A Mother's Love

5/10/2025

Elijah McSwain, Sr.

2 Timothy 1:5 NKJV — When I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also.

The love of a mother is without question, one of the most visible displays of human affection. From the onset of conception throughout the entirety of a child's life, a mother's love is demonstrated in various ways. Her love is of the nature of consoling a child in times of discomfort, agony, and stress. A mother's love is displayed in caring for her children in illness, suffering and pain. Her love is visible in her selflessness, nurturing spirit, and supportive stance in a multitude of ways throughout the life of her offspring. Her love is characterized by a motherly, physically, and emotional connection to her descendants.

God has designed mothers with a unique capacity to love, nurture, and mold the identity of their children. One of the greatest ways that a mother can exhibit love for her child is to instruct him or her in the ways of the Lord. Biblical and instructional insight provided by mothers to their children helps them to develop a reverence for God which can birth a godly heritage for the next generation. This is a prime example of what is found in 2 Timothy 1:5. Mother's that love their children will direct them to God.

A Heritage of Faith

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ spoke of the faith that first dwelt in Timothy’s grandmother Lois and then in his mother, Eunice. Paul highlights the lineage of faith throughout the generations of Timothy’s family history. Lois, the grandmother of Timothy and his mother, Eunice had a spiritual conversion and transformation during their lifetime. The consensus among scholars involves the belief that Lois and Eunice were converted during Paul’s first missionary journey as recorded in Acts 13:13 -14:21. Both women came into the saving knowledge of Jesus by their demonstration of faith in His life, unblemished nature, sacrifice, death at the cross, and resurrection from death. Their love as a grandmother and mother was evident in the life of Timothy as they imparted the revelation of Jesus into his life.

In 2 Timothy 3:14-15 Paul affirmed the efforts of Lois and Eunice to indoctrinate Timothy in God’s Word. He advised his young protégé to continue and be assured of the things that he had learned, knowing from whom he had learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

As godly women, they desired to leave a legacy of faith for Timothy. These mothers saw value in investing in their family lineage regarding their heritage of faith.

The Life Application Study Bible portrays the imagery that “our families are fertile fields for planting seeds of the Good News.” 1 A mother that truly loves her children will be concerned about the spiritual formation, development, and state of her family. Mothers are influential in the lives of their descendants. MacArthur writes “mothers have a unique bond and intimacy with their children and spend far more time with them than do fathers, they have far greater influence in their lives and thus a unique responsibility and opportunity for rearing godly children.” 2

Borrowing the words from the Puritan writer from a book called The Valley of Vision, mothers should ask God to “sanctify and prosper my domestic devotion, instruction, discipline, example that my house may be a nursery for heaven……let not those of my family who are amiable, moral, fall short of heaven at last.” 3

How can mothers cultivate a godly heritage of faith like Lois and Eunice? Scripture advocates by molding them according to the Word of the Lord. Strive to engage in the law of transference by transferring godly wisdom, values, precepts, commandments, statues, judgments, things of morality, righteousness, purity, and holiness into your child at an early age. Do not shun away from teaching your sons and daughters about God's holy law. Psalm 78:2-4, 6-7 (NKJV) admonishes parents to follow this pattern of thought, “I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old, which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, telling to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and His strength and His wonderful works that He has done. That the generation to come might know them, the children who would be born, that they may arise and declare them to their children, that they may set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments.”

Godly instructional parenting is vital to raise up the next generation of believers.

Lois was a first generational Christian. Eunice was a second generational Christian, and what was birthed into Timothy made him a third generational Christian. Presentation of the Word of God to our children is vital for our families to know the Lord for generations to come. The way that our heritage is identified with God involves mirroring the Words of Deuteronomy 6:5-9 (NKJV) that proclaims “you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. “You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. “You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. “You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” The duty of a godly mother is one of training and disciplining her children in the ways of God (Proverbs 22:6).

Instruction in the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and is the fountain of life.

If you desire for your children to have the best life, then point them to the foundation and essence of life which is the Lord. Parents have the opportunity to leave the right family legacy or the wrong family legacy. The choice is up to every parent. Are you going to hold firm to your God-given responsibility to rear your children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Failure to do so has negative implications, but adherence to living out the mandate of Scripture has spiritual implications. Ray Pritchard explains how this reminder of Timothy's godly legacy would have encouraged the young disciple writing that…"we all have a heritage, a family tree. We all have a spiritual history—whether good or bad. We are Christians because someone influenced us to come to Christ. No one comes completely on his own. We all have others who make their mark on us and help us come to the place where we put our trust in Christ alone. We will be blessed and strengthened as we remember where we came from." 4

How will you leave a lasting mark on your children?

The Evidence of Genuine Faith

The reality of Lois and Eunice pouring into the life of Timothy was addressed by Paul through the visibility and outworking of Timothy’s genuine faith. In the opening of verse 5, Paul concluded Timothy’s faith was not counterfeit. Essentially, he made the claim that Timothy's faith was not masked in hypocrisy. During the time in which they lived, people wore the mask of Christianity. They were stage-actors who projected a false profession of saving faith. They engaged in pretense to put up a front. They claimed themselves to be something that they were incapable of being apart from Christ.

But Paul evidently saw the eternal marks in Timothy’s life that was associated with a true conversion and godly living. The apostle was persuaded that what Lois and Eunice instilled in Timothy was birth in him by his belief in the Holy Scriptures. Paul proclaimed that the faith that was in your grandmother and mother, I am persuaded is in you also (2 Timothy 1:5b). Paul was assured that Lois and Eunice left an impression upon Timothy. The result of their teaching was a visible manifestation of genuine faith in showcased in his life.

The spiritual formation that began through the foundation of biblical indoctrination at home was now being lived out by Timothy. As he was convicted by the truth, believed the truth, and confessed the truth, it was evident in his lifestyle. “D. Edmond Hiebert observed that Timothy’s faith…Is given a twofold description. It is “unfeigned,” literally, “unhypocritical”; a faith arising out of an inner reality of conviction and knowing no sham or pretense. It is further described by the clause “which [lit., which is such as] dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice.” Timothy is parallel to Paul in that he too has a line of godly ancestors, in whom this “unhypocritical faith” has effectively taken up its abode.” 4

The Word that was implanted into the life of Timothy from his childhood sprung up into the spiritual transformation of the soul.

Young Timothy since his childhood understood (2 Timothy 3:15) that the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make him wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

The godly influence of his grandmother and mother eventually impacted his own life. They had modeled and exemplified true godly faith that stemmed from Scripture.

Charles Spurgeon wrote "from a very child Timothy had known the sacred writings. This expression is, no doubt, used to show that we cannot begin too early to imbue the minds of our children with scriptural knowledge. Babes receive impressions long before we are aware of the fact. During the first months of a child’s life it learns more than we imagine. It soon learns the love of its mother and its own dependence. If the mother is wise, it learns the meaning of obedience and the necessity of yielding its will to a higher will. This may be the keynote of its whole future life. If the child learns obedience and submission early, it may save a thousand tears from the child’s eyes, and as many from the mother’s heart. A special vantage ground is lost when even babyhood is left uncultured. The Holy Scripture may be learned by children as soon as they are capable of understanding anything. It is a very remarkable fact, which I have heard asserted by many teachers, that children will learn to read out of the Bible better than from any other book…..There is an adaptation in the Bible for human beings of all ages, and therefore it has a fitness for children.” 5

If a mother desires to see the evidence of saving faith, she must be willing to train up her child in the fear of the Lord. Faith is the product of hearing the Word of God. If children are taught the truth of God, they are more than likely to heed to what they have heard. In heeding to what is heard through the convicting power of the Word, everlasting life can spring forth in the lives of children. The faith of children is often born out of biblical wisdom passed along from parents.

Mothers your influence matters as it has the ability to shape your children’s spiritual identity by coming into the saving knowledge of Christ.

Continue to point your children to God according to His Word and prayerfully, the fruit of your labor will be evident as to what has been implanted within them. Model your life after Lois and Eunice. Plant seeds of faith into your children and in due time God can transform the life of your children.

Resources

1. The Life Application Study Bible

2. The MacArthur Study Bible

3. The Valley of Vision. Page 209

4. https://www.preceptaustin.org/2_timothy_15-7#1:5

5. Spurgeon, Charles. 2014. Spurgeon Commentary: 2 Timothy. Edited by Elliot Ritzema. Spurgeon Commentary Series. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.