The Christian life is not just difficult—it is impossible. There has only been one Person who has perfectly lived the Christian life and that is Christ Himself. The bad news is you can’t do it. The good news is you don’t have to—for Christ is in you to live His life through you.
You are not saved by the work of Christ and sanctified by your work. It is all of Christ and therefore all of grace. Elsewhere, Paul stated, “Therefore, as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him” (Col. 2:6). He described his own experience this way, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Gal. 2:20)—all Christ is for all God demands.
There are three areas Paul describes in 2 Timothy 2 that demand God’s power to be at work in us, so we can be strong.
BE STRONG IN SERVING (v. 1-7). We are saved to serve. See Paul’s stress on our “aim is to please,” the Lord (v.4); as “a worker,” (v.15); that is, we are “a vessels…ready for every good work” (v. 20-21); being “the Lord’s servant,” (v. 24).
The Apostle shares INSTRUCTIONS FOR SERVANTS (v. 1-2). For the demands of Christian service, we can be “strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” Yet, this grace is not given to Lone Rangers who serve in isolation, but God gifts the different members of the Body of Christ to accomplish more together than they could ever by themselves.
The strength of massive redwood trees that tower into the sky, and have resisted storms for millennia, is found in their extending roots that interlock with other redwoods. They stand and grow together!
Look at the discipleship chain here. You be faithful to find others who are faithful that can in turn raise up more to be faithful. Don’t forget that God means for your home to be a discipleship factory as well, (cf.1:5).
Next, we note ILLUSTRATIONS OF SERVANTS (v. 3-7).
The first illustration is that of a soldier on the battlefield (v. 3-4). There is a dedication required—a painful price to pay for commitment. We are to be faithful and focused—seeking to please Christ our Commander.
The second illustration is of a sportsman in the arena (v. 5).There is a discipline demanded—for no athlete excels without intensity and integrity. You can’t take shortcuts or you are disqualified. How many “winners,” become “loser,” disqualified for performance enhancing drugs? The Bible is our rulebook!
The third illustration is of a sower in the harvest (v. 6). There is a determination required. Hard work and hopeful waiting join hands in the field. For the farmer there is toil and trust, effort and expectation, patience and productivity.
We must be strong in serving. Furthermore, BE STRONG IN SUFFERING (v. 8-13). Paul underscores suffering here (v.9) At the center of Christian faith stands a cross. Jesus summons us to come and die. Yet, the way we live is to die (v. 11).
Consider, THE STANDARD OF SUFFERING (v. 8-9). “Remember Jesus Christ”—as the supreme standard of suffering. He never asks us to go where He has not been. Paul was following in His Master’s steps up the Calvary Road.
The writer of Hebrews put it,
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (12:1-2)
Even as Christ by His death conquered the power of death, Paul’s chains did not bind the Gospel, but liberated it. No grave could confine Christ and no prison can shackle the Gospel!
So, we are called to THE SHARING OF SUFFERING (v.10-13) “with him” is repeated three times. It is in union with Christ that we have His might to enable us. Look back at 1:8 where we are bidden to share in suffering for the sake of the Gospel.
There is a mystery in the sovereign election of God and the responsibility of man to obtain it—along with the agency of witnesses to communicate it (v.10).
First, the cross and then the crown; first, pain and then the prize! His faithfulness will keep you faithful—this is the perseverance of the saints (v.11) and note the “if.” When we see some fall away, it doesn’t mean that the promises of God have failed, but that Christ did not truly indwell them, for those He is in abide in Him!
Be strong in serving, suffering, and BE STRONG IN STUDYING (v.14-26). Paul emphasizes, “the word of truth,” (v.15); warns of those who have, “swerved from the truth,” (v.18); those “able to teach” (v. 24), and mentioning, “the knowledge of the truth,” (v. 25).
God’s grace is required to open our reception of the truth, our comprehension of the truth, and in our application of the truth. We do not study the Bible as we would a textbook, written by men, but as a supernatural message inspired by God. It is the sword of the Spirit in the valiant soldier’s hand. It is the standard of the Scripture in the victorious sportsman’s hand. It is the seed of our salvation in the faithful sower’s hand.
God’s grace in the Word is FOR DISCERNMENT (v.14-21). We discern what is primary and worth fighting for and what is peripheral and worthless fighting over (v.14). There are hills to die on, but don’t make mountains out of molehills, because such nit-picking over non-essentials only brings ruin to the audience.
There is diligence required for studying Scripture,(v.15). I challenge you to be a student of the Word, but sadly many will splash around in the shallow end of the pool rather than plunge into the deep end.
Why?
It’s hard. It takes discipline! Because of Scriptural illiteracy, there is spiritual immaturity and many fall prey to godless babble and gangrenous error (v.16-18).
Just because an author is a best-seller or a preacher has a big following doesn’t mean you should blindly swallow what they are saying! You need to see if what I am telling you aligns with God’s Word.
Look at Paul’s warning in Ephesians 4:13-16, as he urges us onwards:
“until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”
Failure in discernment is why you will have pastors and church folk who will endorse abortion and embrace perversion! The professed faith of many is futile, but for those whose minds are saturated with Scripture, their foundation is firm (v.19).
What kind of church member are you—a vessel for honorable use or dishonorable use? (v. 20-21). A china plate or a chamber pot? If you cannot discern the difference, don’t invite me over for a meal at your house!
The kind of member you are will depend on the kind of student you are—particularly, from whom you learn. Paul was an honorable vessel—a special instrument set apart for the Master, and prepared for every good work.
In contrast, Hymanaeus and Philetus were dishonorable vessels. Timothy needed to purge his mind from such garbage they were spewing (v. 21), so he might follow Paul’s example and be an honorable vessel too. There is a connection between theology and morality, between conviction and conduct, doctrine and devotion. Let a man depart from the truth of the Word and he will soon descend into the trash of the world.
God’s grace in the Word is for discernment, and also FOR DELIVERANCE (v. 22-26). It is not surprising then that Paul moves from the warning about shunning false teaching to fleeing filthy living. We must be reminded that knowing the truth is good, but not good enough. We must be doers of the Word and not hearers only, lest we deceive ourselves as James warns, (cf. James 1:22).
May God deliver us from the sinful passions of our youth (v. 22a)! By the way, you don’t have to be a youth to succumb to the sins of youth. You can be a dirty old man! The grace that comes to us from the Word is to guard us from evil, so we can flee it, but also to guide us into holiness that we may follow it, namely, “pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace” (v. 22b).
The church is to be a hothouse where members are plants that are rooted and grow into fruitful believers, “along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart,” (v. 22c). In tending tender young plants, preachers and teachers cannot be brutal, but must be gentle—not demanding, but patient (v. 23-24). Jesus’ model was, “a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench” (Matt.12:20). Sinners aren’t the enemy. They are brainwashed by Satan. Therefore, we are to love them and lead them to Jesus!
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