This section of Chapter 1 has seven verses:

2 Timothy 1:1-7
1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus,
2 To Timothy, my dearly beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
3 I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day;
4 Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy;
5 When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.
6 Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.
7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Let us begin with the Barclay commentary

AN APOSTLE’S GLORY AND AN APOSTLE’S PRIVILEGE

First, the paraphrase of the verses:

2 Timothy 1:1–7
This is a letter from Paul, who was made an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and whose apostleship was designed to make known to all men God’s promise of real life in Christ Jesus, to Timothy his own beloved child. Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God, the Father, and from Christ Jesus, our Lord.

I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience, as my forefathers did before me, for all that you are to me, just as in my prayers I never cease to remember you, for, remembering your tears when we parted, I never cease to yearn to see you, that I may be filled with joy. And I thank God that I have received a fresh reminder of that sincere faith which is in you, a faith of the same kind as first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice, and which, I am convinced, dwells in you too. That is why I send you this reminder to keep at white heat the gift that is in you and which came to you through the laying of my hands upon you; for God did not give us the spirit of craven fear, but of power and love and self-discipline.

WHEN Paul speaks of his own apostleship, there are always certain unmistakable notes in his voice. To Paul, his apostleship always meant certain things.

(1) His apostleship was an honour. He was chosen for it by the will of God. All Christians must regard themselves as God-chosen men and women.

(2) His apostleship was a responsibility. God chose him because he wanted to do something with him. He wanted to make him the instrument by which the tidings of new life went out to all people. Christians are never chosen entirely for their own sake, but for what they can do for others.  Christians are people who are lost in wonder, love and praise at what God has done for them and aflame with eagerness to tell others what God can do for them too.

(3) His apostleship was a privilege. It is most significant to see what Paul believed it his duty to bring to others – God’s promise, not his threat. To Paul, Christianity was not the threat of damnation; it was the good news of salvation.  It is worth remembering that the greatest evangelist and missionary the world has ever seen was out not to terrify people by shaking them over the flames of hellfire but to move them to astonished submission at the sight of the love of God. The driving force of his gospel was love, not fear.

As always when he speaks to Timothy, there is a warmth of loving affection in Paul’s voice. ‘My beloved child’, he calls him. Timothy was his child in the faith. Timothy’s parents had given him physical life, but it was Paul who gave him [instruction to] eternal life. Many people who never knew physical parenthood have had the joy and privilege of being a father or a mother in the faith.

PAUL’S object in writing is to inspire and strengthen Timothy for his task in Ephesus. Timothy was young, and he had a hard task in battling against the heresies and the infections that were bound to threaten the Church. So, in order to keep his courage high and his effort strenuous, Paul reminds Timothy of certain things.

(1) He reminds him of his own confidence in him. There is no greater inspiration than to feel that someone believes in us. An appeal to the best in someone is always more effective than a threat of punishment. The fear of letting down those who love us is a sobering thing.

(2) He reminds him of his family tradition. Timothy was walking in a fine heritage; and, if he failed, not only would he damage his own reputation but he would lessen the honour of his family name as well. A fine parentage is one of the greatest gifts anyone can have. It is something to thank God for and should never be dishonored. [See Deuteronomy 27:16]

Quoted verse:
Deuteronomy 27:16
Cursed be he that setteth light by his father or his mother. And all the people shall say, Amen.

(3) He reminds him of his setting apart for office and of the gift which was conferred upon him. Once we enter upon the service of any association with a tradition, anything that we do affects not only us. We do not do it in our own strength.  There is the strength of a tradition to draw upon and the honour of a tradition to preserve. That is especially true of the Church.  Those who serve it have its honour in their hands; those who serve it are strengthened by the consciousness of the [spiritual fellowship] of all the saints.

(4) He reminds him of the qualities which should characterize the Christian teacher. These, as Paul at that moment saw them, were four.

(a) There was courage. It was not cowardly fear but courage that Christian service should bring. It always takes courage to be a Christian, and that courage comes from the continual consciousness of the presence of Christ.

(b) There was power. In true Christians, there is the power to cope, the power to shoulder the backbreaking task, the power to stand firm when faced with the shattering situation, the power to retain faith when confronted by the soul-destroying sorrow and the wounding disappointment.  Christians are characteristically people who could pass the breaking point and not break.

(c) There was love. In Timothy’s case, this was love for the brothers and sisters, for the congregation of the people of Christ over whom he was set. It is precisely that love which gives Christian pastors other qualities. They must love their people so much that they will never find any toil too great to undertake for them or any situation threatening enough to daunt them. No one should ever enter the ministry of the Church without a deep love for Christ’s people.

(d) There was self-discipline. The word is so¯phronismos, one of these great untranslatable Greek words. It has been defined as ‘the sanity of saintliness’. In his book on The Pastorals, Sir Robert Falconer defines it as ‘control of oneself in face of panic or of passion’. It is Christ alone who can give us that command of self which will keep us both from being swept away and from running away.  No one can ever rule others without having complete self-control.  So¯phronismos is that divinely given control of self which makes people great rulers of others because they are first of all the servants of Christ and in complete control of themselves [by the power of the Holy Spirit]. ~Barclay Commentary

Now to the other commentaries

First I want to give so text that speaks to the purpose of this letter.

2 Timothy 1:1-18. Address: Thankful expression of love and desire to see him: Remembrance of his faith and that of his mother and grandmother. Exhortation to stir up the gift of God in him, and not shrink from affliction, enforced by the consideration of the freeness of God’s grace in our Gospel calling, and by the apostle’s example. The defection of many: The steadfastness of Onesiphorus.

This Epistle is the last testament and swan-like death song of Paul. ~Jamieson, Fausset, Brown

Now the introduction of 2 Timothy by the Matthew Henry Main.

Here is...

I. The inscription of the epistle Paul calls himself an apostle by the will of God, merely by the good pleasure of God, and by his grace, which he professes himself unworthy of. According to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus, or according to the gospel. The gospel is the promise of life in Christ Jesus; life is the end, and Christ the way, John 14:6. The life is put into the promise, and both are sure in Christ Jesus the faithful witness; for all the promises of God in Christ Jesus are yea, and all amen, 2 Corinthians 1:20. He calls Timothy his beloved son. Paul felt the warmest affection for him both because he had been an instrument of his conversion and because as a son with his father he had served with him in the gospel.

Quoted verses:
John 14:6
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

2 Corinthians 1:20
For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.

Observe...

1. Paul was an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God; as he did not receive the gospel of man, nor was taught it, but had it by the revelation of Jesus Christ (Galatians 1:12), so his commission to be an apostle was not by the will of man, but of God: in the former epistle he says it was by the commandment of God our Saviour, and here by the will of God. God called him to be an apostle.

Quoted verse:
Galatians 1:12
For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.

2. We have the promise of life, blessed be God for it: In hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before the world began, Titus 1:2. It is a promise to discover the freeness and certainty of it.

Quoted verse:
Titus 1:2
In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;

3. This, as well as all other promises, is in and through Jesus Christ; they all take their rise from the mercy of God in Christ, and they are sure, so that we may safely depend on them.

4. The grace, mercy, and peace, which even Paul's dearly beloved son Timothy wanted, comes from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord; and therefore the one as well as the other is the giver of these blessings, and ought to be applied to for them.

5. The best want these blessings, and they are the best we can ask for our dearly-beloved friends, that they may have grace to help them in the time of need, and mercy to pardon what is amiss, and so may have peace with God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

II. Paul's thanksgiving to God for Timothy's faith and holiness: he thanks God that he remembered Timothy in his prayers. Observe, Whatever good we do, and whatever good office we perform for our friends, God must have the glory of it, and we must give him thanks. It is he who puts it into our hearts to remember such and such in our prayers. Paul was much in prayer, he prayed night and day; in all his prayers he was mindful of his friends, he particularly prayed for good ministers, he prayed for Timothy, and had remembrance of him in his prayers night and day; he did this without ceasing; prayer was his constant business, and he never forgot his friends in his prayers, as we often do.

Paul served God from his forefathers with a pure conscience. It was a comfort to him that he was born in God's house, and was of the seed of those that served God; as likewise that he had served him with a pure conscience, according to the best of his light; he had kept a conscience void of offence, and made it his daily exercise to do so, Acts 24:16.

Quoted verse:
Acts 24:16
And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men.

He greatly desired to see Timothy, out of the affection he had for him, that he might have some conversation with him, being mindful of his tears at their last parting. Timothy was sorry to part with Paul, he wept at parting, and therefore Paul desired to see him again, because he had perceived by that what a true affection he had for him. He thanks God that Timothy kept up the religion of his ancestors, 2 Timothy1:5.

Quoted verse:
2 Timothy 1:5 [See Lesson]
When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.

Observe, The entail of religion descended upon Timothy by the mother's side; he had a good mother, and a good grandmother: they believed, though his father did not, Acts 16:1. It is a comfortable thing when children imitate the faith and holiness of their godly parents, and tread in their steps, 3 John 1:4. - Dwelt in thy grandmother and thy mother, and I am persuaded that in thee also. Paul had a very charitable opinion of his friends, was very willing to hope the best concerning them; indeed he had a great deal of reason to believe well of Timothy, for he had no man like-minded, Philippians 2:20.

Quoted verses:
Acts 16:1
Then came he to Derbe and Lystra: and, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed; but his father was a Greek:

3 John 1:4
And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men.

Philippians 2:20
For I have no man likeminded, who will naturally care for your state.

Observe...

1. We are, according to St. Paul, to serve God with a pure conscience, so did his and our pious forefathers; this is to draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith, having our heart sprinkled from an evil conscience, Hebrews 10:22.

Quoted verse:
Hebrews 10:22
Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

2. In our prayers we are to remember without ceasing our friends, especially the faithful ministers of Christ. Paul had remembrance of his dearly beloved son Timothy in his prayers night and day.

3. The faith that dwells in real believers is unfeigned; it is without hypocrisy, it is a faith that will stand the trial, and it dwells in them as a living principle. It was the matter of Paul's thanksgiving that Timothy inherited the faith of his mother Eunice and his grandmother Lois, and ought to be ours whenever we see the like; we should rejoice wherever we see the grace of God; so did Barnabas, Acts 11:23-24. I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in the truth, 2 John 1:4.  ~Matthew Henry Main

Quoted verses:
Acts 11:23-24
23 Who, when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord.
24 For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith: and much people was added unto the Lord.

2 John 1:4
I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father.

Now to the specific commentaries.

Our verse again is 2 Timothy 1:1
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus.

Most commentaries divide verse into three parts:

1] Paul an apostle of Jesus Christ.
2] By the will of God.
3] According to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus

1] Paul an apostle of Jesus Christ.

Paul an apostle of Jesus Christ - Not of men, nor by men, but by Jesus Christ, from whom he was sent; by whom he was qualified; in whose name he came, and ministered; and whom he preached. ~John Gill

2] By the will of God.

By the will of God - Called to be an apostle in accordance with the divine will and purpose. ~Barnes Notes

By the will of God - not by the will of man, no, not of the best of men, of James, Cephas, or John, or any of the other apostles; nor by his own will, he did not thrust himself into this office, or take this honour upon himself; nor was it owing to any merits of his, which he always disclaims, but to the will and grace of God; it was by the secret determining will of God, that he was from all eternity separated unto the Gospel of Christ; and it was by the revealed will of God to the church, that he, with Barnabas, was set apart to the ministry of the word. ~John Gill

3] According to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus.

According to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus - In accordance with the great promise of eternal life through the Saviour; that is, he was called to be an apostle to carry out the great purpose of human salvation; compare Ephesians 3:6. God has made a promise of life to mankind through faith in the Lord Jesus, and it was with reference to this that he was called to the apostleship. ~Barnes Notes

Quoted verse:
Ephesians 3:6
That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:

According to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus. — Paul’s apostleship is in order to carry into effect this promise. Compare “according to the faith ... in hope of eternal life ... promise,” etc. (Titus 1:1-2). This “promise of life in Christ” (compare 2 Timothy 1:10; 2 Timothy 2:8) was needed to nerve Timothy to fortitude amidst trials, and to boldness in undertaking the journey to Rome, which would be attended with much risk (2 Timothy 1:8). ~Jamieson, Fausset, Brown

Quoted verses:
Titus 1:1-2
1 Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness;
2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;

2 Timothy 1:10 [See Lesson]
But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:

2 Timothy 2:8 [See Lesson]
Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel:

2 Timothy 1:8 [See Lesson]
Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;

Recap:

1] Paul, an apostle.
2] Chosen of God by the will of God.
3] Qualified by God.

4] To represent God.
5] To preach the gospel.
6] In accordance with the great promise of eternal life through the Saviour.

7] Paul was called to carry out the great purpose of the Salvation Process.
8] This letter was sent to inspire and strengthen Timothy for his task in Ephesus.
9] Timothy's task was primarily to stop false doctrine and false teachers.

10] Paul has confidence in Timothy regarding this task.
11] Anything a firstfruit does affects his or her reputation and it affects the church.
12] All firstfruits have the honor of the church in their hands.

13] Paul is encouraging Timothy to invoke: courage, power, love and self-discipline, which are all possible via the Holy Spirit.
14] Pardon [grace], mercy and peace come from the Father and Jesus Christ.
15] Regardless of what we do in or for the Work of God, the glory always goes to God.

16] Firstfruits are to draw near to God in full assurance of faith.
17] Firstfruits hold faith without hypocrisy. This faith is a living principle of God.
18] Pray for your ministers and all members of the Body of Christ.