Albert Barnes Commentary 2 Timothy 1:6

"For which cause I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee through the laying on of my hands." — 2 Timothy 1:6 (ASV)

That you stir up the gift of God. Greek: that you kindle up as a fire. The original word used here denotes the kindling of a fire, as by bellows, and so on. It is not uncommon to compare piety to a flame or a fire, and the image is one that is obvious when we speak of causing that to burn more brightly.

The idea is that Timothy was to use all proper means to keep the flame of pure religion in the soul burning, and more particularly his zeal in the great cause to which he had been set apart. Human agency itself is necessary to keep the religion of the heart warm and glowing. However rich the gifts God has bestowed upon us, they do not grow of their own accord but need to be cultivated by our own personal care.

Which is in you by the putting on of my hands. In connection with the presbytery (see 1 Timothy 4:14).

This proves that Paul took part in the ordination of Timothy; but it does not prove either that he performed the duty alone, or that the "ordaining virtue," whatever that was, was imparted by him only; for

1. It is expressly said in 1 Timothy 4:14 that he was ordained by the laying on of the hands of the presbytery, of which Paul was doubtless one; and

2. The language here used, "by the putting on of my hands," is just such as Paul, or any other one of the presbytery, would use in referring to the ordination of Timothy, though they were all regarded as on a level. It is such an expression as an aged Presbyterian, Congregational, or Baptist minister would address to a son whom he had assisted to ordain.

   Nothing would be more natural than to remind him that his own hands had been laid on him when he was set apart to the work of the ministry. It would be in the nature of a tender, pathetic, and solemn appeal, bringing all that there was in his own character, age, and relation to the other, to bear on him, in order to induce him to be faithful to his trust.

   On other occasions, he would naturally remind him that others had united with him in the act, and that he had derived his authority through the presbytery, just as Paul appeals to Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:14. But no one would now think of inferring from this that he meant to be understood as saying that he alone had ordained him, or that all the authority for preaching the gospel had been imparted through his hands, and that those who were associated with him only expressed "concurrence;" that is, that their presence there was only an unmeaning ceremony.

What was the "gift of God" which had been conferred in this way, Paul specifies in the next verse. It is the spirit of power, and of love, and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). The meaning is that these had been conferred by God, and that the gift had been recognized by his ordination. It does not imply that any mysterious influence had gone from the hands of the ordainers, imparting any holiness to Timothy which he did not have before.