2 Timothy 2.24b-The Lord's Slave Must Be Characterized as Gentle, a Skillful Teacher and Patient
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Thursday June 11, 2015
Second Timothy: Second Timothy 2:24b-The Lord’s Slave Must Be Characterized as Gentle, a Skillful Teacher and Patient
Lesson # 58
2 Timothy 2:22 Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. 23 But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels. 24 The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged. (NASB95)
“But be kind to all” stands in emphatic contrast with the previous statement that the Lord’s servant must never be characterized as contentious.
Thus, the contrast is between the Lord’s servant being characterized as contentious with that of his being characterized as being kind to all, able to teach and patient when wronged.
In other words, Paul is teaching that the Lord’s servant should be the direct antithesis of someone who is contentious, which is a characteristic of the Judaizers and the apostate pastors in Ephesus.
“Be” is the verb eimi (εἰμί), which means “to possess a particular characteristic, to be characterized” and which characteristic or characterization is identified by the adjective ēpios, “kind,” which is modified by the prepositional phrase πρὸς πάντας, “to all.”
This indicates that the Lord’s servant must possess the characteristic of being kind to each and every person he comes into contact with or he must be characterized as kind to all.
The present tense is a gnomic present as well indicating that the Lord’s slave is to be “characterized” as kind to all.
“Kind to all” is composed of the following: (1) accusative masculine singular form of the adjective ēpios (ἤπιος), “kind” (2) preposition pros (πρός), “to” (5) accusative masculine plural form of the adjective pas (πᾶς), “all.”
The adjective ēpios means “gentle” since it pertains to being gentle with the implication of being kind.
It speaks of being free from harshness or sternness, possessing a forbearing nature.
Therefore, this indicates that the Lord’s servant is to be characterized as “gentle” in the sense that he is be free from harshness or sternness, possessing a forbearing nature.
The adjective pas pertains to the totality of individuals within the Christian community and outside of it and is used in a distributive sense meaning “each and every one or person.”
This word is the object of the preposition pros, which means “for the benefit of” since it is functioning as a marker of benefaction or advantage indicating that the Lord’s slave is to be characterized as gentle “for the benefit of” each and every human being he comes into contact with.
“Able to teach” is the accusative masculine singular form of the adjective didaktikos (διδακτικός), which means “skillful in teaching, able and apt to teach or instruct.”
This word goes back to the first century A.D. and is found only twice in the New Testament (1 Tim. 3:2; 2 Tim. 2:24).
The word is found only in Philo outside of the New Testament.
The word’s usage in the Pastoral Epistles suggests or implies that the man with the spiritual gift of pastor-teacher and aspires to the office of overseer must be willing and able to not only teach but also to refute errors or accurately answer questions (cf. Titus 1:9).
This word also describes the relationship between the pastor and others.
This adjective in 1 Timothy 3:2 indicates that only those with the spiritual gift of pastor-teacher can hold the office of overseer because the word denotes one who is skillful in teaching, which only those with the gift of teaching can fulfill.
Here in Second Timothy 2:24, the adjective didaktikos again means “a skillful teacher” indicating that the pastor-teacher who is the overseer in the local assembly must be “a skillful teacher” in the sense of being willing and able to not only instruct the church but also to refute errors and accurately answer questions.
“Patient when wronged” is the accusative masculine singular form of the adjective anexikakos (ἀνεξίκακος), which means “tolerant, patient” since it pertains to tolerating difficulties without becoming out of control.
It pertains to enduring difficulties with a person without becoming angry or upset with that person or resentful.
It speaks of manifesting forbearance under provocation or strain.
Therefore, this adjective anexikakos is teaching that the Lord’s slave must be characterized as “patient” in the sense that he is to endure difficulties with people who disagree with his teaching without becoming angry or upset with these people or resentful toward them.
It expresses that even if he is provoked he has control of his emotions.
Second Timothy 2:24 However, in the interests of the Lord’s slave, he must never, as an eternal spiritual truth, be characterized as contentious but rather to be characterized as gentle for the benefit of each and every person, a skillful teacher, patient. (Author’s translation)
After making the assertion in Second Timothy 2:24 that the Lord’s slave must never be characterized as contentious, the apostle makes three assertions about the Lord’s slave which stand in an emphatic contrast with the first assertion in this verse.
In this adversative clause, Paul is teaching that the Lord’s servant should be the direct antithesis of someone who is contentious, which is a characteristic of the Judaizers and the apostate pastors in Ephesus.
The first assertion in the adversative clause is that the Lord’s slave must be characterized as someone who is gentle to each and every person he comes into contact with whether they are Christians or non-Christians.
He is to be gentle to those whom he teaches in the Christian community and when he is evangelizing outside the Christian community.
By being gentle, he means that the pastor-teacher who is the overseer of the local church, must be someone who is free from harshness or sternness, possessing a forbearing nature or in other words, is kind.
By being gentle, he means that the evangelist must be characterized in the same way.
The second assertion in the adversative clause is that the Lord’s slave must be characterized as someone who is a skillful teacher in the sense that he is willing and able to not only instruct those in the Christian community but also refute any errors and accurately answer questions.
He should be able to do this with those who are non-Christians when he is evangelizing them.
This second assertion makes clear that when Paul speaks of “the Lord’s slave” he is referring to the pastor since he possesses the gift of teaching.
However, although this is the case, this second assertion can be applied to the evangelist when dealing with the non-Christian.
The third and final assertion in this adversative clause teaches that the Lord’s slave, namely, the pastor-teacher must be characterized as someone who is patient with those within the Christian community and those who are non-Christians.
He must be characterized as a person who is able to endure difficulties with people who disagree with his teaching without becoming angry or upset with these people or resentful toward them.
It expresses the idea that even if he is provoked he has control of his emotions.
The evangelist must be characterized in the same manner when dealing with the non-Christian.
These three assertions in the adversative clause in Second Timothy 2:24 correspond to Paul’s statements in Second Timothy 2:25-26.
2 Timothy 2:25 with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, 26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will. (NASB95)