The Believer

The Believer / Who Are We

A Study of II Timothy Chapter 2

We Are Sons—and should be strong in His grace (vs. 1).

We Are Soldiers—and should endure hardness (vss. 3, 4).

We Are Wrestlers—and should strive lawfully (vs. 5).

We Are Workmen—and should know our tools (vs. 15).

We Are Vessels—and should be clean (vss. 20, 21).

We Are Servants—and should be patient, gentle (vs. 24).

We Are Husbandmen—and shall be partakers of the fruits (vs. 6).

The Believer Is a Son

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2 Timothy 2:1 KJV 1900

Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

1. How Do We Become "Sons of God"?

Answer.

From the human side:

We become sons by receiving Christ.

John 1:12 KJV 1900

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

From the Divine side:

We become sons by the new birth;

John 1:13 KJV 1900

Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Illustration:

A sailor was carrying a drummer over a squally lake in his sail boat, when the drummer said: "Moses, you handle your boat so well, I wonder if you understand the philosophy of the wind." The sailor replied: "No, sir, boss, I don't understand' the philosophy of the wind, I just' knows how to hold the sails."

And this is true.

We cannot understand the philosophy of the new birth, but, bless God, we know how to hold up the sail of faith and to catch the breath of the Spirit, and God does the rest.

John 3:6–7 KJV 1900

That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

2. What Should "Sons" Do?

Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

Sonship is one thing, fellowship is quite another.

We cannot lose sonship; we may lose fellowship.

When sons sin, they break fellowship.

We should carefully guard our daily walk lest we lose our Heavenly Father's smiles.

A good proof text is:

Jude 21 KJV 1900

keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

Hebrews 12:5–11 KJV 1900

And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

The Believer Is a Soldier

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2 Timothy 2:4 KJV 1900

No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.

1. Read

2 Corinthians 6:3–10 KJV 1900

Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed: But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings; By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true; As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed; As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.

2 Corinthians 11:23–27 KJV 1900

Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.

And note some of the things Paul himself endured as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

2. Read

Ephesians 6:13–17 KJV 1900

Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

And speak of the armor that is given to panoply Christian soldiers for their fight against Satan and his hosts.

3. Read

Philippians 1:29 KJV 1900

For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;

And tell how all of us are called upon to suffer for Christ: that is to endure hardness as good soldiers.

4. Read

Romans 8:18 KJV 1900

For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

And show how the glory, when the battle and its sufferings are past, will by far outweigh the anguish of the conflict.

The Believer Is a Wrestler

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See also: Postmillennialism Mars the Co-Operation of the Holy Spirit

2 Timothy 2:5 KJV 1900

And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully.

1. Read

Hebrews 12:1–2 KJV 1900

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

And describe the scene as based upon the Roman amphitheater race course.

The successful runner, of course, was compelled to go in training. Everything in eating and drinking and in living that might hinder his being "fit for the race" had to be laid aside. So we should lay aside every weight and the sin (perhaps referring to "unbelief") and run our Heavenly race. A few words might also be said about the witnesses, whose race has been run and whose valor should inspire us; and a final word on Christ Jesus as the Princely Leader in our race, upon whom we should always fix our gaze.

2. Read

1 Corinthians 9:24–27 KJV 1900

Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

Note, first, the need of keeping under the flesh; and second, the glory of the incorruptible crown to the successful runner.