Book of 2 Timothy

[2 Timothy 1:1-7] Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will, for the promise of life in Christ Jesus: To Timothy, my dearly loved son. Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience as my ancestors did, when I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day. Remembering your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy, clearly recalling your sincere faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois, then in your mother Eunice, and that I am convinced is in you also. Therefore, I remind you to keep ablaze the gift of God that is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness, but one of power, love, and sound judgment

What we have in this letter to Timothy is a “goodbye dear friend.” It is not known if Timothy knew this was the case, but we are confident that Paul knew it to be true. As such I think we can attach a certain finality and bitter sweetness to the passages; we can plow that perspective back into the lessons.

Here are some clues to this sense of finality: Paul states that …

 He serves God with a clear conscience

 He has a yearning to see Timothy again

 He remembers fondly the tears and the joy

 He is remembering 3 generations

 He is reminding Timothy to keep “the gift ablaze,” and

 That God has given us a fearless, powerful and loving faithfulness.

[2 Timothy 1: 8-10] So don’t be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, or of me His prisoner. Instead, share in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God. He has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began. This has now been made evident through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who has abolished death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

One thing for certain that Paul wants to leave Timothy with is the very thing we all need to hear on a daily basis:

Don’t be ashamed about your testimony regarding Jesus! There are a lot of things that should and do shame us, but this is not one of them. Why so?

 He saved us

 He called us

 Not because of works

 According to His purpose

 According to His own grace

 Given before time began

 This is made evident

 Through Christ’s appearing

 He has abolished death

 He has brought life

 He has brought immortality

 By the light of the gospel

In the Gospel is truth and life, and an end to our hopeless nomadic spirit. We should rather be prisoners, even slaves to Christ, than free in a world that means to persecute us.

[2 Timothy 1:11-12] For this gospel I was appointed a herald, apostle, and teacher, and that is why I suffer these things. But I am not ashamed, because I know the One I have believed in and am persuaded that He is able to guard what has been entrusted to me until that day.

Confidence in God prevents our shame. When there is a belief that what we have been through is worth it, and that all we have is for a clear purpose, then we can go out convinced in the knowledge that our belief is fully grounded.

How are you and I appointed? Another way of putting it is: how were you and i called or for what purpose were we called?

Paul was indeed a herald, and apostle, and a teacher; at different times and places he was called by Christ to minister and even to exhort. Though our calling may be different than Paul’s, our faith, and the Savior in Whom we believe, never waivers. He never casts a shadow of turning and is full of gifts. What we have been given is worth the suffering, and there is no shame in our trials or our journey … and there will be trials on anyone’s journey.

[2 Timothy 1:13-18] Hold on to the pattern of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Guard, through the Holy Spirit who lives in us, that good thing entrusted to you. This you know: All those in Asia have turned away from me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes. May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains. On the contrary, when he was in Rome, he diligently searched for me and found me. May the Lord grant that he obtain mercy from Him on that day. And you know very well how much he ministered at Ephesus.

How would you hold to your pattern of belief, and of your conviction, if you were in prison and knew that your own death was imminent? Would you be daunted and be afraid of what was entrusted to you? Paul tells us to hold to the pattern of teaching that edifies and glorifies. If we know what Paul taught us in his letters, then we know what we are to cling to. At the of this writing the letters of Paul had not been collected, bound and distributed as either codex or canon … so there was precious little to cling to regarding manuscripts and personal testimony. The idea was to remain faithful with very little … a mustard seed in comparison to what we have been blessed with today. Paul says that he is not ashamed of the chains even when those he taught “in Asia” turned away from him. Evidently they were trusted, and betrayed that trust, because they are named. I suggest that we be the Onesiphorus of this age. That like him we refresh with the Word and quench with Living Water.

[2 Timothy 2:1-5] You, therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in the concerns of civilian life; he seeks to please the recruiter. Also, if anyone competes as an athlete, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.

We are, first and foremost, to be strong in the grace of Christ Jesus! This may sound improbable, and downright paradoxical at first glance, when we consider this: Jesus greatest strength was loosed on Satan as He hung dying on the cross. What seemed to be passive became the most aggressive, the most powerful and the most unstoppable, force in the universe! Grace is never a weakness. Love is never second rate!

 We are to be disciple-makers, and to pass along what we know to be true in the lives of the faithful.

 We are to be good soldiers, just like Uriah was. We stay strong and loyal not getting entangled in the ways of civilian life, the world around us.

 We are to be well-trained and ethical athletes crowned in victory because we follow the rules. Paul did not say that we would cross the finish line first or last, but that we would compete faithfully and be crowned when we reach

[2 Timothy 2:6-10] The hardworking farmer ought to be the first to get a share of the crops. Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.

Keep your attention on Jesus Christ as risen from the dead and descended from David. This is according to my gospel. I suffer for it to the point of being bound like a criminal, but God’s message is not bound. This is why I endure all things for the elect: so that they also may obtain salvation, which is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.

The hardworking farmer “ought” to be the first to get a share of the crops. But, is this how it always plays out? No, of course not.

A good farmer would offer the first fruits as a gift to his temple community and to his friends; then he would feed his family.

The farmer’s hard work may in fact be an allusion to the hard work of the faith, as some followers told Jesus in John’s Gospel, “This is hard.”

What are we to keep our sites on?

 Jesus Christ risen from the dead

 God’s message is never bound

 The elect will endure

 Eternal glory is found in the risen Christ

[2 Timothy 2:11-13] This saying is trustworthy: For if we have died with Him, we will also live with Him; if we endure, we will also reign with Him; if we deny Him, He will also deny us; if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.

This is a creed worth keeping on a slip of paper in your pocket. Something this simple is powerful and immutable. It is even possible to memorize it and to use it to cast out the enemy at appointed times!

Paul tells us that this [passage] is trustworthy, therefore you can rely on it to be true and enduring. If we die with Him (die to our flesh and die to our old lives) we will also live with Him now and for eternity! If we endure with Him (and because of Him, as in persecution) we will be given an eternal reward ... we will reign with Him. Reigning means more than just having power, but to jointly share in the rising of the church and the victory of the heavens over darkness.

To reassure, but to also provide a necessary balance, Paul tells us that if we should fall away at any time (be faithless or less than faithful) Jesus remains faithful in our stead, because being faithful He cannot deny who He is; however, if we deny Him He will deny us as promised in Matthew 12:31 when blasphemy, the unpardonable sin, was clearly established. As such this is a fair reminder, lest we forget ...

[2 Timothy 2:14-18] Remind them of these things, charging them before God not to fight about words; this is in no way profitable and leads to the ruin of the hearers. Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who doesn’t need to be ashamed, correctly teaching the word of truth. But avoid irreverent, empty speech, for this will produce an even greater measure of godlessness. And their word will spread like gangrene; Hymenaeus and Philetus are among them. They have deviated from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and are overturning the faith of some.

As these were personal letters to the individual churches there was no hesitation in calling out transgressors by name. We usually attempt to exercise some level of discretion in such matters, but Paul apparently had no qualms. This may be the result of Hymenaeus and Philetus having been warned, and now the excommunication was common knowledge, the members presumably having been shown the door.

So much of this seems practical and contemporary. One thing is apparent: we, as believers, are being reminded not to get caught up in verbal battles, especially emotionally laden battles, and certainly not battles to justify the faith! More fighting words lend themselves to fighting losing battles

So, what happens when words are used as weapons? The hearers are led to ruin and no disciple is created. The truth will spread like God’s favor, while the words of the godless will spread like gangrene … like a cancer in today’s language.

Do not spread false doctrine as teachers are held to a higher standard.

[2 Timothy 2:19] Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, having this inscription: The Lord knows those who are His, and Everyone who names the name of the Lord must turn away from unrighteousness.

Metaphorically speaking, the foundation (the cornerstone) which is the Christ has etched upon it this inscription:

The Lord Knows

THOSE WHO ARE HIS.

All those who name the name, and claim the name of the Lord, must at some point, turn away from unrighteousness.

This is possibly the hardest thing ever because ... for all I have turned away from, and all that I have left behind, there are some things that have followed me to this day like a waking dream.

If you are like me, and like Paul, we pray earnestly for the thorns in our flesh to be removed, but they are not.

(see Numbers 16:5)

Yet, it is important to keep turning away from the unrighteous things and soon enough in glory we will not be burdened with the temptations of the flesh.

[2 Timothy 2:20-21] Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver bowls, but also those of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. So if anyone purifies himself from anything dishonorable, he will be a special instrument, set apart, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.

To get some perspective on this, since commentaries seem to gloss over this passage, we must look at the various vessels and decide which are useful (for a specific purpose) and which are not.

At face value it is clear that in any household, especially a large one, there are bowls and utensils which are made of precious metals (gold and silver) and those made of common materials (wood, stone and clay).

I will presume to say that the gold and silver may refer to the Pharisee and Sadducee: while appearing to have strong material value they are proven not to be beneficial for daily use. Therefore, ritual purification apart from these would suggest the use of the wood , stone and clay: the common vessels. It is believed that the chalice used at the Last Supper was not bejeweled or metallic, but of stone or clay.

However, purifying us, as Christ did, using the common for uncommon purposes, takes the dishonorable and makes it honorable. A bowl or utensil has no real value unless it is used for a purpose; in the same way the stuff made of common materials (dishonorable) when used for an honorable purpose becomes honorable. We are holy because He is holy.

[2 Timothy 2:22-26] Flee from youthful passions, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. But reject foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they breed quarrels. The Lord’s slave must not quarrel, but must be gentle to everyone, able to teach, and patient, instructing his opponents with gentleness. Perhaps God will grant them repentance leading them to the knowledge of the truth. Then they may come to their senses and escape the Devil’s trap, having been captured by him to do his will.

It is time to grow up and take on the responsibilities of a person who is maturing in the faith, and now on a diet of solid food, not just milk. So, what are the criteria Paul suggests?

 Flee from youthful passions

 Pursue faith ,love and peace

 Reject foolish and ignorant disputes

 The Lord’s slave must not quarrel

 We must Instruct opponents gently, being able to teach

 We must be patient

The sincere hope here is that those who have been opposed to the Word, and been ambassadors of the Adversary, might be convicted in the Spirit and turn away from falsehood, idol worship, and youthful passion.

What youthful passions would you, or have you, given up to serve the Lord in all sobriety and vigilance?

[2 Timothy 3: 1-5] But know this: Difficult times will come in the last days. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, without love for what is good, traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to the form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid these people!

Sadly, this applies to those who are inside the faith community as well as to those who are outside of it. And, as we see in Matthew 24 and elsewhere, believers can get swept up in the frenzy while Satan cheers on the team. Oh, and if you are feeling exempt, know that temptation affects all those who still reside in the flesh.

But, the real issue is not that we all fall short, but that we choose falling short over doing the right thing, because ... well … it is easier, far more pleasurable, and immediately rewarding. These are danger signs for the wary pilgrim.

The sad truth is that it is not only our own flesh that betrays us, but also the influencers around us. Always watch what you take in, as well as what you disseminate. Both say volumes about what you will accept and even condone.

It is common in today’s tribal climate to view anyone who does not hold our views or practices to be unholy or even a traitor; but we must look closer and determine the origins of such spiritual erosion. Paul listed the following as anti-Christian signs, and evidence of the end: being lovers of self and money, boastful and proud, blaspheming and disobedient,, ungrateful, unholy, irreconcilable, etc. Beware (+)

[2 Timothy 3:6-9] For among them are those who worm their way into households and capture idle women burdened down with sins, led along by a variety of passions, always learning and never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so these also resist the truth, men who are corrupt in mind, worthless in regard to the faith. But they will not make further progress, for their lack of understanding will be clear to all, as theirs was also.

Well, I do not think this applies to just women, but to those who resist and oppose the truth, especially the truth of Jesus Christ. Just like we might site Judas or Barabbas as heathen or unholy, the use of Jannes and Jambres, the names given to the Egyptian magicians who opposed Moses, would have been familiar examples to Timothy and Paul.

I think we have to sure that we move beyond the patriarchal language of Paul’s texts, and apply the truth of Jesus Christ to all that we examine. In doing so it would not be inappropriate to suggest that both men and women who are idle might find themselves burdened with sin and susceptible to a variety of passions; that they may be unable or unwilling to learn about the truth. Sometimes we get caught up in ourselves, our own activities, and we exclude any truth that does not synch up with what we have decided we want to believe.

Paul is pretty harsh, but in these ending times we have to be discerning of those who are corrupt by choice, and are indeed worthless to the cause of Christ. We might view them as “antichrists.” This is clear to us.

[2 Timothy 3:10-17] But you have followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, and endurance, along with the persecutions and sufferings that came to me in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. What persecutions I endured! Yet the Lord rescued me from them all. In fact, all those who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. Evil people and impostors will become worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed. You know those who taught you, and you know that from childhood you have known the sacred Scriptures, which are able to give you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Paul is specific about how he was persecuted, and where; but he is clear that God rescued him from “them all.” God will do the same for us, so we should not be indignant about the persecution of ourselves, or our brethren, in these ending times. I am glad that he goes on to say what needs to be said in plain language: “ … all those who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. Evil people and impostors will become worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed.”

CRITICAL:

All Scripture

IS

Inspired

BY GOD. As such it is profitable (useful and bears Spiritual fruit) for teaching, rebuking and correcting and training in righteousness … thus you and I are equipped by God for a good purpose, equipped for every good work.

[2 Timothy 4:1-5] I solemnly charge you before God and Christ Jesus, who is going to judge the living and the dead, and because of His appearing and His kingdom: Proclaim the message; persist in it whether convenient or not; rebuke, correct, and encourage with great patience and teaching. For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, will multiply teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear something new. They will turn away from hearing the truth and will turn aside to myths. But as for you, be serious about everything, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

What Paul is urging Timothy to do in this passage has not changed for the church in well over two thousand years.

We discussed this issue at one point in a Sunday message when we discussed the prophets of this new age ... and those who wish to have their ears tickled by seductive words rather than hearing the “Gospel Truth!”

And I am grateful that Paul does not give Timothy a false sense of hope: that is to say, he is not pretending that it will be easy to stay the course.

Since we are being judged and led to the slaughter daily for the sake of Christ we should persist in lauding Him, the Lamb, who covers us with His blood:

Proclaim the message whether it is inconvenient, rebuke and correct (with all grace), encourage and teach that which is true, and be patient! Why be patient? Because there will be one or two who “will eventually get it” and they will be transformed!

[2 Timothy 4:6-8] For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time for my departure is close. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. There is reserved for me in the future the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me, but to all those who have loved His appearing.

Have you ever felt like you have been “poured out,” completely spent, used up, and ready for much needed (even well-deserved) rest? What might that “rest” mean for us and for Paul? For one thing, it means that he has given all that he can give, and that ...

 His departure (death) is close

 He has fought the good fight

 He has finished the race

 And, He has kept the faith

As a drink offering Paul is signifying his sacrificial devotion to the Gospel, and that he is literally willing to lay his life down for the sake of Gospel truth. Paul makes reference to Jewish tradition, but also the prospect of his own life being poured out completely, used up once and for all. Think of Jesus Christ on the cross.

[Exodus 29:40] With the first lamb offer two quarts of fine flour mixed with one quart of oil from crushed olives, and a drink offering of one quart of wine.

The crown of victory is reserved, in Greek culture, for all who have participated in an athletic event and been judged victorious: we are winners over sin and death!

[2 Timothy 4:9-15] Make every effort to come to me soon, for Demas has deserted me, because he loved this present world, and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me. Bring Mark with you, for he is useful to me in the ministry. I have sent Tychicus to Ephesus. When you come, bring the cloak I left in Troas with Carpus, as well as the scrolls, especially the parchments. Alexander the coppersmith did great harm to me. The Lord will repay him according to his works. Watch out for him yourself because he strongly opposed our words.

So Paul is feeling alone, not lonely, but alone. Seems that some have deserted and some have moved on, while others have been sent to new fields of ministry, and still others have done personal harm. Luke, his faithful disciple, remains with him through thick and thin. We all need a “Luke” in our lives.

What is telling, also, is that while Paul travelled, and made a lot of inroads for the faith, like Jesus, many more converts returned to their old haunts than we might have imagined. Anyone who has sought to lead in the faith will appreciate the disheartening experience of having people surround you and then leave without warning or good reason. I have said it many times, and will say it again: this is hard! It isn’t hard to do a faithful thing now and again, but consistency is not a flash-in-the-pan … it is a lifelong process that becomes more natural, but not necessarily easier. Paul knew that many would oppose him, and we should also be prepared for the same opposition.

[2 Timothy 4:16-22] At my first defense, no one stood by me, but everyone deserted me. May it not be counted against them. But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the proclamation might be fully made through me and all the Gentiles might hear. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil work and will bring me safely into His heavenly kingdom. To Him be the glory forever and ever! Amen.

Greet Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus. Erastus has remained at Corinth; I left Trophimus sick at Miletus. Make every effort to come before winter. Eubulus greets you, as do Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the brothers. The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you.

Paul goes on to say what was assumed in the previous passage: folks deserted when the faith became less novel and more demanding. This is typical, and surely shows that God was at the helm of Paul’s ship all they way. We must not be discouraged when we are left holding the bag, so to speak. It takes a committed person in Christ to make it through the easy times in His name let alone the tough times. Here is how it works; and I am sure this was for Timothy’s personal edification as he would undoubtedly suffer similar trials:

 No one stood by Paul

 The Lord stood with him

 Paul was rescued from the lion’s mouth, and

 He was confident in God’s rescue and refuge.

Afterword

If I did not say it in the beginning, I will say it now: this letter has a bittersweet quality to it not only because of its honesty, but because of its reckoning nature.

Paul is looking back and taking stock of what all that had occurred in his ministry; he, like all men, was undoubtedly considering what he might have done differently. And, I am sure he was viewing what was looming on the horizon: his own death, but more critical to him, the future of those he had discipled. Paul, as a father figure, both feared for them, and found renewed strength in knowing his prodigies were going out and forging new pathways in the name of Jesus Christ.

Key verses:

[2 Timothy 1:6-7] Therefore I remind you to keep ablaze the gift of God that is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness, but one of power, love and sound judgment.

[2 Timothy 2:11-13] This saying is trustworthy: For if we have died with Him We will also live with Him; If we endure we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He will also deny us; If we are faithless, He remains faithful, For He cannot deny Himself.

[2 Timothy 3:1-5] But know this: Difficult times will come in the last days. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unlovable, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, without love for what is good, traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to the form of godlessness but denying its power. Avoid these people!

[2 Timothy 3:16-17] All Scripture is inspired by God, and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

[2 Timothy 4:5] But as for you, be serious about everything, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.,