2 Timothy 2
This chapter explains the mindset that a Christian must have in order to navigate the hostile Christian landscape described in the third chapter.
1 You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
Given the tall order of preserving the truth in an hostile environment, Paul, realizing that this is not something a person can tackle alone, reminds Timothy to draw help from God.
Moses had a tall order too – to deliver the Israelites from the strongest nation in the world at that time (Egypt). How was he able to do it? With God’s help!
We too – when we are given a mega task by God – must draw help from God. David didn’t learn to shoot his slingshot on the day before he fought Goliath; he practiced long before. In the same way, we must use the little trials that God sends us to hone our spiritual skills so that by the time we face a mighty task we are ready for it.
2 The 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.
Paul entrusted Timothy with the great truths of Christianity. Soon Paul would not be around, and Timothy would be the keeper of those truths. Timothy had to be faithful in doing that, and Timothy had to prepare others who would take the baton from him.
If God has entrusted you with something valuable, you must teach it to others so that they can benefit from it too, and you must teach it to people who will be able to entrust those truths to others.
3 Suffer hardship with {me,} as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
4 No 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.
5 Also if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules.
6 The hard-working farmer ought to be the first to receive his share of the crops.
There are three important characteristics of the Christian walk that each of us must meditate on and internalize…
The first is that we are at war, and the stakes are very high – it is not merely a matter of physical life and death, but a matter of spiritual life and death, and thus having eternal consequences. For this reason, we have to walk very carefully.
Further, if you want God to entrust something valuable to you then you must discipline yourself just like a soldier does. You can’t have the same interests as others. You can’t spend your time and money just like everyone else. You have to make sacrifices. You have to forfeit pleasures. You have to give up good things, so that they don’t become the enemy of the best.
You will only suffer this kind of hardship if you see the value of what God has entrusted to you, and if you love God so much that you are willing to forfeit anything for Him.
Secondly, the Christian walk is a race. Paul talked about this race in his letter to the Corinthians as well (2 Cor 9:24-27). That is, you are competing for a prize, and there are rules that you must follow (these are found in the Bible). If you don’t take the time to understand the rules, or follow them, you will lose your opportunity to receive the prize. The prize is intimacy with God as the bride of Christ. You can read more about the bride in the book of Revelation. To be great in the kingdom of God you must humble yourself so that you practice and preach both, the big and the little, commandments of God (Mt 5:19). Further, you must humble yourself so that you serve others (Mk 9:33-35).
Thirdly, the Christian walk is a marathon, not a sprint. Like the farmer who sows at one time, and then receives at a later time, you have to sow now, in faith, without receiving the benefit in this world of what you sow. You have to keep doing that until the end. If you do that, you will be the first to receive your reward. The full return on your investment is not quick. You have to have faith and patience while you endure suffering.
For full benefit, it is important for one to mediate on these things and prepare one’s mind to adapt to these three aspects of the Christian walk.
7 Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.
8 Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descendant of David, according to my gospel,
9 for which I suffer hardship even to imprisonment as a criminal; but the word of God is not imprisoned.
Here is one secret that Paul passes on to Timothy and wants him to consider and understand, with God’s help, and pass on to faithful men – the truth that Jesus was a descendant of David, and that Jesus rose from the dead. According to Paul, this is the gospel!
At first glance, it doesn’t really seem like a secret, or even of some great value. But let’s look at it a little more carefully…
Interestingly, when Paul wrote to the Romans, in Rom 1:1-4, he defined the gospel the same way.
Rom 1:1-4 1 Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, 4 who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord,
Do you see anything about the salvation of man in Paul’s definition of the gospel in 2 Tm 2:7-8 and Rom 1:1-4?
Why not? It is because the gospel is not concerning our salvation, but concerning Jesus, as Paul says in Rom 1:3. Our salvation is just a side-effect of the gospel! Yet, almost every Christian you ask, will tell you that the gospel is concerning our salvation.
Do you remember what Paul told Timothy regarding the truth that the church has to be a pillar and support of? Here it is:
1 Tm 3:14-16 14 I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long; 15 but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth. 16 By common confession, great is the mystery of godliness: He who was revealed in the flesh, was vindicated in the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.
The part where it says, “He who was revealed in the flesh” refers to the first element of 2 Tm 2:7-8 and Rom 1:1-4. The part where it says, “vindicated in the Spirit” refers to the second element. Again, nothing about our salvation is a part of what the church has to be a pillar and support of!
You see, there is something deep here that the Lord has to open our eyes to.
When Paul thought of the gospel he thought of two things, and neither of them were directly regarding our salvation. They were regarding the amazing fact that God is so holy that even when in the weak, frail form of man He still did not sin.
It is one thing for God to not sin when in the form of God. God cannot be tempted (Jas 1:13). When you are not tempted it is no big deal if you don’t sin. The question is: can God not sin when tempted just like you and me? If He cannot, then He cannot righteously send Satan or man to Hell.
Jesus emptied Himself of divine qualities (Phil 2:5-7) and became like man (Rom 8:3) with the ability to be tempted (Heb 4:15) and the possibility of sinning (that’s what it means to be in the likeness of sinful flesh). And yet He did not sin! How on earth did He do that? That is the mystery of godliness referred to in 1 Tm 3:15-16.
That is the gospel – that God was able to overcome sin even as man. Therefore, He can judge evil, and can send Satan and evil men to Hell. It is indeed good news that evil can be judged. Just imagine if evil could not be judged – everyone who did evil against you would get away with it. But now they can’t.
The gospel then is not primarily that God can righteously take man to heaven but that God can righteously judge Satan and send man to Hell.
This is the gospel that the church should really preach. That’s what Paul says in 1 Tm 3:15-16.
What must the church be a pillar and support of (i.e. preach openly) and get everyone to confess? It must preach that Jesus came as man, without any extra power (except the indwelling Holy Spirit) and did not sin. The angels saw it, and the Holy Spirit affirmed it, and took Him up in glory (i.e. raised Him from the dead with power).
Satan does not want man to know that God can righteously judge him. That is why he tries to hide this aspect of the gospel from man.
Now there are aspects of the gospel that result in our salvation, as Paul mentions in 1 Cor 15:1-3 and Eph 1:13, but the central truth is the glory of Christ (2 Cor 4:4). It’s like this: if you order hamburger and fries, the hamburger represents the fact that God became man and did not sin, and the fries represent the fact that Christ died for our sins and we can be saved. Without the hamburger, the fries just don’t cut it.
10 For 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.
It is for the sharing of truths like these to people who will understand and value these truths that Paul was willing to suffer.
11 It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him;
12 If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us;
13 If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.
Here is another truth that Paul tells Timothy to preserve – a truth that today many people don’t seem to understand…
If you die with Jesus (that is, if you deny your flesh) then you will live with Him. That is, repentance is a requirement for being saved.
If you endure suffering in the flesh to overcome temptation then you will reign with Jesus. Not everyone will reign with Jesus, but those who overcome will.
If you deny Jesus (i.e. if you say or act like you don’t belong to Him, or don’t stand up for Him in front of a crowd) then you will not be saved because He will deny you before His Father.
Some people use this passage to teach that we cannot lose our salvation. They focus on the ‘if we are faithless, He remains faithful’ part without considering the part before and after. As a result, they take the verse out of context and come to the wrong conclusion.
The teaching of 2 Tm 2:11-13 is clear – if you deny Christ, He will deny you. This sound doctrine is supported by all the verses that we saw above.
Just in case you find this hard to believe, in 2 Tm 2:13 Paul follows his statement with another statement saying that if we are faithless He will remain faithful because He cannot deny Himself.
In order to understand this passage correctly it is important to know what it means to be faithless, and what it means to be faithful.
To have faith is to believe what you do not see – it is the conviction of things not seen (Heb 11:1). To be faithless is to have no faith or, in other words, to not believe the words being said. If you have a friend who you know tells lies then you are unlikely to believe anything he says. You would say that as far as your friend is concerned you are faithless. That is, you do not believe him.
To be faithful is to do what one says, whether others believe it or not. God is faithful because He always keeps His promises. He always does what He says He plans to do. If He says that He will deny you if you deny Him, then He will do exactly that – He will deny you if you deny Him.
To deny oneself is to refuse to do what one has said he will do. It is to fail to keep your word. It is the opposite of being faithful. If I tell you I will meet you at the mall at 5:00 PM, and I do not come to the mall at 5:00 PM then I have denied myself. I have not kept my word.
Now we can understand what 2 Tm 2:11-13 is saying. It is saying that even if we doubt that Christ will really deny us (i.e. even if we are faithless) Christ will be faithful to do what He has said (which is that He will deny us if we deny Him) because He cannot not do what He said that He will do (that is, He cannot deny Himself).
Where did Jesus say that if we deny Him then He will deny us? Consider Mt 10:32,33.
Mt 10:32,33 "Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven."
Luke records a similar statement at another incident.
Lk 12:8,9 "And I say to you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will confess him also before the angels of God; but he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God."
The message is clear. If we confess Jesus before men, He will confess us before His Heavenly Father and His angels. If we deny Him before men, He will deny us before His Father and His angels. This applies even when we are in a tight situation that might cost us our lives.
What does it mean to be denied before His Heavenly Father and His angels? Is it a matter of losing one’s salvation? Mark and Luke’s gospel will help us answer that question.
Mk 8:38 "For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."
Lk 9:26 "For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and {the glory} of the Father and of the holy angels."
We see that, at His Second Coming, Jesus will be ashamed of, and will deny, those who are ashamed of Him and deny Him. This is the time when the dead in Christ will be raised and the alive in Christ will be changed (1 Cor 15:52). In other words, this is the time when the sons of God will be revealed (Rom 8:23). This is the time when we will find out who is truly born again and who is not. This is the time when we will find out who is truly saved. Therefore, we can be sure that the above verses refer to salvation. If Christ denies you at that time you are lost. This makes our confessing Him, instead of being ashamed of Him and His words and denying Him before men in an adulterous and sinful generation, a requirement for our salvation.
14 Remind {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.
Most people don’t believe that Jesus will deny them if they deny Jesus. But, as Paul tells Timothy here, we are to remind them of these things, and solemnly charge them in the presence of God not to argue with us when we do so. It is that serious!
15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.
In our Christian walk, it is easy to make the mistake of seeking the approval of our brothers and sisters in the church, and even of our church leadership. But we must seek the approval of God, and of no man, because pretty much everything has been compromised.
One way of gaining God’s approval is by accurately handling the word of truth. If you understand what God is saying, and practice it, and preach all of it accurately, you will gain God’s approval. Then you won’t be ashamed in the Day of Judgment when God gives you your reward.
16 But avoid worldly {and} empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness,
17 and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus,
18 {men} who have gone astray from the truth saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and they upset the faith of some.
When you try to get the approval of men you end up engaging in a lot of discussion and argument (i.e. worldly and empty chatter). There will be all kinds of people teaching all kinds of nonsense, and a lot of people will believe them (i.e. their talk will spread like gangrene). If you are elder in a church, you can control the doctrine over there, but you can’t control the doctrine everywhere. Don’t even bother engaging with those who are not under your authority. Leave them to God.
19 Nevertheless, 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."
Many people claim to be Christians, but that doesn’t make the Christians. The Lord keeps track of those who are His, so don’t burden yourself with that task. You just make sure that you are His by practicing the truth and teaching the truth (i.e. abstaining from wickedness). Even teaching falsehood is wickedness.
20 Now 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.
21 Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these {things,} he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.
If you want to be used by God for His purposes then you must cleanse yourself of falsehood and accurately handle the word of truth. To the extent that you understand and practice truth, to that extent God can use you to inspire and teach others to understand and practice the truth.
22 Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love {and} peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
When it comes to youthful lusts, the best approach is to flee. Attending college frat parties is not a good idea. Going to spring break parties is not a good idea. Bar hopping with friends is not a good idea. Why put yourself in a position where you will be presented with temptation that is difficult to resist? It is foolishness.
Your goal is to do what is right, and believe what is right, and ensure that God is on your side. If you see others who have such goals and no other agenda, hang out with them. That is good use of time.
23 But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels.
24 The Lord's bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged,
25 with 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.
In the above passage, Paul gives Timothy good advice on how to interact with people who have a different opinion than you on doctrine.
If you see someone who is going the wrong way, and you sense that they are not open to your suggestion, leave them alone, because anything you say will result in a quarrel. This applies even to the people you live with.
If people with a different opinion than you try to engage with you in a quarrel you must tactfully decline to engage if they don’t respond to your gentle correction.
If people make your life miserable because you disagree with them, escape from the situation if you can; if you can’t, be patient, and let God deal with them; don’t take your own revenge.
Whether people agree with you or not, you must always be kind to them and treat them with respect.
If people are open to your suggestion you must use that opportunity to teach them the truth. To be able to do this, you must prepare yourself in advance so that you are able to teach them clearly and efficiently.
We must realize that people believe what is false because God has sent a deluding influence over them, and God does this because they take pleasure in wickedness (i.e. they are held in the snare of the devil and are held captive by him to do his will) and don’t love the truth (2 Thess 2:8-12). Therefore, for someone to change their mind based on what you tell them, they must stop taking pleasure in wickedness and start loving the truth about themselves; then God can grant them the repentance that leads to the knowledge of the truth that you are sharing with them. Once God opens their eyes, only a gentle correction is needed, whereas if God has not opened their eyes, any type of attempt to correct them will lead to a quarrel. So you have to first discern whether God has opened their eyes, and you discern that by attempting a gentle correction.
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