“I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (vv. 6–7).

Juxtaposed as it is next to 2 Timothy 4:1–5, verses 6–8 convey an important motivation for Timothy and every other reader of this epistle. Paul can look forward to his death knowing that he has “fought the good fight,” “ finished the race,” and “kept the faith” (vv. 6–7). Since he has just told Timothy to be consistent in fulfilling his ministry, the implication is that the apostle himself has kept this charge and has fulfilled his own ministry. If Timothy and all other Christians want to have this same view of their lives, then they too must fulfill the ministry God has given them, consistently sharing the gospel and making disciples in those arenas where they have been placed.

That Paul anticipates his death in today’s passage is plain from the language that he uses to describe his predicament. He is being “poured out as a drink offering” (v. 6), which is an allusion to the offerings of wine that had to accompany every sacrifice under the old covenant (Num. 15:1–16). An offering was not complete until the drink offering was given and here Paul is using this terminology to show that his ministry is complete.

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