2 Timothy Chapter 2
Serving Faithfully Despite Hardship
2:1 So you, my child, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
Paul led Timothy to the Lord, meaning that Timothy was his spiritual child. Believers are saved by grace, but they are also to be strong in grace. When things are tough for a believer, then they need to look to the grace of God and gather their strength in Him. God knows what is going on. He has placed the believer in this position for a reason.
2:2 And entrust what you heard me say in the presence of many others as witnesses to faithful people who will be competent to teach others as well.
Again, Paul mentioned the Galatians 4 principles. Timothy was to teach what he learned from Paul. Those who learn from Timothy were to teach others as well. The Holy Spirit matures believers by the instruction which comes from other pastor-teachers. The believers are not commanded to read the Bible. They are told to meditate, or study, the Bible. The method of study established by the Holy Spirit in Ephesians 4 is face-to-face with a gifted pastor-teacher. Those who do not learn face-to-face with a pastor-teacher will be out of the will of God. Their study time will eventually either decrease, or they will be studying the wrong material or attending the wrong church.
2:3 Take your share of suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
Most Christians do not understand that they are a soldier. The battle ground is the world. The enemy is Satan and his demons. The training ground is the local church. The pastor-teacher is the drill sergeant. The Bible is the training manual. The Word of God is the sword and the shield.
Seeker-friendly pastors do not make good drill sergeants. They are too fluffy and too sentimental. They do not teach their soldiers how to use the Word of God. They produce spiritual casualties on the battlefield.
One of the most important chapters in the Bible for believers is Ephesians 6. Paul teaches Christians how to be effective soldiers in the ongoing angelic warfare.
2:4 No one in military service gets entangled in matters of everyday life; otherwise he will not please the one who recruited him.
Most believers today are way too attached to the life-style of the satanic world system. They are all too busy serving the Almighty Dollar. They are either AWOL or too weak to offer any resistance in the battlegrounds of the angelic warfare.
The Lord Jesus Christ called believers out of this world before the foundations of the world were even created. He called them to be soldiers, not businessmen of the satanic world system. Believers need to get their priorities right, or they will end up serving the wrong commander.
2:5 Also, if anyone competes as an athlete, he will not be crowned as the winner unless he competes according to the rules.
Someone has said that “The only exercise some Christians get is jumping to conclusions, running down their friends, sidestepping responsibility, and pushing their luck.” Paul was not talking about this kind of exercises. Believers are to train themselves in the entire counsel of the Word of God and then conquer territory by applying what they have learned. Their training comes from a gifted pastor-teacher in the form of a drill sergeant. When believers or nonbelievers tell a pastor that his teaching is too tough, then that pastor-teacher is most likely doing his job of being a drill sergeant.
Believers are to play by the rules. There are no shortcuts. The Bible was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic. There are 66 books. To be an effective soldier. one must prepare himself by studying all 66 books in the original languages via a gifted pastor-teacher. A weekend seminar will produce nothing but casualties.
2:6 The farmer who works hard ought to have the first share of the crops.
A believer is to be a farmer who plants the seeds of the Word of God in the ground. He must water it and allow it to grow. He is to produce what the Lord Jesus Christ calls 100-fold crops. Notice it is the Word of God that must be sown. Evangelism without the watering of the Word of God will produce casualties in the angelic warfare.
2:7 Think about what I am saying and the Lord will give you understanding of all this.
Paul is a gifted pastor-teacher who is teaching another gifted pastor teaching. The method is by letter. Maturity happens best when it is face-to-face because you have a gifted pastor-teacher available for questions. However, it is also possible to learn from the audio recordings, writings, and studies of other gifted pastor-teachers, such as what Timothy is commanded to do via this letter.
2:8 Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David; such is my gospel,
The good news is that Jesus is the Messiah, the seed of David, who was raised from the dead to prove His identity.
2:9 for which I suffer hardship to the point of imprisonment as a criminal, but God’s message is not imprisoned!
If a believer attempts to get out the Word of God, he will suffer. There was a mad dictator on the throne who hated the Word of God, but even imprisonment could not keep Paul silent. His prison epistles have been read by millions throughout all generations. The Word of God cannot be kept in chains.
2:10 So I endure all things for the sake of those chosen by God, that they too may obtain salvation in Christ Jesus and its eternal glory.
Notice that God, not the believers, did the choosing. The choice was made in eternity past, before time was even created. Paul had also been chosen to endure the sufferings that he was experiencing so that he could get the message of salvation out to the elect.
2:11 This saying is trustworthy: If we died with him, we will also live with him.
Believers are identified with Christ through His death.
2:12 If we endure, we will also reign with him. If we deny him, he will also deny us.
The Greek word for "endure" is ὑπομένω (hupomenow), meaning to bear the burden that has been placed upon one's back. When one uses his gifts to serve God, he will suffer. He will have to endure a heavy burden on his back.
Some theologians teach that all believers will reign with Christ. Others teach that only those who endure the suffering will reign with Christ.
Those who deny God are those who profess Christ, but they have never been saved.
2:13 If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, since he cannot deny himself.
God cannot deny Himself. He cannot accept what is false as true. This is why Jesus called the religious leaders of His day "hypocrites". They were professing godliness, but inside, they were spiritually dead and rotten and smelly. God is not this way. What you see is what you get.
Dealing with False Teachers
2:14 Remind people of these things and solemnly charge them before the Lord not to wrangle over words. This is of no benefit; it just brings ruin on those who listen.
Paul commanded Timothy not to argue about human philosophies. Just teach the Word of God. Debates bring destruction to those who are listening. They may be interested in the debate, but it brings them ruin.
2:15 Make every effort to present yourself before God as a proven worker who does not need to be ashamed, teaching the message of truth accurately.
Paul commanded Timothy to study the Word of God at the deepest level and teach it accurately. Paul had already done this in Ephesus. He taught the entire counsel of the Word of God. The pastor is not to lift little verses out of the Bible and teach from his human viewpoint. He is to study at the deepest level and teach at the deepest level. He is to teach the entire counsel of the Word of God.
The Bible is interconnected. The 66 books teach one message. The interconnection of the Bible cannot be understood until the entire Bible is studied.
2:16 But avoid profane chatter, because those occupied with it will stray further and further into ungodliness,
Empty chatter is talking about nothing. Profanity builds up the kingdom of Satan, but not the Kingdom of God. There are more important things in life than just talking about nothing.
2:17 and their message will spread its infection like gangrene. Hymenaeus and Philetus are in this group.
The teachings of apostates will spread quickly if the elders are not grounded in the entire counsel of the Word of God. Paul was not afraid to mention apostates by name. Modern day pastors should do the same.
2:18 They have strayed from the truth by saying that the resurrection has already occurred, and they are undermining some people’s faith.
These two men were teaching that the Ephesians had missed the Rapture.
2:19 However, God’s solid foundation remains standing, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from evil.”
God knows His elect, but those in the church may not. Even Paul was fooled by professing believers.
2:20 Now in a wealthy home there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also ones made of wood and of clay, and some are for honorable use, but others for ignoble use.
The potter makes different kinds of vessels for different uses. Some of the vessels are dirty and some of them are clean. Some are used for good purposes, and some for bad purposes. God is the Potter who makes different kinds of vessels. Some vessels were created for honor, but some were created for dishonor.
2:21 So if someone cleanses himself of such behavior, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart, useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.
The master of the house would never drink from a dirty vessel. God will not use a dirty vessel either. If a Christian is dirty with sin that has not been confessed according to 1 John 1:9, then God will not use him. He will choose a cleaner vessel.
2:22 But keep away from youthful passions, and pursue righteousness, faithfulness, love, and peace, in company with others who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
Paul gave a description of clean vessels that God will use for His kingdom. The clean vessel chases after righteousness, which is Christ. The mind of Christ can only be learned from a deep study of the Scriptures.
Faithfulness is trusting God to take care of all needs and placing one in a position to do God's will.
Agape love is divine love. One loves Christ when he follows the commandments of Christ. The commandments of Christ are found in Bible doctrine. One must know Bible doctrine before he can apply Bible doctrine. Therefore, those who have agape love know and apply Bible doctrine from the entire counsel of the Word of God.
2:23 But reject foolish and ignorant controversies, because you know they breed infighting.
Many believers want to argue about non-essentials. Teachers are not called to argue, but to teach. This is a good reason why teachers should not allow any discussion or questions during their teaching. Immature Christians will interrupt the teaching with immature questions and comments that are off topic. This wastes the study time of the teacher, his preparation, and the time of those who came to learn the Word of God.
2:24 And the Lord’s slave must not engage in heated disputes but be kind toward all, an apt teacher, patient,
Believers are not also soldiers, but they are also servants. When they are engaged in battle, they are not to engage in disputes or argument. They are to be kind and gentle toward all. They are to just simply be patient and teach the gospel.
2:25 correcting opponents with gentleness. Perhaps God will grant them repentance and then knowledge of the truth
If an unbeliever argues with a believer, it is because God has not opened his eyes. It is in his sin nature to reject God's truth. He cannot help it. It is part of his totally depraved ego. Therefore, do not argue, but teach them the gospel gently. Perhaps God will use this instance to open up their minds and reveal the truth to them.
2:26 and they will come to their senses and escape the devil’s trap where they are held captive to do his will.
Those who argue with a believer about the essentials have been caught in the devil's snare. They have been blinded, so they cannot see the truth. Timothy was commanded to gently teach them the gospel, hoping that God would open their eyes so that they can escape the devil's trap.