Timothy was important enough to have two New Testament letters addressed to him. We know that he had a godly mother and a godly grandmother. His gran was called Lois and his mother was called Eunice. I take it that we are talking about mother and daughter. We don't know much about these two ladies apart from what we find in Paul's second letter to Timothy. Here is the sum total of their description
I recall your sincere faith that was alive first in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice, and I am sure is in you. [2 Timothy 1:5 NET]
Both Lois and Eunice had a sincere faith which they passed on to young Timothy. This was not a half-hearted faith. It was not a faith which was reserved for one day a week and for special occasions. When Paul talks about 'your sincere faith' the literal translation of this is, 'the sincere faith in you.' So this was part of his character and his life. It was an indwelling faith. One Bible Scholar, Kenneth S Wuest translates this as follows - 'the unhypocritical faith which is in you.' Timothy was not a hypocrite - neither was his grandmother or his mother. The Greek word which is translated as 'sincere' is anupokritos - you can see that the word 'hypocrisy' is closely associated with this Greek word. Old Lois was not a hypocrite. The word 'unfeigned' is used in the King James Version - that is 'not putting on an act.' We might be able to pretend to those who don't know us very well but our family members soon see through this playacting. You would need to be a brilliant actor to pretend all of the time. So here is how I see it. Old Lois had found a faith in God and it was real and her daughter was so impressed that she found the same faith and in time so did her grandson - Timothy.
We have three generations of people with faith here. I can compare myself to Timothy in that regard. I had a father and a mother who were both Christians - the real thing. I never for one moment doubted the reality of their faith. It radiated through their personality. I came to faith as a wee boy because I witnessed this Christian faith in my home in Misk Knowes, Stevenston. I had three sisters who were also Christians and I was the baby of the family - my oldest sister Agnes was fourteen years older than me, Elizabeth was 12 years and Janette was 8 years older.
[The Neilly Family from 54, Misk Knowes Stevenston. I had more hair then and I am placed in the centre of the picture for some reason. My three sisters from left to right are Agnes (who went home to be with her Lord in 1977. She was married to Jim Bertram and they has four children, Stephen. Anne, Sarah and John). In the centre, is Janette who is married to Ian Grant and lives in Aberdeen. She has three daughters, Ruth, Fiona and Helen. On the right is Elizabeth who was married to Brian Beith. Sadly he also passed away in 2009. They had two girls - Nancy and Elma.]
But what about the previous generation. I have traced my family history and I have included it in the dayshare.co.uk website for those who might be interested. Here is the link -
My grandfather died when he was just 32 but he was a born-again believer. His brothers and sisters were all Christians too despite the fact that their mother and father were bitterly opposed to the message of the Gospel and did not want their children to 'get saved.' My grandfather died from Spanish flu in 1918 and he had sat up overnight with a neighbour who had caught this dreadful virus and Grandpa Neilly wanted to give this man's wife a night off from sitting at his bedside and helping him to breathe. Sadly, Grandpa Neilly caught the flu himself and died not long after. My mother spoke with great affection about my grandmother and her sincere faith. She was a godly woman who coped with the loss of two children in infancy and the death of her husband after 9 years of marriage. She lived by faith.
My grandfather who died when he was age 42 and left a widow and four children. He is buried in an unmarked grave in Camelon Cemetery along with two sons who died in infancy.
What about Timothy's father? He is not mentioned as having faith and he is not attributed with influencing his son to become a Christian.
Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was Jewish and a believer but whose father was a Greek. The believers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. [Acts 16:1-3 NIV]
This is the first mention of Timothy who became an important figure in the first-century church despite his personal reticence and shyness. The issue here is that Timothy's father is a Greek and his mother is a Jewess so young Timothy was not circumcised in infancy. Timothy's father would perhaps have exerted his influence to prevent his son from becoming a Jew but Paul feels it is necessary for him to be circumcised to prevent this from being a stumbling block with the Jews whom they would encounter. There was a strong Jewish lobby among the early Christians who still insisted on circumcision of all males even when they became a Christian. Paul's letter to the Galatians deals with this issue and Paul's action seems to contradict his later condemnation of those who were adding to the Gospel by insisting on circumcision. For today's blog, I want to emphasise the impact of a godly mother and grandmother on young Timothy. My parents were completely united in their faith but this was not so with Timothy's parents. So Timothy came to faith in Jesus the Messiah despite the fact that his father was not a Christian and did not have a Jewish background and so did not know about God. This is remarkable and is another example of how God can use Godly women for His glory.
My grandmother on the paternal side. I never knew her because she died before I was born.
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