What does 2 Timothy 1:1 mean?

Paul begins with his name, his title, and the authority behind his ministry. He was then known as Paul, though his birth name was Saul, a name he had left behind during his first missionary journey (Acts 13:9).

Paul calls himself "an apostle of Christ Jesus." In most of his letters, Paul stresses his servant relationship to Christ, using the Greek word doulos, translated as "slave" or "bondservant." Here, though, Paul emphasizes his authority. This is the same title Paul used of himself in his first letter to Timothy (1 Timothy 1:1). Paul serves according to the plans of God, not his own designs.

Paul often speaks of "promise" in association with Christ, especially in Ephesians 3:6: "This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel." When referring to death, Paul elsewhere spoke of life in Christ: "it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death" (Philippians 1:20). For Paul, life and Christ were so intertwined that they were often spoken of together.