Unfeigned Faith
The context for verses 6-8 of 2 Timothy 1 is verse 5, where Timothy is said to have the same "unfeigned faith" of his mother and grandmother, who taught him the Old Testament scriptures.
Clearly, the gift that Paul wants Timothy to stir up in verse 6 is by the same faith that is unfeigned in verse 5, and which also appears in 2 Corinthians 6:6, 1 Timothy 1:5, and 1 Peter 1:22 It is translated as "without dissimulation" in Romans 12:6, and as "without hypocrisy" in James 3:17. What is interesting is that it is also applied to love and to wisdom. That is, not only should one's faith be sincere, but also one's love and one's wisdom. In the ensuring passage, Paul tells Timothy that the Spirit underlying the spiritual gifts that he is stirring up is also the Spirit of Love (which should be sincere) and of a Sound Mind (same as the Wisdom in the James 3:17 passage).
It should be clear that unfeigned faith, unfeigned love, and unhypocritical wisdom is necessary, but not sufficient, to invoke spiritual gifts: there must be an anointing, an imparation, of the Spirit as well as a conscious decision to invoke (stir up) the gift.
2010-12-31 04:14:43 by Gerald