2 Timothy: "Call to Completion"

By: Dwight Edwards

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Introduction

The book of II Timothy has been often called "Paul's last will and testament." This is a fitting title, for it was almost certainly the last letter Paul wrote before his earthly sojourn came to an end. Probably even before this letter reached Timothy, Paul's head had been severed from his body by the sword of a Roman soldier, somewhere along the Appian Way. Thus, this great man of God died just as he had lived--as a living sacrifice (Rom. 12:1). Perhaps no more fitting epitaph could be written for Paul than his own words at the end of this epistle, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." II Tim. 4:7

The date of this letter is probably close to 66 A.D. Paul is writing from a Roman prison cell to his beloved son in the faith, Timothy. The contents of this letter can be summed up in three words: PERSONAL, PASTORAL, and PRACTICAL.

This is a very PERSONAL letter, one which unmistakably shows us the personal affection Paul had for Timothy. Note especially 1:3-6; 2:1; 4:9.

It is also a PASTORAL letter, along with I Timothy and Titus. Timothy was pastoring the church in Ephesus, which was not an easy task (I Tim. 1:3,4,18; II Tim. 1:6-8). Paul writes to encourage and exhort him towards continued faithfulness and not stopping short of "completely fulfilling his ministry." II Tim. 4:5.

Finally, it is a PRACTICAL letter. There is relatively little deep theology in this epistle such as is found in Romans, Ephesians, etc. Of course all of Paul's letters are practical but this one especially concentrates on the practical aspects of discipleship and "fighting the good fight."

This is, therefore, an indispensable book for every believer who is serious about "fighting the good fight" and "completely fulfilling" the ministry that God has entrusted to each of us.

Outline

GREETING - 1:1,2

PROLOGUE - 1:3-18

I. Concern and Commendation 1:3-5

II. Charge and Commission 1:6-14

A. Rekindle His Gift 1:6,7

B. Risk His Safety 1:8-12

1. Because of God's Power 1:8

2. Because of God's Provision 1:9-11

3. Because of God's Preservation 1:12

C. Retain God's Word 1:13

D. Relay God's Deposit 1:14 (THEME VERSE)

III. Contrasting of Christians 1:15-18

A. The Faithfulness 1:15

B. The Faithful 1:16-18

BODY - 2:1-4:8 Theme: "Call to Completion"

I. Commission to Fulfill 2:1-26

A. Understanding the Commission 2:1,2

1. Be Strong 2:1

2. Be Spiritually Reproductive 2:2

B. Undertaking the Commission 2:3-26

1. Its Cost 2:3-7

a. Suffer Hardship 2:3

b. Stay Unentangled 2:4

c. Strive Lawfully 2:5

d. Struggle Intently 2:6

2. Its Compulsion 2:8-13

a. The Presence of Christ 2:8

b. The Power of God's Word 2:9

c. The Perfecting of God's Elect 2:10

d. The Promise of Assurance and Accountability 2:11-13

3. Its Conduct 2:14-26

a. In Regards to His Disciples 2:14

b. In Regards to God 2:15

c. In Regards to False Teachers 2:16-21

d. In Regards to Himself 2:22

e. In Regards to His Service 2:23-26

1) Things to Refrain From 2:23-24a

2) Things to Retain 2:24a-25a

3) Things to Realize 2:25b-26

II. Conflict to Face 3:1-17

A. Description of His Coming Conflict 3:1-9

1. Perilous Times 3:1

2. Perverse Men 3:2-4

3. Pious Counterfeits 3:5-9

a. Their Description 3:6-8

b. Their Downfall 3:9

B. Description of His Past Curriculum 3:10-12

C. Description of His Present Resource 3:13-17

1. Enemies of the Resource 3:13

2. Exhortations Concerning the Resource 3:14-15

3. Examination of the Resource 3:16-17

III. Course to Finish 4:1-2

A. His Perspective 4:1

B. His Preaching and Practice 4:2-5

C. His Pattern 4:6-8

1. Paul's Present State 4:6

2. Paul's Past Faithfulness 4:7

3. Paul's Future Reward 4:8

EPILOGUE - 4:9-18

I. Final Instructions 4:9-15

II. Faithfulness Illustrated 4:16-18

A. Illustration of Men's Unfaithfulness 4:16

B. Illustration of God's Faithfulness 4:17-18

CLOSING - 4:19-22

2 Timothy 1:1-7

I. Salutation 1:1, 2

Vs.1 Paul opens this letter by identifying his POSITION and PURPOSE as a chosen vessel of the Lord.

Position: "Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, by the will of God

Paul had not sought for this position of leadership but neither had he run from it. One of the problems that has always plagued the church is the reversal of this order. Too often it is the unqualified who seek positions of spiritual leadership while the qualified have run from these same roles. Our response should ever be that of Paul's, "Lord what will You have me to do?" Acts 9:6 Service For the Lord will be significant only to the degree that we can say with Paul that it is "by the will of God."

Purpose: "According to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus."

This phrase is virtually synonymous to his salutation in Romans--"Paul . . . separated to the gospel of God." Rom. 1:1. Paul had separated himself from all competing ambitions and desires to concentrate preeminently upon the furtherance of the gospel. The preposition "according to" (kata) defines the aim and purpose of Paul's apostleship (Kelly), to further "the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus." Immediately we see the single-mindedness of Paul and his passion for the progress of the gospel. One commentator writes,

"God chose him (Paul) because He wanted to do something with him. He wished to make him the instrument by which the tidings of new life went out to men. No Christian is ever chosen entirely for his own sake, but for what he can do for others. A Christian is a man lost in wonder, love, and praise at what God has done for him; and aflame with eagerness to tell others what God can do for them."

God desires all believers to see themselves in this light, as "set apart to the gospel of God." May we cultivate the spirit of David Brainerd, the earliest missionary to the American Indians of New England. He wrote in his journal, "I cared not where or how I lived, or what hardships I endured so that I could but gain souls for Christ. While I was asleep I dreamt of such things and when I woke the first thing I thought of was winning souls to Christ."

The phrase "the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus" is synonymous with the gospel. We ought to note a few things about this significant phrase. First, it is a promise (epangelian zoes) from God to man. Therefore, it can be counted upon with absolute certainty. Promises from men to men are often broken, but not so with the living God. "God is not a man that He should lie, nor a son of man that He should repent. Has He said and will He not do it or has He spoken and will He not make it good." Num. 23:19. Thus, we can present the gospel with absolute certainty and conviction, for it is the "good news" of God's unchanging love and faithfulness for mankind. This promise is one which contains "life." The term "life" in Scripture speaks not of mere existence but of the QUALITY of our existence. John 1:4,10:10; Rom. 8:6, etc. God promises man a quality of life which is superior to anything this temporal world can offer. This life can only be found "in Christ Jesus" for He alone offers the living water which eternally quenches our spiritual thirst. John 4. John emphasizes this in the prologue of his gospel, "In Him was life and the life was the light of men." in. 1:4.

So we have seen in this first verse the intense single-mindedness of Paul. He was consumed with a holy fire which brought the light and warmth of the gospel to all he came in contact with. And it is this same fire which he desires to see blazing brightly in the life of Timothy, his disciple. And it is this same fire God desires to ignite within our lives so that we too bring the light and warmth of the gospel to all God brings our way.

Vs. 2 Paul calls Timothy his "beloved son." In the midst of being deserted by many he thought he could count on (1:15,4:16), Paul finds great consolation and joy in Timothy (1:3-5). This letter flows forth from the heart of a man who never had a son to a man who never really had a father (that is, spiritually). Thus, Paul and Timothy had a very special bond between them which only death could separate.

II. Prologue 1:3-18

Vs. 3 As Paul frequently does, he begins with thanksgiving to God. Important to note that even in the darkest of circumstances Paul was able to find things to thank God for. He practiced what he preached! I Thess. 5:18.

The structure of verses 3-5 is somewhat difficult to follow. Everything in vs. 3 following "God" and all of vs. 4 is parenthetical. Thus, vs. 5 gives the occasion for Paul's thanksgiving--"when I call to remembrance the genuine faith in you . The word for "serve" (latreuo) is very significant. It is a word which is frequently used in connection with priestly service (Heb. 8:5; 9:9,14; 10:2; 12:28; 13:10; Rev. 7:15). "Shut up in prison, cut off in a final way from active ministry, he nonetheless finds the joy of the priestly ministry of prayer both in praise (the sacrifice of praise) and in intercession."(Hodges).

One of our primary tasks as believer-priests is that of going to God on behalf of men, i.e., intercession. Paul certainly took this priestly service very seriously, " . . . without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day." It is also important to note that (latreuo) can be translated either "worship" or "service" and frequently appears to mean both. This is very significant because it shows that "service" cannot be separated from "worship." Many Christians desire to "worship" the Lord on Sunday but are too busy to "serve" Him at other times. The New Testament knows nothing of this dichotomy. Any true worshipper of God is also a servant, ready to do his Master's bidding.

The manner of Paul's service is also given--"with a pure conscience" (kathara suneidesei). This phrase is very prominent in the Pastoral epistles. The significance of having a clear conscience cannot be overemphasized, for it is essential for the following things:

• GENUINE LOVE I Tim. 1:5
• TO FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT I Tim. 1:18,19
• TO UNDERSTAND CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE I Tim. 3:9
• TO AVOID FALSE DOCTRINE I Tim. 4:2
• TO DISCERN GOOD AND EVIL Titus 1:15

A "pure conscience" consists in being able to say that there is no one (God or man) whom I have knowingly offended and not tried to make it right (either by asking forgiveness or restoration or both). Acts 24:16. Christ spoke of this very issue in the Sermon on the Mount where He made it clear that our priestly service must be done with a clear conscience to be acceptable before God. "Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother and then come and offer your gift." Mt. 5:23-25. We are being told here that a clear conscience must precede priestly service.

Vs. 4 Paul expresses here his intense longing for Timothy and his keen desire for a personal visit. 4:9. There is a direct correlation here between the amount of time Paul spent praying for Timothy (3b) and the amount of affection he felt for him (4). One of the best ways to increase our heartfelt love for other believers is to pray for them frequently and intensely.

The "tears" Paul speaks of may well have been ones which Timothy shed at their parting in I Tim. 1:3. Apparently Timothy wanted to go on with Paul to Macedonia but Paul urged him to stay in Ephesus and continue ministering. To do the will of God may well bring us to tears time and again. Like Timothy, we may have to be separated from our closest companions on earth in order to "completely fulfill" the ministry which has been entrusted to us. Timothy could have refused the call of God and selfishly clung to the side of Paul, but in so doing he would have forfeited an immensely greater prize than Paul--the opportunity to make an eternal difference in the lives and destinies of the people in Ephesus. And even beyond that, we would not even have the letters of I and II Timothy if Timothy had not been willing to set aside his personal preference and to submit himself to the yoke of obedience. For if Timothy had remained with Paul, then these letters would not have been written. Yet because he submitted, untold scores of believers throughout the last 2,000 years have been strengthened and encouraged by these letters. There is absolutely no way to calculate the range of impact that an act of sacrificial service may have on other people. It is only the service which truly costs that will truly count!!

"On without cheer of sister or of daughter,
Yes, without stay of father or of son,
Lone on the land, and homeless on the water,
Pass I in patience till my work be done."
F.W.H. Meyers

Vs. 5 Paul now describes the object of his thanksgiving--Timothy's "sincere faith." The word for "genuine (sincere)" literally means "without playing the part" (anupokritou). In the midst of many who were simply "playing the part" of discipleship (1:15), Timothy is a source of great joy and thanksgiving for the aged apostle. Paul earlier described Timothy's sincere faith in Phil. 2:19-22. Three prominent characteristics emerge from these verses:

• DEEPLY CONCERNED ". . . who will sincerely care for your state"
• THOROUGHLY CONSECRATED "for all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus."
• INTENSELY COMMITTED (to Paul and the Gospel) "But you know his proven character, that as a son with his father, he served with me in the gospel."

Would Paul be able to say to us that he thanks God for our "sincere faith?" Paul's commendation of Timothy's faith is very, very significant in light of I Timothy 5:23, "No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach's sake and your frequent infirmities." Many teach today that if you have enough faith you will not be sick and that God's will for every believer is that they be healed. Yet we see here that Timothy had both "sincere faith" and "frequent infirmities." All believers will be healed ultimately (Phil. 3:21), but not necessarily in this life. Present healing is dependent upon God's sovereign choice, not on mustering up enough faith to qualify for God's special services.

Paul notes that this "sincere faith" was passed down to Timothy from his mother and grandmother. Surely these two women, Lois and Eunice, are two of the great heroines of the N.T. They brought up this godly young man in spite of opposing ungodly influences. His father was a Greek (Acts 16:3) and did not share his wife's Jewish beliefs. According to Alfred Edersheim, Lystra (Timothy's home) did not have a Jewish synagogue. Thus Timothy was brought up without any synagogue training. Yet in spite of all this, they infected him with a sincere faith which stayed with him the rest of his life. It is significant to note that it was their faith which impacted Timothy's life, not simply their knowledge. And perhaps Paul mentions these two powerful influences on Timothy's life to motivate him in continuing down the path that they had set him on.

Timothy's mother is a good example of Paul's teaching in I Timothy 2:12-15. She did not teach other men but concentrated on her primary disciple--her son Timothy. And because of this she was "saved" from the restriction of teaching men. She was involved in a dual ministry of reproduction--both physically and spiritually. The word of God holds out the occupation of being a faithful wife and mother as a high and sacred calling! (Titus 2:4,5) "The woman's duty is to give to a child a home of faith and to faith a home in the child. " (Hodges)

Vs. 6 Having encouraged Timothy, he now begins to exhort him. The conjunction should read "for this reason" (hen aitian ). In view of his sincere faith, Timothy is to maintain its quality by diligent use. Faith never remains stagnant, it is either growing or dying by its diet of good works. (James 2:14-26)

There is a play on words here between "remind" (anamimnesko) and "fan into flames" (anazopurein). Paul is "again" bringing to mind that Timothy should "again" kindle the gift God had entrusted to him. Apparently Timothy was growing fainthearted in the fight for the faith. Slowly the holy fire, which the Holy Spirit had ignited in and through his life, was dying out. And if it continued to die, the day would come when Timothy's life and ministry would be but smoldering remains of a once vibrant faith. Thus Timothy is exhorted to "bring to full blaze" his spiritual gift. The imagery of fire is a common one throughout scripture. "Who makes . . . His ministers a flame of fire." (Heb. 1:7; Jer. 20:8,9). Listen to the words of, J. Oswald Sanders in this regard.

"The wick exists only to be consumed. If it survives, it has failed of its purpose. There is no such thing as costless spiritual service. As we minister to others, virtue will go out of us. Ours is the privilege of offering ourselves as fuel for the flame of God."

It is significant to note the way in which Paul phrases Timothy's responsibility. He does not tell Timothy to "fire up," but rather tells him to fire up THE GIFT OF GOD which is in him. This is probably done to remind Timothy of his grave responsibility as a steward of God. The gift (to charisma) almost certainly refers to Timothy's spiritual gift. (I Tim. 4:14) This spiritual gift does not belong to Timothy, however, it belongs to God! And God had entrusted this spiritual gift to Timothy in order that Timothy's life might make an eternal contribution to the kingdom of God. This spiritual gift also insured Timothy (as ours does us) that he was a vitally significant individual. For residing within him (and us) was a God-given ability which, when ignited by the Holy Spirit, could burst forth in a holy blaze, kindling other lives around him with the same holy fire. And Paul wanted Timothy (and us) to never recover from the force of this great truth.

This gift was given through the laying on of Paul's hands. We don't know for sure what exactly took place. It appears that this is similar to ACTS 8:18 (same exact wording). The apostles were given special ability and authority to impart the Holy Spirit to believers of different ethnic backgrounds. This was done to confirm unmistakably that salvation was for all peoples, not just the Jewish believers. (Acts 15:7-9). It appears that Paul did this very thing with Timothy. This ability passed away with the apostles (Heb. 2:4; Eph 2:20) and today believers receive the Holy Spirit and their spiritual gifts at the moment of conversion (Eph 1:3).

Vs 7 Paul now gives an overwhelming reason that Timothy should continue in the good fight. Not only has Timothy been given a spiritual gift from God But he has also been given a portion of God Himself which indwells Timothy's mortal body. "Spirit" (pneuma) is clearly in reference to the Holy Spirit, not the human spirit. The lack of the article before pneuma is stressing the quality of the spirit God has given us. The quality of this spirit is now described for us; first negatively (what it is not), and then positively (what is it). It is not a spirit of "timidity." This word (deilias) is always used negatively in the N.T. and frequently it is used in regards to one lacking faith (Matt. 8:26; Mk 4:40). Timothy had a struggle with timidity and fearfulness (I Cor. 16:10) and his timidity was beginning to douse his spiritual fire. And it is crucial to note how Paul tells Timothy to deal with his natural fearfulness. He doesn't tell him to "guts it up" or "to stop being afraid." Rather he reminds Timothy that God has given him a resource which will supernaturally overcome these fears. As he plugs into the resurrections power which indwells his body, then he can become a God-intoxicated (Eph. 5:18) individual through whom spiritual life can be diffused to those around him. "The wicked flee when no man pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion." (Prov. 28:1)

Why did Paul choose these three positive qualities of the spirit to single out? It seems to me that these qualities negate the primary reasons people give for not involving themselves in ministry:

(1) "I can't do it, it's too hard" - God has given to us a Spirit which is characterized by POWER (dunamis). The ministry is too hard for any of us to handle by ourselves, for we are utterly inadequate. But the same power which raised Christ from the dead is also available to us so that we can say with Paul, "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God." (II Cor. 3:5)

(2) "Someone else can do it, I don't have time." This kind of attitude is exactly the opposite of the second quality mentioned here--LOVE (agape). True love can't wait to get involved in helping transform the lives of people. If a person is too busy to be involved in changing other's lives, then he is too busy. If the love of Christ constrains us (II Cor 5:14) then we will long for the same things Christ longs for, "Who desires all men to be saved and come to the full knowledge of the truth." (I Tim. 2:4)

(3) "God can't use me, I'm not qualified." This excuse is canceled out by the third quality - SOUND MIND (sophronismos). This word speaks of being "balance" or "thinking properly" (Mark 5:15). It was used of the manager of a household who had an "accurate assessment" of the articles and their value in the house. Thus we also are to have an "accurate assessment" of what God has granted to us. Interestingly, this same word is used in Romans 12:3 in regards to our spiritual gift. Every believer has at least one spiritual gift and therefore can be used of God significantly. There are no "little people" or "second class citizens" in God's kingdom! (I Peter 4:10, 11)

2 Timothy 1:8-12

Vs. 8: Having begun to exhort Timothy in vs. 6 & 7, Paul continues with a second exhortation in vs. 8. In vss. 6,7, Timothy was told to REKINDLE HIS GIFT. In vs. 8-12 Timothy is being exhorted to RISK HIS SAFETY. And Paul will give Timothy three good reasons why he should put his life on the line for the cause of Christ.

'The first reason that Timothy is not to be "ashamed" of the gospel is because of GOD'S POWER. Note that vs. 8 begins with the significant conjunction "therefore" (oun). This conjunction is signaling us back to vs. 7 where we saw the marvelous truth of God's Holy Spirit indwelling all believers. And because the mighty power of God Himself is abundantly available to us, we should live as God-intoxicated individuals. (Eph 5:18). Thus our natural reluctance to face the onslaught of a Christ-rejecting world can be overcome by the supernatural resource of God's resurrection power which gives life and victory to our mortal bodies. When Dan Crawford's body was found, a well worn New Testament was found in the coat pocket of that great missionary to Africa. Inside the N.T. Crawford had written these words:

"I cannot do it alone! The waves dash fast and high, the fog comes chill around and the lights go out in the sky. But I know that we two shall win in the end: Jesus and I. Coward and wayward and weak, I change with the changing sky, today so strong and brave, tomorrow too weak to fly. But He never gives up, so we two shall win in the end: Jesus and I."

Timothy is given two commands, one negative and the other positive. First, he is not to be ashamed of the gospel (testimony of our Lord) nor of his partner in the gospel (nor of me His prisoner). The phrase "testimony of our Lord" is almost certainly a reference to the gospel. It is used this way in Matt. 24:14, I Cor. 1:6, and Rev. 1:9. Note also that "gospel" is used at the end of this very verse. There is a sad irony in the fact that believers are often "ashamed of the good news (gospel)." If a person had the cure for cancer then it would be a most vicious of crimes to keep that cure to himself. Yet we have the cure for a disease infinitely worse than cancer--the disease of sin, whose effects ravage the soul and culminates in spiritual death. Therefore, we should respond like the Thessalonians and "thunder forth" the word of the Lord. (I Thess 1:8)

Secondly he is not to be ashamed of Paul (nor of me His prisoner). To be identified with Paul at this time was a very dangerous thing and because of this many had refused to come to Paul's aid in time of need. (1:15) Yet a true friend "loves at all times" (Prov. 17:17). Paul will point out such a friend at the end of this chapter, a man named Onesiphorus. And so Timothy is to RISK HIS SAFETY by boldly proclaiming the gospel and openly identifying himself with Paul in Rome.

It is important to note Paul's perspective in his suffering and imprisonment. He didn't see himself as a Roman prisoner, but as "a prisoner of the Lord." His chains were not clamped on by an oppressive Roman government, but by the hand of a loving, faithful Father Who was working it all to Paul's ultimate good and His glory. And so Paul was able to avoid bitterness toward the Roman authorities, for he did not see them as acting on their own. He had developed 50-20 vision which Joseph describes in Gen. 50:20, "but as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good. . . "

The positive command (what he is to do) is to take it on the chin for the sake of the gospel. "But share with me in the sufferings for the gospel . . . " This suffering is probably more than just physical, it also will involve verbal and social ostracizing. Luke 6:22. And if one is serious about making the gospel an issue, about snatching men from the domain of darkness, then it will cost. II Tim. 3:12

"Am I a soldier of the cross, a follower of the Lamb?
And shall I fear to own His cause, or blush to speak His name?
Must I be carried to the skies on flowery beds of ease?
While others fought to win the prize, and sailed through bloody seas.
Sure I must fight if I would reign, Increase my courage Lord.
I'll bear the toil, endure the pain, supported by thy Word."
(Isaac Watts)

Note again the means by which we are to suffer for the sake of the gospel. according to the power of God." (We can bear less than we think if we trust our strength, more than we think if we trust His. . . Hodges)

Vs 9-11: We now see the second reason we should RISK OUR SAFETY for the sake of the gospel. In vs. 11 we find God's proclamation, namely the gospel. All of vss. 9-11 appear to be a digression off of the last word in vs. 8, God (theos). At this point Paul simply cannot resist the opportunity to enlarge upon the gospel of God and what He did in providing salvation for man. Thus there are two significant things to note in the relationship of vs. 9 & 10 to vs. 8.

Verses 9 & 10 give us another tremendous reason for not being ashamed of the gospel. These verses describe the wondrous provision of salvation which God has made for helpless men. The gospel which we are entrusted with is no ordinary commodity, nor just another item to be sold in the marketplace of religious thought. It is the "promise of life," the "power of God to salvation," the "good news" for desperate and despairing souls. In view of this "glorious gospel" we ought to "endure all things for the sake of the elect." (II Tim 2:10)

Verses 9 & 10 are a description of the gospel (vs 8) and especially God's role in bringing it to us. These verses are filled with wondrous and deep truths in regards to God's provision of the gospel.

We begin vs. 9 by reading, "Who saved US . . . " (tou sosantos hemas). This is one of the few times in the N.T. where the word "save" (sozo) refers only to justification (salvation from the penalty of sin). In each case when save is used only for justification, it is used in a past tense (either aorist or perfect). Eph 2:8, Titus 3:5, Luke 8:12. It is interesting to note the contrast in the use of "save" here with I Timothy 4:16. In I Timothy 4:16, Timothy's salvation is still future and is conditional. Here Timothy's salvation is past and unconditional. Is there a contradiction? No, I Tim. 4:16 is talking about SANCTIFICATION (salvation from the power and effects of sin) while II Tim. 1:9 is in reference to JUSTIFICATION. Untold confusion has arisen by men forcing "justification" upon the word "save" whenever they see it in the N.T.

We ought to note that it is God Who reached down and saved us. He initiated the process from before time eternal, He wooed us and won us by the convicting ministry of His Spirit, and He will consummate the process in His good time. Truly there can be no boasting on man's part for all we ever did was turn farther away from the One Who created and redeemed us. Inseparably linked to our salvation, is our calling. ". . . and called us with a holy calling." We see four important characteristics of this calling in vs. 9.

(1) It is a HOLY CALLING: The word "holy" (hagios) means "set apart." God has always desired His people to be set apart" people. Dt. 7:6, Isa. 52:11, 1 Pet. 1:15,16. We are to be "set apart" from sin and "set apart" to the Savior. Holiness is not an option for the believer, it is a family obligation for all those who are joined together in Christ. "Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity." II Tim. 2:19.

(2) It is an UNMERITED CALLING: "not according to our works but according to his own . . . grace." Our salvation and calling are utterly unmerited by US. Our righteous deeds are but "filthy rags" (Is. 64:6) and the only thing our lives truly merit is the wrath of Almighty God. Yet because of God's unfathomable love, He reached out to us who were dead in trespasses and sin and has made us alive together in Christ. (Eph 2:1-5). Isaac Watts put it well:

"Alas and did my Savior bleed? and did my Sovereign die?
Would He devote that sacred head for such as worm as I?
Was it for crimes that I have done He groaned upon the tree?
Amazing pity! grace unknown! and love beyond degree!"

(3) It is a PURPOSEFUL CALLING: "but according to His own purpose . . . " One of the greatest pursuits of our day is the pursuit for purpose in life. I remember reading a few years back about a man named Isaac Singer, Nobel Peace Prize winner for literature. In the article his very successful life was described in some detail and it appeared that he had lived a very full and rewarding life. But at the end of the article, Isaac Singer made a statement which I've never forgotten. He said, "But you know the same questions bother me today which bothered me fifty years ago." And number one among these questions was, "Why was I born?" No doubt Mr. Singer is not alone in his unfulfilled quest for purpose and meaning in life. In fact Dr. Karl Jung, the famous psychologist made the statement not long ago that "Purposelessness is the neurosis of our day." Yet God has provided a totally satisfying answer to the question of purpose. But it is important to note that this answer is "according to HIS OWN purpose." Until we are willing to live life for HIS purpose then we will chafe at His answer for it cuts across the grain of our natural desire for personal HAPPINESS. God's purpose (prothesis) for our lives is not personal HAPPINESS but personal HOLINESS (Christ-likeness) Rom. 8:28,29.

God's great goal for our lives is to "conform us to the image of His Son" Rom. 8:29. He will stop at nothing to bring about this holy task. Thus, the great purpose "set before" us is to be consumed with the calling of Christ-likeness and to unrelentlessly pursue this great goal, no matter what the cost. Like the apostle Paul, we should set as our primary purpose in life "to know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if by any means I may attain to the resurrection from the dead." (Phil. 3:10,11)

(4) It is an ETERNAL CALLING. "which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began." The pronoun "which" is probably referring back to both "purpose and grace." Here we catch a glimpse of the majestic sovereignty of God Who "works all things according to the counsel of His will" (Eph. 1:11). God's purpose and grace were given to us in the person of Christ Jesus. But look when we received them: "before times eternal" (pro chronon aionion).

The human mind is simply incapable of fully grasping the immensity of truths such as these; yet it should not frustrate us that we are not able to pigeonhole God's eternal workings by our frail, finite intellects. Rather, truths such as these should stir our hearts to deeper appreciation and fuller worship of the great God we serve. "Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!" (Rom. 11:33) What may appear to us to be taking place in the here and now, took place in the mind of God even before He set time in motion. Thus it is no accident that you and I are come upon the stage of human history at this particular point in time. We are simply playing a part God designed and decreed for us long, long ago even before the genesis of time itself.

vs. 10: Though God's grace and purpose for us have been existence since before time eternal, they have been spotlighted for our attention through the coming of Jesus Christ. The word f or "appearing" (epiphaneias) was a technical term in the Greek world for the self-disclosure of a god or king. (Kelly). Christ came to disclose to the world that He was both God (John 8:58) and King (John 18:33-37). In addition to this, we are told of at least three other things He accomplished by His life, death, and resurrection:

(1) PUT DEATH OUT OF BUSINESS. "Who abolished death . . . " The word for abolish (katargeo) means "to render ineffective or inoperative." It was used at times of being left unemployed. Christ put death out of business by His death and resurrection. The grave is no longer the end of life but the beginning a new life.

"It is not death to die, to leave this weary road and midst the brotherhood on high, to be at home with God. it is not death to close the eye long dimmed by tears and wake in glorious repose to spend eternal years. It is not death to bear the wrench that sets us free, from dungeon-chain to breathe the air of boundless liberty. It is not death to fling aside this sinful dust and rise on strong, exulting wing to live among the just. Jesus, Thou Prince of life, Thy chosen cannot die Like Thee, they conquer in the strife to reign with Thee on high."

The word death (thanatos) is a much more pregnant term than most think. It includes not only physical death, but also the quality of one's present life (I Tim, 5:6). It is tremendous to see the contrasts between death and life because of what Christ has done. Death came though the tree of life - in the garden by Adam - life came through the tree of death (cross) on Calvary by the second Adam (Christ). Adam's disobedience brought death to all; so Christ's obedience brought life to all. Adam "took and ate" and thus brought death to men; Christ died and thus brought life to man by the same words, "Take and eat." (Matt. 26:26). Truly, Christ put death out of business (not existence) and so we can sing with the apostle Paul, "O Death, where is your sting? 0 Hades, where is your victory?" (I Cor 15:55)

(2) BROUGHT IMMORTALITY OF BODY. "and brought to light . . . immortality." The word translated "immortality" (aphtharsia) most literally means incorruption. It is used in I Cor. 15:42, 50, 53, 54 where it is set in contrast to our corruptible (phthartos) bodies. Though our body is presently corruptible because of the decaying and destructive effects of sin; one day we are assured that it will be raised "incorruptible." Then we will have a resurrected, transfigured body which will be "conformed to His glorious body." Phil 3:21. John tells us that "everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself just as He is pure." (I John 3:1-3)

Note that all the glorious truths which we have only touched on in verse 9 & 10 are brought to light "through the gospel." God brought these truths to light through the gospel, but we must bring the gospel to light so that men and women can have a clear exposure to its transforming power.

Vs. 11: Paul now comments on his ministry in relationship to this glorious gospel which he has been entrusted with. First, he was appointed a preacher (kerux). This was a graphic word in the ancient Greek world. It was used in several different ways, each of which exemplified Paul's ministry. It was used of a herald who brought an announcement from the king. Paul (as well as us) was sent forth to herald the good news of salvation from the King of kings. It was used of an emissary when two armies were opposed to each other. The man of God is sent as a go-between to offer conditions of peace to men in opposition to God. It was also used of an auctioneer or merchant shouting out his wares and inviting people to come and buy. So we are to make known to those around us the gift of eternal life which God is inviting all men to come receive freely. Clearly Paul saw the gospel as something to be VERBALLY communicated. While it is absolutely essential that our walk backs our talk, it is equally essential that our talk explains our walk. Otherwise, how will people come to know the real reason for the difference in our lifestyle?

Paul was also appointed as "an apostle and a teacher of the Gentiles." It is important to note two things here. I am very impressed with how well rounded Paul's ministry was. He was actively involved in proclaiming the gospel (preacher), going forth to reach those who had not heard (apostle), "one sent forth"), and imparting the truth to believers in order to build them up (teacher). It is difficult to maintain all three of these functions in the ministry. Yet a well rounded ministry will involve (1) our proclaiming the gospel to unbelievers (preacher); (2) our going forth to reach others (apostle- in a non-technical sense of the word); (3) our thoroughly expounding the truths of God's word to believers for their edification (teacher). Also Paul was sent to minister to the Gentiles. The important thing here is that there was no one better qualified to reach the Jews (Phil 3:5,6). The logical thing would have been to send Paul to the Jews. Yet God's ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts. He knew Paul would be much more reliant on His supernatural power and wisdom if he ministered to a people which he was not as familiar and comfortable with. As we look for a ministry, do we choose on the basis of what is best suited for us or what suits God's desires the best? It may well be that God will select a ministry for us which would not be our logical choice, yet will be one which causes us to rely upon Him in a much greater way. And because of this very reason, our ministry will have greater impact and bring greater glory to the One Who placed us in service.

Vs 12: We now see that Paul's faithfulness to His God-given task (11) resulted in open hostility from the very men he was trying to reach. The verse begins with the phrase "For this reason" which refers back to vs. 11 and his commission. And the result of his fidelity to this commission was to "suffer these things." The road of obedience may lead to the green pastures of prosperity; but it may also lead to the dark valleys of persecution and suffering. And we must be ready to accept either. The phrase "these things" (tauta) is in reference to Paul's imprisonment and all that is entailed in this unjust incarceration.

The way we cross the dark valleys of undeserved suffering will determine whether we end up as holy or bitter individuals. Undeserved suffering will drive us into one of these two camps; either it will purify our faith so that we become increasingly holy or it will erode our confidence in God so that w e become increasingly bitter. (Heb 12:11-15) We see in this passage how Paul responded to his undeserved suffering. "Nevertheless, I am not ashamed . . ." This suffering had not diminished his confidence in God, in fact it was strong as ever, " . . for I know Whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day."

In the midst of suffering at the hands of the Romans and being forsaken by his friends (1:15), Paul's exuberant faith has not diminished in the least. The perfect tenses of "have believed" (pepisteuka) and "am persuaded" (pepeismai) add emphasis to the state of his utter confidence in God.

The key to interpreting this verse lies in identifying the phrase "what I have committed to Him" (paratheken). It is unlikely that this particular verse is referring to eternal security. Though eternal security is a doctrine taught in both O.T. and N.T., I doubt seriously if this is what Paul had in mind here. The phrase "until that Day" (eis ekeinen ten hemeran) is a reference to the judgment seat of Christ (1:18, 4:8). Eternal security extends far beyond the judgment seat of Christ. Also, the key word "guard" (phulaxai) is never used in reference to a believer's soul. What then, is this verse referring to? Most likely it is Paul's assurance that God will safeguard and continue his life and ministry until the return of Christ. The term, "entrusted," paratithemi is a legal term denoting something which one person places under the safeguard of another. It was used frequently of one who was taking a long journey and who deposits his money and valuables with a friend, trusting him to restore it on return. The apostle Paul is about to embark on a homeward journey (4:6) and he is now entrusting all that he has said and done into the hands of his most faithful friend. And he knows beyond any shadow of a doubt that this friend will guard the efforts of his life until he returns again with the Lord Jesus Christ. Despite the unfaithfulness of men (1:15), and a general departure from the faith (3:1-9); God can be counted upon to safeguard his sacrificial life and service so "he being dead still speaks" and his works follow him. Was Paul justified in this confidence?

"How superlatively well-placed this confidence was, history now informs us. Can anyone measure the total effects of Paul's life and work, the souls won, the Christians strengthened - through the writings which all flowed naturally out of that life - and have been preserved by God. The divine interest that has accrued on the deposit made 1900 years ago defies the human mind to calculate or compute! Its worth in eternal glory will be awarded to this devoted servant in "that day." "Oh, the privilege of a consecrated life which at death, can be left in the hands of a faithful God." (Zane Hodges)

Thus we have seen at least three superb reasons for "bearing the shame" which comes upon all faithful heralds of the gospel. Because of GOD'S POWER we can endure and overcome more than we imagine. Because of GOD'S PROCLAMATION we should trumpet forth the "good news" of salvation far and wide. Because of GOD'S PRESERVATION we should pour out our lives for His kingdom knowing that He will preserve and, in fact, multiply the fruit of our labor.

2 Timothy 1:13-18

Having described his unswerving confidence in God's faithfulness(vs.12), he now turns to Timothy's personal responsibility (13,14). Paul is ever balanced in his perspective of God's sovereignty and man's responsibility.

VS. 13: In this single verse Paul gives Timothy four responsibilities he has in regards to the word of God. HOLD FAST. "Hold fast the pattern of sound words." The imperative "hold" (eche) indicates that this is of vital importance. It can be very tempting to let go of what we once learned to take hold of a seemingly "new" and "more exciting" truth. Yet the old proverb still holds true, "There is nothing new under the sun." (Ecc 1:9) So often today's new truth turns out to be yesterday's heresy, simply redressed. The best way to "hold fast" God's word is to hide it in our hearts. The word of God summons us to this life changing discipline time after time. "These words which I command you this day shall be in your heart . . . " (Dt 6:6; also Josh 1:8; Ps. 1:2,3; Ps 119; Prov. 4:20-22)

HOLD COMPLETELY. "hold fast the pattern of sound words. . . " The word used here for "Pattern" (hupotuposis) was used to describe "an outline sketch or ground plan used by an artist; or in literature the rough draft forming the basis of a fuller exposition" (Kelly). The point is that Timothy was not to hold onto bits and pieces of the Word, but to its entire framework. We are to live "by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God," not just some or even most. Paul declared "the whole counsel of God" to the Ephesians and felt it would have been sin for him not to (Acts 20:26, 27). Thus we are to "hold completely" to the entire counsel of God's word lest we fall prey to the wiles of the devil and his demonic ability to use part of the truth for his purposes.

HOLD IN FAITH. "in faith and love . . . " This phrase (en pistei kai agape) describes the MANNER in which we are to cling tightly to the whole counsel of God's word. Note that Paul is keenly interested in CHARACTER as well as CONTENT. (I Tim 4:16) God's word should produce a radical change in our living as well as our thinking. We are to hold tightly to God's word because of our FAITH, not necessarily our UNDERSTANDING. Our natural approach to living is to obey if we understand why it is necessary. The godly man's approach to life is to obey whether or not we understand. And then we are promised that we will come to understand after we have stepped out and obeyed in faith. (John 14:21) Thus the key to understanding God's word is not simply the exercise of our intellect, but rather the exercise of our faith in daring obedience to whatever light has been granted us from the scriptures. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and a good understanding have all those who do His commandments." (Ps 111:10)

HOLD IN LOVE. ". . . in faith and love . . . " our convictions about the truth must be matched by our compassion for others. The goal of God's word is not simply to "fill up our heads" but also to "fill out our hearts." (I Tim. 1:5) The testimony of the early church was not "Look how much they know," but "my, how they love one another!"

There is a beautiful balance in these two characteristics of properly holding fast the word of God. FAITH involves our relationship to God; LOVE involves our relationship to others. Thus, the man of God clings to the word of God because of his faith in the character of God. At the same time he conveys the love to God to those around him because the word of God has filled out his heart. Note that both of these (faith and love) find their source in the same person, Jesus Christ!

Note also that Paul describes his doctrine as "sound words." The word, sound" (hugiano) means "healthy or wholesome." Bible doctrine should always breed spiritual health and vitality wherever it goes. Dead orthodoxy brings no honor to the Living God.

Vs 14: Having exhorted Timothy to "hold fast" to the word of God, he now commands him to go still farther with the truth. He is to guard it, obey it, and communicate it. The word translated "keep" (pulasso) is a much more pregnant term than just "keep." It can mean "to guard" Luke 2:8; "to obey" I Timothy 5:21, Matthew 19:20; and to "fulfill one's responsibility" I Timothy 6:20. All these are probably in Paul's mind as Timothy is to "guard" the truth, obey the truth and fulfill his responsibility" to the truth, namely pass it on. (II Tim. 2:2)

Needless to say, this same three fold responsibility is incumbent upon us also. We are to be like Ezra, "For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel."

The phrase "That good thing" may well be anaphoric and thus translated "this good deposit." Thus "the good deposit" is a reference to the body of truth which had been entrusted Timothy. (I Tim 6:20, 21) Note the sober responsibility conveyed to Timothy through the use of the Holy Spirit (cf. 1:12). The word of God is not just another body of good literature to be studied or ignored at our own discretion. Nor are we given an option as to whether or not we will be radically transformed by what God says to us. The word of God is life changing truth which God has entrusted to us (not given!); and we must never forget the sober responsibility which accompanies this divine trust.

We are to fulfill this responsibility by means of "the Holy Spirit who dwells in us." The servant of God is not left to the dismal prospect of living out the truth by his own fleshly energies; but rather, he has the resource of Christ's resurrection power to energize his faithful attempts at godly living. Note that this is the third time Paul has reminded Timothy of this great supernatural resource. 1:7,8,14. The battle we are engaged in is much too fierce to handle by our own fire power. It can only be won "in the power of His might" and we cannot be reminded of this too often.

Verses 13 and 14 provide a pivotal point for this book. In fact the rest of this book deals with how to practically work out these two verses. Note especially how identical these verses are to II Tim. 2:2!

Vs. 15-18. Having dealt with Timothy's responsibility to "fan into flames the gift of God" and not to shrink back from fulfilling his God-given task, Paul now reinforces his exhortations with vivid illustrations of faithful and unfaithful responses.

In verse 15 he points out the painful reality of certain men who had turned away from him in his hour of need, probably his arrest. Interesting to note how similar the end of Paul's life was to the last hours of Christ's life. Both were executed unjustly. Following Christ may well mean the retracing of His footsteps, even to the point of death. Paul was willing to go the entire journey; Phygellus, Hermogenes, and others were not. What about us? How far down the rugged road of discipleship are we willing to follow Christ? Until we are willing to die for Him, we cannot really say that we are willing to live for him.

In the midst of Paul's darkest hours, one light still shines brightly. That light belongs to Onesiphorus (vs.16-18) for he truly was a "brother born for adversity." In spite of personal danger and repeated sacrifice, Onesiphorus made his way to Rome and there refreshed the heart and soul of his beloved friend, Paul. Onesiphorus is an outstanding example of genuine love and true friendship. We find at least three Christ-like characteristics exemplified in his life:

• UNCONCERNED FOR SELF: "for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chain."
• UNDAUNTED BY SACRIFICE: "when he arrived in Rome he sought me out very diligently."
• UNCEASING IN EXPRESSION: ". . . he often refreshed me . . . and you know very well in how many ways he ministered to me at Ephesus."

Truly Onesiphorus is an outstanding example of all that Paul has been exhorting Timothy to do. He probably was not as gifted as Timothy, but he was utterly faithful and was willing to openly identify himself with Paul at the worst of times. It is very possible in fact that Onesiphorus had lost his life because of this holy boldness since Paul prays for mercy for "the house of Onesiphorus." He also prays that Onesiphorus may find mercy from the Lord 'In that Day"--at the judgment seat of Christ. Although we can't be dogmatic, all these phrases seem to at least hint at the fact that Onesiphorus was no longer around. Verse 18 is not a prayer for the dead, but merely Paul's expression of a wish for Onesiphorus at the judgment seat of Christ. This verse closely parallels Christ's promise in Matthew 5:7, "Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy." At the judgment seat of Christ we will be shown mercy to the degree we have exhibited mercy during our Christian lives. (Also Jas. 2:12, 13.) Note, this is in reference to rewards and the evaluation of our Christian lives, not our entrance into heaven. (I Cor 3:10-15) Onesiphorus has been eternally etched upon the pages of scripture for his selfless, sacrificial service. Truly it is only by losing our life for the sake of Christ that we guarantee its worth to be saved beyond the grave.

2 Timothy 2:1-4:8
Body

Commission to Fulfill

Having exhorted Timothy to remain steadfast in the face of open hostility (1:6-8, 13, 14), Paul now exhorts Timothy to move forward in the battle of winning and making disciples. Timothy (as well as each of us) is to become intimately involved in the life-changing march of God's truth as it invades generation after generation.

Vs. 1: This verse begins with two significant words, "You, therefore" (su oun). By placing "you" at the beginning of the sentence Paul is adding emphasis to Timothy's responsibility. During times of great stress and hardship we have an uncanny ability to rationalize away our responsibility to faithful discipleship. Thus, like Timothy, we need to be strongly reminded that WE (not our money, prayer, etc.) are to be involved in the battle for conquering men's souls. It is our "bodies" that God asks to be laid upon the altar of sacrificial service. (Rom 12:1) "Therefore" is probably referring back to more than just the immediate preceding verses (15-18); rather it seems to include all of what was said in chapter 1. In light of Paul's own example (1:1,11,12),-Timothy's sincere faith (1:5), his personal responsibilities (1:6-8, 13, 14), the greatness of the gospel (9, 10), and the responses of contrasting Christians (1:15-18); Timothy is to fulfill 2:1,2.

Timothy's responsibility in this verse is to "be strong." Note how this closely parallels his responsibility in 1:6-8. Again we see that Timothy was not to be strong because of his own fleshly fortitude. He was to be strong "in the grace which is in Christ Jesus." The preposition "in" (en) is probably referring to the means by which Timothy was to be strong. Thus we might better render the verse "you therefore, my son, be strong BY MEANS OF the grace which is in Christ Jesus."

The word "grace" (charis) is used in several different ways in the N.T. It can be used of the past act of unmerited favor which brings salvation ( Eph. 2:8,9; Titus 3:7). It can be used of the future resplendent glory which will be ours at Christ's return (I Peter 1:13, 2:20).

It can be used of the resurrected power available to us in Christ here on earth (II Cor. 1:12, I Cor. 15:10, Gal. 5:4, Heb. 4:16). No doubt it is this last use which Paul has in mind here. We are to stand strong in the unmerited resurrection power "which is in Christ Jesus." He alone is strong enough and cares enough to give us His supernatural strength in order that we may weather the fierce storms of opposition and persecution.

"He gives more grace when the burdens grow greater.
He sends more strength when the labors increase,
To added affliction He addeth His mercy,
To multiplied trials, His multiplied peace.

When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed 'ere the day is half done;
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources
Our Father's full giving is only begun.

His love has no limit, His grace has no measure.
His power no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth and giveth and giveth again."

Vs. 2: Having exhorted Timothy to be STRONG, Paul now exhorts him to be SPIRITUALLY REPRODUCTIVE. Verse 1 correlates closely with 1:6-8; and this verse correlates closely with 1:13,14. Thus all of Paul's exhortations to Timothy in Chapter 1 are succinctly summarized in these two verses of chapter 2.

This great verse contains three major sections, each dealing with a different time period. We see the PREREQUISITE for discipleship, the PROCESS of discipleship, and the PRODUCT of discipleship.

The Prerequisite (past event). "And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses . . . "

We cannot pass on something which we don't possess. Timothy was to pass on the things which Paul had poured into him. These "things" are the approximate equivalent to "the pattern of sound words" of 1:13 and "the good deposit" of 1:14. The phrase "among many witnesses" is probably a reminder to Timothy of the trustworthiness and validity of his teaching. One of the tests of trustworthy doctrine is that the teacher is willing to expound it publicly as well as privately. Note how most of the cults refuse to do this but rather seek their converts through secret initiations. (cf. John 18:20)

The significant point to be made here is that PREPARATION always precedes PRESENTATION. (Lk 1:80, 2:52) Every man or woman God has used significantly has undergone a period of intense spiritual preparation. Moses, Elijah, John the Baptist, and Paul among many others spent a significant amount of time being prepared by God before He sent them forth into divine service. Thus we also must not neglect the time of our spiritual training and preparation. It is only by allowing the spirit of God to hone and sharpen us that our lives will have the keen cutting edge which God can use in His skillful hand.

The Process ( present event): ". . . commit these to faithful men . . . "

Timothy is to take what Paul has poured into his life and let it overflow into the lives of others. There are two ultra-significant words in this clause which make or break the process of discipleship.

The first word to note is "commit" (paratihemi). This word means "to place in another's trust, to entrust, to deposit and it is the verb form of the noun found in 1:12 & 14. The significant issue here is the way in which truth is transferred from one disciple to another. It is not to be GIVEN AWAY but ENTRUSTED TO the faithful individual. This means that as we impart God's truth to others we dare not fail to communicate the sober responsibility that accompanies all reception of new truth. The eternal truths of God's matchless Word cannot be treated lightly, as though they were on an equal par with other interesting and valuable information. God "upholds all things by the WORD of His power." (Heb. 1:3) And this same word is "living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword."(Heb. 4:12) Thus we ourselves must never forget or fail to communicate to others that the word of God is a "good deposit" for which God will call us into account one day. And on that day the burning question will not be "How much did you know?" But "How fully do you obey what you knew?" That is why the great commission reads "Go . . . teaching them TO OBSERVE (i.e., obey) ALL THINGS THAT I HAVE COMMANDED YOU." (Matt 28:18-20)

The second key word to note is "faithful" (pistos). We are not to intensely involve ourselves in the depositing of God's eternal word into the lives of just any believer. They must prove themselves worthy of this eternal investment. God gives only one requirement, but it is crucial. The requirement is FAITHFULNESS and it is the dividing line between mediocrity and excellence in Christian living. It is important to note that the requirement is not eloquence, charisma, intellect, or natural giftedness. These are the things that tend to capture our eye in Christian circles. But the thing that captures God's eye is simply faithfulness, for there is no limit to the things God can do with and through a truly, faithful believer. John Wesley, the great English evangelist once said, "If I had 300 men who feared nothing but God, hated nothing but sin, and were determined to know nothing among men except Jesus Christ and Him crucified; I would set the world on fire." The world is still reverberating from the effects of John Wesley's faithful ministry so many years ago. And the same Holy Spirit which ignited Wesley's life is ready and waiting to ignite the life of any believer who is willing to pay the price of faithfulness. Will you pay the price of supreme devotion to Christ and His work? Or will you settle for a life of mediocrity and complacency in regards to the things which will count for eternity?

The Product (future event) ". . . who will be able to teach others also."

Here is the end product of the process of discipleship. If done properly, it will- breed warriors for the faith who will go forth to the battle for men's souls. They themselves will be involved in equipping still other faithful warriors for the conflict. And thus-the process of spiritual reproduction and multiplication is set in motion; a process which has the potential to fulfill the first command ever given to man, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it . . . " (Gen. 1:28) This process-also is the key to fulfilling the last command given to man before Christ's ascension, "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations . . . " (Matt 28:18-20, Acts 1:8) For more discussion on this vital issue of spiritual multiplication, read Born to Reproduce by Dawson Trotman.

It is important to note that those who "teach others" are to "be able" to do so. The word for "able" (hikanos) means worthy, qualified, adequate. This means that untrained, unqualified believers should not be placed in teaching position. So frequently believers are pushed into service today before they have had adequate training. In our frantic pursuit for numbers and quantity, we often fill open slots with individuals who are not "able" or ready to fill them. We do in our churches what no good businessman would do in his business - sacrifice quality for quantity. God's method is just the opposite. We need to focus on producing quality work and God will take care of the quantity. A commitment to quality will ultimately produce quantity, but a commitment to quantity will ultimately produce mediocrity.

The significance of II Timothy 2:1, 2 for our lives can hardly be overemphasized. It is truly, "the life that lasts," for by it we give our lives to the things that last forever - the word of God and the souls of men. Timothy was to make himself a bridge over which the word of God (the things you have heard . . . ) could invade the souls of men (entrust to faithful men). He was to be involved in setting off a spiritual avalanche; the force of which would be felt in generations far beyond his lifetime (II Tim. 1:12).

How about you, my friend? Are you looking for something to give your life purpose and meaning? I submit to you that these two verses hold the key to unlocking that fullness and purpose in life which you have been searching for so desperately. By giving your life to the word of God and the souls of men you can experience that deep and utter satisfaction of knowing your life is being well spent; for the force of your life will still be felt long after your earthly body has disappeared from sight. And like Abel, it will be said of you, "and . . . he, being dead, still speaks." (Heb. 11:4)

"Only one life, twill soon be past;
Only what is done for Christ, will last."

2 Timothy 2:3-7

Having laid before Timothy the blueprint for world evangelization and discipleship (2:1,2); Paul now describes the COST and COMPENSATION of wholehearted discipleship (2:3-7).

Vs. 3: The majority of manuscripts begin vs. 3 with the conjunction "therefore." If we assume this to be part of the original text, then we must determine the connection between this verse and verses I and 2. The connection is of no small significance, for it clearly conveys to us that the "life which counts" is also a "life which costs." There is no such thing as costless spiritual service; for one cannot present his body as a living sacrifice without climbing the stairs of sacrifice and self-denial which lead to the alter of total surrender. In this verse we meet the first of three illustrations which Paul uses to picture the rigors and rewards of discipleship. As a good soldier of Jesus Christ, Timothy is to "take his share of rough treatment" (Kelly) in the battle for men's souls. The imagery of the soldier is one of Paul's favorite metaphors for the life of discipleship. (I Cor 9:7; Eph 6:10-20). Many similarities between the soldier of Rome and the soldier of Christ can be readily seen. Both have left the comforts and pleasures of everyday living in order to take their place in battle. (Eph 6:10-12) Both have pledged their supreme allegiance to their commander and await His orders and interests. (II Tim 2:4) Both lay their lives on the line in order to completely fulfill their commander's orders. (Matt 28:11-14) And both live in anticipation of a coming day in which all their sacrifice and suffering will be overwhelmingly compensated for as they enjoy the privileges afforded them by their faithful service. (II Tim. 2:12)

"To the old rugged cross I will ever be true,
Its shame and reproach gladly bear;
Then He'll call me someday, to my home far away,
Where His glory forever I'll share."

Vs 4: The imagery of the soldier is continued in order to focus in on one primary characteristic: SINGLEMINDEDNESS. The Roman soldier was strictly forbidden to engage in civilian affairs during his time of service. The Roman code of Theodosius said, "We forbid men engaged on military service to engage in civilian occupations." James Freeman, an authority on Biblical customs writes, "The Roman soldier was expected to keep one thing in view, and only one: the service of his commander. He was not allowed to marry, nor engage in agriculture, trade, or manufacturers. He was a soldier and could not be anything else."

Thus we see the strict single mindedness which was a characteristic of every good Roman soldier. And it is this same wholehearted devotion to the interests of Christ which is to characterize every good soldier of the cross. This is not to say that we are not to be INVOLVED in the affairs of every day living; but rather that we are not to the ENTANGLED in them. The word for entangle (empleko) was used often of a sheep whose wool was caught in the thorns. This helps illustrate the main difference between INVOLVEMENT AND ENTANGLEMENT. One is entangled when he is not free to get loose! When the affairs of this life hem us in so tightly that we can't get loose to fulfill Christ's desires, then we have become entangled in the thorns of non-eternal pursuits. How easy this can happen in the materialism and hedonism of modern America! Almost before we realize it, our souls are seduced away from the path of discipleship until we find ourselves tangled up in the allurements and pleasures of modern society. We must continually resurrect in our minds the things which will still be standing long after the breath of God has swept all other non-eternal entities into oblivion.

This seems like a heavy responsibility; yet it also carries with it a heavier reward: ". . . that he may please Him Who enlisted him as a soldier." What enjoyment or pleasure from this world could even hope to compare itself with the indescribably thrill and satisfaction of hearing the words, "Well done, you good and faithful servant. . . " coming forth from the lips of the One Who breathed eternity into existence. To hear those precious words and to see the Master's smile is certainly worth any sacrifice we may be called upon to make as a soldier of the cross.

Vs 5: We now meet Paul's second illustration of the rigors and rewards of discipleship. Here we are greeted by the weary but victorious athlete whose efforts have been overwhelmingly rewarded by the victor's wreath atop his head. The primary RESPONSIBILITY in view here is to "compete according to the rules" (nomimos athlese). In short, he must KNOW and OBEY the rules. The life of an athlete was very rigorous in ancient Rome and he underwent severe training just to compete in the various events. All contestants were obliged to undergo intense preparation and training for 10-12 months prior to the competition. This excerpt from Epictetus is instructive in this regard.

"Would you be a victor in the Olympic games? So in good truth would I, for it is a glorious thing; but pray consider what must go before and what may follow, and so precede to the attempt. You must then live by rule, eat what will be disagreeable, refrain from delicacies; you must oblige yourself to constant exercise at the appointed hour, in heat and cold. You must abstain from wine and cold liquor; in a word, you must be as submissive to all the directions of your master as to those of a physician."

And then the athlete must also compete "lawfully" (nomimos) lest he be disqualified after having run the race. This should be a divine deterrent to our natural inclination to "take a short cut" when the road of discipleship becomes difficult to run. It is shorter and easier to run across the track, but taking the "easy way out" will disqualify us from the victor's exaltation. The reward once again far outweighs the responsibility. The weary athlete is summoned before the judgment seat and there is crowned with the victor's wreath. All his sacrifice and suffering is overwhelmingly compensated for in that brief moment of glory. For us, however, the reward will be a crown which is "imperishable," and does not fade with the passing of time. (I Cor. 9:25) It is also a crown which comes not from human judges, but from the King of kings and Lord of lords. No earthly crown or trophy can possibly come close to matching the value of this heavenly crown. Thus the eternal thrill of the most important of all victories will immeasurably repay the sacrifice and suffering which comes to all who KNOW and OBEY the rules of discipleship.

Vs. 6: Our final illustration of the cost and compensation of discipleship is now pictured for us. It is the picture of the hard-working farmer whose sweat and toil has given him pre-eminent claim upon the crop. The emphasis of this verse is found in the word "hard-working" (kapiao). This particular word differs from the other Greek words for "work" in that is speaks of working until one is exhausted (Reinecker). The ministry of sowing and harvesting in God's fields will bring us to the point of exhaustion time and again. In the parable of the workers in the vineyard, the laborers were called on to bear "the burden and the heat of the day." (Matt. 20:12) Thus we must resist the temptation for soft living and spiritual laziness, and bear "the burden and the heat" of daily laboring in God's harvest.

"God harden me against myself, the coward with pathetic voice,
Who craves for ease and rest and joy Myself,
arch-traitor to myself My hollowest friend,
my deadliest foe My clog, whatever road I go."
Amy Wilson Carmichael

While the farmer is toiling, he sees little results from his efforts. But the day comes when his weariness is well-compensated for as he lays claim to the harvest. So it will be for all faithful laborers who have sown and harvested in God's fields. Some planted and some watered, but "each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor." (I Cor. 3:5-8)

"The heights by great men reached and kept,
were not attained by sudden flight,
but they; while their companions slept,
were toiling upward in the night."
Longfellow

William Barclay has summarized these illustrations well in his words,

"One thing remains in all three pictures. The soldier is upheld by the thought of final victory. The athlete is upheld by the vision of the crown. The husbandman is upheld by the hope of the harvest. Each submits to the discipline and the toil for the sake of the glory which shall be. It is so with the Christian. The Christian struggle is not without a goal; it is always going somewhere. The Christian can be certain that after the effort of the Christian life, there comes the joy of heaven; and the greater the struggle, the greater the JOY.

Vs 7: Paul concludes these illustrations with an exhortation for Timothy (and us) to mentally linger over these images.

There is a beautiful balance in this verse in regards to gaining understanding into God's word. There is first OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO MEDITATE. "Consider (noeo) what I say." We have the responsibility to ponder over and meditate upon God's word. Then we trust that God will fulfill HIS ROLE TO REVEAL. "And may the Lord give you understanding in all things." We can only truly understand God's word when His spirit illumines our minds to comprehend the mysteries of the faith. (I Cor. 2:9, 10) Thus we have the responsibility to DILIGENTLY SEARCH, God has the responsibility to DIVINELY REVEAL. Neither one of these can be overlooked or taken lightly if we are to comprehend the eternal word of God. (also Prov. 2:1-6)

2 Timothy 2:8-13

Having described the COST of the life of discipleship in 2:3-7; Paul now gives the COMPULSION for this sacrificial lifestyle in verses 8-13. In these verses he will hold out for us several highly significant motivations as divine inducements to "endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ."

VS 8: One of the great problems we struggle with in the Christian life is that we remember what we should forget, and forget what we should remember. Paul now focuses our attention upon that object which deserves the preeminent place in the picture gallery of our mind. "Remember, Jesus Christ . . . " There are two things to note about the verb "remember" (mnemoneue). It is in the imperative mood which indicates the urgency and importance of this command. How easily we let our thoughts wander away from the greatest of all meditations, that of the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul is urging us to return to our first love. Secondly, it is in the present tense which means that this is to be a frequent, habitual process. Throughout the day we must discipline ourselves to bring back straying thoughts and head them in the direction of the Chief Shepherd Jesus Christ. The hymn writer put it well,

"Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace."

Paul now gives TWO critical truths in regards to Jesus Christ. Each one of these provides fuel for the holy fire which is to blaze brightly in Timothy's life.

(1) CHRIST'S HUMANITY-- ". . . of the seed of David . . . " Christ wrapped Himself in the same suit of flesh and blood that we wear. And because of this "He is able to aid those who are tempted"; since, "He Himself has suffered, being tempted." Heb. 2:17,18; 4:14-16; 5:2. The believer can take great comfort in the fact that Christ has been where we are, and so "He can have compassion on those who are ignorant and going astray" (Heb. 5:2) The Captain we serve is not an unfeeling monarch, but is One Who has "come up through the ranks" and fully understands and sympathizes with us in our temptations and trials. Christ is also the fulfillment of God's promise to David in II Samuel 7:12,13.

2) CHRIST'S DEITY -- ". . . was raised from the dead . . . " God "marked out" Christ as His Son by raising Him from the dead. (Rom. 1:4) The resurrection makes Christianity distinct from all other religions; and because of this, it is the foundation of our faith. (I Cor 15:17) It was the resurrection of Christ which compelled the early disciples to die for the faith, rather than recant. It is the same resurrection which should launch us out to declare to our generation the glad tidings of the gospel.

The word translated "raised" (egegermenon) is in the perfect tense, denoting the continuing results of the event. Christ is a present, living Lord and His resurrection power is available to us today. We must never forget that the resurrection is more than an historical event; it is basis for victorious Christian living in the 20th Century. (Rom. 6:4,5)

I need not Tourney far, this distant friend to see
Companionship is always mine, He makes His home with me.
I envy not the twelve, closer to me is He;
The life that once He lived on earth, He lives again in me.

These balancing descriptions of Christ's nature are central to the gospel ("according to my gospel"). Gnosticism tried to discount the humanity of Christ; Judaism tried to discount His deity. Thus Timothy needed to keep in mind that what he stood for was unalterable truth; and as such, was worthy of proclamation, even at the risk of death.

VS. 9: The gospel that had brought Paul salvation, also brought him suffering. The phrase "for which" is referring back to the gospel (vs. 8). A tragic irony is seen here in the fact that Paul was in chains because of the ,,good news. But such is the plight of God's servants while still living in a hostile world which is smug and complacent in its sin. Those who make the gospel an issue and thus stir up the placid waters of spiritual apathy become an open target for those who reject the message. And so Paul was being treated as a common criminal; chained in a dungeon cell for the treacherous crime of communicating the "good news" to perishing souls.

The phrase, "even to the point of chains . . . " shows us Paul's unreserved commitment to the gospel. He remained loyal to the gospel long after it was safe. He did not retreat at the first signs of danger, but preached the word "in season and out of season." Thus his enslavement to Christ ultimately led to his enslavement by the Roman authorities. Throughout the ages, thousands of saints have walked this same path, even unto death, because they valued their bondage to Christ over anything man could offer or withhold.

Though God's messenger was chained; God's message was still on the loose, roaming around the entire Roman world. The word play in this verse is indeed wonderful to behold! "For which I suffer . . . even to the point of CHAINS, but the word of God is NOT CHAINED." The verb for chained is in the perfect tense (dedetai), denoting its present state. However hard men may try, the word of God evades all attempts to be brought into human bondage.

"The Word of God through 1900 years has defied all human chains and prisons, ever running and having free course according to the will of God. Its diffusion in the world today is an eloquent comment on the apostle's remark. What has happened to the Hellenistic philosophies of his day? They are dead, but the Word of God is living and it is free." (Hodges)

Vs 10: In view of the unbridled power of God's word (vs. 9) Paul now describes his personal response to this glorious truth. The conjunction "therefore" (dia touto) refers back to the end of vs. 9. Because the eternal Word of God must make its way to the souls of the elect, Paul was willing to endure all things to see this divine process take place. The "all things" in this verse are described in detail in II Cor. 11:23-28. Paul's life is well described in the poem:

No trifling in this life of mine
Not this the path the blessed Master trod;
But every hour and power employed,
Always and all for God."

Once again we see Paul's balance in regards to God's choosing (election) and man's responsibility. Though he knew his work would affect only the elect, he did not slacken his efforts because they were elect. This verse, in fact, is one of the clearest declarations of Paul's response to the doctrine of election. "I endure all things" must ever be our evangelistic response to God's election of men.

Note also the purity of Paul's motivation for evangelism. It was not to gain the praise of men or have his name exalted in Christian circles. He did not share the gospel because of what he could get out of it, but because of what others would get out of it, "that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory." There are many motives for proclaiming the gospel ( Phil. 1:15-18); and the servant of God must ever resist self-centered motives for dispensing the "promise of life which is in Christ Jesus."

The phrase ". . . which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory." is significant here. The great issue in evangelism is not primarily what Christ can do for us in this life. The crucial issue is what Christ will do for us after this life, in eternity. The single greatest question facing any man, woman, or child on this earth is the question of eternal destiny. No issue is of more vital concern than where a person will spend eternity; and until this issue is resolved, all other issues in life pale in comparison. Thus we must never lose sight of the primary issue in evangelism - the eternal glory in Christ Jesus, not just the present happiness.

Vs. 11-13: Paul now finishes off this section on THE COMPULSION FOR DISCIPLESHIP by quoting from what appears to have been a first century Christian hymn. The lyrics give us four compelling motivations to "live godly in Christ Jesus." Paul emphasizes the absolute trustworthiness of these statements by the beginning assertion, "This is a faithful saying . . . " These faithful sayings should be fallen back on time and again, especially during the dark hours of discouragement and difficulty.

A) OUR LIFE IN CHRIST --"For if we died with Him, we also shall live with him." The death in view here is probably not physical death, but the death of our old man as, described in Romans 6:1-5. And the great promise here is the absolute guarantee of forever living "with Him." It is of no small significance that the first motivation given Timothy here is that of complete assurance in his eternal destiny. This assurance is the foundation for all spiritual service since it determines the real motive for our service. We serve the Lord not to gain heaven; but we serve Him because we are already guaranteed heaven. (Eph. 2:8,9; Jn 5:24) This is exactly the motive Paul give in Romans 12:1, which is one of the superlative N.T. verses on Christian service. "I beseech you therefore brethren, in view of the mercies of God, present your bodies as a living sacrifice . . . "

B) OUR REWARD BY CHRIST -- "If we endure, we also shall reign with Him . . . " The day is coming in which this world will be ruled not by the Soviets, Chinese, or Americans; but by the King of kings and Lord of lords. (Ps. 2) In that glorious day He will rule the earth by means of a group of subordinate leaders who have qualified for this privilege by the quality of their Christian lives and their faithfulness to His work. "And he who overcomes and keeps My works until the end, to him will I give power over the nations." ( Rev. 2:26; Matt. 25:21 also Luke 19:17, Heb 3:14) Thus the servant of God has an added incentive for faithfulness beyond the promise of eternal security. If he is willing to pay the price of discipleship, to endure its rigors and hardships; there awaits for him a privileged position in the coming Kingdom of Christ's eternal reign. And surely this is a prize that overwhelmingly outweighs whatever sacrifices we are called upon to make in this present age. (Roman 8:17, 18)

C) THE DANGER OF DENIAL -- ". . . If we deny Him, He also will deny us." Here is the negative side of rewards. The context in this section is the judgment seat of Christ (I Cor. 3:10-15); so we should not try to read loss of salvation into this text. We are being told here that the believer who denies (arneomai) Christ before men, will be denied (arneomai) reward before Christ. No doubt this is a reference to Christ's words -- "For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels." (Mk. 8:38) The somber note of these words must not be dismissed lightly.

"He said nothing of casting them out, nothing of banishing them from Him, only that He was ashamed of them, amidst the splendor all around. If they were there, they had to possess the gift of life. But there was something they now tragically failed to possess. For it was clear that they lacked the worthiness of character which would have made Him proud to acknowledge them. In a day when He Himself was so highly honored, He could not honor them at all.

Why was He ashamed of them? Because they had been ashamed of Him! Not that they rejected Him, not that they did not believe, it was simply that He was an embarrassment to them. Instead of exhibiting the loyalty of true discipleship, instead of picking up their cross of self-denial day by day and clearly walking before men as followers of Him, they had been ashamed to do so. They were ashamed of Him personally, and--equally sad-ashamed of His words.

Thus, the life-giving message that had reached them had not been vigorously spread by them. Into the harvest fields of God they had not entered unreservedly, to gather fruit to life eternal. While others, like the women, for example, followed Him faithfully about, if only they might in some measure make Him a little more comfortable as He preached God's Word, they had stayed at home. To bear a cross behind Him had been to them a scandal, not an honor. And whether the soil of their hearts had been stony or marred by thorns, they had still failed dismally and disastrously to become worthy of His praise in the presence of His Father and in the presence of His holy angels.

So that was what it meant to lose oneself! It was the utter forfeiture of personal merit and worth in the very moment when it counted most. For now, -in that day, no longer did the tinseled sham of a temporal world delude the eye or beguile the heart. No longer could the unworthy among men be exalted, while the worthy were disdained. Reality had now banished mere pretense, and devastating truth shattered men's miserable hypocrisy. Now, at last, if the life a man had lived had really mattered, the universe was ready to behold it. The holy angels were there to observe, the Father was prepared to approve, but Jesus must commend! And if He could not, if He would not--that was the ultimate personal shame. Indeed, if a man had possessed all the world right up to that very instant of time, it would have mattered no more. For all that mattered now was what he was, the man himself, in the eyes of his eternal Maker and Redeemer." (Zane Hodges "The Hungry Inherit")

D) THE ASSURANCE OF GOD'S FAITHFULNESS -- "If we are faithless (apistoumen) (unfaithful) He remains faithful; He is not able to deny Himself."

Here is one of the greatest verses on God's unalterable faithfulness in the Bible. This verse was what the Lord used to radically alter the spiritual life of Hudson Taylor. (See "Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret" pp. 154-164)

The basis of our assurance clearly lies in God's unchanging nature, not our faltering faithfulness.

"I change, He changes not
The Christ can never die:
His truth, not mine, the resting place;
His love, not mine, the tie."

Though we frequently vacillate between faithfulness and unfaithfulness, God always "remains faithful" to us. The reason for this has nothing to do with us and everything to do with Him. Since we are secure in His hands (John 10:28,29); God will never cast us off; for in doing so He would be going against His promise and especially, His nature. And this is impossible, for "He cannot deny Himself"! An elderly Scotch woman was once ridiculed for believing strongly in the doctrine of eternal security. Her antagonist posed the question to her, "But what if you're wrong; you stand to lose everything, don't you?" To this she replied, "If my soul should perish then God stands to lose more than I. For I would lose my soul, but God would lose His good name." And we can rest assured that God will not lose His good name by breaking His promise to us.

And so this section (11-13) has ended just as it began - on the promise of God's unalterable fidelity to His children. These verses probably form a chiastic construction; A B B A. The basis of our service for Christ begins and ends (A) with GOD'S RELIABILITY (11 &13). On top of this is given the added incentive of GOD'S RETRIBUTION (B), both positively and negatively (12).

2 Timothy 2:14-20

We have seen the COST (3-7) and the COMPULSION (8-13) of the COMMISSION which we are to fulfill (1,2). Now in verses 14-26, we will be instructed and exhorted in regards to its CONDUCT.

VS 14: Paul gives some timeless words of advice for how all warriors of the faith should conduct themselves in their battle for God's truth and men's souls. "Them" is probably a reference to the "faithful men" of vs. 2 who Timothy is pouring his life into. Timothy is to continually remind these men of the great truths covered in 2:1-13. The phrase "these things" (tauta) refers at least to the faithful sayings of 11-13, but probably goes back all the way to 2:1. All that Timothy is to do and remember in these verses must be carefully carved into the lives of those who will continue the good deposit after him.

Timothy is not only to continually remind his disciples of these critical precepts, but he is also to strongly warn them against fighting over the truth. The eternal truths of God are given to FIGHT WITH (Eph 6:17), not to FIGHT OVER. The word translated "charging," (diamarturomai) means to charge solemnly or thoroughly. In the Pastoral epistles it is always used as a charge from God to man.

The charge here is that these disciples are not to "strive about words," (logomacheo): lit. "war over words." What a fitting description this is of so many pointless theological battles that take place. So frequently these useless confrontations are truly a war over words, not truth. More often than not the battles over "the truth" are really battles over semantics. The servant of God must flee these skirmishes of intellectual arrogance in order to fight the battles which really count. Paul gives two wretched results which these "word battles" produce.

(1) NO NET GAIN -- ". . . to no profit. . . " This word for profit (chresimos) means useful, beneficial, or advantageous. It is used in the LXX in Ezekiel 15:4 to describe a piece of wood which has been burned up, and thus is not "useful for any work." These word battles cause those who participate in them to burn with anger, while the outcome produces absolutely nothing more than the smoldering remains of a ruined relationship between two fellow believers. What a useless tragedy!

(2) PRODUCES SPIRITUAL LOSS -- ". . . to the ruin of those hearing." Not only do these pointless word battles have a devastating effect on the participants, they also bring ruin to those observing. The word for ruin (katastrophe) is used in II Peter 2:6 to describe the "overthrow" of Sodom and Gomorrah. Who can calculate the number of people whose spiritual stability has been overthrown by other Christians who have elected to spend their time "fighting over" God's Word instead of "fighting with" it. What is even more tragic is the number of non-Christians whose spiritual interest has been eternally quenched; not by the fountain of living waters, but by waters muddied over pointless arguments and needless theological skirmishes. (See also Titus 3:9-11)

VS 15: While Timothy is to be instructing and warning his disciples, he must never lose sight of his own spiritual welfare. There is a holy selfishness which must characterize the man of God if he is to have an eternal impact upon his generation. The great English evangelist, John Wesley, wrote in his diary:

"I sit down alone; only God is here. In His presence I open, I read His book . . . and what I learn, I, teach."

Our impact for God in public is predicated upon God's impact on us in private. This verse confronts us with our earthly responsibilities to God and His Word.

(1) OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO GOD -- "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed."

The first thing we see is our responsibility to WORK HARD. The word for "diligent" (spoudazo) means to "be zealous, take pains" or "make every effort." We are to give an all out effort in the pursuit of pleasing God. Notice very carefully whose approval we are to be working for. It is not the approval of other Christians, friends, or even our spiritual leaders; for they are fallen judges. We are to set our hearts upon and direct our lives towards the praise of God alone. Often pleasing God will result in pleasing others (Prov. 3:3,4), but there will be times when just the opposite occurs. (II Tim. 3:12) The man who lives for the approval of other men inevitably forfeits the greatest of all treasurers - the praise of God Himself. "For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God." (John 12:43) The word for, approved (dokimos) speaks of "testing for purity." It was used of testing metals for their purity or inspecting animals before sacrifice. The servant of God must ever seek to purify his motives and actions as he makes his way through this world towards the judgment seat of Christ. It is only by rigorous self-examination and unswerving devotion to Christ-likeness of character that we can stand before Christ in that day as "a worker who does not need to be ashamed."

"Not, how did he die? But, how did he live?
Not, what did he gain? But, what did he give?
These are the merits to measure the worth
Of a man as a man, regardless of birth.
Not, what was his station? But, had he a heart?
And how did he play his God-given part?"

(2) OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO GOD'S WORD -- ". . . rightly dividing the word of truth."

Not only are we to make an all out effort at pleasing God; we are also to handle His word with utmost care and respect. The servant of God must treat with great reverence the vocal chords of God Himself, lest God's message to man be muffled by the ineptness of His messenger.

It is difficult to know precisely what Paul meant by "rightly dividing" (orthotomeo). This word was used in several ways:

• The cutting of a straight road or path (Prov. 3:6, 11:5)
• A mason cutting stones fair and straight to fit into their places in a building.
• The cutting of a sacrifice or food for household use.

It appears that Paul is exhorting us "to keep God's word on a straight course." In other words we are not to veer off on unnecessary and unprofitable tangents (cf: vs. 16!). This is synonymous with Paul's words to Timothy in I Tim. 1:3-6: "as I urged you when I went into Macedonia - remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith. Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith, from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk"

Though out history, God's word has been used by both godly and ungodly men. Ungodly men veer off the path and use it to incite arguments and pursue pointless debates. Godly men cut a straight path towards the true goal of God's word -- A RADICALLY TRANSFORMED LIFE. Thus from this great verse we can glean three questions whose answers will determine whether we will stand before the judgment seat of Christ as unashamed workmen, whose praise is of God and not men.

1. WAS THE WORK . . . WELL-DONE?
2. WAS THE LORD . . . WELL-PLEASED?
3. WAS THE WORD . . . WELL-USED?
Howard Hendricks

VS 16, 17: Paul now describes some of the unprofitable tangents we are to avoid at all costs. The word "shun" (periistemi) means to go around so as to avoid. We must go around these unprofitable tangents if we are to maintain a "straight course" (2:15) in our use of God's word. We are strictly forbidden to wander off into "profane and vain babblings." The first word (bebelos) speaks of the NATURE of these discussions. This word was used frequently in the LXX to speak of "desecrating" (Ez 22:26, 24:21). Conversations which treat holy things as common and secular fall under this category. The second word (kenophonia) speaks of the VALUE of these discussions. The word literally means "empty sounding." These are hollow, empty words which are of precious little value though they often sound impressive. Thus we are to avoid conversations which lack any substance or value.

Needless to say, this verse speaks volumes to the kinds of discussions and conversations we have as believers. How often we find ourselves embroiled in dialogues and debates which are of absolutely no real value! Our standard of speech should ever be Ephesians 4:29:

"Let no corrupt (tearing down) communication proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification (building up), that it may impart grace to the hearers."

Paul now gives the reasons for not straying into these forbidden discourses. ". . . for they will increase to more ungodliness and their message will spread like gangrene."

The servant of the Lord is not to fight the enemies of the gospel on their own turf, for he is assured of defeat. "For they will increase . . . their message will spread . . . " The word increase (prokopto) means to cut forward as in blazing a trail through the forest. The unwary believer who leaves the straight course of God's word to stop false teachers by the strength of his own intellect or intelligence will find himself the victim rather than the victor! This is not saying that there is no need for apologetics, but apologetics must be used as the shaft of the arrow while the arrowhead is always God's word. Only then can the opposition be pierced deeper than their intellect.

The second imagery is that of the spreading of gangrene. The word here for "cancer" (gangraina) is in fact the very word that our English word "gangrene" comes from. The metaphor here is very striking. Gangrene is a disease which "breeds death" and its only remedy is amputation. The ungodly message of the false teacher breeds spiritual death in its victims and their only hope of recovery is to remove the teacher and his message from their body. Thus the Lord's servant is not to leave the vitalizing influence of God's word to stand under prolonged exposure to these men's cancerous doctrine. To do so is to insure that ultimately our own spiritual life will become infected in one way or another. This admonition is given by Paul in several other places. ". . . but I want you wise in what is good, and simple (unmixed) concerning evil." (Rom 16:19 also I Tim 4:7; I Cor 15:33; Prov 13:20)

We see then that Paul is warning against leaving our own territory (God's Word) to engage in intellectual skirmishes on other's territory (profane and vain babblings). We may think in our intellectual arrogance that we can persuade others by our airtight logic, but we will only be trampled over (Matt. 7:6)! This is not to discount the value or use of apologetics (Acts 17:16-34); nor to de-emphasize our responsibility to "earnestly contend for the faith" (Jude 3). We must be sure however, to contend for the faith with God's weapons, not our own.

Paul now illustrates a type of cancerous teaching and names those responsible for its outbreak. The two men are Hymenaeus and Philetus; men who will be eternally remembered for their defection from the true faith. Note that Paul does not refrain from naming specifically those who have defected from the faith, nor their doctrine. We also must follow his example.

Vs 18: We see three important facets of these men's apostasy -- their DEVIATION, DOCTRINE, AND DESTRUCTIVE INFLUENCE.

THEIR DEVIATION -- ". . . who have strayed concerning the truth . . . " The word used here for strayed (astocheo) means "to swerve because of taking no pains to aim at the right path" (Lock). These men did not inadvertently stumble onto a wrong doctrinal path. Because they took no care to remain on the straight and narrow road of righteousness, They willfully detoured off onto the broad highway of doctrinal infidelity. In I Tim. 1:19-20 we find the root cause of this doctrinal defection - FAILURE TO MAINTAIN A CLEAR CONSCIENCE!

THEIR DOCTRINE -- ". . . saying that the resurrection is already past. . . " These men were probably allegorizing the physical resurrection which all believers are guaranteed ( I Cor. 15); and teaching that it was really the spiritual resurrection described in Rom. 6:1-14. Hence, the "resurrection " was already past since it took place at conversion. For further discussion see commentaries by Kelly and Lock. It is important to note that this doctrinal deviation, like all heresy, is "truth out of balance.11 There is a very real sense in which the resurrection ( spiritual) is already past, but there still awaits every believer a glorious, physical resurrection; and that resurrection, is of course, future.

THEIR DESTRUCTIVE INFLUENCE -- ". . . and they overthrow the faith of some." Their demonic doctrine not only demolished their own spiritual lives but it also devastated the lives of other genuine believers. Their faith was "undermined" (anatrepo) (Kelly) by this assault upon the resurrection. It is vitally important to note the correlation between faith and resurrection. When one loses confidence in the promise of God for the future it has a paralyzing effect on his practice in the present. If we think we have nothing better to look forward to than the here-and-now, then we will live for nothing better than the here-and-now. John G. Patton was a missionary from Scotland to the cannibalistic people of New Hebrides Islands during the 19th Century. Before he left Scotland, a well-meaning church member lamented to him, "The cannibals, the cannibals!" Immediately he replied, "I confess to you that if I can live and die serving my Lord Jesus Christ, it makes no difference whether I am eaten by cannibals or by worms; for in that Great Day of Resurrection, my body will rise fair as yours in the likeness of our risen Redeemer." This is exactly the kind of unswerving commitment that the assurance of our future resurrection should generate in our present practice.

VS 19: In spite of doctrinal defection and the overthrow of individual Christian's faith, the solid foundation of God remains unmoved. The conjunction nevertheless (mentoi) is one which expresses strong contrast. Thus the dismal scenery of man's perversion (vss. 16-18) is now set in contrast with the majestic reality of God's protection and preservation.

What is Paul referring to by "the solid foundation of God" (stereos themelios tou theou). This question has been much disputed, and several explanations have been proposed. Prominent among these are: Christ and the apostles (Eph. 2:20); the truth of the gospel; or, the church (I Tim. 3:15). While not wanting to be dogmatic, my personal preference is for the church. In spite of the collapse of some members of the church (18), the church itself remains firm. The perfect tense of "stands" (hesteken) may well be emphasizing the continual state of standing sure. Though men have tried to dismantle and destroy the true church for 2,000 years, God has sovereignly upheld and even multiplied it ever since its inception. Not surprisingly this is in accord with Christ's promise and prophecy in Matthew 16:17-20.

We are told that the church (the solid foundation) has been emblazoned with a divine seal. In scripture the seal (sphragis) had three major uses. It indicated AUTHORITY (Matt. 27:66); OWNERSHIP (Song of Sol. 8:6); or AUTHENTICITY (Esther 3:12, I Cor. 9:2) (Hendriksen). In this case AUTHENTICITY appears to be the primary facet in view. This is supported by the two inscriptions which follow:

(1) AUTHENTICITY FROM GOD'S VIEWPOINT -- "The Lord knows those who are His." This may be taken from Numbers 16:5 and the incident between Moses and Korah. There God convincingly demonstrated who genuinely belonged to Him and who was merely playing the part. The assurance here is that in spite of the downfall of men's faith (18) God never loses track of those who genuinely belong to Him. Often it is difficult for us to know whether a churchgoer is a genuine, born-again believer. But God, who searches the hearts of all men, knows those who are authentically His.

(2) AUTHENTICITY FROM MAN'S VIEWPOINT -- "Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity." While God knows the authenticity of a man's faith by his heart, men only believe that a person's faith is authentic by his life. Faith alone justifies us in the eyes of God, but works alone justifies our faith in the eyes of men. This same principle is expressed more fully in James 2:14-26. The word for "depart" (aphistemi) means to "stand off from, withdraw, leave." Every person who claims to be a Christian has the divine obligation to "stand off from" the quagmire of unrighteous living which seeks to pull each of us down. If a professing believer refuses to make this break, then he should also stop "naming the name of the Lord"! One of the preeminent problems facing the church today is how to halt the march of multitudes of believers who are dragging Christ's name through the mud by their sensual, materialistic lifestyles. As long as there is a marked dichotomy between our lives and our lips; the world will scoff at the authenticity of our faith, and rightly so. ". . . Be clean, you who bear the vessels of the Lord." Is. 52:11

"You are writing a gospel, a chapter each day;
By the things that you do, and the words that you say;
Men read what you write, distorted or true,
What is the gospel according to you?"

2 Timothy 2:20-26

Having reminded Timothy of God's faithfulness (19) in the midst of heavy assaults upon the truth and men's faith (17, 18); Paul further exhorts him to purity of life and service (20-26).

Vs. 20: Paul continues his description of the church (19) by likening it to a "great house." This same imagery is found in I Tim. 3:15, I Peter 2:5, 4:17, etc. As in any large house, there are vessels "unto honor" (time); and vessels "unto dishonor" (atimia). There are utensils which the master of the house "delights to display" to those who visit. But there are other utensils which serve a far less noble purpose; they are confined to only behind-the-scene usage. Thus it is in the household of God. There are "gold and silver encrusted" Christians who God "delights to display" as a testimony to His grace and power. But there are also others in the house whose "earthy" lifestyles are an embarrassment to the family name. Yet to the eternal credit of the Master of the house; He is able to use both kinds of vessels to accomplish His sovereign purposes.

Note that only two varieties of vessels are listed here; honorable or dishonorable. Under which of these two categories do we fall? Is our life a delight to the Master of the house; or an embarrassment to His most holy name? "Let everyone naming the name of Christ depart from iniquity."

Vs. 21: Paul now draws a vitally significant application from his portrait of the church in verse 20: "Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter. . . "

The conjunction "therefore" (oun) clearly relates this verse back to verse 20 and continues the imagery drawn there. The phrase "the latter" (touton) simply means "these." But the context makes it clear that Paul is referring to the nearest antecedent -- "the vessels unto dishonor." Note also the antithesis promised in this verse, ". . . he will be a vessel unto honor." Thus the phrase "the latter" (i.e., vessels of dishonor) is a good judgment call and clearly relates "these" to their proper reference.

What then is Paul calling us to do? The word "cleanses" (ekkathairo) means "to clean out, cleanse from." In most cases it is the virtual equivalent to "remove" cf. I Cor. 5:7; Deut. 26:13. We are being commanded here to "remove ourselves" from those within the church who have chosen to become "vessels unto dishonor." This would include FALSE TEACHERS Rom. 16:17-19; BELIEVERS IN BLATANT CARNALITY I Cor 5:11-13; and other special cases -- 2 Thess. 3:16-15, Titus 3:10,11. Note carefully that these references are not in regards to unbelievers, but professing believers. Christ was "a friend of sinners" and interacted with them on a frequent basis. In fact it is very instructive to note who Christ spent the vast majority of His time with: UNBELIEVERS or HIS DISCIPLES. And so it should be with us. We ought to divide our time with people between unbelievers (EVANGELISM) and "vessels unto honor" (DISCIPLESHIP or FELLOWSHIP). If we allow ourselves to maintain intimate relationships with "vessels unto dishonor," then it will be only a matter of time until we ourselves become marred and tainted. "Be not deceived, Evil company corrupts good morals." 1 Cor. 15:33.

This verse speaks volumes to any true believer who feels he should remain in his dead, unbelieving church in order to be a missionary. Though the motive for this is commendable, the method is utterly unscriptural. God's call to every believer in this situation is, ". . . Come out of her my people, lest you share in her sins and lest you receive of her plagues." Rev. 18:4 and 2 Cor 6:11-18. In fact, the rest of this verse clearly indicates that we must separate in order to be significantly used of the Lord. In a day when liberal theology has snuffed out the spiritual life of countless churches around the world, it is incumbent upon all true believers to leave these ornate cemeteries of spirituality to become Christ-intoxicated congregations through which the transforming power of God is seen and dispensed.

Note what a beautiful description is given of the one who is "a vessel unto honor" -- "sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work." Truly this vessel is a prized possession to its owner; one which receives much use and brings much satisfaction. How much use does the Lord get from us? How much satisfaction do we bring to Him?

VS 22: Paul continues to describe the areas which the man of God must stay out of if he is to be a conqueror rather than a casualty in the fierce battle between good and evil. It is of no small significance that vs. 22 follows on the heels of vs. 21. If we read no further than vs. 21, we might easily get the impression that separating from dishonorable vessels insures that we will be "vessels unto honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work." Yet, all of us are keenly aware that it takes more than just avoiding wrong characters to attain the divine status described at the end of vs. 21. And this is precisely why Paul follows vs. 21 with, "Flee also youthful lusts . . . " (tas de neoterikas epithumias pheuge). Not only must we flee UNGODLY COMPANIONS (21), but also UNGODLY CHARACTER (22a). The word used for "flee" (pheuge) is a present imperative which probably is stressing the urgency and continuity of this action. This is the same word used in the LXX in Gen. 39:12,13 to describe Joseph's "fleeing" from Potiphar's wife when she attempted to seduce him sexually. As demonstrated by Joseph, we must not linger in the house of temptation but must make a hasty exit into the golden fields of uncompromising holiness. The danger of not doing so is well described by Alexander Pope in one of his poems:

"Vice is a monster of such terrible mein
That to be hated, needs but to be seen.
Yet seen too often; familiar her face,
We first endure, then pity, then embrace."

Timothy is urged here to flee those lusts which have an especially strong pull during the earlier years of life -- "youthful" (neoterikas). Timothy was probably around 36-37 years of age, and a man was still considered "youthful" until age 40 (Irenaeus). Some of these lusts described by Paul elsewhere would include FORNICATION 1 Cor. 6:18; IDOLATRY I Cor. 10:14; and LOVE OF MONEY I Tim. 6:11. Each of these is coupled with the same urgent plea to "flee" from them. In view of the following verses (23-26) there may be another youthful lust" in mind also -- THE LUST TO HAVE THE FINAL SAY. Youth tends to see everything as black or white and thus finds it difficult to fellowship with others while there are unresolved differences of opinion. We must seek to cultivate a spirit of humility and meekness so that differences on non-essential issues do not fracture our unity and friendship. The man who has to have the final say is captive to the lust of logic and is controlled by a burning passion to continually prove his own intellectual superiority. The servant of God must not allow himself to be mastered by this "youthful lust" for it will only produce ruptured relationships and a false sense of spirituality. "Woe unto those who are wise in their own eyes and prudent in their own sight." Is. 5:21.

We must not only FLEE UNGODLY CHARACTER; we must also FOLLOW GODLY CHARACTER - ". . . but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace . . . " Scripture almost never gives us a negative command without also giving us a positive command to pursue. If we will concentrate on hotly pursuing the right things then fleeing the wrong things will take care of themselves. When David sinned with Bathsheba, his downfall was not primarily in his failure to flee fornication, but rather in not following his God-given responsibility "Now it came to pass in the spring of the year, at the time when kings go out to battle . . . David remained in Jerusalem." 2 Sam. 11:1. How often we find ourselves overwhelmed by sin's allurements because we decide to stay in Jerusalem when God has called us to the battlefront. There is an Italian proverb which reads, "He that labors is tempted by one devil; he that is idle, by a thousand." And so it seems to be!

Paul lists four specific things we are to be in hot pursuit of. In view of the preceding verses and his description of the false teachers, these four character qualities are very appropriate, for they stand in stark contrast to ungodly conduct and teaching of these men. Notice the contrasts between the character qualities described here as opposed to those in vs. 14-18:

"Righteousness" - "for they will increase to more ungodliness" 16 "Faith" - "and they overthrow the faith of some" 18 "Love" - "their message will spread like gangrene" 17 "Peace" - "not to war over words to no profit" 14 Notice also that the first two qualities (righteousness and faith) are directed towards our relationship with God; while the last two (love and peace) are directed towards our relationship with people. The man of God must strive to be ever-balanced in these two critical relationships.

We see another important balance in this verse. Not only must we FLEE UNGODLY COMPANIONS, we also must FIND GODLY COMPANIONS - ". . . with those who call upon the Lord out of a pure heart." There is no sympathy in the scriptures for "lone ranger" Christianity. The servant of the Lord must find some "iron sharpening iron" relationships (Prov. 27:17) if his life is to maintain a cutting edge for the kingdom. This means that we ought to be very careful who we chose as our most intimate friends. We read in Amos 3:3 "Can two walk together unless they be agreed?." If two people are to genuinely walk together, they must be going at approximately the same pace and be headed for the same goal. Thus we find two good criteria for choosing our most intimate friends:

1. ARE WE HEADED TOWARDS THE SAME GOAL?

Is this person's goal in life holiness or just happiness? Are they living for the things that will count for eternity, or for the decaying delicacies of this fading world?

2. ARE WE GOING AT APPROXIMATELY THE SAME PACE?

How serious is this person's commitment to the cause of Christ? Many believers give mental assent to the goal of Christ-likeness, but relatively few pursue it with a burning passion. The purpose of true fellowship is to "stimulate (lit. "create a fever for") one another to love and good works" Heb. 10:24,25; not to huddle around worldly topics with other believers, under the guise of "Christian fellowship."

One of the most moving illustrations of godly companionship is found in the relationship cultivated between David and Jonathan. Perhaps the best summation of their relationship is found in I Sam. 23:16, "So Jonathan, Saul's son, arose and went to David in the woods, and strengthened his hand in God." Who do we have to help us "strengthen our hand in God"? To whom do we do the same?

Vs. 23: We now see a third involvement which we must avoid. Not only must we flee UNGODLY COMPANIONS (21), UNGODLY CHARACTER (22); but also UNGODLY CONTROVERSIES (23). "But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes.. . . " The man of God must not give in to the "youthful lust" of arguing over non-essential. issues. The word for "avoid" (paraiteomai) means to "reject or beg off." I like this last translation especially; for the Lord's servant must graciously "beg off" many invitations to "war over words" with other believers. This is not to say that we cannot openly discuss differences of opinions; but our discussions must not degenerate into heated debates over irrelevant issues.

Paul lists two specific types of useless controversies we are to avoid: "foolish and ignorant disputes." The word for disputes (zetesis) may also mean "investigations or speculations." No doubt there is a close connection between the two, for unresolved speculations very quickly flare up into disputes. These disputes are "foolish" and "ignorant" (apaideutos) (uneducated or undisciplined); as they only encourage a man to play the part of a fool, arguing over non-essential and non-resolvable issues.

The reason for "begging off" these useless arguments is that they generate strife." The word for "generate" (gennao) means "to give birth." Our verbal interaction should impregnate one another with a renewed passion for godliness (Eph. 4:29); not the "giving birth" to heated quarreling. William Barclay sums up the issue well:

"Here then is the test. If at the end of our talk, we are closer to one another and God, then all is well; but if we have erected barriers between one another and have left God more distant, then all is not well. The aim of all Christian discussion and of all Christian action is to bring a man nearer to his fellows and to God."

VS. 24 Paul now draws for us a magnificent portrait of the "servant of the Lord." The word for "servant" (doulos) is the word for "bondslave." Hence, vss. 24 and 25 give the characteristics of the man or woman who is truly enslaved to the Lord of Glory.

1. HE DOES NOT "BLOW OTHERS AWAY" ". . . must not quarrel"

The word used for "quarrel" (machomai) normally refers to "fighting or combat." There is also an interesting use of this word in secular Greek to describe a wind of such high intensity that it leveled everything in its path, much like a hurricane. The servant of the Lord must not "blow away" those who block his path in one way or another. We must ever resist the mentality of Diotrophes in 3 John 9,10. He "cast out" those who opposed him because of a fatal flaw in character who loves to have the preeminence among them . . . "

2. HE TREATS OTHERS WITH UTMOST CONSIDERATION ". . . but be gentle to all . . . "

Paul uses a very graphic word for "gentle" (epios). This word is used only one other time in the New Testament and it is found in I Thess. 2:7 - ". . . when we might have made demands (lit. "been a burden") as apostles of Christ, but we were gentle among you as a nursing mother cherishes her own children." The servant of God is not one who throws his weight around (1 Thess. 2:6); but rather responds to people as a nursing mother does her own child - WITH UTMOST CARE AND CONSIDERATION. Notice that this spirit of gentleness is to be directed "to all"; not just those we naturally care for. The servant of the Lord exemplifies the spirit of his Master most clearly when he responds kindly to the harsh as well as the gracious, when he loves his foes as well as his friends. Luke 6:32-36

3. HE IS COMPETENT IN COMMUNICATING GOD'S WORD ". . . able to teach . . . "

Of course some believers will be more gifted in this area than others, but every disciple who would be fully used of the Lord must be able to communicate God's eternal word in an understanding fashion. This does not necessarily mean in front of large audiences either, for the Lord's servant can produce warriors for the faith through small groups and individual discipleship. But, he must have a good grasp on the Word and be able to convey it clearly to his hearers.

4. HE IS ABLE TO "TAKE IT ON THE CHIN" WITHOUT RETALIATING - ". . . patient . . . "

The word Paul uses here for "patient" (anexikakos) means "to bear evil without resentment." The servant of the Lord is absolutely guaranteed that he will take it on the chin for representing and reflecting Christ to this crooked and perverse generation.2 Tim. 3:12; Phil. 1:29; John 15:18-21. Yet, in the midst of this undeserved affliction, we are to respond as Christ responded:

"For to this were you called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving you an example that you should follow His steps: 'Who committed no sin, Nor was guile found in His mouth'. Who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously." 1 Peter 2:21-23

This characteristic was well demonstrated by John Selwyn, a missionary in the South Pacific some years ago. While in university, Selwyn became renowned for his boxing skills and great strength. During his years in the South Pacific, he had occasion to strongly rebuke a native, and that native struck him violently across his face. Selwyn responded by folding his arms and looking intently into the eyes of the native, who realized that Selwyn could easily have knocked him cold. But Selwyn made not the slightest effort to retaliate and simply gazed at him with loving concern. The native fled into the jungles, too ashamed to face this missionary. Several years after John Selwyn had returned home, that same native came forward to confess Christ and be baptized by Selwyn's replacement. When asked what new name he wished to be called by, the native replied, "Call me John Selwyn, for it was he who taught me what Jesus Christ is like.." May the same be said of us!

5. HE IS ABLE TO CONTEND FOR THE TRUTH IN AN UNCONTENTIOUS WAY ". . . in humility correcting those who are in opposition. . . "

There is a beautiful balance in this part of vs. 25. The servant of the Lord is gentle, but he is not a doormat. He does not back down when an essential issue is at stake, but is "valiant for the truth on the earth." Jer. 9:3. The word Paul uses for "correcting" (paideuo) is the word for "child-training." It can be translated "instruct, chasten, discipline, etc.," and it clearly conveys an authoritative stand of one person against another for the purpose of change. The man of God must take an authoritative stand for God's truth against those who would challenge or pervert it. But this stand must be done in a spirit of humility and meekness. The word for "humility" (praotes) is really the word for "meekness," and probably is best translated this way. In the Greek language, this was a graphic word. It was used to describe a gentle breeze or voice. Aristotle put it as the midpoint between great anger and no anger at all. It describes the person who is never angry at the wrong time but always angry at the right time. It was used also of a wild horse which had been tamed and brought under control. One man has well defined it as "strength under control." Moses and Christ are especially described as being "meek," yet both of them blazed with anger at the appropriate times. And so as we stand for the truth, it must be done with the right degree of anger. Many times, we must resist the urge within us to flare up and "blow away" those in opposition. We must learn to speak like the Lord did to Elijah -- in a "still, small voice." Yet there will be other times that we must "be angry" without sinning. Eph. 4:26. In those instances, we must learn to speak like the Lord did to Job -- "out of a whirlwind." The man who is truly "meek" is able to go in either direction at the proper time.

Having described the character and conduct of "the servant of the Lord," Paul now reminds us of the real reason for any success we might have in seeing others change -- ". . . if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth." It is only the hand of God which can untangle the twisted thoughts of men. God may use our reasonings and exhortations, but He is in no way dependent upon them. We are utterly dependent upon Him for any fruitfulness in our ministry. "Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God Who gives the increase." I Cor. 3:5-7

God is the agent of change while we are a channel through which He dispenses His life-transforming grace. Therefore, it is crucial that we be clear channels who do not obstruct what He would send through us. It is for us to be (vs. 24, 25a) and for God to do (25b, 26).

VS 26: We see here why we are in such desperate need of God's power for there to be any chance of impacting those who have strayed from the truth. These men are beyond the point of being helped by mere human effort, for they have been "taken captive" by the prince of darkness and his demonic power. Only a power greater than Satan's can pluck them from his evil grasp -- and that power belongs to God alone!

The imagery in this verse is very graphic and deserves notice. The first metaphor is that of a drunkard returning to sobriety. The word for "come to their senses" (ananepho) literally means "to be sober again." Satan has three vintage wines which he uses to intoxicate the inhabitants of this world. They are "the lust of the flesh (INTENSE DESIRE FOR PLEASURE), the lust of the eyes (INTENSE DESIRE FOR POSSESSIONS), and the boastful pride of the life (INTENSE DESIRE FOR POSITION)." 1 Jn 2:15, 16. Many a believer who was once sober has lost his spiritual senses by drinking deeply from these sparkling wines. Once overcome, only divine intervention can sober him up again and revive him out of his spiritual stupor. That is why the passage in Heb. 6:1-8 about "going on to perfection," hinges on a small but vitally significant statement in vs. 3 - "and this we will do if God permits." Unless God reaches down and supernaturally revives the drunken and slumbering saint, our words and warnings will fall on deaf ears.

Paul now changes metaphors from drunkenness to hunting - "and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will." The words "and escape" are not in the Greek text and therefore should probably be left out. The sentence simply reads, ". . . come to their senses from the snare of the devil . . . " (kai ananepsosin ek tas tou diabolou pagidos).

The "snare" is the trap which Satan sets for unwary believers who wander off the path of righteousness to partake of the alluring bait which he places over the snare. The bait varies according to the need of the hour, but it always is placed with one purpose in mind - "to capture alive" the careless saint. The word for "having been taken captive" (zogreo) literally means "to capture alive." Interestingly, this word is used only one other time in the New Testament, in Luke 5:10, "Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men." God's program is to catch men alive and turn them into fishers of men; Satan's program is also to catch men alive, but then to turn them into destroyers of men. It is a rather sobering thought to realize that none of us can escape being used, whether by the Prince of peace or by the Prince of darkness. All of us are playing a part on the stage of human history, and our performance will promote either good or evil, light or darkness, Christ or Satan.

There is no comfortable middle ground; no haven for the complacent and mediocre saint, though many would vainly imagine that there is. "He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad." Matt.12:30 The last part of this verse is a bit difficult to interpret. The difficulty arises in the differences between the pronouns "captive by him (autou) to do his (to ekeinou) will." Many take these pronouns to refer to the same person, the devil. This certainly is possible and makes for an easy interpretation. These men have been taken captive by the devil to do the will of the devil. The problem with this interpretation arises in the marked difference between the two personal pronouns. We would have expected Paul to maintain the same words if he was referring to the same person. With the change of pronouns there arises another possibility. The last pronoun ("his will") may refer to the next nearest antecedent, "God" (vs. 25); and so the interpretation would then be that the men have been taken captive by the devil to do God's will. In this case, Paul would be emphasizing God's divine sovereignty in the affairs of man and Satan. Satan's dealings with the Lord's people is always bound within the will of God. Job, 1 Tim. 1:20, 1 Cor. 5:5. "This being so, we must acknowledge our dependence on God to free men from the evil one's grasp - for that grasp is not apart from His sovereign will. Sovereign grace, then, alone can release such." (Hodges)

2 Timothy 3:1-9

Having described Timothy's COMMISSION TO FULFILL (2:1-26), Paul now reminds him of the inevitable CONFLICT TO FACE (3:1-17).

Vs. 1: As difficult as things were for Timothy in the present, they were destined to only become worse. In fact, Paul describes the coming days as it perilous" days. The word he uses for "perilous" (chalepos) is used only one other time in the New Testament, and there it describes two demon possessed men who were "exceedingly fierce," so that none could pass by them. Matt. 8:28. Plutarch used this word to describe "an ugly or hideous wound." The days preceding the return of Christ will be "exceedingly fierce" and world-wide conditions will be "hideous" to behold. cf. Matt. 24:1-31.

Paul exhorts Timothy to be keenly aware of what lies ahead. "Know" (ginoske) is a present imperative, stressing the importance of this exhortation. Many believers today have a tendency to give prophecy a cold shoulder, regarding it at incomprehensible and unimportant. Yet Paul and the other New Testament writers felt just the opposite, for the New Testament is streaked from beginning to end with the divine coloring of prophecy. In fact, approximately one-third of the entire Bible is prophetic in nature. If God didn't want us to place a strong emphasis on prophecy, then it is surely difficult to understand why He emphasized it so strongly in the one book He would give man to live by. The first sermon of the church age came forth dripping with prophetic references, resulting in new life for about three thousand souls. Acts 2:14-41. Christ's last words to the church age are prophetic - "Surely, I am coming quickly." Rev. 22:20. And if our generation of Christians were to emphasize prophecy the same way the first generation of believers did, then we too would begin to have the same impact on our world as they did on theirs -- "These who have turned the world upside down have come here too." Acts 17:6.

Alexander Maclaren writes,

"The primitive church thought more about the second coming of Jesus Christ than about death or heaven. They were not looking for a cleft in the ground called 'the grave', but for a cleavage in the sky called 'Glory'. They were not looking for the 'undertaker' but the 'uppertaker'. They felt that man's chief end was to get right with God or be left behind when Christ returned."

May we be gripped by this same holy expectation so that our lives also have a keen cutting edge for the Spirit of God!

The phrase "the last days" (eschatais hemerais) properly refers to those days just prior to Christ's return. It is a reference to the "last days" of the church, not Israel. Many have claimed that Paul was obviously not inspired in his writings since he claimed that his generation was living in the last days. I Cor. 10:11 Since it has been almost 2,000 years and the end has not yet come, therefore Paul was sadly mistaken and certainly not writing under the inerrant inspiration of God. But these men utterly fail to take into account what 2,000 or even 10,000 years are like to the Eternal God. "But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day." II Peter 3:8. We are the ones who have problems with time, not God! The finite periods of time we call "days" are meaningless measurements to the One Who is the Author of eternity, Who is both "beginning" and "end" simultaneously. How ludicrous, yea arrogant, of mortal man whose life is as a vapor, to subject the infinite, eternal God to a finite, temporal time line. Just because God does not set His watch according to ours, does it mean that He is late for our appointment with Him? Every second that He prolongs His coming is a second of grace, for its purpose is "that none should perish, but that all should come to repentance." II Peter 3:9

Thus we also are in "the last days" as Paul and Timothy were. One man has well illustrated it by the analogy of walking along the edge of a cliff. Until Christ, time was heading in the direction of a cliff so that ultimately it would fall off at His second coming. Since Christ, time has been running along the edge of the cliff ready to fall off at any moment. We ought to view our lives this way. At any moment, Christ may return and bring all our activities and ambitions to a screeching halt. Since today may literally be MY "last day," I ought to live in such a way that I will not be dissatisfied or disappointed with the way I spent it. The practical effect prophecy should have on our lives might be best summed up by the words of Christ Himself: "Blessed is that servant who his master will find so doing when he comes." Luke 12:43

VS: 2 Paul now begins his description of men in general during the last days. It is certainly a dismal sight and one which evokes exceedingly little optimism for man's ability to change himself for the better. The humanist receives a crushing blow at the hands of this passage, for here is the end result of all man's efforts to better himself and his world. Despite all man's knowledge and the treasures of centuries of learning, his character remains utterly bankrupt. T.S. Elliot put it well:

"All our knowledge brings us closer to our ignorance,
and all our ignorance, closer to death.
But closer to death, no closer to God
Where is the life we have lost in living?"

It is very appropriate that the first characteristic he mentions is "lovers of themselves" (philautos). Trench describes this word as "contemplated sparing of self and providing things easy and pleasant for self." Is this trait not the root of all other traits which follow? This is the SIN which produces all others SINS. In fact, a good way to understand "sin" is by it's very letters:

S - Self
I - Interested
N - Nature

In the garden, man had a GOD-INTERESTED NATURE and was intoxicated with the desire to please and worship God. In the fall, his character fell far short of its original design - the glory of God. He took on a SELF-INTERESTED NATURE and became intoxicated with the desire to please and glorify himself. Thus it was and is and shall be until "the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings."

Needless to say, our society is heavily intoxicated with "love for self." The best-selling book of 1977 well illustrates this, Looking Out for Number One, by Robert Ringer. U.S. News and World Report made this penetrating observation not long ago about the "ME GENERATION":

"Gone are the march-ins, sit-ins, and campus unrest. Young adults today are not interested in the fire-brand speeches of yesterday's Abbie Hoffmans and Eldridge Cleavers. Today they have new heroes - themselves."

It will only get worse.

The second characteristic follows very appropriately after "lovers of themselves" -- "lovers of money" (philarguros). When a man lives solely for his own welfare, then the acquisition of wealth becomes an insatiable appetite. It causes men to forget and forsake all integrity and decency in their burning lust for the almighty dollar. Who can calculate the number of lives that have been directly or indirectly shattered by the force of greed. "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." I Tim. 6:10.

It noteworthy before going on to see the correlation between "lovers of themselves, lovers of money" and the rest of these perverse attributes. Every other attribute in this list finds its root cause in one of these wayward loves or both. What we tie the strings of our heart around will determine the direction our life takes. "Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it springs the issues of life." Prov. 4:23.

"BOASTERS," (alazon) This word describes the man who brags and boasts about his accomplishments, and in his boasting overpasses the limits of truth. Some have translated it as "empty braggart" to bring out the full stress of the word. See TRENCH, REINECKER.

"PROUD" (huperephanos) The word most literally means "to show one's self above" , "to appear above." Barclay summarizes it well,

"It does not so much mean the man who is conspicuous and to whom others look up, as the man who stands on his own little self-created pedestal and looks down. The characteristic of the man who is huperephanos is that he looks down on everyone else, secure in his own arrogant self-conceit."

Fundamentally, it is the same spirit of rebellion which caused Lucifer to say, "I will be like the Most High." Is. 14:14.

"BLASPEMERS" (blasphemos) It means "to revile or speak evil against." Like the ungodly of Ps. 73:9, "They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walks through the earth."

"DISOBEDIENT TO PARENTS" (apeithes goneus) Surely this characteristic has never been more rampant than in our generation. In 1972, over 10,000 youngsters ran away from home each week. Disobedience to parents carries a high price tag in the scriptures, "The eye that mocks his father and scorns obedience to his mother, the ravens of the valley will pick it out and the young eagles will eat it." Prov. 30:17.

"UNTHANKFUL" (acharistos) This person is utterly destitute of any gratitude for God or others. He sees the world as "owing him" a job, housing, etc. The man who is consumed with self cannot find any room to appreciate others. it . . . Although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful. . . "

"UNHOLY" (anosios) This word describes the man who not only breaks the laws of God and society, but even breaks the unwritten laws of common decency. It was used to describe marrying among family members or to refuse to bury the dead. Some years ago, Cosmopolitan interviewed 106,000 women and reported that approximately 10% had engaged in some form of incest. These statistics only continue to rise.

VS 3 "UNLOVING" (astorgos) This word literally means "without family affection" or "without love for kindred." It is frequently used of parent-child relationships. This is the sort of degradation that allows mothers to have abortions or to leave their babies in trash cans.

"UNFORGIVING" (aspondos) It means "irreconcilable," "hostility which refuses truce." It is hatred and unforgiveness set in cement. The skyrocketing divorce rate is one good example of this; for divorce is a resolute refusal to forgive; unforgiveness set in cement.

"SLANDERERS" (diabolos) This is also the word for "devil" and it basically means "false accuser." Shakespeare described the tragedy of this trait:

"Good name in man and woman, dear my lord
Is the immediate jewel of their souls:
Who steals my purse steals trash; 'tis something, nothing;
'Twas mine, 'tis his, and has been slave to thousands:
But he that filches from me my good name
Robs me of that which not enriches him
And makes me poor indeed."

One need only to watch the election campaigns to see how vicious and widespread this characteristic is.

"WITHOUT SELF CONTROL" (akrates) These men are "without power over self" so that they are slaves to their own passions and lusts. The body which God gave them to use for His pleasure, has become a vehicle for their own pleasure. Few things are more tragic than a man or woman who can no longer say "no" to themselves and thus are hopelessly enslaved to their own cravings.

"BRUTAL" (anemeros) This word literally means "not tame" and was used fittingly to describe wild beasts, especially lions. These men are not just given to violence now and then; they are in fact, "savage." They pounce on whoever gets in their way, and have no regard for the rights or feelings of anyone other than themselves. The tremendous increase in crime demonstrates how widespread this characteristic has become. In 1976, the following statistics were released in regards to the increase in various crimes since World War II:

MURDER - up 263%
RAPE - up 100%
ROBBERY - up 263%
AGGRAVATED ASSAULTS - up 215%
AUTO THEFTS - up 158%
BURGLARY - up 290%

Each year over 70,000 teachers are attacked in their classrooms. It is as Christ predicted, ". . . lawlessness will abound . . . " Matt. 24:12.

"DESPISERS OF GOOD" (aphilagathos) The word means "not lovers of the good" or "not fond of goodness." Men will continue "to love darkness rattler than light" and will despise all genuine good.

VS 4 "TRAITORS" (prodotes) The word describes "one who betrays his country or one who is a traitor to his oath or one who abandons another in danger." REINECKER. It will be as Christ prophesied, "And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another." Matt. 24:10. Lenin once wrote, "Treaties are only for getting breath for a new effort. They exist to be broken as soon as expedient. Peace propaganda is to camouflage war preparations."

"HEADSTRONG" (propetes) The word describes one who is "rash, reckless, or falls forward without consideration." Acts 19:36. The supreme example of this will be the battle of Armageddon where men will "fall forward" into reckless destruction, failing to consider the worldwide results.

"HAUGHTY" (tuphoo) Literally this means "having been puffed up." The perfect tense here probably denotes the intensity of conceit. Kelly translates, 'Is swollen with conceit" and thus captures the thought graphically. The root word was used to describe being "filled with smoke," a very appropriate imagery for man's pride. The man who is "swollen with conceit" is really just "filled with smoke" for all his accomplishments will be reduced to nothing more than smoke and ashes one day. II Pet. 3:10. John Lennon, the former Beatle, once stated, "Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn't argue about that; I'm right and I will be proved right. We're more popular than Jesus now." All that John Lennon ever accomplished will be turned into wisps of smoke (Mal. 4:1), but Christianity will continue to flourish until "the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the seas." Hab. 2:14.

"LOVERS OF PLEASURE RATHER THAN LOVERS OF GOD" Pascal once wrote that in every man's heart is a "God-shaped vacuum," yet men will continue to fill this vacuum with the god called "pleasure." Christ Himself said of these days, "Because lawlessness (or iniquity) will abound, the love of many will grow cold." Matt. 24:12. Americans spend $600.00 on luxuries for every $1.00 they give to missions. More money is spent on tobacco each year than both the U.S. and Canada have spent on missions since the discovery of America! "Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins?" Haggai 1:4.

VS. 5 Paul now moves from his description of mankind in general (2-4) to a description of religion and religious leaders during the last days (5-9).

He characterizes the religious leaders as externally attractive but internally bankrupt, "Having a form of godliness but denying its power . . . " The word for "form" (morphosis) speaks of "outward form, outline or resemblance." These men will make an outward pretense of piety, but will be severed from the power which produces true godliness. They will be "clouds without water" Jude 12, men without the Holy Spirit. It is important to see here that the flesh can put on a show of godliness while in fact being utterly devoid of true spirituality. Most assuredly, in today's Christendom "Not all that glitters is gold."

As Paul emphasized in 2:20,21, we are to "turn away from such as these."

VS 6,7 Having described their CHARACTER (5), he now describes their CONDUCT (6-8)

The first thing we see is that the infection of false teaching is a slow process and usually takes place over a prolonged period of time. "For of this sort are those who creep into households. . . . " The word used for "creep" (enduno) comes from a root word which was used to describe "the setting of the sun." It is so slow that it is almost imperceptible, yet it is most certainly taking place. Heresy never comes knocking loudly on the front door, it sneaks quietly in the back door while no one is watching. cf. Jude 4.

Once in the house, they "make captives of gullible women . . . " The word for "make captives" (aichmalotizontes) means to "take captive at spear-point, to take a prisoner of war." These false teachers are "playing for keeps" and are bent on fulfilling their commission. Their captives consist primarily of "gullible women" (gunaikarion) - literally "little women." Note the sarcasm in Paul's usage of "taking captive" and "little women." "Figuratively speaking these are the kind of men who bravely sneak up on and capture 'little women'." HODGES

Paul immediately gives the reason these women are such easy prey: "loaded down with sins, led away with various lusts, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." As always, moral defection is the root of spiritual deviation. "Expressive of utmost moral and spiritual weakness, it describes those whose consciences are burdened by sin, whose lives are the slaves of shifting (poikilos, Simpson 145) lusts, and who thus while sensing a hunger for truth are morally incompetent to learn it. They are easy prey for the errorists." HODGES

Many accuse Paul of being harsh and chauvinistic towards women because of statements such as these. Yet when we see the tremendous number of women in cults and deviate sects today, we cannot help but recognize the truth of his words. And of course, Paul recognized that many men would also fall prey to these false teachers.

VS. 8 These corrupt men (6a) are not doing anything new or original. They are simply following in the footsteps of the ancient apostates, who likewise fought against God's truth and resisted God's messengers. Paul goes back to the time of Moses and his encounter with the magicians of Pharoah's court Jannes and Jambres. Jewish tradition has maintained that the two magicians in Pharoah's court were Jannes and Jambres, though they are not specifically named in the Exodus account.

We are told here that some of the religious leaders of the last days will resist the truth in the same way that these two magicians resisted Moses. How then did Jannes and Jambres resist Moses? By COUNTERFEIT MIRACLES! These magicians reproduced the same initial miraculous signs as Moses (Ex. 7:12, 22; 8:7). Thus we see clearly that God is not the only source of miraculous events, for Satan also has "miracle working power." cf. II Thess. 2:9. This verse must be taken seriously among groups which emphasize receiving miracles or signs from God. "Not all that glitters is gold" and not all miraculous experiences in Christian circles are from God. For this reason John commands us to, ". . . not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God . . . . " I John 4:1.

We see again the root cause for these men's ungodly and even demonic conduct - ". . . men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith." The word for "corrupt" (katphtheiro) means "to corrupt completely, ruin, render useless." The mind which could have been used for the word of God and the cause of Christ, is now in utter ruin. Lying beside this ruined mind is a rejected (adokimos) faith, both the inevitable results of cauterizing one's conscience. I Tim. 4:1,2.

VS. 9 Though these opponents of the truth are enjoying some measure of success in the present, their downfall is just around the corner. "But they will not progress any further . . . " Jannes and Jambres were able to counterfeit the first three of Moses's miracles, but after that they were no match for God's true spokesman. God will not be mocked and His truth will not be restrained. "For we can do nothing against the truth, but only for the truth." II Cor. 13:8. God will not only vindicate His truth, He will also spotlight their ignorance - ". . . for their ignorance will be made evident to all, just as also was theirs." In God's sovereign timing, He will expose the foolishness and ignorance of these supposed theologians, and they will be disgraced before those they attempted to deceive. cf. Mal. 2:6-9!

2 Timothy 3:10-17

Having reminded Timothy of the certain CONFLICT TO FACE (3:1-9); Paul reminds and exhorts him to remain faithful to his PAST TRAINING and PRESENT RESOURCE during these "perilous days" (3:10-17).

VS. 10 Paul now makes a sharp contrast between his description of the apostate religious leaders (5-9) and Timothy (10,11). The contrast between the two is heightened by the emphatic pronoun (su) "but you . . . " Timothy has followed a markedly different path than the pious counterfeits described in vss. 5-9. The word for "carefully followed" (parakoloutheo) means "to follow alongside," if to accompany." Thayer translates it, "conform one's self to"; while Kelly states that it is a technical term defining the relationship of a disciple to his master. Thus he paraphrases, "to study at close quarters; to carefully note with a view to reproducing." Timothy's life and conduct had been eternally altered by his association with the apostle Paul. He could look back upon the training he had received at the hands of Paul and be encouraged to continue on, for he had been molded by a life par-excellence!

This verse is reminiscent of what Paul has commanded Timothy in 2:2. Paul practiced what he preached! We also see in these verses Timothy's seminary. He had been trained in the school of Pauline doctrine and practice, and his curriculum included character as well as content, practice as well as precept! Let's take a closer look at Timothy's curriculum for discipleship:

Sound doctrine is the starting point for godly living. Just as we are regenerated by the word of God (Jas. 1:18), we also are renovated by the word of God. ". . . that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word." Eph 5:26, also I Peter 2:2, John 17:17.

"MANNER OF LIFE" (agoge) This word is found only here in the New Testament. It is used in Ester 2:20 in the LXX to describe one's upbringing or training." However, it is sometimes used in classical Greek and in II Macc. 4:16 to describe one's "way of life." In either case, Paul's knowledge of the scriptures and Christian doctrine renovated the way he lived. We too must follow Paul's example and "adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things."

"I'd rather see a sermon than hear one any day,
I'd rather one should walk with me, than merely point the way.
And the best of all the preachers are the men who live their creeds,
For to see good put in action is what everybody needs."

"PURPOSE" (prothesis) Here is an indispensable requirement for Christ's school of discipleship. It has been well noted, "If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time." If we are hazy about our life's objective then we will ultimately find ourselves wandering about in the misty shadows of irrelevant living. Paul was consumed by his purpose in life and kept his eyes riveted upon that great eternal goal - ". . . that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings. . . " Phil 3:7-14.

"FAITH" (pistis) Like the heroes of the faith found in Heb. 11, Paul exercised RISKING FAITH in his pursuit of godly living. No doubt Timothy would never forget the unshakeable faith which had carried Paul through the many storms of sorrow and suffering.

"Nothing before, nothing behind,
The steps of faith
Fall on the seeming void, and find
The rock beneath."
WHITTIER

"LONGSUFFERING" (makrothumia) Chrystotom defined this word as, "The spirit which could take revenge if it liked but utterly refuses to do so. It differs from the word translated "patience" or "endurance" in that this word speaks of being patient in respect to persons, whereas the other speaks of being patient in respect to things or circumstances. TRENCH. The man of God must have a long fuse lest he explode when he cannot afford to.

"LOVE" (agape) Here is the badge of discipleship, the landmark of heaven. "By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love (agape) one for another." John 13:35. Tertullian the early disciple wrote, "It is our care for the helpless, our practice of lovingkindness, that brands us in the eyes of many of our opponents. 'Look!' they say, 'How they love one another!' Look how they are prepared to die for one another."' People do not care how much we know until they know how much we care.

"PERSEVERANCE" (hupomone) Here is the word which speaks of patience in respect to things or circumstances. It is a God-honoring endurance which undergoes life's fiery trials because of the glory that lies ahead. This word is graphically described by William Barclay:

. . .lithe spirit which can bear thing, not simply with resignation, but with blazing hope; it is not the spirit which sits statically enduring in the one place, but the spirit which bears things because it knows that these things are leading to a goal of glory; it is not the patience which grimly waits for the end, but the patience which radiantly hopes for the dawn. It is the quality which keeps a man on his feet with his face to the wind. It is the virtue which can transmute the hardest trial into glory because beyond the pain it sees the goal."

It is this character quality which will determine whether we finish our course or not. Heb. 10:36; 12:1.

VS. 11 Paul now describes what has happened to him as a result of vs. 10. He does not point out his successes, but his scars, for these are sure proof that Christ has had full sway in his life. "From now on let no one trouble me for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus." Gal. 6:17.

Paul describes the reproach he has received at the hands of Christ-hating men -- "persecutions" (diogmos) and the suffering these persecutions brought - "afflictions" (pathema). He had followed His Master unreservedly and this fulfilled Christ's own prophecy concerning him, "For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My Name's sake." Acts 9:16.

He points out three different occasions of suffering for the gospel which Timothy would be keenly aware of. These three different incidents are described in detail in Acts 13:13-14:20. In Lystra, Paul was stoned and left for dead by a vicious crowd who had been stirred up by envious Jews. It is quite possible that Timothy was an eyewitness of this event (Acts. 16:1,2) and so would never forget the great boldness exemplified by the aged apostle. And Paul is reminding Timothy, as well as us, that persecutions and afflictions are required courses in Christ's school of discipleship, not electives. II Tim.3:12!

Hast thou no scar?
No hidden scar on foot, or side, or hand?
I hear thee sung as mighty in the land,
I hear them hail thy bright ascendant star:
Hast thou no scar?

Hast thou no wound?
Yet, I was wounded by the archers, spent.
Leaned me against the tree to die, and rent
By ravening beasts that compassed me, I swooned:
Hast thou no wound?

No wound? No scar?
Yes, as the master shall the servant be,
And pierced are the feet that follow Me;
But thine are whole. Can he have followed far
Who has no wound? No scar?
Amy Wilson Carmichael

Paul concludes this verse by pointing out two balancing truths concerning the proper response to persecution.

PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY - ". . . which persecutions I endured." The word for "endured" (hupophero) speaks of "bearing up under," especially in regards to a heavy load. The man of God is willing to shoulder the weight of the cross in order to follow in Christ's footsteps.

DIVINE PROTECTION - "And out of them all the Lord delivered me." The servant of God is indestructible until his work is done. Rev. 11:7.

God sovereignly protected Paul from physical death until he had "completely fulfilled" his ministry. "'No weapon formed against you shall prosper and every tongue which rises against you in judgment, you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me,' says the Lord." Is. 54:17

Thus we have seen the curriculum of Timothy's training program. It is interesting to note that only I out of 9 courses involved doctrine alone. The training did not take place inside the walls of an isolated classroom, but on the battlefield for men's souls. The training was not costly in regards to paid tuition, but it cost a man everything in regards to his priorities and pursuits in life. And the proof of his success was not found in the paper and ink of a man-made certificate, but in the "marks of the Lord Jesus" found on his body. Needless to say, we have often veered from this original curriculum in our day of man-pleasing religion.

VS. 12 Paul is careful to point out that his persecution was not anything out of the ordinary. It is in fact, an absolute promise for any believer "who desires to live godly in Christ Jesus." Though there are not many believers standing in line to claim this promise, it is nevertheless a sure promise from God's word. The word for "desire" (thelo) can also be translated "wish" or "want'. The thought seems to be that any believer with the slightest inkling to break ranks with the world and walk in line behind Christ will feel the heat of this world's rage. If we find that we seldom, if ever, are being persecuted for our faith, then certainly we must question whether we genuinely are "living godly in Christ Jesus."

It is important to realize also that "suffering for Christ" is not necessarily physical abuse or punishment. Luke 6:22 gives at least two other forms of persecution:

• SOCIAL ABUSE - "Blessed are you when men hate you and when they exclude you . . .
• VERBAL ABUSE - ". . . and revile you and cast out your name as evil for the Son of Man's sake."

Thus we can expect to face PHYSICAL, SOCIAL and VERBAL ABUSE if indeed we "live godly in (or by means of") Christ Jesus." It was said of one such leader, "He belonged to that class of early martyrs whose passionate soul made an early holocaust of the physical man." (See also I Thess. 3:3,4; Phil. 1:29; Jn 15:18-21)

VS. 13 Timothy should not expect any let up in the conflict and persecution he must face. Both men in general ("evil men," poneros) and religious counterfeits ("imposters," goes) will "grow worse and worse." Literally it reads, "they will cut forward to what is worse." This same imagery of "cutting forward" to greater ungodliness has been previously alluded to in 2:16. Hodges notes the irony here in that these men will "progress backwards." As they seek to lead others away from the truth ("deceiving"), they themselves fall prey to "being deceived" and thus become the blind leading the blind into greater and greater darkness. These are the kind of men who will seek to influence and intimidate Timothy as he presses on towards completely fulfilling his God-appointed ministry.

We can also expect the same! The word for "imposters" (goes) is significant in this context. It is found only here in the New Testament and is used for "magicians, enchanters, swindlers or jugglers." These men will be out to deceive by whatever trick or sleight of hand it takes to "deceive the hearts of the simple."

VS. 14 In contrast to the many who will plunge deeper and deeper into the cesspool of deception and darkness (13), Timothy is to stand firm on the solid rock of God's unchanging word.

This verse begins again with the emphatic "you" (su) which we last saw in 3:10. The man of God must pay careful attention to himself and the scriptures if he is to resist the enticing lure of doctrinal infidelity.

"Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you." I Tim. 4:16

The word for "continue" (meno) means to "abide or remain." It is a present imperative (mene), thus "calling for a constant and continual way of life." REINECKER. Kelly nicely translates this as, "stand by . . . " Perhaps one of the severest tests of a believer's character and loyalty is to "stand by" the side of known truth while alluring and scintillating heresies are paraded in front of us. It is no small feat to remain faithful to God's eternal word throughout one's lifetime and many there are who have left its ranks.

Paul describes the truths Timothy is to hold onto as "the things which you have learned and been assured of." There is an important distinction between these two entities, for the first denotes CONTENT, but the second, CONVICTION. Timothy had not only "learned" the truth, but he had "become convinced" (eido) of it. This last word was found in the papyri to describe a theory or hypothesis which had been confirmed. The important thing to note here is that Timothy CHECKED THINGS OUT FOR HIMSELF! What he learned, he then went on to confirm personally. He followed in the steps of the Bereans of whom Paul said, "These were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so." Acts 17:11

The difference between the things we "learn," and those we "become convinced of" is that we hold the former while the latter holds us! Until the word of God becomes not just something we hold, but rather something which hold us, then our teaching and preaching will be but an anemic substitute for the vibrant, majestic voice of God which "splinters the cedars of Lebanon" and "shakes the wilderness" Ps. 29:5,8.

Paul now gives the reasons that Timothy had become utterly convinced of the value and veracity of God's word. The participle "knowing" is probably an adjectival participle of cause, thus denoting the cause or reason for Timothy's assurance. This assurance is two-fold:

PROVEN POWER IN PAUL'S LIFE, "knowing from whom you have learned them." Timothy had seen the awesome effects which God's eternal word can unleash in a consecrated man's life (10,11). "Wisdom is justified by her children" (Matt. 11:19; Lk 2:35) and Paul had more than justified his wisdom by the offspring of his life and ministry. Can we point to our lives as undeniable proof of the life-changing power of God's word? If not, then we cannot hope to produce a Timothy, for only fire can kindle another fire.

VS. 15 PERSONAL EXPERIENCE IN HIS OWN LIFE - "and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures . . . " due to the godly heritage of his mother and grandmother (1:5), Timothy's upbringing was heavily saturated with the word of God. The phrase "Holy Scriptures" is apparently a stock phrase for all the Old Testament, according to Kelly who cites Philo and Josephus as references. These women gave Timothy two things which are essential for raising children: EXPOSURE TO THEIR OWN LIFE-CHANGING FAITH (1:5), and EXPOSURE TO GOD'S LIFE-CHANGING WORD (3:15). The Christian world owes these two heroines of the faith a tremendous debt of gratitude, for who can possibly calculate the number of lives which have been challenged and strengthened over the centuries because of their son and the two letters written to him. The Christian mother who is committed to her high calling is an awesome weapon in the hand of God, for she is producing polished arrows for His sturdy bow.

Paul finishes out this verse by reminding Timothy of the potential power still residing in the Holy Scriptures to further transform his life, if . . . which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus."

The scriptures have the power to provide the life changing wisdom which, if properly applied, will save us from the power of sin and the peril of false teaching. The word for "make you wise" (sophizo) essentially means to give the ability to "live skillfully." "Wisdom" in the Old and New Testament is most accurately defined as "skillful living" since the Hebrew word for "wisdom" means "to be skilled." The word of God enables the man of God to "live life skillfully" so that his life is well constructed and built to last.(Matt. 7:24-27) Only the life built according to the blueprint of God's word can endure the storms of life and successfully stand the fiery test of Christ's ultimate evaluation.

"The voice said, 'Cry out!' And he said, 'What shall I cry?' 'All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, because the breath of the Lord blows upon it; Surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever."' (Is. 40:6-8) The "salvation" (soteria) spoken of in this verse could be taken one of two ways. If the phrase "which are able" (ta dunamena) is taken to be a past event, then we would read ". . . which were able to . . . salvation." In this case "salvation" would be the equivalent of justification and the new birth. Paul is quick to note however that this justification did not take place simply because of the scriptures, but ". . . through faith which is in Christ Jesus." It is the written word which points to and points out the Living Word (John 5:39), and it is our faith in the Living Word (Christ) which saves us.

If however we take the phrase "which are able" as a present event, then this "salvation" must be more than justification for this had already been accomplished. (II Tim. 1:9) In this case, "salvation" would probably be more or less equivalent to sanctification. The word of God has the power to free the man of God from the bondage of his sin nature. "You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free." (in. 8:32) In the context of this chapter, it also has the power to deliver us from the perilous effects of false teaching (13). But again we see that the written word's power cannot be unleashed without faith in the Living Word. The Christian experience is begun by faith in Christ's death, it is carried out by faith in Christ's life. (Rom. 5:9,10) ". . . and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God. . . " (Gal. 2:20) While the written word provides the DIRECTION for our lives, it is the Living Word Who provides the DYNAMIC for our lives. We know what to do through the SCRIPTURES, but we can only do what we know through the SAVIOR. "I am the vine, you are the branches. . . apart from Me you can do nothing." (John15:5)

VS. 16 Added weight is now given to Paul's mandate to remain faithful to the Holy Scriptures. These scriptures are supremely valuable for the man of God's life and service. In this verse we are given two tremendous reasons for remaining glued to scriptures.

ALL SCRIPTURE IS ABSOLUTELY TRUSTWORTHY -- "All scripture is given by inspiration of God. . . " The phrase "given by inspiration of God" comes from the single Greek word (theopneustos) which literally means "God-breathed." The scriptures were written by men, but only "as they were moved by the Holy Spirit." (II Pet. 1:21) "Every word of God is pure." (Prov. 30:5) As such, it can be trusted unreservedly as the final authority on whatever it addresses. It is of no small significance that the first words Satan ever spoke to man were an attempt to deny the trustworthiness of God's word - "Has God really said . . . ?"(Gen. 3:1) Those today who deny the absolute trustworthiness of every scripture are re-echoing Satan's question to their generation and as such, become (knowingly or unknowingly) messengers of Lucifer himself. John Wesley, the great English evangelist, understood the issue well for he wrote, "If there be but one error in the Bible there may as well be a thousand; it is no longer the word of God." Yet because of this verse we can sing out with the Psalmist:

"The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul;
The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;
The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart,
The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether."
Ps. 19:7-9

ALL SCRIPTURE IS SPIRITUALLY PROFITABLE - "All scripture is . . . profitable." Paul lists four different functions of the word of God, each having a contribution for spiritual profit.

1. CONTENT -- ". . . for doctrine. . . " The word is our light to life, unto which we "do well to take heed as a light that shines in a dark place." (11 Pet. 1:19) It instructs us as a master teacher, showing us the path of life.

"We search the world for truth; we cull the good, the pure, the beautiful from all old flower fields of the soul; And, weary seekers of the best, We come back laden from our quest, And find that all the sages said, Is in the Book our mothers read." John Greenleaf Whittier - "The Bible"

2. CONVICTION -- ". . . reproof. . . " The word used for "reproof" (elegchos) means to "reprove or convict." According to TRENCH, it is "to rebuke another, with such effectual wielding of the victorious arms of truth, as to bring him, if not always to a confession, yet at least to a conviction of his sin. . . " Essentially this function of God's word is to show us when we've departed from the path of righteousness. The word of God is a faithful two-edged sword which ruthlessly cuts across many of our actions and attitudes. We must be willing to undergo this divine surgery if we would be healed by the Great Physician. Woe to the man who never winces under the influence of God's word, for he has deceived himself about his true spiritual condition. "Who can say, 'I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?"' (Prov. 20:9)

3. CORRECTION -- ". . . correction. . . " The word used for "correction" (epanorthosis) means to "restore to an upright state." It is used of setting upright on one's feet (REINECKER). The scriptures not only show us where we've fallen, but also how to get back on our feet. They point the way back to the path of righteousness and seek our quick return.

4. CHARACTER -- ". . . instruction in righteousness." The word of God was not given simply to increase our knowledge, but mostly to infect our character and conduct. The word used for "instruction" (paideia) was a very familiar figure in Greek society. It described the work of the individual who trained the Greek child in all areas of life from the ages of 7-18. He was called the "paedogogus" and he accompanied the child out of doors on all occasions, whether to school, gymnasium, or wherever else. One scholar writes, " The paedogogus being practical, not theoretical, his aim is thus to improve the soul and to train it up to a virtuous, not an intellectual life." One such paedogogus wrote, "My duty is to make the good pleasant to the boy." The imagery here is self-explanatory in regards to this verse. The word of God is our own "paedogogus" accompanying us wherever we go, seeking to influence us towards ever increasing heights of righteousness. This imagery so inspired Clement of Alexandria that he wrote a work called "The Paedogogus" in which he thus likened the holy scriptures to the Greek paedogogus.

The word of God has its full effect upon us only when it produces a transformed and righteous life. How fully functional have we allowed the scriptures to be in our lives?

VS. 17 We now see the intended purpose of the word of God for the man of God . It is to "fully equip" him for his tour of duty as a "good soldier of Jesus Christ." The word for "complete" (artios) means to be "fit, sufficient, complete." One lexicon translates it as, "able to meet all demands" (BAG). The full counsel of God's word enables the man of God to meet all demands which may be required of him.

This is emphasized even more strongly by the rest of the verse " . . . thoroughly equipped for every good word." The word translated It thoroughly equipped" (exartizo) means to be "completely outfitted, fully furnished or supplied." It was used of completed documents, a boat which was fully supplied, or an oil press in working order and completely furnished. The scriptures fully furnish us for "every good work"! Note carefully that Paul did not say, "many good works," or even, most good works," but "every good work." This verse is crucial for determining how to find God's will for our individual lives. Man is to live "by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God" (Matt. 4:4) and the Great Commission involves ". . . teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.. . . " When we leave God's word to determine His will through other means, then we are turning our backs on Him before He has finished speaking to us!

It is significant that vss. 16 and 17 begin and end with the same Greek word, "every, or all." "All scripture . . . every good work" is tile divine formula for finding God's will in our lives. The hymn writer expressed it perfectly:

"How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He say, than to you He hath said?
To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled."

"This is the 'man of God's' resource in 'perilous time', in days of false doctrine and deception and erring from the truth. It was Timothy's. It is ours!" HODGES

2 Timothy 4:1-5

Having instructed and exhorted Timothy in regards to his COMMISSION TO FULFILL (2:1-26) and the CONFLICT TO FACE (3:1-17), Paul now concludes by describing Timothy's COURSE TO FINISH (4:1-8).

VS. 1 The majority of Greek manuscripts have the conjunction "therefore" (oun) in the beginning of this verse. This could be referring back in general to all the Paul has been telling Timothy in chapters 1-3, namely -- "be faithful at all costs." It could however have a more specific reference to its nearest antecedent -- 3:17. Since the scriptures are of utmost importance for the man of God's development and usefulness (3:16,17), Timothy must be sure to place them at the forefront of his ministry, i.e. "preach the word"(4:2). The phrase "preach the word" in vs. 2 is the first and foremost "charge" alluded to in vs. 1. The phrase "Who will come . . . kingdom" is a parenthetical statement so we might better see the flow of thought by reading : "I charge you therefore, before God and the Lord Jesus Christ (Who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and kingdom) -- preach the word. . . " The word of God is supremely profitable (3:16,17), therefore it is the word of God which should be supremely preached.

In this verse we are given the PERSPECTIVE of the soldier of Christ; in vss. 2-5 we are given his PRACTICE. The word used for "charge" (diamarturomai) is the "solemn charge" previously used in 2:14. The solemnity of the charge is well justified in light of the solemn and sobering events which are on their way. This verse holds forth the PERSPECTIVE which should grip the disciple of Christ and thus compel him to finish his course and fulfill his divinely-appointed commission.

Note first of all who Timothy was to feel his primary sense of responsibility towards - "I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ. . . " Paul was careful to disciple men in God's direction, not his own! He wanted Timothy to feel responsible in God's sight and to be consumed with pleasing Him, not Paul. Often there is in discipleship today a tendency to disciple men in the direction of men, and to make a person feel his most keen sense of responsibility towards the person leading him. Certainly God does place spiritual leaders over us and we are to obey them (Heb. 13:17; I Thess. 5:12), but our primary focal point must remain centered on "God and the Lord Jesus Christ." It is to Christ that we must give our ultimate accounting and therefore it is also to Christ that we should direct our present actions. F.W. Faber put it well in his poem,

"Oh it is hard to work for God,
Upon this battlefield of the earth
To rise and take His part,
And not sometimes lose heart.
Thrice blessed is he to whom is given,
The instinct that can tell;
That God is on the field,
When He is most invisible."

The rest of this verse provides us with two critical truths in regards to Christ's return. These truths should radically affect what we give our time, energy and money towards, as well as lift our eyes off the decaying delicacies of this world onto the dazzling splendor of the world to come.

1. CHRIST IS COMING QUICKLY -- ". . . Who will judge . . . at His appearing and kingdom." The key words here are "will judge" (krino). The word translated "will" (mello) means "coming" or "about to." Here Paul probably had the latter translation in mind - ". . . Who is about to judge the living and the dead. . . " Christ's last words to man were exactly this "Behold, I am coming quickly." Rev. 22:20. We live in the shadow of Christ's return and our lives should be governed by this spirit of expectancy. The man who is gripped by this perspective finds it difficult to squander his precious hours on earthly trinkets while millions of eternal souls still lie in the balance. Robert Moffatt put it well when he wrote, "We have all eternity to celebrate our victories but one short hour before sunset in which to win them." Like Christ, we must see the eternal value of the present hour for doing the work of God: "I must work the works of Him Who sent me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work." in. 9:4.

2. CHRIST IS COMING TO JUDGE -- ". . . Who is about to judge the living and the dead . . . " All men are walking towards an encounter with the living God. An encounter which will determine their eternal destiny. Since all are treading this path towards judgment, they must be told where they are headed and how they can prepare for it. "Deliver those who are drawn toward death and hold back those stumbling to the slaughter. "Prov. 24:11. C. S. Lewis wrote, "You have never talked with a mere mortal. All are either immortal splendors or eternal horrors." These are the only two destinies open to man, and we must let those around us know the eternal gravity of the great question - "What think ye of Christ?" Matt. 22:42. Many in our day revolt against using God's judgment as a motivation for becoming a Christian. Yet Christ talked about hell ten times more than any other Biblical figure. He talked about it in vivid and fearful terms, -- "where the worm does not die and the fire is not quenched" Mk 9:48 - and pleaded with men to avoid it at all costs, Mk. 9:43-48. Jude exhorts us to ". . . save others with fear, pulling them out of the fire. . . " Jude 23. Thus, we see that the final judgment of God is an exceedingly solemn event, and the soldier of Christ will "do the work of an evangelist" if he really believes that men's souls and eternal destinies are at stake.

The phrase "the living and the dead" may well mean that all humanity (past, present, future) will be judged. No man will miss his appointment with the King of kings and Lord of lords Rev. 20:11-15; Heb. 9:-27. This judgment will occur "at His appearing and His Kingdom." "His appearing" (ten epiphaneian autou) undoubtedly refers to His Second Coming. I Tim. 6:14; II Tim. 4:8. Very closely linked to "His appearing" is the establishment of "His kingdom." Rev. 19:11-20:10. It is at "His appearing" that "the living" will be judged (Matt. 25:31-46) whereas "the dead" will be judged at the end of His millennial kingdom (Rev. 20:11-15).

VS. 2 Timothy's FOCUS ON THE FUTURE (4:1) should divinely shape his PRACTICE IN THE PRESENT (4:2-5)

His first and foremost responsibility is to "preach the word." For the word "preach" (kerusso), see notes on 1: 11. Timothy is not to be a herald of his own opinions or philosophies about life, nor is he to be a religious entertainer with pointless stories. He is to be the vocal chords of God, sounding forth His eternal word to the men and women of his day. "For he whom God has sent speaks the words of God . . . " in. 3:34. The marching orders for the disciple of Christ involve ". . . teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you . . . " Matt. 28:20.

The importance of this command can hardly be overemphasized. It is only the word of God which is given the promise, ". . . It shall not return to Me void, 4 but it shall accomplish what I please and it shall prosper in the things for which I sent it." Is. 55:10,11. Thus our source of success in the ministry does not lie in our gifts, intellect or personality, but rather it lies in the penetrating power of "the word." It is interesting to note the different images given to God's word throughout the scriptures and the power which these images evoke.

• FIRE -- "Behold, I will make My words in your mouth fire and this people wood, and it shall devour them." Jer.'23:29 "Is not My word like a fire . . .?" Jer. 23:29
• RAIN -- "For as the rain comes down . . . so shall My word be . . . " Is. 55:10,11
• HAMMER -- "Is not My word like . . . a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?" Jer. 23:29
• SWORD -- "For the word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword. . . " Heb. 4:12; "and take . . . the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." Eph. 6:17

Each of these images represent "an agent for change" and thus have life-transforming power. Whenever the word of God goes forth from our lips, we unleash upon the world an agent for change which the Spirit of God directs to its divinely appointed destination. Often we do not see its destination in this life, but we can rest on the blessed assurance that, ". . . It shall not return to Me void.. . . " Spurgeon was once testing an auditorium in which he was to speak that evening. He stepped into the pulpit and loudly proclaimed, "Behold the lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world." Satisfied with the acoustics, he left and went his way. Unknown to him, there were two men working up in the rafters of that large auditorium, neither one of them Christians. One of the men was pricked in his conscience by the verse Spurgeon quoted and became a believer later that day! Such is the penetrating power of God's eternal word! No wonder it is incumbent upon us to "preach the word."

Having dealt with the CONTENT of Timothy's ministry, Paul now goes on to the CONSTANCY of the ministry.

"Be ready in season and out of season" is the divine duty of the soldier of Christ. The word "be ready" (ephistemi) means to "stand by, be near, to take one's stand." Kelly translates it as, "Keep at it" or "be at one's task."

The soldier of Christ is to be ready for action at any time, to be "at his task" whether the conditions are conducive or prohibitive. The phrase, "in season and out of season" (eukairos akairos) means "timely, untimely." The man of God must bring the message of God when it is convenient or inconvenient; when he will be favorably received or harshly rejected. "Welcome or not welcome, Timothy must ever 'be on the spot' with the message from God." HENDRIKSEN

Often times we fall into a sort of "time clock" mentality in regards to serving Christ. For certain periods of the day we are "on the job" for the kingdom, but then at other times we mentally "punch out" for the day. Here we are being commanded to throw away our punch cards and be ready for any and every opportunity afforded us. "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord." I Cor. 15:58. This is not to say that we never take time to rest and relax. But we must be willing to "go on duty" whenever God should call.

Having dealt with the CONTENT and CONSTANCY of the ministry, Paul now moves on to the COMMUNICATION of the minister of Christ. Three different means of relaying God's truth are listed here.

1. "Convince . . . " The word used here (elegcho) is the verbal form of the noun found in 3:16, which is rendered "reproof." The word means to reprove with demonstrative evidence, convict, reprove" (REINECKER). The ministry of the word should bring men face to face with the shortcomings of their character and conduct. Whenever the word is properly communicated it should confront its hearers with a moral crisis, so that they are compelled to choose for or against the path of righteousness. Alcibiades, the brilliant but spoiled philosopher of Athens once remarked to Socrates, "Socrates, I hate you, because every time I meet you, you make me see what I am." In the same way, God's word should make us see what we really are if it is proclaimed properly.

2. "Rebuke . . . " This word (epitimao) means to "rebuke, reprove, or censure." It also is used of "speaking seriously" or "warning in order to prevent an action or bring one to an end" (BAG). There appears to be a slightly higher degree of intensity in this word than in the preceding one. It is the word used of Christ rebuking Peter (Mk. 8:33) and of one believer rebuking another who has sinned against him (Luke 17:3). The man of God must care enough to confront." He must be willing to risk a relationship in order to promote Christlikeness in a fellow believer. "Open rebuke is better than love carefully concealed. Faithful are the wounds of a friend but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful" Prov. 27:5,6.

3. "Exhort . . . " - (parakaleo) can be rendered "urge, encourage, exhort." Basically it is a word which denotes the stimulating of godliness in another, whether by challenging or comforting. In this context I am inclined towards "encourage" as the most suitable translation. The man of God must "reprove" and "rebuke," but he also must learn to "encourage." One word of encouragement is often far more effective than a hundred words of rebuke. "Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and health to the bones." Pr. 16.24.

Paul also gives the manner in which these three forms of communication are to take place: ". . . with all longsuffering and teaching." There is a critical balance given in this last phrase. The servant of Christ must be characterized by CONVICTION ("teaching") and COMPASSION ("long-suffering"). Like Christ, we must strive to be "full of grace and truth" John 1:14, to be GROUNDED IN THE SCRIPTURES, yet GENTLE IN OUR SPIRIT. If we have conviction without compassion then we will be like the rattlesnake -- people will respect us but they won't want to get close to us. We will have a message, but no audience. If, on the other hand, we have compassion without conviction, then people will be drawn to us, but our life will have no cutting edge to significantly help them. We will have an audience but no real message. But conviction coupled with compassion will enable us to "speak the truth in love" (Eph. 4:15) and provide the caring atmosphere in which the word of God can work most effectively.

VSS.3,4 Having given an analysis of HOW to "preach the word" (vs. 2), Paul now gives an analysis of WHY to "preach the word" (vss. 3,4).

The conjunction "for" (gar) ties this verse back to vss. 1,2 and gives another reason for fulfilling vs. 2. Now is the time for faithful proclamation of God's word, for the day is coming when men will refuse to allow "the sword of the spirit" to perform spiritual surgery on their lives. "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine. . . " The word used for "endure" (anechomai) means "to bear up, put up with, endure." It was used as a legal term for accepting a complaint or rebuke. The time is coming when men will not "put up" with the preaching of the word which "reproves, rebukes, and exhorts." There is a vitally close connection between "endure" and "sound doctrine." The word rendered "sound" (hugiaino) means "healthy, whole, or sound."

The Christian world abounds with unsound and unhealthy doctrines which men flock to hear, for the words are pleasant and always leave a man feeling good about himself. But if our doctrine is "healthy" then it will often hurt! This is why Paul uses "endure" instead of "hear" or "listen." It is impossible to hear "the things which become sound doctrine" (Titus 2:1) without having to "endure" their sharp, penetrating edge upon our lives. When a man refuses to "put up" any longer with the inevitable surgery of God's penetrating word, then he will forsake the skillful hands of "sound doctrine" and flee unhealed into the sin-riddled hands of earthly doctrines. "Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord, they would have none of my counsel and despised all of my reproof, therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way and be filled to the full with their own fancies. For the turning away of the simple will slay them and the complacency of fool's will destroy them. But whoever listens to me will dwell safely and will be secure, without fear of evil." Prov. 1:29-33.

The results of refusing the divine medicine for the soul ("sound doctrine") are now given:

1. ACCUMULATING AN ASSORTMENT OF NON-THREATENING TEACHERS -- ". . . but according to their own desires, (because) they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers." The word "heap up" (episoreuo) means "accumulate, pile up, heap upon." These men will go through one teacher after another in their search to satisfy their lusts and curiosity. In this endless pursuit they have only one primary goal in mind - "themselves." Paul points out two major perversions which determine their selection of teachers:

a. MORAL PERVERSION -- ". . . according to their own desires . . . " The word translated "desires" (epithumia) is the word for "lust or strong desire." Note the tragic reversal of God's intended plan -- instead of choosing teachers who will exhort them to control their lusts, they choose teachers who are in accordance with their own lusts, i.e. these teachers will allow and even encourage them to fulfill their ungodly desires.

b. INTELLECTUAL PERVERSION -- ". . . having itching ears." The word for "itching" (knetho) means to "tickle, scratch" and passively to "feel an itching." This is a figurative term for "curiosity that looks for interesting and spicy bits of information" REINECKER These men are itching for new and curious teachings and so look for various teachers whose messages will scratch their intellectual itch. They are like the Athenians of old who ". . . spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or hear some new thing." Acts 17:21

In both cases, the teachers who are selected are utterly non-threatening since they fail to proclaim anything which might challenge or confront the lifestyles of their listeners. Woe to the teacher who fits this bill! "They are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark. . . . " Is. 56:10

2. TURNING AWAY FROM THE TRUTH -- "and they will turn their ears away from the truth . . . " Under the influence of these godless teachers they turn their backs on their only hope for healing and continue to stumble down the road of doctrinal departure.

3. TURNING TO EMBELLISHED FICTION -- ". . . and be turned aside to fables." The word for "fables" (muthos) is a word used to describe "myths, legendary stories, fables, fiction." Not content with the truth of God, they will turn to fiction which is embellished for easier swallowing. "The soul that comes to loathe the manna, will find itself desiring onions, leaks, and garlic. When we tire of the truth -- ominous sign! -- we are prey for error." HODGES

In light of this coming state of affairs (3, 4), the soldier of Christ must diligently wield his sword (2) while he has the opportunity.

VS. 5 In contrast to those who fall prey to ungodly influences and thus fail to finish the race, Timothy is to press on to the end and "completely fulfill" his ministry. This verse begins with the emphatic "But you" which we saw previously in 3:10 & 14. Timothy is to stand in sharp contrast to those who deviate from the path of righteousness and reject the "sound doctrine" of God's word. He is given four final responsibilities which he must carry out if he is to finish his divinely-appointed course.

1. "BE WATCHFUL IN ALL THINGS" -- The word rendered "be watchful" (nepho) means to "be sober, self-controlled." The servant of God must have a tight rein on his passions and remain "sober," though surrounded by a multitude of spiritual intoxicants. No soldier can fight well when his senses are blurred, and no disciple can render maximum service while his spiritual senses are blurred by earthly compromises.

2. "ENDURE AFFLICTION" -- This is the third time we have seen this critical injunction (1:8, 2:3). The disciple who is "sober in all things" will inevitably be found in the fray of the battle. Hence he is called upon to "endure afflictions" in his quest to "fight the good fight."

3. "DO THE WORK OF AN EVANGELIST" -- In light of Timothy's spirit of timidity (1:7; I Cor.16:10), this was a vital charge. Timothy was to make sure that evangelism remained the cutting edge of his life and ministry. The fact that Paul says, "do the work . . . " indicates that this will not be an easy or natural task, for evangelism never is. But it is impossible to follow Christ without becoming a "fisher of men." Mtt 4:19. If we are not fishing for men, seeking to draw them out of the bitterly cold waters of Satan's domain, then we must question whether we really are following Christ. One may admire Christ, believe in Christ, even give to Christ without seeking lost souls, but one cannot follow Christ without becoming intimately involved in the great quest of doing "the work of an evangelist."

4. "FULFILL YOUR MINISTRY" -- This final charge summarizes the entirety of this epistle. Paul's first command to Timothy was,, ". . . stir up the gift of God which is in you . . . ," while this is his last major charge. Everything in between 1:6 and 4:5 has contributed in one way or another to helping Timothy "fulfill" his God-given ministry. The word for "fulfill" (plerophoreo) means to "make full, fill completely, accomplish." It was used of a request that was fulfilled, finishing a legal matter, or to be paid "in full." More significantly it was also used to describe, "a man to whom money had been entrusted satisfies the investor by the return he makes"(MM).

Note how this last image ties back to "the good deposit" (paratheke) of 1:14! Timothy is to fully satisfy the One Who had entrusted so much to him when He returns for good.(Matt. 25:14-30). This satisfaction will only occur if Timothy "completely fulfills" his ministry. KELLY nicely translates this as "discharge your ministry to the full."

Timothy had been given a unique, divinely-designed mission on this earth (Eph. 2:10) and his success on earth was vitally bound up in "fully discharging" this divine mission. William James once wrote, "The greatest use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it." It is only as we spend our lives in "fully discharging" our divinely-appointed ministry that we realize the greatest use of this fleeting life. Like Christ, we should strive with every fiber of our being to be able to say at the end of our life, "I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work You have given Me to do." (John 17:4, Also Acts 20:24, Col 4:17)

2 Timothy 4:6-22

Paul concludes the epistle by giving himself as an example of faithfulness (6-8) and reminding Timothy of various people and personal responsibilities.(9-22).

VS. 6 Paul begins with the conjunction "for" (gap) and thus ties vs. 6 back to vs. 5. More specifically, vss. 6-8 are probably a further elaboration of the last command in vs. 5 -- "completely fulfill your ministry." Paul is exhorting Timothy to fall in step behind him and run the race to its final end, just as he has done himself. Note the emphatic "I" (ego) in contrast to the emphatic "you" (su) of vs. 5. The master discipler, Paul, never asks more of his disciple than his own experience warrants. The servant of God must infect his disciples with the unquestionable reality of his own faithfulness before his words will have any significant penetrating power.

This verse beautifully describes Paul's viewpoint of his impending death. He gives two metaphors which vividly illustrate his anticipation of going home. "For I am already being poured out as a drink offering . . ." The phrase "being poured out as a drink offering" comes from the single Greek verb (spendo). This verb was used in Phil. 2:17 and in the LXX in Ex. 29:40; Num. 15:5,10 and Num. 28:7. The imagery is "probably drawn from the Jewish liturgical custom of pouring out, as the preliminary ritual of the daily offering in the temple and of other certain sacrifices, a drink offering of wine at the foot of the altar." KELLY.

Paul's lifeblood was in the process ("am already," ede) of being poured out before the altar of God "for a sweet aroma, an offering made by fire to the Lord." Ex. 29:41. In fact, Paul's entire life was that of a drink offering, "poured out on the sacrifice and service" of other's faith. (Phil. 2:17) He belonged to the ranks of those great warriors who "overcame him (Satan) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and did not love their lives unto death." (Rev. 12:11)

The second metaphor gives his heart-felt response to the realization of his imminent execution. ". . . and the time of my departure is at hand." The word for "departure" (analusis) is a graphic one, basically meaning "to unloose." It was used of "unyoking an animal from the shafts of the cart or plow"; of "loosening the ropes of a tent"; and of "loosening the mooring of a ship." Each of these images evokes a wonderful description of the man of God's perspective of death. Paul was about to be unyoked from the plow of discipleship and to "enter the rest" prepared for him. The tent of his earthly body (II Cor. 5:1-8) was about to be taken down and to be replaced with one "not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." Having delivered all of his divine cargo, Paul was about to be loosed from earth's harbor and set sail for his eternal homeland where he would enjoy forever the undimmed splendor of God's presence. How magnificent a portrait of death, how encouraging the prospects of what lies beyond this veil of tears! Death is not something the servant of God dreads, but rather something he genuinely looks forward to as the door to his returning home. George Whitefield, the great English evangelist, spoke thus on his deathbed:

"I go to my everlasting rest. My sun has risen, shone, and is setting nay, it is about to rise and shine forever. I have not lived in vain. And though I could live to preach Christ one thousand years, I die to be with Him, which is far better."

Adoniram Judson, the American missionary to Burma during the early 1800's, said shortly before his death:

"I am not tired of my work, neither am I tired of the world; yet when Christ calls me home, I shall go with the gladness of a boy bounding away from school. Perhaps I feel something like the young bride when she contemplates resigning the pleasant associations of her childhood for a yet dearer home - though only a little like her, for there is no doubt resting on my future."

Such has been the testimony of the faithful servants of God over the centuries who have felt with Paul the pull of competing interests:

"For I am hard pressed between the two, having a strong desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless, to remain in the flesh is more needful for you." Phil. 1:23,24 The man of God longs for "the time of his departure" while remaining faithful to his divine directive to completely fulfill his ministry."

VS. 7 Having seen Paul's PERSPECTIVE ON THE PRESENT (vs. 6), we now see his PERSPECTIVE ON THE PAST. "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." The correlation between vss. 6 & 7 is no small significance. It was Paul's past faithfulness to his divine task which made his present home going that much more attractive and satisfying. He knew that he had made the best possible use of his life and that he could appear before his King as "a workman who does not need to be ashamed." The end of the race can be fully savored only by the athlete who has fully strived. Only the disciple who has "fought the good fight" and "finished the course" can enter into the keen anticipation of stepping into the victor's circle, free from the sad regret of having run halfheartedly the greatest of all races.

The first metaphor, "I have fought the good fight" may either be the image of military warfare or wrestling. The definite article "the" (ton kalon agona egonismai) is significant as used here in this restrictive attributive construction. Paul did not fight "a good fight," but restricted himself to fighting "the good fight." "There are struggles and contests not worth engaging in, or not engaged in properly. Paul's fight was worthy -- it was the noble one. No less should engage us." HODGES

The second metaphor is clearly that of the running a race - "I have finished the race." What had been his determined resolve in Acts 20:24 was now a fixed reality. The perfect tense of "finished" (teteleka) is probably a consummative perfect denoting the completed action. (The same is true for "have fought" This is no small accomplishment, for Paul had encountered and overcome many obstacles along the way (II Cor. 11:23-28). It is important to note that in both these metaphors THEY GET HARDER THE FARTHER ONE GOES. The farther one goes into the competition, the harder it is to keep competing wholeheartedly. So it seems to be for the disciple. Yet how much better it is to "burn out" than to "rust out." We must be wise enough to take time out for refreshing and renewal, but then continue to "work the works of Him Who sent us while it is day." Henry Martyn served in India for seven years before dying at the age of thirty-one. During this time, he translated the New Testament into three Indian dialects. Before he died, he wrote:

"And when I am dying how glad I shall be,
That the lamp of my life has been blazed out for Thee.
I shall not care in whatever I gave,
Of labor or money one sinner to save.

I shall not care that the way has been rough,
That Thy dear feet led the way is enough.
And when I am dying, how glad I shall be
That the lamp of my life has been blazed out for Thee."

The final metaphor describes his fidelity to the body of Christian truth and its incumbent duties. The phrase "the faith" (ten pistin) is used in a similar way in I Tim. 3:9, 4:1, 5:8 and 6:10. Unlike those who had shipwrecked their faith (I Tim. 1:19) , "departed" from it (I Tim. 4:1), "denied" it (I Tim. 5:8), strayed from it (I Tim. 6:10), Paul had guarded it to the finish line. William Hendricksen has summed it up well:

". . . Against Jewish and pagan vice and violence; against Judaism among the Galatians; against fanaticism among the Thessalonians; against contention, fornication and litigation among the Corinthians; against incipient Gnosticism among Ephesians and Colossians; against fightings without and fears within, . . . " Paul had "kept the faith."

VS. 8 Having seen Paul's PERSPECTIVE ON THE PRESENT (vs. 6), his PERSPECTIVE ON THE PAST (vs. 7), we now see his PERSPECTIVE ON THE FUTURE (vs. 8). "Finally there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge will give me on that day. . . " Though forsaken and unrewarded on this earth, Paul's spirits were buoyed by the knowledge that his life of service and sacrifice would one day be overwhelmingly and eternally recompensed. The conjunction "Finally" (loipon) means "from now on, in the future; or, for the rest." It was Paul's focus on the future that enabled him to meet the present circumstances with blazing hope. Imprisoned in a Roman cell facing a Roman death sentence, Paul sees beyond the injustices and indignities forced upon him by the Romans to what really lies ahead in the future -- an "eternal weight of glory." II Cor. 4:17,18

"Though the world is filled with sorrow
And the tear drops often fall,
There will be but joy and gladness,
Safe inside the jasper wall.
Though the hills are rough and stony,
And the valleys dark and cold;
I must walk the path before me,
It will someday turn to gold."

The word "laid up" (apokeitai) means to "reserve, store up, set away." The word was used "of the laurel wreaths of honor awarded to Olympic winners" and "the awards made to loyal subjects by oriental sovereigns for services rendered." GUTHRIE Paul was soon to be crowned with "an imperishable crown" (I Cor. 9:25) for the race he had so intently run. He was soon to hear the praise of His Sovereign - "Well done, good and faithful servant . . . It . and be abundantly rewarded for his sacrifice and service - ". . . You have been over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord." Matt. 25:21

Note the little phrase "for me" (moi). Many today scoff at rewards as a legitimate motivation for Christian living and service. Yet Paul said the crown was laid up "for me." Christ in fact commanded us to be concerned about rewards - "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth . . . but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven . . . " Matt. 6:19-21 Moses esteemed "the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt, for he looked to the reward." Heb. 11:26 John exhorted his readers, "Look to yourselves that we do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive a full reward." II John 8.

Paul also had earlier written, "Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown." I Cor. 9:24, 25

Rewards are not a SELFISH motivation but a SCRIPTURAL one which is designed to harness our God-given drive for significance to the things which will make our lives eternally significant. Rewards mean little to those who sacrifice little, for their souls are satisfied with earthly trinkets and enjoyments.

The reward Paul specifically mentions here is "the crown of righteousness" (tes dikaiosunes stephanos). Many take it as appositional - "the garland" of righteousness is the experience of righteousness in a superlative degree. CR Matt. 5:6!!" HODGES Closely linked to this is "the reward for righteousness, the victor's crown as in I Cor. 9:25" ROBERTSON Paul had followed out his own directive to the Romans: "But present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as weapons of righteousness to God." Rom. 6:13 He was to be rewarded with "the crown of righteousness for using his body as an arsenal for divine righteousness while stationed upon this earth. This is of course in reference to the PRACTICAL RIGHTEOUSNESS worked out in his experience, not the POSITIONAL RIGHTEOUNESS every believer receives at the moment of conversion. Rom. 4:5, I Cor. 6:11, Phil.3:9 This "crown of righteousness" is to be handed down by "the righteous judge" -- the Lord. No doubt this is in contrast to the unrighteous judge Nero - who Paul is soon to face. "The qualification perhaps voices his confidence in the justice of Christ's tribunal as opposed to that of his trial in the emperor's court, when the true righteousness of his achievement will be overlooked." KELLY The man of God will face many injustices during his time of service for the kingdom, but he can be assured that, God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love. . . "Heb. 6:10. When John Calvin was unjustly banished from Geneva, he responded, "Most assuredly if I had merely served man, this would have been a poor recompense; but it is my happiness that I have served Him Who never fails to reward His servants to the full extent of His promise."

This crown of righteousness was not reserved for Paul alone, but for . . . all who have loved His appearing." The perfect tense of "have loved" (egapekosi) is significant, denoting continuos action in the past right up to the present. Hodges graphically translates it as "having fallen in love" with His appearing. The man whose life is truly oriented towards the coming eternal kingdom will inevitably be longing for its arrival. The wife whose beloved husband is on his way home after a prolonged absence longs for and eagerly anticipates the day that the man of her heart returns. As she watches in keen expectation, the passengers slowly file out of the plane until at last her eyes gaze upon the face of her beloved. She truly "loves his appearing." In the same way, the faithful disciple longs for and keenly anticipates the day when Christ will return to leave no more. Because the strings of his heart are tightly bound around the King of kings, he counts Christ's return a supreme treasure and has "fallen in love" with His appearing. But the heart which is not "wholly His," which maintains its deep cravings for the pleasures and comforts of this world, cannot long for or "love His appearing."

The human heart is capable of carrying on only one true love affair at a time. Matt. 6:24, I John 2:15. Our affection for Christ will significantly displace our affection for the world, or our affection for the world will significantly displace our affection for Christ. Note the contrast between Paul in this verse and Demas in verse 10! Because Paul had fallen in love with Christ's appearing, he remained faithful to his divine calling and finished his course. Demas, however, fell in love with "the now age" and shifted his sights from the eternal kingdom and his divine calling to the tinseled glamour of this fading world.

A significant question to ask ourselves in this regard is, "WHAT THINGS DO I DESPERATELY WANT TO EXPERIENCE OR ACHIEVE BEFORE CHRIST RETURNS?" The length of our answer to this question is an unerring gauge of our love and devotion to Christ and His eternal kingdom. The more answers we have, the more things we deeply crave before Christ returns; the less affection we will have for Him and His appearing. The heart which is captivated by the allurements of this age will feel little interest for the inauguration of a new age in which the present allurements will be utterly stripped away. But the servant whose heart is captivated by the person of Christ and His work will call out with the apostle John, "Even so, come, Lord Jesus!" Rev. 22:20

Epilogue: 4:9-18

VSS.10-15 Having concluded the body of the letter (2:1-4:8), Paul now gives some final instructions and reminders to Timothy. He is eager for Timothy to come to him as soon as possible (vs. 9). We catch a glimpse here of the aged apostle's affection and yearning for his son in the faith, and possibly his own loneliness. While Paul did not DEPEND on others to meet his needs (Phil. 4:11-13), he did DESIRE the companionship and encouragement of other like-minded believers. Timothy especially would be a tremendous source of refreshment to his wearied soul during the last days of his earthly life.

In vss. 10-16 Paul singles out the names of various faithful and unfaithful men. We can always learn from the examples of others, either what to emulate or what to avoid.

The first name we encounter is that of DEMAS, a disciple whose life began well but ultimately shipwrecked upon the shores of worldly affections. We have already noted the stark contrast between the love affairs of Paul (vs. 8) and Demas. Paul's heart was captivated by Christ and His coming kingdom, while Demas allowed his heart to be wooed and won by the same word used in 2:21 where Paul writes ". . . useful for the Master . . . " This word was often used of a person who was said to be of "great value" to others. MM

The life of Mark stands as a testimony to the grace of God, Who is ever "The God of the Second Chance." Many of God's greatest servants failed miserably at the start of their course, but returned to finish the race in a God-honoring fashion. When David Livingstone attempted to preach his first sermon, he went blank and told the audience, "I have forgotten all that I had to say." He left the pulpit in utter shame and discouragement. But through the encouragement of Robert Moffat, he went on to be an accomplished preacher and doctor. God ever provides a second chance to the man who is willing to get back on his feet and run the race set before him. "Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, 'Arise, go . . . preach . . . '" Jonah 3:1,2

In vs. 13, we see Paul asking for something very important to him, ". . . the books, especially the parchments." While we don't know for sure what these books and parchments were, we might well suspect that they contained the Old Testament scriptures in one way or another. In any case, we know for certain that Paul remained "a student to the end." HODGES Though he was soon to be ushered into eternity, he still desired to feed his mind and soul, and to stretch his intellectual awareness. Another great man of God, William Tyndale, made a similar request in 1536 just before he was martyred, ". . . kindly permit me to have my Hebrew Bible, Hebrew Grammar, and Hebrew Dictionary, that I may spend time with that in study." John Wesley told the preachers under his care to read or get out of the ministry! The great men of God have notoriously been great prayers and great readers!

In vss. 14 and 15, Paul mentions Alexander and does not hesitate to express the righteous anger he has for this enemy of the gospel. We may think that Paul is being unduly harsh, but it is only because we are unduly sympathetic with those who would hinder or destroy the work of God. "Indeed, in time to come, we too will enter into a spirit of agreement with God's righteous judgments. We are inclined to be too humanistic." HODGES

VSS. 16-18 Paul now describes his own experience with both the UNFAITHFULNESS OF MEN (16) and the FAITHFULNESS OF GOD (17,18).

The absence of man's faithfulness should stimulate us to exult even more in the absolute trustworthiness of our Eternal Refuge.

"The Lord is my light and my salvation: Whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"
Ps. 27:1

DIVINE POWER -- ". . . and strengthened me . . . " God has promised, "As your days, so shall your strength" Dt. 33:25 and Paul knew well the absolute trustworthiness of this great assurance. God infused him with supernatural strength throughout the entirety of his Christian experience, so that even in his last days, Christ's resurrection power still sustained and strengthened the aged apostle's body. Like the prophet of old, we must ever remember the true source of spiritual strength and success:

"But truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord. . . " Micah 3:8

Paul now gives the reason for the divine power which Christ channeled into his body -- ". . . so that the message might be preached fully through me and that all the Gentiles might hear." The word for "preached fully" (plerophoreo) was previously used in 4:5 for "completely fulfill" your ministry. Paul was strengthened here to "completely fulfill" his divine commission as a "preacher of the Gentiles" 1:11.

"The emphasis of 'through me' may also have another thrust. While many might carry the message to the average man, God had in Paul a chosen vessel to bear His Name before kings (cf. Acts 9:15).

God did not want any Gentiles to fail to have a hearing of the Gospel-so when Paul went on trial before the Emperor and his court, this was bringing the message to fulfillment and allowing all-even kings who might seem most inaccessible-to hear." HODGES

This preliminary examination did not result in his death, but rather in deliverance from death - "And I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion." Kelly sees the phrase "the lion's mouth" as a "proverbial expression of extreme danger. (cf. Ps. 7:2; 22:21; 35:17)." Note also the passive voice of "was delivered," denoting that it was the Lord Who rescued him from imminent death. How similar this is to the words Paul wrote years earlier to the Corinthians:

"Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, who delivered us from so great a death and does deliver us; in Whom we trust that He will still deliver us." II Cor.1:8-10

The servant of God is indestructible until his work is done, and Paul had work still to do even at the very end of his earthly life.. There is no such thing as early retirement from the Lord's service, for as long as we live God has a divine plan to accomplish through us.

"Now Joshua was old, advanced in years. And the Lord said to him: 'You are old, advanced in years, and there remains very much land yet to be possessed."' Josh 13:1

Having spoken of God's past faithfulness (vs.17), Paul now exults in His continuing faithfulness (vs. 18). "And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen!" Paul uses the same word for "will deliver" as he used in vs. 17. Apparently the apostle has his own spiritual deliverance in mind, not physical (cf. 4:6). "In the past, Paul had been rescued FROM death. Now he will be rescued BY MEANS OF death. In neither case does his soul perish." HENDRICKSEN Note also the contrasting prepositions, "deliver . . . from (apo) every evil work . . . preserve me unto (eis) His heavenly kingdom." "Death is the ultimate rescue from every evil work and constitutes salvation into the heavenly kingdom." HODGES Armed with this great assurance of what lies ahead, Paul's heart is flooded with praise and thanksgiving for the One Who alone is "faithful and true" Rev. 19:11.

"Whate'er my God ordains is right;
He taketh thought for me.
The cup that my Physician gives
No poisoned draught can be
But medicine due
For God is true.
And on that changeless truth I build
And all my heart with hope is filled."

VSS. 19-22 Paul concludes this great epistle by giving some final directives and a final prayer for Timothy. We see from these verses that Paul never lost his heart for people. The man who had launched out to win the entire world for Christ (Col. 1:28) still cares for the individual person and calls them by name. This is characteristic of every disciple who would be a "good shepherd," for "he calls his own sheep by name. . . " John 10:3. The man of God must ever beware that the size of his ministry does not squeeze out the need of the individual.

Especially significant in these last verses is the last half of vs. 20 ". . . but Trophimus I have left sick in Miletus." In Acts 19:11, 12 and 28:8, 9 Paul miraculously healed all those who were sick and in need of healing. Yet, here Paul is unable to do what God had previously given him the power for and is forced to leave Trophimus unhealed. This would seem to indicate that even during the lifetime of the apostles, God was significantly withdrawing miraculous gifts, especially healing. As the apostle's doctrine was increasingly accepted and trusted, the purpose for miraculous signs (Heb. 2:4) - GOD'S CONFIRMATION OF THE APOSTLES - was increasingly unnecessary.

Finally, Paul requests for Timothy the greatest of all resources for the completion of his ministry -- "The Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit." This request was mightily realized by Timothy in the coming years. For history records that Timothy did indeed go on to "completely fulfill" his ministry and to "endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ." John Fox in his classic work, Fox's Book of Martyrs, writes,

"Timothy was the celebrated disciple of St. Paul, and bishop of Ephesus, where he zealously governed the Church until A.D. 97. At this period, as the pagans were about to celebrate a feast called Catagogion, Timothy, meeting the procession, severely reproved them for their ridiculous idolatry, which so exasperated the people that they fell upon him with their clubs, and beat him in so dreadful a manner that he expired of the bruises two day after."

Thus, Timothy's life and especially his death, stands forever as a memorial to the power of God to make supernaturally strong those who are naturally weak. For indeed Timothy did "fan into flames the gift of God" within him, so that he "completely fulfilled" his ministry and "through it, he being dead still speaks." May we also follow in his steps!

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