Charles Ellicott Commentary 2 Timothy 1:10

"but hath now been manifested by the appearing of our Saviour Christ Jesus, who abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel," — 2 Timothy 1:10 (ASV)

But is now made manifest.—The grace, a gift given to us in Christ from all eternity, was hidden during unnumbered ages until the fullness of time—the appointed time—arrived; this is the “now,” when it was made manifest.

By the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ.—The simple act of the Incarnation by no means covers the “appearing.” The “appearing” (Epiphany) here includes not only the birth, but the whole manifestation of Christ on earth, including the Passion and the Resurrection.

Who has abolished death.—More accurately, when He abolished, or, made of none effect. The Greek word translated this way signifies that by the action of the Lord, death was rendered inoperative, comparatively harmless—its sting was removed.

The “death” thus made of none effect has a far more extended meaning than the separation of soul and body we are accustomed to calling death. It signifies that awful punishment of sin which is best described as the exact opposite of “eternal life.”

The death we are acquainted with by sad experience here is only the forerunner of eternal death. Already, for believers in Jesus, this death of the body counts for nothing; the time will come when it will even exist no more.

And has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.—The Greek word translated as “immortality” is more accurately translated as incorruption.

“Life” here is that true life, in its highest and most complete sense, which includes the most perfect happiness—a happiness of which a foretaste is enjoyed on this side of the grave. Over this bliss, death now has no power; indeed, death is the gate, so to speak, through which we pass to its complete enjoyment.

St. Paul says Christ “brought to light” life and incorruption, not only by having imparted these glorious and divine attributes to His own, but chiefly because He displayed (or manifested) life and incorruption in His own resurrected body before our very eyes.

When St. Paul wrote to Timothy, we must remember, many an eyewitness of the resurrection glories still walked the earth; St. Paul, and Timothy too, must often have conversed with them.

Thus, it can be said with all literal truth that Jesus Christ brought life and incorruption out of the darkness in which, as far as people were concerned, these things lay hidden, into the clear and bright light of day.

And since the hearers of Christ and the eyewitnesses of His resurrection were, considering the great mass of humankind, comparatively few, the means by which these glorious truths were made known to people was the preaching of the gospel.

In this gospel, the Holy Ghost had enshrined both the words and the story of Christ.

Regarding the Greek text of this grand verse, Ellicott observes that it is remarkable that “Death,” being then a known and ruling power, has the article in the original, while “Life” and “Incorruption,” being then only recently revealed and unknown powers, except to a few, are written without the article.