Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary 2 Timothy 4:1

"I charge [thee] in the sight of God, and of Christ Jesus, who shall judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom:" — 2 Timothy 4:1 (ASV)

Here Paul speaks of Christ Jesus as the one who will “judge the living and the dead”—a clause found in all the early creeds of the church (cf. 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17). Using language reminiscent of a legal setting, Paul solemnly charges Timothy to be governed in his thinking, not just by the present life, but also by the coming judgment and the eternal kingdom of Christ.