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ToBeLikeHim.com Return to Timothy Series Timothy Series Studies in 2nd Timothy 2nd Timothy Chapter 2 John Baugh Be Strong 1You therefore, my son,
be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2The things which you
have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to
faithful men who will be able to teach others also. 3Suffer hardship with me,
as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4No soldier in active service
entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the
one who enlisted him as a soldier. 5Also if anyone competes
as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the
rules. 6The hard-working farmer
ought to be the first to receive his share of the crops. 7Consider what I say, for
the Lord will give you understanding in everything. 8Remember Jesus
Christ, risen from the dead, descendant of David, according to my gospel,
9for which I suffer hardship even to imprisonment as a criminal; but the word
of God is not imprisoned. 10For this reason I endure all things for the sake
of those who are chosen, so that they also may obtain the salvation which is
in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory. 11It is a trustworthy
statement: An Unashamed Workman 14Remind them of these
things, and solemnly charge them in the presence of God not to wrangle about
words, which is useless and leads to the ruin of the hearers. 15Be diligent
to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be
ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. 16But avoid worldly and
empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness, 17and their talk will
spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, 18men who have
gone astray from the truth saying that the resurrection has already taken
place, and they upset the faith of some. 19Nevertheless, the firm
foundation of God stands, having this seal, "The Lord knows those who
are His," and, "Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to
abstain from wickedness." 20Now
in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also vessels
of wood and of earthenware, and some to honor and some to dishonor.
21Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a
vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good
work. 22Now flee from youthful
lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on
the Lord from a pure heart. 23But refuse foolish and ignorant
speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels. 24The Lord's bond-servant
must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when
wronged, 25with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps
God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, 26
and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil,
having been held captive by him to do his will. Strength and Grace to Guard the Truth 1You therefore, my son,
be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2The things which you
have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to
faithful men who will be able to teach others also. All of us have heard
Pastors state that we are only one (uncaring) generation away from losing the
Gospel message. As the truth has been entrusted to us, so must it be our
responsibility to pass it along to those who come after us. Paul begins the
portion of his letter to his disciple that we know as Chapter two by
challenging Timothy to do the right things to assure that the truth of the
Gospel will continue onward and outward from Strength from Grace Paul knows that
Christ’s grace is freely given to those who seek to do his will. He has
experienced this grace time after time during his years of travel and the
many times he has relied on the Lord for strength to continue on in the face
of problems and dangers. Paul knows that Timothy also needs this grace as he
attempts to daily address the problems in the church at Paul, Timothy, the Faithful Men and the
Others Second Timothy 2:2 is a
benchmark verse for disciple makers, offering the template for accomplishing
Christ’s Great Commission (Mathew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15-16, Luke 24:47, John
20:21 and Acts 1:8). Paul leaves no doubt that he sees for generations of
disciples in his relationship with Timothy. Paul’s words to Timothy here,
make up the template for how each person who understands the only marching
orders Christ ever gave us (the Great Commission) must see each person with
whom they share the Gospel message. Each person has the potential to become a
'Timothy’ or a ‘faithful man’ and the emphasis of any relationship must look
out to the ‘others’. The truth of the Gospel
message is passed on by hearing – mouth to ear transmission of witness,
sharing and teaching. It is a one on one process. Paul knows that his
responsibility for continuation of the Gospel message (the light of the
world) rests with his relationship with Timothy and then the others placed
before him. In continuation of this thought, each of us has a tremendous
responsibility to communicate the truth to our children, to our friends, and
to our neighbors. Our Lord expects each of us to be communicators of the
truth, to pass on what we ourselves are deeply convinced is true. Soldiers, Athletes, Farmers 3Suffer hardship with me,
as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4No soldier in active service
entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the
one who enlisted him as a soldier. 5Also if anyone competes
as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the
rules. 6The hard-working farmer
ought to be the first to receive his share of the crops. Paul wants Timothy to
understand the motivations and responsibilities that have governed his life
and the life of any who seek to do the Lord’s will. In order to accomplish
this he uses three metaphors; the soldier, the athlete and the farmer Soldiers are (must be)
committed to one thing only. They serve to obey and accomplish the orders of
their commander. It is interesting that Paul wants Timothy to understand that
he is referring to a “good” soldier. Good Soldiers have a full time,
unrestricted obligation to fully (single mindedly) comply without question to
the marching orders of their commander. Soldiers go only where they are told,
they do only what they are told and they stop or retreat only when they are
told. They have no say in what they will do to accomplish their orders. Paul
tells Timothy that the good soldier has only one objective. He does not
entangle himself (hamper his actions or effectiveness) with non essential
concerns (daily life). Those concerns remain somewhere down the line in
importance from the number one concern of soldering, which is to accomplish
the orders if the commander. Athletes must compete
according to the rules. It does a runner no good to start the race before the
starter’s signal. It does no good to take a shortcut from the marked race
course. Boxers may not kick or bite, unless those things are allowed in the
rules. The athlete follows the rules of training, rest, diet, understanding
that personal compliance to these requirements are all important to
performance. The athlete understands that no one will know if he stays up
late partying on the night before a race, but his chances of winning the
crown of victory will be diminished with each rule of raining that he
violates. And so, he follows the rules because he wants to win. Finally, the farmer (one
who produces for others) deserves to share in the bounty of the harvest. It is interesting that Paul refers to the
“Hard working” Farmer. A hard working farmer is diligent. He does not take
shortcuts. He stays with the work even when it is hot or difficult, easier to
stop for the day, or allow a crop (the yield of the harvest) to suffer
because it is too difficult to keep it well managed. Christians, like
soldiers, athletes and farmers, must commit their lives and actions without
reservation to the will of Christ Jesus. For the “good Christian”, personal
options, objectives and desires remain secondary to the command of our Lord.
As good soldiers, we resolutely follow our commander. We live the Christian
lifestyle. We seek only Christ’s will and then like the soldier, athlete or
farmer; we work toward accomplishing that will in our lives, our actions and
our daily work. We follow Christ’s rules because we want to win the crown of
righteousness. Christians are called to say “no” to many things today. There
are temptations all around us and many things that are offered that we have
no business taking into our lives. Like the good athlete, we say “no” to
these things because our goal is to win the crown that only goes to the
victor of the race. The athlete has the discipline to say “no - that will
hurt me” and we must have that same discipline. Like the hard-working framer
we continue on when it would be easy to stop, we start early and work late,
preferring to keep going in the expectation of a good harvest. We work until
the harvest is secure. In that way, we secure and deserve the fruits of
harvest. Paul is telling Timothy
and us that the mark of our commitment to Christ Jesus is our willingness to
endure the hardships of a good soldier, a committed athlete and a dedicated
farmer. We are not called to follow Christ simply to enjoy “the good life”.
In Paul’s mind, there is a purpose to our calling and that is to accomplish
the will of our master, just as a good soldier. We are expected to follow the
rules of righteousness as an athlete and in doing these things we share in
the bounty of the harvest like the farmer who has worked hard, through
difficult days. Why do we do these things? 7Consider what I say, for
the Lord will give you understanding in everything. 8Remember Jesus
Christ, risen from the dead, descendant of David, according to my gospel,
9for which I suffer hardship even to imprisonment as a criminal; but the word
of God is not imprisoned. 10For this reason I endure all things for the sake
of those who are chosen, so that they also may obtain the salvation which is
in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory. We might be convinced
to take Paul’s side and through sympathy we might offer understanding if his
attitude had been very different in his prison letter to Timothy. However,
this was not the case. Paul reminds Timothy to consider Christ and his
victory over death and the grave. He reminds Timothy that even though he is a
prisoner of the Roman government and considered a criminal, that God’s word
is not imprisoned. He tells Timothy that because of Christ, the Gospel and
God’s word he is willing to endure whatever comes his way, for the sake of
those who are chosen (Christ’s elect), so that they may obtain salvation and
eternal glory. Paul’s feelings are the
same as countless others who have gone out to proclaim the Gospel. They
suffer willingly to share the good news and God’s Holy Word, knowing that as
the Gospel is shared and the Word is heard, that lives are affected and
eternal security is obtained by those who accept their witness. Paul’s Doxology 11It is a trustworthy
statement: Many statements of
faith have been shared across the history of the Church and Paul shares
another with Timothy here. Bible scholars speculate that these may be the
words to a hymn of those days. Regardless of the source, they speak of Paul’s
understanding of our relationship to our Lord and of his relationship to us. For if we died with Him
– died to self - to the worldly desires that serve only to pull us away from
Christ into spiritual death, we will also live with him, in the abundant life
of the Christian who is in the Lord’s will. If we endure – the
temptations and soul destroying pull of the world, we will be with him in
eternity as he reigns over a resurrected world (God’s kingdom here as it is
in Heaven). However, the reverse is
also to be considered. If we deny him, what reason would he have to
acknowledge us? What he seeks is our faith. Regardless of our small faith in
him, he will remain faithful to those who call on him because of who he is.
Even among the faithful, there are times when faith falters, we lose focus
and stumble or fail him. However Christ remains true to his faithfulness
toward us, because of who he is. Simon Peter showed the example of this human
frailty when he denied Christ shortly after his arrest, even though he had
only hours earlier made strong boastful statements of unyielding faith. Yet
in spite of Peter’s failure, Christ remained true to him, because of who he
was. Continue the Work, Unashamed An Unashamed Workman 14Remind them of these
things, and solemnly charge them in the presence of God not to wrangle about
words, which is useless and leads to the ruin of the hearers. 15Be diligent
to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be
ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. Paul asks Timothy to
remind the church in Paul tells Timothy to
remind the church in Instead, Timothy is to
present himself to the Father as a workman (one who works) with no need to be
ashamed (of his work) and as one who accurately (truthfully) handles the word
of truth (God’s Holy Word). Paul tells Timothy that he has a responsibility
to God (not man) in how he completes his work. He is to seek God’s approval
by working hard (as a workman) who, by nature of his work, has no need to
apologize, or to be ashamed of the work he has done. Finally, Paul tells
Timothy to be one “who accurately handles the word of truth”. The word Paul
uses here is the same word that means to “cut straight the word of truth”.
Paul’s choice here is interesting in that it is most likely a tentmaker’s
term that he uses. Those who make articles from fabric or canvas or leather
know how important straight cuts are to the quality of the finished product.
Inaccurate cuts create pieces that will not fit in with the other pieces as
intended, resulting in articles that are the wrong size, shape, do not
function as intended and in the end are essentially useless. Attempting to
work with pieces that are not accurately cut (not cut straight) is a waste of
the worker’s time. This is what Paul is telling Timothy. When working with
the scriptures. He is to cut in a straight line. He is to understand how the
words fit with (relate to) the rest of scripture, so that when all comes
together, the fit is proper and the results functions without needing to pull
or stretch or make something fit that is not quite correct. Paul then turns to the
subject of church squabbles. 16But avoid worldly and
empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness, 17and their talk will
spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, 18men who have
gone astray from the truth saying that the resurrection has already taken
place, and they upset the faith of some. The word we translate
as avoid can also be translated as “walk around”. In a way of speaking, Paul
is telling Timothy to walk in another direction from these things. He is
instruction his spiritual son to stay out of them, to not get involved or
allow himself to get pulled into such activity. Why? Paul says it will lead
to further ungodliness. Evidently such talk is ungodly and for a pastor to
allow him to become involved is to lead to further ungodliness, an infection
that will spread like gangrene. Those who have not
experienced gangrene are fortunate. It is best described as a horrible
spreading death of the flesh that consumes all in its path and eventually
(quickly) kills those who have it. Typically the remedy for gangrene is
amputation. To save the patient, the offending appendage is removed. Paul offers Timothy two
examples of such problems in the church in We do not know very
much about Hymenaeus and Philetus, only that they have moved away from the
truth. Paul says that they held that the resurrection had passed already and
evidently had tried to convince the rest of the church that they were
correct. In doing that, they had upset the faith of some in the church. Paul
has mentioned Hymenaeus in his first letter to Timothy, saying that he had
“delivered him to Satan in order that he may learn not to blaspheme.” (1ST
Timothy 1:20). Evidently the man was still creating problems in Remembering God’s Firm Foundation: 19Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God
stands, having this seal, "The Lord knows those who are His," and,
"Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from
wickedness." Finally, Paul tells
Timothy to remember the foundation that God has placed with the assurance of
his seal. -
The Lord knows who are his – There
is no doubt n God’s mind who belongs to him. There may be problems in the church
or among believers, but God’s position is firm. He knows those who belong to
him. -
Those who belong to the Lord are to
abstain from wickedness. Paul reminds Timothy
that God's church is never going to be altered, shaken, or diminished, even
by the pettiness or human weaknesses we allow to ruin our lives. God knows
those who are his. The Vessels in God’s House: 20Now in a large house
there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also vessels of wood and of
earthenware, and some to honor and some to dishonor. 21Therefore, if anyone
cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor,
sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work. Paul next turns to a
discussion of vessels in his letter to Timothy. Considering this, it seems
reasonable to ask: “What is the function of
a vessel?” Vessels have a
utilitarian function. They exist to serve. In use, a vessel is filled up and
then is emptied. It is filled and emptied – that is its function of service.
In the letter to Timothy, Paul recognizes that there are many different
designs and constructions of vessels in any large house. They range from Gold
and silver down to wood and earthenware. Some serve to honor and some serve
in dishonor. In use a vessel that is
flawed (cracked, broken or contaminated) will not function. No one wants to
put good liquid into a flawed vessel. If they do, it will leak or be
contaminated by the dirty vessel. People in the church
are a lot like vessels in a large house. In fact the great house of God can
be extended in reference to include the entire world. Those of us in God’s
creation are empty until we are filled by the Holy Spirit and God’s Holy
Word. Sadly, some are never filled since accepting God’s presence in our
lives seems to be our free will. However, that is the material for another
discussion as this portion of Paul’s letter to Timothy seems to be concerned
with the vessels that God uses. As long as we hold that
spirit or word of God, we have not met our fully intended use. We are only useful
to God when we allow ourselves to be filled and then to be emptied as God
intends (in God’s will). Paul tells Timothy that the people of If we look at ourselves
as vessels, with a specific function and only useful if we serve the intended
purpose of the Master, it is not hard to see why Timothy and those of the
church in No discussion of this
concept would be useful if it did not point out that there are many vessels –
gold – silver – wood – earthenware. They are only useful if used as intended.
What they are made of is of little importance. How they function for the
Master is what matters. Fleeing and Pursuing, Refusing and Seeking 22Now flee from youthful
lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on
the Lord from a pure heart. 23But refuse foolish and ignorant
speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels. So, how does Timothy
accomplish the cleansing of his life that will allow God to use him as a
vessel with an honorable use? -
He is to flee from youthful lusts –
to shun them, flee from them get away from them, avoid any exposure to them.
Youthful lusts are the thousands of pitfalls that we are exposed to as we
attempt to grow in wisdom that (sadly) seems to be characteristic of the
young and those who are unwise. Youthful desires are many. They include
sexual desires, pride, conceit, ego, impatience, dogmatism, etc. -
He is to pursue righteousness,
faith love and peace – A righteous man does what is right in God’s eyes. He
seeks his knowledge of what is right and wrong (right behavior) from God’s
guidance, through the Holy Word and not from the opinion of the world. Faith
is a reliance on God to determine what is right and what we should do with
our lives. It places our actions in his hands and his will. Love is the
expression of faith that Christ stressed. It was to be the chief
characteristic of those who called him Lord. Peace is the gift that God gives
to those who fully trust him in faith Paul tells Timothy he should “pursue”
these things. Timothy is to seek them out and follow them; to chase after
them. That is what we do when we pursue something. When the hound pursues the
fox, he has no care about the time of day, or the weather. He does not yield
to hunger, or boundaries. He is in the act of pursuing the fox. That is all
that concerns him. Paul seems to indicate here that although God wants us to
have these things, they will be ours only if we pursue them. -
He is to pursue these things with
those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. The word pure here means
“cleansed”. Our hearts are cleansed by and through the presence of Christ. He
is the source of purification in our hearts. The more we allow him in us, the
purer our hearts will be. It is interesting that the word “cleansed” is past
tense. As we seek Righteousness, faith, love and peace with those who have
been cleansed, they can tell us, “I know your problems. I have been there,
too.” Our journey toward righteousness, faith, love and peace is best
traveled with those who have been down the road before us. -
He is to refuse foolish and
ignorant speculations – Paul has stated this requirement several times.
Timothy is to avoid, walk away from, fight against and flee from the things
that are foolish and speculative. There is no good in them and he is better
staying away from them. The word translated as foolish here is “Moros”, the
same Greek word we get our word 24The Lord's bond-servant
must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when
wronged, 25with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps
God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, 26
and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil,
having been held captive by him to do his will. Then Paul gives Timothy
requirements for the Lord’s bond-servant. Question #1 – What is a Bond Servant? There were many slaves
and servants in Paul’s day. Some slaves and servants were indentured for a
time and then were to be set free. Some masters occasionally freed their
slaves. In the case of a bond-servant, the binding of servant to master was
by choice. The servant had made the decision to make their servitude official
and permanent. In other words they had made a willful decision to remain
under the total authority to their master. There was an official mark to
designate this bond. The servant would step up to a wooden post and have a
spike nailed through their ear. The resulting mark (hole in their ear) was a
public sign of their decision of servitude. When Paul makes his statement to
Timothy, he considers his service and Timothy’s service to the Lord as
willful, freely made, publicly stated and permanent. As such, they stated
their willingness to go wherever the master (Christ Jesus) desired and to do
whatever he asked. Requirements of the Bond-Servant of the
Lord -
Must not be quarrelsome – It does a
Christian little good to walk the streets looking for a fight. Someone
smarter than me once said that no one was ever argued into belief in God or
his Son Christ Jesus. In Paul’s mind a Timothy who constantly sought out a
disagreement would be a poor representative of Christ Jesus. The famous
Evangelist Charles Spurgeon once mentioned quarrelsome Christians he knew by
saying that they "...went about with theological revolvers in their
ecclesiastical trousers." Perhaps they used their guns to kill the
opposition, but a dead body is not what Christ wanted from our witness. -
Must be kind – the word Paul uses
also translates as gentle or approachable. One of the marks of a good
Christian is that they are approachable by everyone. All of us have known
people who, even though they were very knowledgeable, were so difficult to
deal with that no one was ever willing to approach them for advice or help.
Such a person is of little help to the Lord.
-
Must be able to teach – Paul
repeats a portion of the statement he made in 2 Timothy 2:2 here. He knows
that Timothy’s objective in -
Must be patient when wronged –
everyone must be able to deal with cases where they are mistreated. The good
servant of the Lord must be able to keep his cool when faced with experiences
that might lead to anger or vengeance or a ‘response in kind’. How we respond
to attacks and wrongdoing by others shows how much like our master we are. "while
being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no
threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously” -
Must correct those in opposition with
gentleness – selflessness - keeping from getting personally involved (in
anger, spitefulness or revenge). All
of these things must be done so that God -
Will grant those (who are taught,
do wrong and stand in opposition) repentance – that they may turn away from
their opposition. There is no winner of any opposition to God’s will if the
oppose is beat into submission. Winning for God comes when there is
repentance. -
Will lead them to a knowledge of
the truth – This is what the Gospel is – Truth. If God leads one who is in
opposition to knowledge of the truth, they see and understand the Gospel
message for what it is – The way, the truth the light. -
So that they may come to their
senses and find escape from the snare of the devil who holds them captive to
do his will – When we fall prey to sin and all of the problems associated
with opposition to the truth, we are operating in a condition of lost sense
(of right and wrong and God’s will for our lives). The deeper we sink into
this condition of separation, the more captive we become to our separation
(the snare of the Devil and captivity to his will and not God’s will for us).
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