” and means here “give attention to.” There are two things to which Timothy is to give attention (cf. Acts 20:28). The first is himself (σεαυτῷ), reflecting what Paul expressed in v. 7 (γύμναζε δὲ σεαυτὸν πρὸς εὐσέβειαν), and the second is διδασκαλίᾳ, the “teaching” that Timothy has received and followed (see v. 6), that he is to communicate from the scriptures (v. 13), and that ultimately is from Christ (6:3).
ἐπιμένω used figuratively, as here (ἐπίμενε αὐτοῖς), means to “continue, persist (in), persevere” (with dative, BAGD). Plural αὐτοῖς probably refers to the nearest possible antecedents, σεαυτῷ καὶ τῇ διδασκαλίᾳ, although it may refer to the several items in vv. 6–15. But even these items may be summarily referred to as personal piety (vv. 7ff., 12) and public ministry (vv. 6, 11, 13), which could be succinctly stated as σεαυτῷ καὶ τῇ διδασκαλίᾳ, so that either understanding amounts to the same thing. ἐπιμένω with reference to διδασκαλίᾳ refers to persistent fidelity to the teaching and a constant urging of it upon his hearers, as Luke records Paul and Barnabas doing: “Speaking to them, were urging them to continue in the grace of God” (Acts 13:43; cf. Rom. 11:22). Paul is reminding Timothy that he must embrace and personally persevere in that which he teaches (cf. 1 Cor. 9:24–27).
The concept of perseverance as essential to salvation, which Paul presents in the concluding words of this verse, has been stated by Paul with this same verb ἐπιμένω in both Rom. 11:22 (“if you continue in his kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off”) and Col. 1:22, 23 (“to present you before him holy and blameless and beyond reproach—if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard”) and with a different verb in 1 Cor. 15:1, 2 (but with σῴζω as here; cf. in Heb. 3:6, 14). Paul’s insistence on holding fast the “word” in 1 Cor. 15:2 and on perseverance in the “teaching” (διδασκαλίᾳ) are synonymous concepts.
That which Paul has so forcefully exhorted Timothy to do (τοῦτο γὰρ ποιῶν) will bring about the much to be hoped for outcome: καὶ σεαυτὸν σώσεις καὶ τοὺς ἀκούοντάς σου. γάρ governs the main clause with its key verb σώσεις, and not the participial phrase, τοῦτο ποιῶν, which serves as an introductory recapitulation of the preceding words. Thus γάρ, “for,” introduces the ultimate conclusion of the section and affords the reason for such exhortation. τοῦτο, which usually refers to something comparatively near at hand, likely refers to the immediately previous exhortations within v. 16, especially ἐπίμενε, the call to perseverance. The sum of what has been exhorted is now described with the present active participle ποιῶν simply as “doing” (2 Tim. 4:5 is an especially relevant parallel).
The promised result, σώσεις …, is twofold, “both yourself and your hearers.” The operative verb is σῴζω, which has as a general meaning, “save, keep from harm, preserve, rescue” (BAGD). Although there are those who argue that the salvation is from theological error, i.e., salvation in the sense of preservation (Bengel, Gromacki, Vine, Wuest), most commentators take σώσεις soteriologically and eschatologically (Alford, Bernard, Brox, Bürki, Calvin, Earle, Ellicott, Fairbairn, Gealy, Guthrie, Hendriksen, Hiebert, Huther, Kelly, Kent, Lenski, Moellering, Robertson, Scott, Simpson, van Oosterzee, and White; also J. Schneider, NIDNTT III, 215; W. Foerster, TDNT VII, 995). The other occurrences of σῴζω in the PE (1 Tim. 1:15; 2:4, 15; Tit. 3:5; 2 Tim. 1:9; 4:18) are clearly soteriological in orientation. It is true that διδασκαλία does deliver from error and bring to truth, but that seems to be included in the ultimate goal expressed in σῴζω (cf. 2:4; so also van Oosterzee). The salvation of the hearers is elsewhere depicted by Paul as the central goal of the ministry (cf. especially 1 Cor. 15:1, 2; 9:22; 2 Tim. 2:10; 4:5), and it is that hope in the living God who is the Savior of all believers that Paul has presented as the centerpiece of encouragement for Timothy in this section.
That a human being, here Timothy, is the subject of σῴζω is a phenomenon found elsewhere in Paul (Rom. 11:14; 1 Cor. 9:22; 7:16a, b), in James (5:20), in Jude (23), and with Jesus in the Synoptic Gospels (Mk. 8:35b par. Lk. 9:24b). Thus we see that the NT speaks of human agents in addition to the ultimate and absolute source, God himself (cf. the very helpful comments of Calvin). Jesus speaks of a man saving his life (Mk. 8:35 par. Lk. 9:24: σώσει αὐτήν= τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ, equivalent to σεαυτόν here) by the decisive act of “losing his life” for Jesus and the gospel, i.e., the surrender of saving faith (here by the perseverance that marks true faith; cf. again Col. 1:23 especially, and also 1 Cor. 9:24–27).
τοὺς ἀκουόντάς σου, “your hearers,” is the natural way to refer to those who are the recipients of the gospel, since it was communicated orally. To Timothy’s hearers the promise is extended with the same requirement for them as for Timothy, perseverance (ἐπίμενε αὐτοῖς). Timothy’s διδασκαλία, like Paul’s, is to encourage such perseverance (Col. 1:23; 1 Cor. 15:1, 2) for those whose ears are open to hear and thus can be truly called hearers (cf. 2 Tim. 4:1–5). Lenski summarizes well when he says that God alone saves (v. 10), yet he saves by means, “and it is thus that one who uses and applies these means can very properly be said to save both himself and others.”
George W. Knight, The Pastoral Epistles: A Commentary on the Greek Text, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle, England: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press, 1992), 210–212.
