Paul & Timothy
vs 1,2 1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by
the will of God, according to the promise of life that is in Christ
Jesus, To Timothy, my dear son: Grace, mercy and peace from God the
Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
Paul was writing in prison in Rome probably not long after writing
Colossians during this same imprisonment as he will mention many of the
same individuals in both letters. Typical of his introductions he
establishes his authority as an apostle. And it was not by the will of
the other apostles that he was made an apostle. For they had chosen
another. But the Lord Jesus chose him personally, as He did the other
apostles.
Though Paul had not led Timothy to Christ, as he had first met him as a
disciple in Lystra, yet Paul reckons him a son more in an apprentice
sense. Timothy was his son in the sense of imitation.
Php 2:22 But you know
that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he
has served with me in the work of the gospel.
Therefore he trusts Timothy to be his representative
1Cor 4:17 For this
reason I am sending to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful
in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus,
which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church.
1Cor 16:10 If Timothy comes, see
to it that he has nothing to fear while he is with you, for he is
carrying on the work of the Lord, just as I am.
And what is Paul's primary prayer for his son - as perhaps should be
your primary prayer for your children? That God would deal with him
graciously, being merciful, and that Timothy may experience God's peace.
Minister
with a Clear Conscience
2Tim 1:3-5 I thank God, whom I serve, as
my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I
constantly remember you in my prayers. Recalling your tears, I long to
see you, so that I may be filled with joy. I have been reminded of your
sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your
mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.
A clear conscience is not the absolute measure of whether something is
God's will, as Paul elsewhere said,
"My
conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent." 1Cor
4:4 But for those with a healthy conscience it can act as a
guide. So Paul says,
"I strive always to keep my
conscience clear before God and man." Acts 24:16 And
such is required of those serving in ministry,
"They
must
keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience."
1Tim 3:9
To the Corinthians Paul wrote,
"I am sending to
you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord." 1Cor
4:17 We know what it is to single out individual's, perhaps even
our own children, as those who we especially hold dear. That was Paul's
attitude towards Timothy. He wasn't simply a coworker.
It's interesting that in the passage he mentions both a good conscience
and a sincere faith. For in
1Tim 1:5 with regards to his
instruction to stop people teaching false doctrine he says,
"Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a
pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith"
We first hear of Timothy is
Acts 16:1 "He
came
to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived,
whose mother was a Jewess and a believer, but whose father was a Greek."
This kind of implies that his father was an unbeliever, as also does
the fact that Paul mentions his mother, but not his father with regards
to passing down the faith. This is strange. For if his mother was a
believer, then why would she marry an unbeliever? Afterall Paul writes,
"Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For
what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship
can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and
Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?"
2Cor 6:14,15 And the fact that her mother was a believer makes one
wonder why she would have endorsed such a marriage. But then again, it
happens. Or perhaps they came to faith sometime after the marriage.
Timothy's
Spiritual Gift
2Tim 1:6 For this reason I remind you to
fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on
of my hands.
In
1Tim 4:14 Paul says to Timothy,
"Do
not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy
with the laying on of the hands of the eldership."
Doesn't say what the gift is, but I infer that the gift was a spitual
gift associated wth teaching and preaching, seeing as Paul was
instructing Timothy along those lines in 1Timothy where he first
mentioned the gift and here a few verses later where he alludes to
Timothy preaching.
Some view the gift as simply the idea that Timothy was given the
opportunity to minister. There is some precedent for that. For example
in
Acts 6:6 hands were laid upon some men just for them to take
up a ministry regarding providing food to some widows. Also prior to
Paul's missionary journeys when he was still called Saul it says,
"While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the
Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to
which I have called them. So after they had fasted and prayed, they
placed their hands on them and sent them off." Acts 13:2,3
And in
1Tim 5:22 "Do not be hasty in the
laying on of hands, and do not share in the sins of others. Keep
yourself pure." Which is to say, don't be hasty in endorsing
someone's ministry or handing out ministry opportunities without
carefully considering the candidate.
But given the phrase "in you" others view the gift as an attribute
imparted to the Timothy, like a greater capacity to teach and preach.
We don't really know. I don't presume he's referring to the baptism
with the Holy Spirit. All believers have that, as it is written,
"For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—
whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free— and we were all given the one
Spirit to drink." 1Cor 12:13 whereas it seems Paul is
referring to some more unique to Timothy in particular.
In fact courage is so characteristic of those born of God due to the
effect of the Holy Spirit in the believer that cowards are
characterized as the first to be thrown into the Lake of Fire memtioned
in
Revelation 21:8.
But it's interesting here that timidity is not simply contrasted with
courage but rather with a spirit of power, love and self-discipline.
Apparently you can't be both be timid and be characterized by one who
loves. We cannot be both timid and be a person characterized by
self-controlled, or more precisely the Greek word used here indicates
"moderation" or being "sober-minded". Or conversely, it takes courage
to love God and others. It takes courage to exercise self-controlled,
which implies that the timid characteristically give into the flesh,
they tend to comply with the influences of the world, the flesh, and
the devil rather than resisting them.
"Be
sober,
be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a
roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." 1Pet 5:8
And love takes courage in a number of ways, one being to be willing to
take initiative.
"There is no
fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear" 1Jn 4:18a
Minister
Shamelessly
2Tim 1:8 So do not be ashamed to testify about
our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering
for the gospel, by the power of God
Jesus spoke in even stronger terms saying,
"For whoever is ashamed of Me and My
words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man
also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the
holy angels." Mr 8:38
Paul introduces the gospel in Romans saying,
"I am not ashamed of the gospel of
Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who
believes" Rom 1:16a
Courage communicates conviction, which also affects how the message is
received. When the Bible is preached it should be preached with
conviction. Thus Paul requested of the Ephesians, while he was in
prison,
"Pray also for me, that
whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will
fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an
ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I
should." Eph 6:19,20
There's an inevitability to suffering if one is involved in the
ministry of the gospel. And Paul later states in this letter,
"In fact, everyone who wants to live a
godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted" 2Tim 3:12
Saved
and
Called to a Holy Life
2Tim 1:9 who has saved us and called us to a
holy life— not because of anything we have done but because of his own
purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the
beginning of time.
Being saved, though it is free, is not like signing a life insurance
policy. It's more like freely joining the US Marines. Those who have
done so have pledged to comply their behavior to their commanding
officers, which is in Christian's case is Jesus.
But this is not to say that a person's membership into the New
Covenant, one's membership into the family of God, is contingent upon
their behavior.
"Not by works of
righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved
us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy
Spirit." Titus 3:5
Rather one's behavior reflects the attitude one had upon one's
allegedly entry into the kingdom. Indeed, one's behavior can be
used to diagnose whether one has indeed been born of God. For
"no one who has been born of God will
continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on
sinning, because he has been born of God. This is how we know who the
children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who
does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does
not love his brother." 1John
3:9,10
But entry into that state is by faith alone apart from works, as Paul
also said in Romans 4.
"David
says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man to
whom God credits righteousness apart from works:
'Blessed
are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are
covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against
him.'" Rom 4:6-8 Thus
he said of the Ephesian Christians,
"it is by grace you have been saved,
through faith— and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not
by works, so that no one can boast." Eph 2:8,9
For those who come to faith in Christ, this grace was in the cards. For
the
"Lamb that was slain from the
creation of the world." Rev
13:8 From the beginning God made provision for those who are
believers.
Death
Destroyed,
Immortality Revealed
2Tim 1:10 but it has now been revealed through
the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and
has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.
While this grace was always available through faith, as the way of
righteousness was always by faith and not by law, as Paul said,
"Clearly no one is justified before God
by the law, because, 'The righteous will live by faith.''' Gal 3:11, yet now the basis for such
justification has been revealed in the atoning work of Christ. For
"God presented him as a sacrifice of
atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his
justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed
beforehand unpunished- he did it to demonstrate his justice at the
present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have
faith in Jesus." Rom 3:25,26
"The reason the Son of God
appeared was to destroy the devil’s work" 1John 3:8b And,
"the last enemy to be destroyed is
death." 1Cor 15:26
Christ, having died, this was in the cards to such an extend that Jesus
said,
"I tell you the truth,
whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and
will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life." John 5:24
Paul,
a
Herald, Apostle and Teacher
2Tim 1:11 And of this gospel I was appointed a
herald and an apostle and a teacher.
It was not simply that he took on these roles out of his own
initiative. Though I do encourage people to take initiative in seeking
an effective role in the body in conformity to their level of spiritual
maturity and giftedness, but to do so in concert with the body and in
compliance with the Spirit in accordance with the Word of God.
Consider these roles:
The lexicon gives the definition of a "
herald"
or
"
preacher" as
"a
messenger vested with public authority, who conveyed the
official messages of kings, magistrates, princes, military commanders,
or who gave a public summons or demand, and performed various other
duties." The Greek word is "kerux" used 3 times, first is
1Tim 2:7 where again he had mention
these three roles,
"I was
appointed a preacher and
an
apostle——I am
speaking the truth in Christ and not lying——a teacher of the Gentiles in
faith and truth." 1Tim 2:7
And Peter also mentions it of Noah whom he characterizes as
"a preacher of righteousness" 2Pet 2:5
"
Apostle" is literally "he who
is sent". Paul is an official ambassador for Christ, chosen
specifically by Jesus Christ personally for that task. And as an
apostle, his word is infallible, take to be the very words of God.
"When you received the word of God,
which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as
it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe." 1Th 2:13
A "
Teacher" is one who explains
things. The bulk of the New Testament letters were written by Paul in
which he explains the gospel and the Christian life. There he explains
things explicitly, and as such all other passages, such as historical
sections as in Acts and the Old Testment as well as the gospels, and
the parables and other such content in the gospels are to be
interpreted in light of Paul's teachings. For as the New Testament
enlightens the meaning of the Old, so also Paul's writings enlighten
the meaning of the gospels and Acts and other such content.
What
Have
You Entrusted to God?
2Tim 1:12 That
is
why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know
whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I
have entrusted to him for that day.
That is, he is suffering persecution as a natural consequence of taking
on these three roles, which is inevitable as he mentions later in the
letter,
"Yes, and all who desire
to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution." 2Tim 3:12 But his attitude
concerning such opposition is reflected in Jesus' sermon on the mount,
"Blessed are those who are persecuted
because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed
are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds
of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great
is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the
prophets who were before you." Mt
5:10-12
Conversely Jesus said,
"For
whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful
generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in
the glory of His Father with the holy angels." Mr 8:38 Yet there are those who
are not rooted in their convictions but merely have a "faith" reflected
of wishful thinking (of whom I would argue never genuinely believed)
who upon suffering some sort of trouble due to the Word, fall away.
"The one who received the seed that
fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives
it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When
trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls
away." Mt 13:20-21
The Lord has entrust to us the ministry of the gospel and in turn we
have entrust to Him, our dignity, our desires, our hope, and our
eternal soul, which is more than a fair exchange. Committing yourself
to God involoves trusting God with that which you've entrust to Him.
Paul's
Writings the Standard
2Tim 1:13 What you heard from me, keep as
the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus.
Paul's writings are the standard up to which all Christian doctrine
must be held. Therefore if any are serious about the Christian life
they are to study Paul's letters as the standard by which they are to
measure their own Christian life. And such is the case not only with
regards to Paul's doctrine, but also his practice. For elsewhere he
writes,
"Brethren, join in following my example,
and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern." Php
3:17 Thus the measure of a man is not simply his doctrine but his
practice as also he says to Timothy,
"Let no one
despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in
conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity." 1Tim 4:12
In fact the particular word used here for "pattern" (hupotuposis) is
used only one other time. That's in
1Tim 1:16 "for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first
Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern <5296>
to those who are going to believe on Him for
everlasting life."
But getting back to doctrine, to be noted is that not just the ideas,
but also the rhetoric Pauls uses, the emphasis, are patterns to follow
in teaching. Indeed actually memorizing and quoting sections of
what Paul actually said I find to be often superior to many a sermon
these days which largely neglects what the Bible actuallys says.
Guard the
Ministry of the Word
2Tim 1:14 Guard the good deposit that was
entrusted to you— guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives
in us.
I take that the "deposit" was the ministry role and responsibility he
was entrusted with, which primarily dealt with the role of teaching.
The Spirit helps to discern false doctrine, as Jesus said,
"the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will
send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your
remembrance all things that I said to you." John 14:26 But
as
Jesus alludes to here, and as Paul just said, the primary way to
discern false doctrine is by comparing it with what the Bible already
says. Thus John writes,
"We are of God. He who
knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we
know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error." 1John 4:6
For
many today will claim their teachings are inspired by the Holy
Spirit while neglecting and discouraging to compare it against what the
Bible actually says.
Corruptibiliy in teaching can come in many ways. By neglecting personal
Bible study, or simply reading commentaries or such, one can be jaded
by the opinions of man or by the culture of the world itself, which
then become part of one's teachings. One can likewise become corrupted
if one is financially dependent upon one's teaching role, which affects
one's sincerity. Thus Paul writes,
"Unlike so
many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in
Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from
God." 2Cor 2:17 And
"You
know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up
greed— God is our witness." 1Th 2:5
And then there's the pride of instutional elitism which desensitizes
one from criticisms or from scrutinizing one's teachings in light of
scripture, which is also reflected in the history of much of
instituionalized post-Biblical Christianity.
Faithfulness
Revealed in Troubling Times
2Tim 1:15-18 You know that everyone in the province
of Asia has deserted me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes. May the
Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often
refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains. On the contrary, when he
was in Rome, he searched hard for me until he found me. May the Lord
grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day! You know very
well in how many ways he helped me in Ephesus.
He'll mention others who had abandoned him in chapter 4. His experience
is much as the Lord's.
"Then everyone deserted
him and fled." Mr 14:50 For when things get tough, the
weak in faith show their unreliability.
"Like a
bad tooth or a lame foot is reliance on the unfaithful in times of
trouble." Pr 25:19 And Paul was feeling the pain.
And recall the sheep/goat judgment of Mt 25 in which the Lord said,
"I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and
you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me." Mt
25:36 This should be characteristic of the Christian life.
In contrast what we read of Onesiphorus you would think came right out
of Jesus' parable of the good Samaritan. Even more so. For didn't
simply run across a man in trouble, but rather seached hard for him.
And perhaps we should ask ourselves whether there are those who have
been overlooked because we have not sought for them.
His prayer for Onesiphorus sounds very much that he's referring to a
similar context as the sheep/goat judgement of Mt 25. Interesting that
it's in the optative - a wish - verses the indicative - a statement of
fact. For he wishes the Lord to grant him mercy rather simply declaring
that the Lord will show him mercy. It implies there being some
uncertainty in this regards. For assurance of salvation is not an
absolute thing, but rather assurance of salvation is relative to the
degree to which one behaves as a child of God should. And thus there's
always some uncertainty, even though at times Paul speaks confidently
with regards to one's salvation status from time to time. But neither
Mt 25 nor Paul here are referring to a sort of salvation by works idea.