The subject of this verse is still “grace” that was mentioned in the last part of the previous verse. This grace that was given before the beginning of time has now been made known by means of the Incarnation, that is, the coming of Jesus Christ on earth. Has manifested is an aorist passive participle and is better rendered “has been revealed” (Good News Translation, also New Revised Standard Version; see also discussion on “manifested in the flesh” in 1 Tim 3.16). Appearing is literally epifaneia “epiphany,” which in religious language refers to the manifestation of any divine being. In 1 Tim 6.14 it refers to Christ’s second coming; here it refers to Christ’s initial or first appearance. That Christ came to show the world God’s love and favor for all peoples is a predominant idea especially in the New Testament letters. For Savior see 1 Tim 1.1, where the term is used for God. In other parts of the New Testament, the more commonly used expression is “Savior Jesus Christ” and not “Savior Christ Jesus”; in fact, this form of the expression occurs only here in the whole New Testament. As in similar cases, it may be necessary in some languages to reorder the expression to fit the more commonly used ordering, especially if the unusual expression sounds quite unnatural in the receptor language.
An alternative model for this first sentence is the following: “But now our [inclusive] Savior, Jesus Christ, has come (or, appeared) and shown us his kindness.” But in certain languages this structure will be too stylistically heavy. In such cases one may restructure and say “But now Jesus Christ has come and shown his kindness to us. He is our [inclusive] Savior.”
Two functions of Christ Jesus are mentioned, obviously for the purpose of encouraging Timothy and strengthening his resolve to witness to and suffer for the gospel. First of all, Christ abolished death. Abolished translates the aorist participle of a verb that is frequently used in the earlier letters of Paul and means “to bring to nothing,” “to make void,” but in the present context must include the stronger sense of “to destroy” (New International Version; compare Good News Translation “ended the power of death”). And of course it can also be expressed as “defeated death” or “stopped death from having any more power over us.” Secondly, having defeated death Christ brought life and immortality to light. The Greek is literally “brightened (or, illuminated) life and immortality.” Brought to light translates an aorist participle of a verb that means “to shed light,” “to illumine,” “to enlighten,” “to brighten.” Here it is used in a figurative rather than a literal sense: to show clearly, as a light would show everything up in a dark place. So one may also translate “has showed us through the Good News what immortal life really is.”
Immortality is literally “incorruptibility,” that is, not subject to decay as a result of death. See further on 1 Tim 1.17. For life see 1 Tim 1.16 and 2.2. Life and immortality may be understood separately (as most translations), or else the expression may be taken as a hendiadys, with immortality qualifying life, hence “immortal life” (compare Good News Translation; so also Phillips “life that is eternal”).
The instrument by which life and immortality are brought to light is the gospel, or the Good News of what God has done in Jesus Christ. For further discussion of gospel see 1 Tim 1.11. In one sense the Good News is about Jesus Christ; in another sense it was Jesus Christ who brought the good news, and it was through this good news that life and immortality (or immortal life) have been shown clearly to the world. An alternative translation model for this final sentence is “He has caused death to have no more power over us, and through the Good News which he proclaimed, he has shown us what immortal life really is.”
Quoted with permission from Arichea, Daniel C. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Paul’s Second Letter to Timothy. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1995. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .