2 Timothy 1:9 - Exposition

Saved for hath saved, A.V.; a for an, A.V.; times eternal for the world began, A.V. Who saved us, and called us. The saving was in the gift of his only begotten Son to be our Saviour; the calling is the work of the Holy Spirit drawing individual souls to Christ to be saved by him. (For the power of God displayed in man's salvation, comp. Ephesians 1:19 , Ephesians 1:20 .) With a holy calling (comp. Romans 1:7 ; 1 Corinthians 1:2 ). Not according to our works (see Titus 3:5 ; Ephesians 2:4-10 ). His own purpose and grace. If our calling were of works, it would not be by grace ( Romans 4:4 , Romans 4:5 ; Romans 11:6 ), but it is "according to the riches of his grace… according to his good pleasure which he purposed in himself" ( Ephesians 1:9 , Ephesians 1:11 ). Before times eternal ( πρὸ χρόνων αἰωνίων ) . The phrase seems to have the same general meaning as πρὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου , "before the foundation of the world" ( Ephesians 1:4 ), where the general context is the same. The phrase itself occurs in Romans 16:25 ( χρόνοις αἰωνίοις ) and Titus 1:2 , in which last place time is indicated posterior to the creation of men. In 1 Corinthians 2:7 we have simply πρὸ τῶν αἰώνων , "before the worlds," where αἰών is equivalent to αἰωνίοι χρόνοι , and in Ephesians 3:11 , πρόθεσιν τῶν αἰώνων , "the eternal purpose." In Luke 1:70 the phrase, ἀπ ̓ αἰῶνος , is rendered "since the world began," and εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας ( Matthew 6:13 ), "forever." So frequently εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα , "forever" ( Matthew 21:19 ; John 6:51 , etc.), and εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων ( Galatians 1:5 ; Ephesians 3:21 ; 1 Timothy 1:17 , etc.), "forever and ever." The usage of the LXX . is very similar, where ἀπ αἰῶνος εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα πρὸ τῶν ἀιωνων ωἰὼν τῶν αἰώνων , etc., are frequent, as well as the adjective αἰώνιος . Putting all these passages together, and adverting to the classical meaning of αἰών , and its Latin equivalent, aevum, a "lifetime," we seem to arrive at the primary meaning of αἰών as being a "generation," and then any long period of time analogous to a man's lifetime. Hence χρόνοι αἰώνιοι would be times made up of successive generations, and πρὸ χρόνων αἰωνίων would mean at the very beginning of the times which consisted of human generations. αἰὼν τῶν αἰώνων would be one great generation, consisting of all the successive generations of mankind. The whole duration of mankind in this present world would be in this sense one vast αἰών , to be followed by we know not what succeeding ones. Thus Ephesians 1:21 , ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ is contrasted with ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι , the idea being that the world has its lifetime analogous to the lifetime of a man. The same period may also be considered as made up of several shorter αἰῶνες , the prediluvial, the patriarchal, the Mosaic, the Christian, and such like (see note to 1 Timothy 1:17 ).