2 Timothy 2

1-7, 8-13

1-7

1

Paul once again addresses Timothy tenderly as his child and encourages him to be strengthen, as Paul was fearful that Timothy may be weakening in the spirit due to all of the persecution coming not only from the Jews but also now from Rome, he encourages him to be strengthened by the grace that he and all believers have in Jesus.

2

Be strengthened in Christ and take what he has learned from what Paul has proclaimed to all and entrust it or teach it to men who are faithful, following all of the qualifications and instructions Paul gave him in 1 Timothy, teach the gospel to these faithful men so that they will spread it again to others.

3

Paul reminds Timothy and us that becoming a follower of Christ does not entail automatically having an easy life, he tells him to share in suffering, the persecution that was given to Christ and will be handed out to those that are his, and also defending the faith against false teachers as a good soldier of Christ.

4

And since he and us are soldiers of Christ we are not to get entangled in the cares of the world as the one who enlisted us has his kingdom not in this fallen world but in heaven

5

Paul then compares what we are to do for Christ to an athlete, in the first century it was the custom for the victor of a sporting event to receive not a gold medallion but a crown made out of laurel, olive, or other sacred leaves and branches, but the athlete in competition must play by all of the rules. In the race that we run for Christ we must also follow the rules, the word of God.

6

The final comparison Paul uses is of the hardworking farmer, the Greek verb translated hardworking means to work to the point of exhaustion, and just as we are commanded to sow the seeds of the gospel like a farmer would sow his field, we are to do so not lazily or occasionally but doing so with hard work with the anticipation of receiving the fruits of the crop, not only to see those whom we share the gospel with to come to repentance and faith in our time, but also to see the fullness of the crop gathered along with Christ at His second coming.

7

Think over what is in the gospels, meditate on them, study them and God will open our eyes and hearts to the truth and give us understanding.

8-13

8

Stand firm in the truths of Christ, he was born into this world from the line of David, fully God and fully man, crucified on the cross receiving the punishment for our sins and giving up his life of his own will, burred and rising from the dead defeating sin and death. Always remember and refute any who teach a different and false gospel about a different and false Christ.

9

The truths of the gospel and teaching and preaching them openly and boldly is the reason Paul is suffering and imprisoned as a criminal, but throwing those who teach and spread the word and truth will not bind or stop the word of God.

10

So whatever comes at us in this world we can endure with the help of God and the Holy Spirit, and we must endure for the sake of the elect, those whom God has chosen for salvation, and only God knows who they are, we don’t know so we spread the gospel, preach and teach to all as if they are, so that the ones that are will hear the word of God and come to the faith, not of our works but only by the grace of God.

11

The trustworthy saying that Paul has in 11-13 comes from multiple sources in the New Testament gospels. If we have died with him, we will also live with him, Romans 6:4–8 “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.”

12

If we endure, Matthew 24:13 “But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” Colossians 1:23 “if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.” We will also reign with him; Revelation 5:10 “and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”” Revelation 20:6 “Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.”

If we deny him, he also will deny us; Matthew 10:33 “but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.”

13

If we are faithless, He remains faithful; Romans 3:10–11 “as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.” John 3:16 ““For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:18 “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” God does not and can not change, he cannot deny himself, He is faithful and his covenants and promises are solid and sure, set in stone. Hebrews 10:23 “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.”