2 Timothy 2.19c-The Church Must Abstain from Unrighteousness
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Tuesday May 26, 2015
Second Timothy: Second Timothy 2:19c-The Church Must Abstain from Unrighteousness
Lesson # 50
2 Timothy 2:16 But avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness. 17 and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, 18 men who have gone astray from the truth saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and they upset the faith of some. 19 Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness.” (NASB95)
“And” is the conjunction kai (καί), which is adjunctive meaning it is introducing a command which is in addition to the citation from Numbers 16:5.
The word indicates that these two statements are intimately connected to each other since the reality of the first serves as the basis for a positive response to the second.
The quotation emphasizes that the church is God’s possession and created for His purpose.
On the other hand, the command emphasizes that because this is the case, the church must respond in obedience to the command which emphasizes that the church must abstain from practicing unrighteousness or in other words, sin.
“Everyone” is the nominative masculine plural form of the adjective pas (πᾶς), which pertains to the totality of individuals who compose the church.
It is used in a distributive sense and means “each and every one or person” referring to those sinners who have been declared justified by the Father as a result of exercising faith in His Son Jesus Christ as Savior.
“Who names the name of the Lord” is composed of the following: (1) articular nominative masculine singular present active participle form of the verb onomazō (ὀνομάζω), “who names” (2) articular accusative neuter singular form of the noun (ὄνομα), “the name” (3) genitive masculine singular form of the noun kurios (κύριος), “of the Lord.”
The verb onomazō means “to confess” since it pertains to declaring faith in someone or obedience or loyalty to someone.
Therefore, it is a synonym for those who “confess” that they have trusted in Jesus Christ as Savior or in other words, they have exercised faith alone in Jesus Christ alone as Savior.
The word does not refer to praying to the Father since Paul is speaking in the context of the church fulfilling the purpose for which she has been created as God’s possession.
Therefore, the idea of the verb onomazō is of those who “confess” that they belong to the Lord acting in a manner which is consistent with this confession of faith in the Lord.
The noun onoma has a four-fold sense: (1) It signifies the “personality” of the Lord distinguishing Him from the heathen gods. (2) It signifies the “character” of the Lord representing who He is. (3) It signifies the Lord’s “work” in creation and for the salvation of sinful humanity. (4) It signifies the “reputation” of the Lord before men.
So the noun onoma signifies the “reputation” of the “character” of the “Person” of the Lord.
Therefore, Paul is emphasizing with Timothy and the Ephesian Christian community that the Christian who asserts that they belong to the Lord must abstain from unrighteousness.
If they fail to do so they will slander the “reputation” of the “character” of the “Person” of the Lord because of their ungodly living.
Even though the noun kurios, “Lord” referred to the Father in the previous citation from Numbers 16:5, here in the command, the noun is used of the Son, Jesus Christ.
This is indicated by the fact that the phrase πᾶς ὁ ὀνομάζων τὸ ὄνομα, “each and every one who does confess the name of” is a reference to those who have exercised faith in Jesus Christ as Savior.
“Is to abstain from wickedness’” is composed of the following: (1) third person singular aorist active imperative form of the verb aphistēmi (ἀφίστημι), “is to abstain” (2) preposition apo (ἀπό), “from” (3) genitive feminine singular form of the noun adikia (ἀδικία), “wickedness.”
The verb aphistēmi pertains to refraining from or refusing to conduct oneself in a manner particular manner in life.
The word is employed with the prepositional phrase ἀπὸ ἀδικίας, “from wickedness.”
Therefore, this verb indicates that the Christian must “abstain” from wickedness in the sense that they are to refrain or refuse to permit themselves to act in an unrighteous manner.
The aorist imperative form of the verb aphistēmi is a constative aorist imperative which emphasizes solemnity or urgency of the action and does not stress “beginning an action,” nor “continuing to act.”
The idea is that one must “make this their top priority.”
Therefore, the aorist imperative form of this verb is emphasizing how important it is for every Christian to abstain from living in an unrighteous manner.
It expresses the fact that this command is very solemn and expresses the critical nature of this command.
The noun adikia means “unrighteousness” and is used in relation to the conduct of the Christian.
The word refers to living in an ungodly fashion which is inconsistent with the Christian’s profession of belonging to Jesus Christ or having been saved by Him.
The noun adikia is antithetical in meaning to the noun dikaiosune, “righteousness,” which is a general term for “virtue” and “integrity” of character, thus, adikia is the state of possessing no virtue or integrity.
Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary defines “integrity”: (1) Soundness of and adherence to moral principle and character; uprightness; honesty (2) The state of being whole, entire, or undiminished (3) A sound, unimpaired, or perfect condition.
Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary defines “virtue”: (1) Moral excellence; goodness; righteousness (2) Conformity of one’s life and conduct to moral and ethical principles; uprightness, rectitude.
Therefore, the noun adikia refers to actions that do not adhere to the will of God, and that are not upright, honest, perfectly whole, thus leaving them in an unsound, impaired and in a bad condition.
It describes actions that have no virtue in the sense that they have no moral excellence, goodness, and do not conform to the will of God.
The noun adikia is the object of the preposition apo which is a marker of separation or disassociation indicating that Christians must abstain “from” or “disassociate” themselves “from” living unrighteous manner.
They are to separate themselves from practicing unrighteousness or living in a manner which is inconsistent with their profession of being Christians.
Second Timothy 2:19 However, despite this, the firm foundation constructed by God the Father remains standing because it exists in the state of bearing this seal: “The Lord knows in an omniscient sense those who are His” and in addition, “Each and every one who does confess the Lord’s name must make it their top priority of abstaining from unrighteousness.” (My translation)
Many expositors believe that Paul is citing Numbers 16:26 with the statement ἀποστήτω ἀπὸ ἀδικίας πᾶς ὁ ὀνομάζων τὸ ὄνομα κυρίου.
In Numbers 16:26, the Lord warned the Israelites to get away from the tents of Korah and his rebels who challenged the authority of Moses and Aaron.
However, this is not a direct quote from Numbers 16:26 or any Old Testament passage for that matter.
Since Paul has already cited Numbers 16:5, many expositors see a loose connection with this second statement and Numbers 16:26.
Some like Fee, see the naming of the name of the Lord as taken from Leviticus 24:16 and Isaiah 26:13 and the departing from unrighteousness as alluding to Psalm 34:14 and Proverbs 3:7.
Mounce disagrees, he writes “Most of the passages suggested as possible sources seem at best to be remote possibilities and the idea of ‘depart from unrighteousness’ is too general.”
Therefore, in Second Timothy 2:19, after citing Numbers 16:5, the apostle Paul issues a command which is based upon this citation.
The idea is that because the church is God’s possession and was created by Him for His purpose, the individual members of the church should respond to the command to abstain from unrighteousness.
So in Second Timothy 2:19, the citation from Numbers 16:5 is designed to assure Timothy and the Ephesian Christian community that the false doctrine propagated by Hymenaeus and Philetus will not destroy the church since it is God’s possession and was created by Him for His purpose.
The command emphasizes the responsibility of the church to living in a godly manner which honors God and reflects His holy standards and to reject living in an ungodly manner which reflects the evil standards of Satan and his cosmic system.
By obeying this command the church would reflect that they have been created by God and are His possession and would fulfill the purpose for which He created her.
Also by obeying this command, she would protect herself from false doctrine.