2 Timothy 2.10-Paul Endured Every Type of Adversity For the Purpose of Evangelizing the Unsaved
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Wednesday April 15, 2015
Second Timothy: Second Timothy 2:10-Paul Endured Every Type of Adversity In Order To Evangelize the Unsaved
Lesson # 34
2 Timothy 2:8 Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descendant of David, according to my gospel, 9 for which I suffer hardship even to imprisonment as a criminal; but the word of God is not imprisoned. 10 For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory. (NASB95)
“For this reason” is referring to the immediate preceding statement in Second Timothy 2:9 which states that the Word of God, i.e. the gospel is never imprisoned.
Therefore, it indicates that the apostle Paul endured all things for the sake of the elect “because” the Word of God, i.e. the gospel is never imprisoned.
“I endure all things” is composed of the following: (1) accusative neuter plural form of the adjective pas (πᾶς), “all things” (2) first person singular present active indicative form of the verb hupomenō (ὑπομένω), “I endure.”
The adjective pas is referring to each and every type of adversity which Paul experienced during his lifetime.
The verb hupomenō means “to endure, to persevere” since it pertains to continuing to maintain a particular course of action in the face of adversity, hardship or opposition.
“For the sake of those who are chosen” is composed of the following: (1) preposition dia (διά), “for the sake of” (2) articular accusative masculine plural form of the adjective eklektos (ἐκλεκτός), “those who are chosen.”
The adjective eklektos is used of church age believers and describes the Father in eternity past as having called or chosen them out from the earth’s inhabitants who are enslaved to the sin nature and the devil and his cosmic system.
This word is also the object of the preposition dia which it is used as a marker of benefaction or advantage indicating that Paul endured every type of adversity “on behalf of, for the sake of” the chosen out ones because the Word of God can never be imprisoned.
“So that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus” presents the purpose for which Paul endured every type of adversity for the sake of the church.
“They also” is composed of the following: (1) conjunction kai (καί), “also” (2) third person nominative masculine plural form of the intensive personal pronoun autos (αὐτός), “they.”
The function of the conjunction kai is very important to understand if we are to understand what Paul is saying here in Second Timothy 2:10 because it indicates that when he speaks of the elect or chosen ones, he is speaking of those sinners who in the future will trust in Jesus Christ as Savior.
The word is used in an adjunctive sense meaning that “in addition to” those who are already Christians, Paul was enduring every type of adversity for the sake of those who would become Christians in the future.
The conjunction implies that others have already obtained salvation and that there are others to follow.
Thus, in Second Timothy 2:10, the apostle Paul is speaking in evangelistic terms.
So Paul is saying with this conjunction that he endures every type of adversity such as his present imprisonment for the sake of the chosen ones in order that they “too” would obtain salvation along with eternal glory, i.e. the resurrection body and rewards for faithful service.
The third person nominative masculine plural form of the intensive personal pronoun autos means “they” whose function is also important to understanding who Paul is talking when he speaks of the chosen ones.
This word refers to those who would become Christians through Paul’s evangelistic work.
The word is used for emphasis indicating Paul is emphasizing the need for him to suffer for the sake of those who would become Christians as a result of his communicating the gospel to them during his imprisonment and trial as well as execution.
Paul employs this intensive personal pronoun because he wants to mark a contrast between those who have yet to experience salvation and have yet to manifest their election to privilege with those like himself who are already experiencing salvation and have already manifested their election.
He didn’t need to employ this word because he could have used the third person plural form of the verb tugchanō, “may obtain” to signify these chosen ones.
However, he does not but instead employs this intensive pronoun because he is indicating to the reader he is marking this contrast.
“May obtain the salvation” is composed of the following: (1) genitive feminine singular form of the noun soteria (σωτηρία), “the salvation” (5) third person plural aorist active subjunctive form of the verb tugchanō (τυγχάνω), “may obtain.”
The verb tugchanō means “to experience” and is used of experiencing eternal salvation as a result of Paul’s evangelistic activities in prison.
The aorist tense of the verb tugchanō is ingressive which is used to stress the entrance into a particular state.
This would indicate that Paul endured adversity for the sake of the chosen ones in order that they too would enter into salvation along with eternal glory.
The fact that Paul puts this verb in the aorist tense is significant because he does so to identify for Timothy and the Ephesian Christian community that he is not speaking of those who are already Christians but those who in the future will become Christians through his evangelistic efforts in prison.
He puts the verb in the aorist tense and not the present tense or the future tense because he wants to communicate the idea of these chosen ones entering into a state of experiencing salvation in the future.
If he was speaking of those who were already Christians, he would have put the verb in the present tense to emphasize the Christian experiencing their salvation after conversion through obedience to his gospel message.
If he was speaking of Christians experiencing the perfective aspect of their salvation when they receive a resurrection body and are perfected at the rapture of the church, he would have put the verb in the future tense.
The noun sōtēria means “deliverance, salvation” and is used with reference to those who would become Christians through the apostle Paul communicating to the gospel to them during his imprisonment.
The word speaks of their deliverance from personal sins the sin nature, Satan, his cosmic system, condemnation from the Law, spiritual and physical death and of course eternal condemnation.
“Which is in Christ Jesus” is composed of the following: (1) genitive feminine singular form of the definite article ho (ὁ), “which” (2) preposition en (ἐν), “in” (3) dative masculine singular form of the noun Christos (Χριστός), “Christ” (4) dative masculine singular form of the proper noun Iesous (Ἰησοῦς), “Jesus.”
The article functions as a “genitive of simple apposition” which indicates that the prepositional phrase ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, “in Christ Jesus” is identifying for the reader how one enters into experiencing salvation along with eternal glory.
This prepositional phrase contains the figure of metonymy meaning that the person of Christ Jesus is put for exercising faith in Him in order to enter into experiencing salvation.
The proper name Christos is the object of the preposition en which is a marker of means indicating that entering into experiencing salvation is “through” or “by means of” faith in Christ Jesus.
“And with it eternal glory” refers to the Christian manifesting the character of the Lord Jesus Christ perfectly in a resurrection body.
It also speaks of the glory the Christian will experience as a result of receiving rewards for faithful service.
It indicates that the resurrection body and rewards are eternal in nature or in other words, the Christian will experience forever the benefits of a resurrection body and rewards for faithful service.
Second Timothy 2:10 For this reason, I always endure each and every type of adversity on behalf of the chosen ones in order that they themselves will also enter into experiencing salvation which is by means of faith in the Christ, who is Jesus along with eternal glory. (My translation)
So here in Second Timothy 2:10, the apostle Paul is providing himself an example for Timothy to follow as a communicator of the gospel, namely faithful, sacrificial service in communicating the gospel to the unsaved in the hopes that they too will enter into experiencing salvation along with eternal glory.
Thus, Paul is exhorting Timothy to do the work of an evangelist which he explicitly orders him to do in Second Timothy 4:5.
We can see that Paul was using his last days on earth to reach the unsaved in Rome with the gospel so that they might also experience salvation like the rest of Christianity.
This would indicate he was evangelizing governmental officials in the Roman Empire as well as soldiers keeping guard over him and also the Emperor himself.
In fact Philippians 1:13, Paul states that the Praetorian Guard was evangelized during his first Roman imprisonment.
In Philippians 4:22, Caesar’s household was apparently evangelized as well.
Therefore, Paul’s statements here in Second Timothy 2:10 during his second Roman imprisonment are in keeping with his actions during his first Roman imprisonment.
The apostle is thus looking at his imprisonment as an opportunity to evangelize more of the Gentiles.