2 Timothy 1.12b-Paul's Total Confidence in the Lord's Ability to Protect the Gospel Entrusted to Him Up to the Day of the Bema Seat
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Tuesday March 10, 2015
Second Timothy: Second Timothy 1:12b-Paul’s Total Confidence in the Lord’s Ability to Protect the Gospel Entrusted to Him Up to the Day of the Bema Seat
Lesson # 18
2 Timothy 1:3 I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience the way my forefathers did, as I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day, 4 longing to see you, even as I recall your tears, so that I may be filled with joy. 5 For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well. 6 For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline. 8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God 9 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity 10 but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel 11 for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher. 12 For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day. (NASB95)
“For I know whom I have believed” presents the reason for Paul’s previous statement that he suffered many things because the Lord appointed him a herald, an apostle and teacher of the gospel but was unashamed of suffering because of this appointment.
“I know whom I have believed” is composed of the following: (1) verb oida (οἶδα), “I know” (2) relative pronoun hos (ὅς), “whom” (3) verb pisteuō (πιστεύω), “I have believed.”
The verb oida means “I know for certain” and denotes that Paul “knew for certain” whom he had placed his trust in, thus, the verb speaks of Paul’s total and absolute confidence in the Lord whom he placed his trust in.
The relative pronoun hos means “whom” and refers to the Lord Jesus Christ since He is the word’s nearest antecedent because Paul refers to Him in Second Timothy 1:10 as breaking the power of death while making fully known eternal life by revealing it as well as immortality through the proclamation of the gospel.
The Lord is also mentioned in Second Timothy 1:13 as well.
The verb pisteuō means to “totally and completely trust in” the person of Jesus Christ and His work on the cross in order to receive the gift of eternal life and the forgiveness of sins.
It emphasizes Paul’s present state of confidence in the Lord as a result of placing his trust in the Lord at the moment of conversion which resulted in his deliverance from eternal condemnation, condemnation from the Law, personal sins, the sin nature, the devil and his cosmic system as well as spiritual and physical death.
Paul’s present state of confidence in the Lord is the direct result of placing his trust in the Lord at the moment of conversion which resulted in his deliverance from eternal condemnation, condemnation from the Law, personal sins, the sin nature, the devil and his cosmic system as well as spiritual and physical death.
It was also the result of the Lord remaining faithful to him after his conversion and up to the moment he was writing this epistle while during his second and final Roman imprisonment.
“And I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day” presents the result of the previous statement that Paul knew for certain whom he was totally confident in.
“I am convinced” is the verb peithō (πείθω), which is used here of the apostle Paul’s firm personal conviction that the Lord Jesus Christ was able to protect the truth of the gospel which the Lord had entrusted Paul with until the apostle stood before Him at the Bema Seat.
“To guard what I have entrusted to Him” is composed of the following: (1) noun paratheke (παραθήκη), “have been entrusted” (2) personal pronoun egō (ἐγώ), “I” (3) verb phulasso (φυλάσσω), “to guard.”
The verb phulasso is used in active sense and means “to guard, protect” and its object is the articular form of the noun paratheke, “the deposit,” which refers to Paul’s apostolic teaching, i.e. the truth of the gospel, the Christian faith.
These two words also appear with the same sense in First Timothy 6:20.
They are referring to a process in Graeco-Roman cultures of entrusting some commodity with a person who is to ensure its safekeeping and eventually return it to its owner.
Assumed in the process are the ownership of the commodity and the obligation of faithfulness on the part of the trustee.
Therefore, Paul is making the assertion that the Lord Jesus Christ is able to “guard, protect” the truth of the gospel, i.e. his apostolic teaching or in other words He is able to “protect, guard” that body of doctrine which the church believes and is in the New Testament.
The term paratheke occurs only twice in the Old Testament where it referred to something entrusted to a person by another and failure to protect the person’s property constituted a sin against the Lord, which required restitution be made by the offender (Leviticus 5:21, 23).
Paratheke occurs only three times in the New Testament (1 Timothy 6:20; 2 Timothy 1:12, 14) and in each of these passages the word refers to being entrusted with the stewardship of the gospel.
“Until that day” is indicating that the Lord is able to protect the gospel which he entrusted to Paul for a continuous period in the future up to the day when he and all Christians will stand before Him at the Bema Seat.
Second Timothy 1:3 I make it my habit of expressing gratitude to God (the Father), whom I make it a habit of serving with a clear conscience as the forefathers, when I always make it my habit of bringing you into remembrance during my intercessory prayer requests during the day as well as during the night. 4 Consequently, I greatly desire to see you when I remember your tears in order that I would become filled with joy. 5 I make it my habit of expressing gratitude to God (the Father) because I have clung to the memory of your sincere faith which first lived in your grandmother Lois as well as in your mother Eunice. Indeed, I am convinced that it lives in you. 6 For this reason, I want to cause you, at this particular time, to remember to continue making it your habit of exercising with enthusiasm the spiritual gift originating from God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God (the Father) by no means gave each and every one of us a Spirit who produces cowardice but rather power as well as divine-love and in addition self-discipline. 8 Therefore, do not permit yourself to be ashamed of the Lord’s testimony or me, His prisoner but rather I solemnly urge you to accept your share of suffering for sake of the gospel in accordance with the power produced by God. 9 The one who saved each and every one of us. Indeed, the one who effectually called each and every one of us by means of an invitation to privilege which is holy. Never because of our meritorious actions but rather because of His own gracious predetermined plan which was brought into existence for the benefit of each and every one of us in association with the Christ who is Jesus before eternal ages. 10 But now has been revealed by means of the appearing of our Savior, Jesus, who is the Christ. On the one hand, He broke the power of (eternal) death while on the other hand He made fully known (eternal) life by revealing it as well as immortality through the proclamation of the gospel 11 for which I myself was appointed a herald as well as an apostle and in addition a teacher. 12 For this reason, I also suffer many things but in fact I am never ashamed because I know for certain whom I totally and completely trust. Consequently, I am of the firm personal conviction that He is able to guard my deposit until that day. (My translation)
The apostle is making the assertion that the Lord Jesus Christ is able to guard, protect the truth of the gospel, i.e. his apostolic teaching or in other words He is able to protect, guard that body of doctrine which the church believes and is in the New Testament.
“My deposit” refers to Paul’s apostolic teaching, i.e. the truth of the gospel, the Christian faith.
Here in Second Timothy 1:12 it is used of the gospel which is indicated by the context in that he mentions the gospel in Second Timothy 1:8 and 10.
Then, here in Second Timothy 1:12 he speaks of not being ashamed because of suffering because of the communication of the gospel.
Next, in Second Timothy 1:14, he exhorts Timothy to guard the gospel which has been entrusted to him through the Holy Spirit who dwells in every Christian.
In other words, he exhorts Timothy to remain faithful in communicating the gospel which is a duty the Lord had entrusted him with.
Lastly, “in that day” also indicates that the gospel is in view since it speaks of the Bema Seat where Paul will have to give an account for the stewardship the Lord bestowed upon him to communicate the gospel to every creature under heaven.
“Until that day” refers to the day the apostle Paul stands before the Lord at the Bema Seat to give an account of his stewardship of the gospel.
It indicates that the Lord is able to protect the gospel which He entrusted to Paul as a stewardship for a continuous period in the future up to the day when the apostle and all Christians will have to give an account to the Lord Jesus Christ at the Bema Seat.
In what sense will the Lord protect the gospel which has been entrusted to Paul until the day Paul stands before Christ at the Bema Seat?
The Lord will protect the gospel or in other words Paul’s apostolic teaching in the sense that despite Paul’s imprisonment and imminent death, the gospel will continued to be proclaimed throughout the world.
Christ will see to it because He is omnipotent and sovereign.
Neither Paul’s death or the death of any of the apostles or the death of all of them could ever result in the destruction of the gospel.
History has borne this out in that despite the death of the apostles, their apostolic teaching which communicates the gospel of Jesus Christ continued to be proclaimed throughout the centuries after their deaths even up to the present moment here in the twenty-first century.
Thus, Paul is in effect telling Timothy that despite his imprisonment and impending death at the hands of Nero, the Lord will protect his apostolic teaching which communicates the gospel up to the Bema Seat and he will in fact be rewarded for being a good steward in communicating the gospel.