13d • General discussion
2 TIMOTHY 2 STUDY: PART 1
CONSIDER WHAT I SAY
Before Paul tells Timothy to “rightly divide the word of truth” in verse 15, look carefully at what he tells him first.
2 Timothy 2:1-7 (KJV)
“Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.
Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.
And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully.
The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits.
Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.”
There is an order here worth slowing down and reading.
Paul begins:
“Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.”
Then:
“The things that thou hast heard of me…”
Timothy was not told to invent something new, improve the message, build his own system, or add his own wisdom to what he had received.
Paul tells him to take “the things that thou hast heard of me” and commit “the same” to faithful men.
Not something similar.
Not man’s traditions added to it.
“THE SAME.”
And notice what kind of men Paul says these things should be committed unto:
“faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.”
Faithfulness matters.
Paul had already written:
1 Corinthians 4:1-2 (KJV)
“Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.
Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.”
A steward does not have liberty to change what has been entrusted to him. Timothy received something, and he was commanded to commit the same to faithful men who could teach others also.
Then Paul turns to what that faithfulness will require.
“Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”
Faithfulness was never presented as a promise that everything would be comfortable. Timothy was told to endure hardness.
Then Paul warns about entanglement:
“No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life…”
Why?
“That he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.”
The concern is not pleasing men. The concern is pleasing the one who chose him.
Then Paul speaks of striving:
“And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully.”
It is not enough simply to strive. Paul says there is a right manner in which it must be done.
Then comes the husbandman:
“The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits.”
There is labor involved.
Endure hardness.
Do not become entangled.
Strive lawfully.
Labour.
And then Paul says something remarkably simple:
“Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.”
CONSIDER WHAT I SAY.
That deserves us to stop and pay attention.
Paul did not tell Timothy to disregard his words and seek understanding somewhere else. He told him to consider what he said, and then:
“the Lord give thee understanding in all things.”
That should make us even more careful with Paul’s words.
Before rushing to explain them away, replace them, add to them, or force them into something we have already been taught, perhaps we should obey the instruction sitting plainly before us:
CONSIDER WHAT I SAY.
Read the words. Keep the words. Commit the same to faithful men. Endure hardness. Do not become entangled. Strive lawfully. Labour.
And consider what Paul says.
We have only reached verse 7 of 2 Timothy 2. There are 19 verses remaining in this chapter, and Paul has much more to say concerning the word of truth, error, babblings, foolish questions, strife, teaching, patience, meekness, repentance, and the acknowledging of the truth.
So we are going to take our time. This series will run until Monday covering all of 2 Timothy 2.
WHAT SAITH THE SCRIPTURE?
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2 TIMOTHY 2 STUDY: PART 1
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