God’s Word for You

2 Timothy 1:15-18 those who fall away

by Pastor Timothy Smith on Monday, June 8, 2026

15 You know that everyone who is in the province of Asia has turned away from me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes.

Here we have news that is terrible to hear. After all of the work Paul had accomplished in Asia Minor (that is, western Turkey), there had been a falling away from the faith. Paul says that Timothy knows about this, which is certainly true because Timothy was in Ephesus at this time, the capital of the province of Asia. This region was west of Galatia, so it included the many cities on the coast of the Aegean Sea: Troas (Acts 16:8), Assos (Acts 20:13-14), Pergamum (Revelation 1:11), Thyatira (Acts 16:14, Revelation 2:18), Sardis (Revelation 3:1), Smyrna (Revelation 2:8), Philadelphia (Revelation 3:7), Ephesus, Laodicea (Colossians 2:1), Colossae (Colossians 1:2), and others. Many of the Christians in those places had turned against Paul—that is his own testimony in the verse before us. The Apostle might be using hyperbole when he says “everyone,” but he surely means that at least the leadership of many of those churches had for some reason been turned away from him (except Timothy’s own people in Ephesus), including these otherwise unknown men, Phygelus and Hermogenes. While Phygelus means “fugitive” or “laughing fugitive” and Hermogenes means “son of Hermes,” there is really nothing to be said about these men apart from they had turned on Paul and had become his spiritual enemies.

No matter how we understand “Asia,” it must include the so-called “seven churches” of Asia Minor, the ones that Christ dictated letters to through the Apostle John in Revelation 2-3. By that time, more than twenty years later, the true gospel had made its way back into the hearts of many of those good people.

16 May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he cheered me up many times and was not ashamed of my chains. 17 When he arrived in Rome, he searched for me diligently and found me. 18 May the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day! And you know very well how much he did when he served in Ephesus.

Onesiphorus (his name means “useful”) appears twice in this letter and nowhere else in the Scriptures. He is mentioned both times in connection with “his household,” which I think we can assume means the church that met in his home. But he himself is the one who Paul says “cheered me up many times” and was never ashamed of Paul’s imprisonment or “chains.” His adventure finding Paul in prison is illustrated by the words, “he searched for me diligently (in Rome) and found me.” How much is left unsaid with those words! We don’t know how safe or completely unsafe it might have been to go asking around to find the whereabouts of a condemned man, a man whom Caesar himself turned his thumb down upon! Was the useful Onesiphorus in danger, under suspicion, or worse? How many imperial jails and prisons did he have to visit before he found the right one? How many bribes did he have to pay? Was he afraid for his own life? But in the end he found the Apostle, and cheered him up with his company and perhaps with his general good humor. The word Paul uses here could mean “refreshed” or “cheered up.” We have some hint about this word in the relief that was given Saul when David would play his harp for the king (1 Samuel 16:22). Was Paul thinking of this very incident, since he and King Saul shared a name and their tribe of origin (1 Samuel 9:1; Romans 11:1)? This would not be the first time that Paul made this connection (see Acts 13:21).

Here we have two different kinds of Christians. The first, represented by the heretics Phygelus and Hermogenes, had fallen from grace. This might have been on account of some outward temptation of the flesh (Galatians 5:17), or because they lacked watchfulness (Mark 13:37), or even that they gave up on their prayer life. Jesus warned: “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation” (Matthew 26:41). There are also temptations of indifference (which leads to stubborn hearts, Mark 3:5), or the sin of being a leader in the church who fails to study the word of God which in turn will bring on a famine of the word, as God promises (Amos 8:11-12). These are leaders who give up on the good deposit, and allow the teachings of the world to infect and poison and replace the teachings of the holy Scriptures.

The other kind of Christian leader is represented by the useful Onesiphorus. He did not allow his faith or teaching to waver at all, but remained faithful even in difficult times. God’s means of preserving us in our faith are the means of grace; this is simply the Gospel in the word and the Gospel in the sacraments. This is the working of the Lord in his people, who can be confident that “he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6). We should not expect that the message will change, for our Lord says, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears” (John 16:13). The Word of God remains the same for all time. For just as God has commanded that we must not add or subtract from it, so also he will not add or subtract anything. “The word of our God stands forever” (Isaiah 40:8).

The Christian must remember that faith can be lost, just as Judas fell away, and even Peter fell away, although he was reclaimed by the Lord. And also, our perseverance in faith is part of God’s saving work and activity; it is not our own task to do everything to remain with Christ as if we had stitched ourselves to the hem of his robe, and constantly have to attend to the sewing. No, we want to remain faithful to the word of God, but God is the one who preserves us through his word. So do not despair, and do not worry. Keep steadfast in prayer and in hearing the gospel, and know that your sins are forgiven in Jesus, and that you are at peace with God. He will not let go of you.

In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith

 

Browse Devotion Archive