Survey of the Letters of Paul back to the top     back to main page for this verse 2 Timothy 4:22 The Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit. Grace be with you. Amen. The second epistle unto Timotheus, ordained the first bishop of the church of the Ephesians, was written from Rome, when Paul was brought before Nero the second time. This last section of Chapter 4 has seven [7] verses. 2 Timothy 4:16-22 16 At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge. 17 Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. 18 And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. 19 Salute Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus. 20 Erastus abode at Corinth: but Trophimus have I left at Miletum sick. 21 Do thy diligence to come before winter. Eubulus greeteth thee, and Pudens, and Linus, and Claudia, and all the brethren. 22 The Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit. Grace be with you. Amen. We will begin with the Barclay commentary: LAST WORDS AND GREETINGS 2 Timothy 4:16-22 …paraphrased At my first defense, no one was there to stand by me, but all forsook me. May it not be reckoned against them! But the Lord stood beside me, and he strengthened me, so that through me the proclamation of the gospel was fully made so that the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the mouth of the lion. The Lord will rescue me from every evil, and will save me for his heavenly kingdom. Glory be to him for ever and ever. Amen. Greet Prisca and Aquila [AK-wih-luh], and the family of Onesiphorus [on'uh-SIF-uh-ruhs]. Erastus [ih-RAS-tuhs] stayed in Corinth. I left Trophimus [TROF-uh-muhs] at Miletus. Exibulus [Ex-aw-bu-lus] sends greetings to you, as do Pudens [POO-dinz], Linus and Claudia, and all the brothers. The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you. A Roman trial began with a preliminary examination to formulate the precise charge against the prisoner. When Paul was brought to that preliminary examination, not one of his friends stood by him. It was too dangerous to proclaim oneself the friend of a man on trial for his life. One of the curious things about this passage is the number of reminiscences of Psalm 22. ‘Why have you forsaken me? – all forsook me.’ ‘There is no one to help – no one was there to stand by me.’ ‘Save me from the mouth of the lion! – I was rescued from the mouth of the lion.’ ‘All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord – that the Gentiles might hear it.’ ‘Dominion belongs to the Lord – The Lord will save me for his heavenly kingdom.’ It seems certain that the words of this psalm were running in Paul’s mind. And the lovely thing is that this was the psalm which was in the mind of Jesus when he hung upon his cross. As Paul faced death, he took encouragement from the same psalm that his Lord used in the same circumstances. Three things brought Paul courage in that lonely hour. (1) Everyone had forsaken him; but the Lord was with him. Jesus had said that he would never leave his followers or forsake them, and that he would be with them to the end of the world. Paul is a witness that Jesus kept his promise. If to do the right means to be alone, as Joan of Arc said, ‘It is better to be alone with God.’ (2) Paul would use even a Roman court to proclaim the message of Christ. He obeyed his own commandment: in season and out of season, he pressed the claims of Christ on men and women. He was so busy thinking of the task of preaching that he forgot the danger. Those who are immersed in the task before them have conquered fear. (3) He was quite certain of the ultimate rescue. He might seem to be the victim of circumstances and a criminal condemned by Roman justice, but Paul saw beyond the present time and knew that his eternal safety was assured. It is always better to be in danger for a moment and safe for eternity than to be safe for a moment and to jeopardize eternity. ~Barclay commentary Now to the other commentaries. For this verse, I am only going to concern myself with its primary part: "The Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit. Grace be with you. Amen." We will begin in the general and go to the specific commentaries. Here is the Matthew Henry Main: He concludes with a prayer, that the Lord Jesus would be with his spirit. We need no more to make us happy than to have the Lord Jesus Christ with our spirits; for in him all spiritual blessings are summed up. And it is the best prayer we can put up for our friends, that the Lord Jesus Christ may be with their spirits, to sanctify and save them, and at last to receive them to himself; as Stephen the proto-martyr prayed, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit, Acts 7:59. “Lord Jesus, receive that spirit which thou hast been with while it was united to the body; do not now leave it in its separate state.” Grace be with you. Amen. This was our apostle's token in every epistle; so he wrote. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen, 2 Thessalonians 3:17-18. And if grace [salvation process] be with us here to convert and change us, to make us holy, to keep us humble, and to enable us to persevere to the end, glory will crown us hereafter: for the Lord is a sun, and a shield; the Lord will give grace and glory, and no good thing will he withhold from those that walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee, Psalm 84:11-12. Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God our Saviour, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen. ~Matthew Henry Main Quoted verses: Acts 7:59 ...the stoning of Stephen And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. 2 Thessalonians 3:17-18 17 The salutation of Paul with mine own hand, which is the token in every epistle: so I write. 18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. Psalm 84:11-12 11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. 12 O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee. Now the Matthew Henry Concise which covers verses 19-22. We need no more to make us happy, than to have the Lord Jesus Christ with our spirits; for in him all spiritual blessings are summed up. It is the best prayer we can offer for our friends, that the Lord Jesus Christ may be with their spirits, to sanctify and save them, and at last to receive them to himself. Many who believed as Paul, [are assured the Kingdom and who will stand before the Lord]. May we be followers of them. ~Matthew Henry Concise Let us go now to the Biblical Illustrator where I found four separate items. The Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit. The highest wish of true friendship I. Man has a spiritual nature. Spirit is something that is unlike matter—indivisible, self-active, self-conscious, religious. That man has a spirit is— 1. A fact most demonstrable. 2. A fact most practically ignored. 3. A fact the most distinguishing—marking us off from all mundane existences. II. Man’s spiritual nature needs the companionship of Christ. 1. Christ alone can centralize its affections. 2. Christ alone can enlist unbounded reliance. III. Companionship with Christ is an attainable blessing. Note: As firstfruits with God's Holy Spirit in us, we might present what we see in this text in a different way that more clearly states its case. Indeed the text is speaking to and about people that have a concept that something is missing from the nature of mankind. This is why mankind tries to be religious and has stumbled across spiritual concepts we know to be here on earth. This is all summed up in Proverbs 14:12 Proverbs 14:12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. Man knows just enough to understand that something spiritual is needed despite their lack of ability to attain it or fully understand it. Notice in the text of the commentary where it states, "A fact most practically ignored." Man was created by God for a purpose. Man has a human spirit that we refer to as human nature. It is self-evident that people in the world have a general understanding of right and wrong. Virtually every local, city, county, state and federal government have laws that show they know certain things are wrong, such as murder, stealing and lying, just to mention a few. Clearly they are not very good at keeping or heeding those laws. What is missing before mankind and his human nature is true spirituality or truth. Part two of the commentary says clearly that man needs Christ. We learned a long time ago that we need Christ and that He is central to our ultimate salvation. Hence the fact Paul is praying that Christ be with Timothy's spirit. Now to the second item in the commentary. Christ with us I. Let us inquire in what sense the Lord Jesus Christ is with His people. We cannot hope to enjoy His bodily presence. It was expedient that He should go away; and still it is expedient that He should remain away. Yet in His spiritual presence He can be with us. Note: Clearly this is accomplished via the Holy Spirit in us. II. He is with us when, as the universal ruler, He governs all things for our good. But the prayer of Paul for Timothy is, “The Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit.” What we need is a consciousness of Christ’s presence—the enjoyment of fellowship with Him. The spirit of man needs God; especially God manifest in the flesh. It is only as He is with us—filling us with all the fulness of God, that our spirits find rest. Then we are assured of reconciliation, forgiveness, and eternal blessedness. Note: This is only fully understood by a firstfruit. We need God through Christ in every aspect of our lives. Hence our assiduity praying or putting God...asking God to be in every aspect and element of our lives. Go back through these two letters to Timothy and notice all the admonitions and guidance Paul gives to him. He ends this letter in the one concept that will and did make it all possible...Jesus Christ bonded to his spirit. III. The requirements of our earthly state cause us to need the presence of Christ. We are exposed to temptation; how shall we resist it unless He help us? Note: Indeed and absolutely on point. IV. Have you ever thought of the great and manifold blessings which the presence of Christ brings to us? No visitor brings such gifts. 1. How largely He increases our store of knowledge! What glorious revelations He makes of His own beauty and worth, shining before us, like the sun, in the brightness of His own light! 2. Then, among the blessed results of Christ’s presence, and not the least, is assimilation to His image. Note: A clear reference to the "glory to glory" scripture of 2 Corinthians 3:18 where we see that immersion in the Word of God changes us into the image of Christ as we continually invoke the power of the Holy Spirit. Now the third item from this commentary: The presence of Christ with His people [firstfruits] desirable All who desire the ministry, which Christ has established amongst them [the churches], to be useful, and wise, and successful, ought frequently to pray, “The Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit.” Nor is it less important in respect to their own individual piety, their growth in grace, and their preparation to go into eternity, that the Lord Jesus Christ be with their own spirits. This will appear: I. From a consideration of the inquiry. In no other way, except by the presence of Jesus, can we arrive at a purifying and sanctifying knowledge of the Word of God. II. The importance of praying, the Lord Jesus be with our spirits, will be manifest from the necessity of His presence in our devotions [every element of the salvation process]. This alone can cause our prayers to go up before God as a sweet savour. III. The importance of praying for the presence of Christ is manifest from its influence on our intercourse with the impenitent [living in this world]. Do we desire to set an example such as Christ set, and to have such an influence as He shed around Him, and to cause the mite of our moral power to fall into the current of that which our God, and the Lamb, and all the saints, have poured forth on an ungodly world? And shall we not desire that the Lord Jesus Christ would be with our spirits? Note: Fancy language to state the obvious spiritual purpose of the salvation process; to be a light in the world by invoking the power of the Holy Spirit in the form of Godly principles; an act that gives off light in this dark world. IV. What can we do in our intercourse with the Church without the presence of Christ? Now the final item from the Biblical Illustrator. What you are about to see is yet another living metaphor from God. God has given something physical to understand something spiritual. Grace be with you. Continual grace The acts of breathing which I performed yesterday will not keep me alive today; I must continue to breathe afresh every moment, or [physical] life ceases. In like manner yesterday’s grace and spiritual strength must be renewed, and the Holy Spirit must continue [to be present in my heart, mind and soul], from moment to moment, in order to my enjoying the consolations, and to my working the works of God. ~The Biblical Illustrator Note: This is why we continually ask God for rich measures [a continual supply] of His power in us. Let us go now to the specific commentaries. The verse is primarily in two parts. Some commentaries have the "Amen" separate.. 1. The Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit. 2. Grace be with you. Amen We will go to the John Gill on this one. The Barnes Notes and Clarke were not really on point on this one. The Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit - To counsel and advise in every difficult matter; to comfort under every distress; to supply with all grace in every time of need; and to strengthen and fit for every part and branch of duty. ~John Gill Grace be with you, Amen - which is the apostle's common salutation in all epistles. The Syriac [seer-ee-ak] version renders it, "grace be with thee"; but the Greek copies read in the plural, "with you"; which shows that the epistle was designed for the use of the whole church, as well as of Timothy. ~John Gill Note: Ah, notice the Godly inspiration there.  God knew when this was just an inspired letter to Timothy that it would be in the Word of God for all of us. So... 1] Pray this prayer for all the brethren. 2] Pray for yourself continually, asking for His Holy Spirit, guidance, direction and forgiveness. 3] Continue in the salvation process daily. These are the lessons of verse 22. back to the top     back to main page for this verse