The Reward for Endurance
Week of February 24, 2013
Bible Verses: 2
Timothy 2:1-13.
Lesson Focus: This lesson can encourage you to endure in faithfulness for the sake of the gospel.
An Enduring Message: 2
Timothy 2:1-2.
[1] You then, my child, be strengthened by the
grace that is in Christ Jesus, [2] and
what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to
faithful men who will be able to teach others also. [ESV]
[1-2] The first chapter ended with
Paul’s sorrowful reference to the widespread defection among Christians in the
Roman province of Asia. Now Paul urges Timothy that he must stand his ground.
But Paul’s call to fortitude is not a summons to Timothy to be strong in
himself but to be strengthened by the
grace that is in Christ Jesus. Timothy is to find his resources for
ministry not in his own nature but in Christ’s grace. It is not only for
salvation that we are dependent on grace, but for service also. Paul proceeds
to indicate the kind of ministry for which Timothy will need to strengthen
himself by Christ’s grace. So far he has been exhorted to hold the faith and
guard the deposit [1:13,14]. He is to do more than preserve the truth, however;
he is also to pass it on. If the disloyalty of the Asian church made it
imperative that Timothy should guard the truth with loyalty, the approaching
death of the apostle made it equally imperative that Timothy should make
arrangements for the handing down of the truth intact to the next generation.
In this transmission of truth from hand to hand Paul envisages four stages.
First, the faith has been entrusted to Paul by Christ. This is why he has
called it my deposit [1:12].
Secondly, what has been entrusted to Paul by Christ, Paul in his turn has
entrusted to Timothy. This deposit consists of certain sound words which
Timothy has heard from Paul’s own lips. The reference to many witnesses shows that the apostolic faith was not a secret
tradition handed on privately to Timothy but a public instruction, whose truth
was guaranteed by the many witnesses who had heard it and who could therefore
check Timothy’s teaching against the apostle’s. Thirdly, what Timothy has heard
from Paul he is now to entrust to
faithful men. The men Paul has in mind must be primarily ministers of the
word, whose chief function is to teach. These are Christian elders whose
responsibility it would be to preserve the tradition by faithful teaching.
Fourthly, such men must be the sort of men who will be able to teach others
also. The ability or competence which Timothy must look for in such men will
consist partly in their integrity or faithfulness of character already
mentioned and partly in their facility for teaching. Here, then, are the four
stages in the handing on of the truth, which Paul envisages: from Christ to
Paul, from Paul to Timothy, from Timothy to faithful men, and from faithful
men to others also. This is the
true apostolic succession. Certainly it would involve men, a line of faithful
men at that, but the succession from the apostles is to be more in the message
itself than in the men who teach it. It is to be a succession of apostolic
tradition rather than of apostolic ministry, authority or order, a transmission
of the apostles’ doctrine handed down unchanged from the apostles to subsequent
generations, and passed from hand to hand like the Olympic torch. This
apostolic tradition, the good deposit, is now to be found in the New Testament.
Speaking ideally, Scripture and tradition should be interchangeable terms, for
what the church hands down from generation to generation should be the biblical
faith, no more and no less. And the biblical faith is the apostolic faith.
Examples of Endurance: 2
Timothy 2:3-10.
[3] Share in suffering as a good soldier of
Christ Jesus. [4] No soldier gets
entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted
him. [5] An athlete is not crowned
unless he competes according to the rules. [6]
It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the
crops. [7] Think over what I say, for
the Lord will give you understanding in everything. [8] Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead,
the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, [9] for which I am suffering, bound with chains
as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! [10] Therefore I endure everything for the sake of
the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with
eternal glory. [ESV]
[3-6] Paul’s prison experiences had
given him ample opportunity to watch Roman soldiers and to meditate on the
parallels between the soldier and the Christian. In earlier letters he has
referred to the warfare with principalities and powers in which the Christian
soldier is engaged, the armor which he must put on and the weapons which he
must use. But here the good soldier of
Christ Jesus is so called because he is a dedicated man, who shows his
dedication in his willingness both to suffer and to concentrate. Soldiers on
active service do not expect a safe or easy time. They take hardship, risk and
suffering as a matter of course. These things are part and parcel of a
soldier’s calling. Similarly, the Christian should not expect an easy time. If
he is loyal to the gospel, he is sure to experience opposition and ridicule.
The Christian, who is intended to live in the world and not escape out of it,
cannot avoid ordinary duties at home, at work and in the community. Indeed as a
Christian he should be outstandingly conscientious in doing and not dodging
them. Nor should he forget that everything created by God is good, and nothing
is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving or that God richly
furnishes us with everything to enjoy [1 Tim. 4:4; 6:17]. So what is forbidden
the good soldier of Jesus Christ is not all secular activities, but rather
entanglements which though they may be perfectly innocent in themselves, may
hinder him from fighting Christ’s battles. This counsel applies specially to
the Christian minister or pastor. He is called to devote himself to teaching
and tending Christ’s flock. The application of this verse is wider than to
pastors, however. Every Christian is in some degree a soldier of Christ. If we
are to be good soldiers of Jesus Christ, we must be dedicated to the battle,
committing ourselves to a life of discipline and suffering, and avoiding
whatever may entangle us and so distract us from it. Paul now turns from the
image of the Roman soldier to that of the competitor in the Greek games. In no
athletic contest of the ancient world was a competitor giving a random display
of strength or skill. Every sport had its rules, always for the contest itself
and sometimes for the preparatory training as well. The Christian life is
regularly likened in the New Testament to a race, not in the sense that we are
competing against each other, but in the strenuous self-discipline of training
[1 Cor. 9:24-27], in laying aside every hindrance [Heb. 12:1-2] and here in
keeping the rules. The Christian is under obligation to live according to the rules, to obey God’s
moral laws. True, he is not under the law as a way of salvation, to commend him
to God, but he is as a guide in conduct. There is no crown otherwise, not of
course because our law-abiding could ever justify us, but rather because
without it we give evidence that we have never been justified. The context
requires that competing according to the rules has a wider application than to
our moral conduct, however. Paul is describing Christian service, not just
Christian life. He seems to be saying that rewards for service depend on
faithfulness. The Christian teacher must teach the truth, building with solid
materials on the foundation of Christ, if his work is to endure and not be
burned up. If the athlete must play fair, the farmer must work hard. Hard work
is indeed indispensable to good farming. The first share of the crops goes to
the hardworking farmer. He deserves it. His good yield is due as much to his
toil and perseverance as to anything else. That is why a sluggard never makes a
good farmer, as the book of Proverbs insists. He always loses his harvest,
either because he is asleep when he ought to be reaping, or because he was too
lazy to plough the previous autumn, or because he has allowed his fields to
become overgrown with weeds and thorns. To what kind of harvest is the apostle
referring? Two applications are more obviously biblical than others. First,
holiness is a harvest. True, it is the fruit of the Spirit, in that the Spirit
is Himself the chief farmer who produces a good crop of Christian qualities in the
believer’s life. But we have our part to play. We are to walk by the Spirit and
sow to the Spirit [Gal. 5:16; 6:8], following His promptings and disciplining
ourselves, if we would reap the harvest of holiness. Many Christians are
surprised that they are not noticeably growing in holiness. Is it that we are
neglecting to cultivate the field of our character? Whatever a man sows, that
he will also reap [Gal. 6:7]. Our God is a God who works by means, and He will
never bless the soul of that man who pretends to be so high and spiritual that
he can get on without them. Secondly, the winning of converts is a harvest too.
The harvest is plentiful, Jesus said, referring to the many who are waiting to
hear and receive the gospel [Matt. 9:37]. Now in this harvest it is of course
God who gives the growth [1 Cor. 3:6-7]. But again we have no liberty to be
idle. Further, both the sowing of the good seed of God’s word and the reaping
of the harvest are hard work, especially when the laborers are few. Souls are
won for Christ, not by the slick, automatic application of a formula, but by
tears and sweat and pain, especially in prayer and in sacrificial personal
friendship. So far, then, we have looked at the first three metaphors with
which Paul illustrates the duties of the Christian worker. By them he has
isolated three aspects of wholeheartedness which should be found in Timothy,
and in all those who like Timothy seek to pass on to others the good deposit
they have themselves received: the dedication of a good soldier, the
law-abiding obedience of a good athlete and the painstaking labor of a good
farmer. Without these we cannot expect results. There will be no victory for
the soldier unless he gives himself to his soldiering, no wreath for the
athlete unless he keeps the rules, and no harvest for the farmer unless he
toils at his farming.
[7-10] There is an important biblical
balance here. If Timothy is to know and understand the truth, two processes
will be necessary, the one human and the other divine. Timothy himself must think over or reflect on the apostle’s
teaching, listening to it carefully and applying his mind to it. For then the
Lord will grant him understanding in everything. There are at least two
important implications of this combination of human study and divine
illumination for anybody who wants to inherit the promised gift of
understanding from the Lord. First, if we are to receive understanding from the
Lord, we must consider what the apostle is saying. This is a good example of
Paul’s self-conscious apostolic authority. He commands Timothy to ponder his
teaching and promises that the Lord will grant him understanding in everything if he does so. He sees nothing strange
about claiming that his teaching as an apostle merits careful study, or that it
can be interpreted by the Lord alone, or that this is the way for Timothy to
grow in understanding. It is clear evidence that Paul believed his teaching to
be not his own but the Lord’s. Indeed in the following verses, almost
imperceptibly, he equates my gospel
[8] with the word of God [9].
Secondly, if we are to receive understanding from the Lord, we must consider
what the apostle is saying. Some Christians never get down to any serious Bible
study. We must not divorce what God has joined together. For the understanding
of Scripture a balanced combination of thought and prayer is essential. We must
do the considering, and the Lord will do the giving of understanding. The
command to remember Jesus Christ at
first sight seems extraordinary. How could Timothy ever forget Him? Yet the
human memory is notoriously fickle. The church has often forgotten Jesus
Christ, absorbing itself instead now in barren theological debate, now in
purely humanitarian activity, now in its own petty, parochial business. How and
why, then, are we to remember Christ? Essentially because He is the gospel, the
heart of the good deposit. If Timothy is to guard the deposit, and to hand it
on faithfully to others, he must remember
Jesus Christ … as preached in my gospel. In particular, Christ is to be
remembered as the one who is both risen
from the dead and the offspring of David. As we meditate on
these two expressions, it is remarkable how full an account of the gospel they
give. The birth, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus are all implicit in
them. And these remind us both of His divine-human person and of His saving
work. First, His person. The words offspring
of David imply His humanity, for they speak of His earthly descent from
David. The words risen from the dead
imply His divinity, for He was powerfully designated God’s Son by His
resurrection from the dead. Secondly, His work. The phrase risen from the dead indicates that He died for our sins and was
raised to prove the efficacy of His sinbearing sacrifice. The phrase offspring of David indicates that He
has established His kingdom as great David’s greater Son. Taken together, the
two phrases seem to allude to His double role as Savior and King. There is
another reason why Timothy must remember
Jesus Christ. It is not just because these facts constitute the gospel
which Timothy must preach, but because they also illustrate, from Jesus
Christ’s own experience, the principle that death is the gateway to life and
suffering the path to glory. For He who died rose from the dead, and He who was
born in lowliness as David’s seed is now reigning in glory on David’s throne.
Both expressions set forth in embryonic form the contrast between humiliation
and exaltation. “So then, Timothy,” the apostle seems to be saying, “when you
are tempted to avoid pain, humiliation, suffering or death in your ministry,
remember Jesus Christ and think again!” Then Paul points to his own suffering
for the gospel. He is having to endure the painful indignity of wearing chains
like a common criminal, although he is a Roman citizen and an innocent man.
But, though he is chained, God’s word is not. At his first defense he had been
given the opportunity and the strength fully to proclaim God’s word to the
court. In addition, God’s word was spreading through many others, and in
particular Timothy must share increasingly in this work. The relation between
Paul’s suffering and the effectiveness of the gospel is not just one of
contrast. It is actually one of cause and effect: Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also
may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. We
notice in passing that the doctrine of election does not dispense with the
necessity of preaching. On the contrary, it makes it essential. For Paul preaches
and suffers for the preaching of the gospel in order that the elect may obtain
salvation. The elect obtain salvation in Christ not apart from the preaching of
Christ but by means of it. Further, it is not just the preaching but also the
resultant suffering which are the means of the elect’s salvation. Paul’s
statement that in some sense the salvation of others is secured by his
sufferings may at first astonish us. Yet it is so. Not of course that his
sufferings have any redemptive efficacy like Christ’s, but that the elect are
saved through the gospel and that he could not preach the gospel without
suffering for it.
Enduring Promises: 2
Timothy 2:11-13.
[11] The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have
died with him, we will also live with him; [12] if we endure, we will also reign with him; if
we deny him, he also will deny us; [13]
if we are faithless, he remains faithful-- for he cannot deny himself. [ESV]
[11-13] Paul now quotes a current
saying or fragment of an early Christian hymn which he pronounces reliable. It
consists of two pairs of epigrams, which are general axioms of Christian life
and experience. They apply equally to all believers. The first pair relates to
those who remain true and endure [11-12a], the second
pair to those who became false and faithless [12b-13].
The death with Christ which is here mentioned must refer, according to the
context, not to our death to sin through union with Christ in His death, but
rather to our death to self and to safety, as we take up the cross and follow
Christ. So the Christian life is depicted as a life of dying, a life of
enduring. Only if we share Christ’s death on earth, shall we share his life in
heaven. Only if we share His sufferings and endure, shall we share His reign in
the hereafter. For the road to life is death, and the road to glory is
suffering. The other pair of epigrams envisages the dreadful possibility of our
denying Christ and proving faithless. It has often been taken as a comforting
assurance that, even if we turn away from Christ, He will not turn away from
us, for He will never be faithless as we are. And it is true, of course, that
God never exhibits the fickleness or the faithlessness of man. Yet the logic of
the Christian hymn, with its two pairs of balancing epigrams, really demands a
different interpretation. If we deny him
and if we are faithless are
parallels, which requires that he also
will deny us and he remains faithful
be parallels also. In this case His faithfulness when we are faithless will be
faithfulness to His warning, which means He will carry out His threats as well
as His promises. Christ will be faithful to His threat that He will deny those
who deny Him. Because Christ cannot deny
himself. The idea that there may be something which God cannot do is entirely foreign to some
people. Can He not do anything and everything? Are not all things possible to
Him? Is He not omnipotent? Yes, but God’s omnipotence needs to be understood.
It is the freedom and power to do absolutely anything He chooses to do. But He
chooses only to do good, only to work according to the perfection of His
character and will. God can do everything consistent with being Himself. The
one and only thing He cannot do, because He will not, is to deny Himself or act
contrary to Himself. So God remains forever Himself, the same God of mercy and
of justice, fulfilling His promises, giving us life if we die with Christ and a
kingdom if we endure, but denying us if we deny Him, just as He warned, because
He cannot deny Himself.
Questions for
Discussion:
1. In 2:1-2, Paul instructs
Timothy on how to protect the true Gospel message and ensure that it will be
passed on to future generations. What are the four stages that Paul gives to
Timothy? The last two stages are meant to be followed by all churches
throughout history. How well is your church following these two stages/
2. In 2:3-6, Paul uses three
metaphors to describe different aspects of the teaching ministry to which
Timothy has been called. What lessons are we to learn from these three metaphors?
3. What important biblical
balance is found in 2:7-10? What two processes are necessary if we are to know
and understand biblical truth?
4. What is Paul telling us
about the person and work of Jesus Christ in 2:8? What must we do in order to remember
Jesus Christ and not forget Him?
5. What does the trustworthy
statement of 2:11-13 teach us about our Christian life and experience?
References:
The Message of 2
Timothy, John Stott, Inter
Varsity Press.
The Letters to
Timothy and Titus, Philip
Towner, Eerdmans.
2 Timothy, Thomas Lea, NAC,
Broadman Press.