The central theme of 2 Timothy is Paul’s charge to Timothy to carry on with his ministry. The theme first appears explicitly here in 2 Tim 1:6–7, what Witherington (2006, 312–13) calls the “propositio” or the letter’s “thesis statement.” This charge is the central theme of 2 Timothy because Timothy was somehow failing to fulfill his ministry calling. The nature of his failure or weakness may be evident from 2 Tim 1:7, where Paul says, “God has not given us a spirit of cowardice.”