2 Timothy 4:6-8

V6-8 – ⁶For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. ⁷I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. ⁸Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day – and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for His appearing.

Certainly Paul exhibited the characteristics that he has encouraged Timothy to embrace. He views his life as a sacrifice to Christ. Then he reminds Timothy of his suffering and impending death, all on behalf of true, gospel ministry. In fact, Paul’s imminent death is his motive for extending his appeal to Timothy to this point. And as stated earlier in the study of Timothy, Paul measures success in ministry, as we ought, by faithfulness, not the number of converts. He issues three metaphors in v7 as evidence of his faithfulness – fighting the good fight, finishing the race, and keeping the faith. The enemies of God may have claimed that Paul failed, since his life ended in imprisonment and death; but that truth actually, ironically, proves that he was immensely successful in his ministry. He hadn’t wasted the time he’s had since conversion, and he doesn’t want Timothy to waste his time either.

Paul has now in his sights “the crown of righteousness” (1 Corinthians 9:27; James 1:12; 1 Peter 5:4; Revelation 2:4; 4:4). He knows that he will receive his reward “on that day,” speaking of Judgment Day. “Apparently,” says one commentator, “Paul believed that believers would be with the Lord at death (2 Corinthians 5:8), but the rewards and full fellowship awaited Resurrection Day (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).” Paul is not selfish about this crown; he knows that others, in fact “all who have longed for His appearing” will receive it as well. This is the crown of righteousness, the immutably sinless state we’ll embody in eternity. And so we cry out, “Marantha! Come Lord Jesus!” We want the end to come; we’re not afraid of death. We hope with joy, a sign of true Christianity.

DC 402 - Week 7

After a nice discussion on the topic "saved by grace," we turn to an appropriate follow-up topic: "eternal security and eternal rewards." Here's how the workload might break down:

Monday - Read Hosea (chapters 1-14) and Psalm 103, and comment
Tuesday - Read the articles, "Safe and Secure" by Hank Hanegraaff and "What Will I Do with a Crown?" by Manfred Koehler
Wednesday - Memorize 1 John 5:13 - I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life - and review previous memory verses, such as James 2:14,19; Ephesians 2:10; and Hebrews 12:1
Thursday - Answer questions 1a-b and 2a-e (7 questions) and review memory verses
Friday - Answer questions 3a-h (8 questions), including reading chapter 11 of Boyd and Eddy's Across the Spectrum, and review memory verses

2 Timothy 4:1-5

V1-5 – ¹In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of His appearing and His kingdom, I give you this charge: ²Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage – with great patience and careful instruction. ³For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. ⁴They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. ⁵But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

V1-5 represent the conclusion of Paul’s appeal to Timothy begun in 2 Timothy 1:6. This is the final chapter that Paul would ever write; and he begins with a charge (v1) to Timothy coram deo, before the face of God and Christ. This is a grave situation, and Timothy cannot say he wasn’t sure or didn’t know. Paul is serious here. The audience of this charge is crucial, because the time is drawing near. Soon, Christ will return (epiphany) to “judge the living and the dead.” The command to “preach the word (Jesus)…in season and out of season” in v2 is directing Timothy to be faithful in that regard whether the situation seems promising or not. Each day may be his last, so he ought to live like it, not so much as selfish carpe diem, but a selfless carpe diem. Perhaps we should do the same, refusing to wait for that perfect opportunity to come along so that we can unleash the gospel, and instead to unleash the gospel in every circumstance, knowing that God’s word will not return to Him empty but will accomplish what He desires and fulfill the purpose for which it was sent (Isaiah 55:11).

Calvin says, “By these words he recommends not only constancy, but likewise earnestness, so as to overcome all hindrances and difficulties; for, being, by nature, exceedingly effeminate or slothful, we easily yield to the slightest opposition, and sometimes we gladly seek apologies for our slothfulness… Moreover, this earnestness must relate both to the pastor and to the people; to the pastor, that he may not devote himself to the office of teaching merely at his own times and according to his own convenience, but that, shrinking neither from toils nor from annoyances, he may exercise his faculties to the utmost. So far as regards the people, there is constancy and earnestness, when they arouse those who are asleep, when they lay their hands on those who are hurrying in a wrong direction, and when they correct the trivial occupations of the world. To explain more fully…” Paul urges Timothy to “correct, rebuke, and encourage.” He is to prove the truth, reveal falsehood, and encourage living the truth by preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ; and he’s to do it patiently and carefully (1 Timothy 1:16).

In v3-4, Paul speaks of professing Christians in the church who may or may not be genuine Christians. He says they have “itching ears,” a fascination with everything but the truth (v4). That’s why Timothy has to use sound doctrine to “correct, rebuke, and encourage” carefully; his audience “will not put up with sound doctrine.” One commentator says, “They just want to hear (1) those who agree with them (cf. Jeremiah 5:31); (2) those who teach new and speculative things, or (3) many different teachers (always a new seminar to attend).” People are always deviating from the standard course, turning away from truth and turning aside to myths, for one reason or another. And this is despicable, but it is truth, and good reason for believers to all the more “contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints” (Jude 3).

And again, as Paul commonly does, he contrasts the false teachers and their followers with Timothy. The previous verses are not to describe him, but he is to “keep [his] head in all situations, endure hardship, [and] do the work of an evangelist.” In other words, Timothy is to remain sober or even-tempered, understand that trials come with gospel ministry and endure them, and share the gospel, thereby fulfilling the duties of his ministry. Apart from these three elements (Ephesians 4:11), it may be impossible to claim that one’s ministry duties have been fulfilled.

2 Timothy 3:14-17

V14-17 – ¹⁴But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, ¹⁵and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. ¹⁶All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Once again, Paul contrasts his words toward the false teachers (v13) with those toward Timothy (v10-12, 14). He is not to yield to false teaching, but he is to “continue in what [he has] learned and [has] become convinced of.” The application for us in this, says Calvin, is that “we ought to unlearn all that we have learned apart from Christ, if we wish to be his disciples.” He reminds Timothy that he has “known the holy Scriptures from infancy;” the Jewish custom was to teach the law to children beginning at five years of age. Also, Paul notes that these Scriptures “are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” Calvin says, “It is a very high commendation of the Holy Scriptures, that we must not seek anywhere else the wisdom which is sufficient for salvation; as the next verse also expresses more fully. But he states, at the same time, what we ought to seek in the Scripture (Christ Himself); for the false prophets also make use of it as a pretext; and therefore, in order that it may be useful to us for salvation, it is necessary to understand the right use of it.”

In other words, the Old Testament, properly interpreted, leads to faith in Christ (1 Peter 1:21). Timothy is living by the Book, and he needs to continue doing that. Why? Because it’s God’s word, and it’s useful! “The primary purpose of Scripture is mankind’s redemption,” one commentator says. And he goes on to say regarding v15, “The mechanism of redemption…is mankind’s faith response to God’s Messiah. This is the essence of apostolic preaching.” The Greek word for “All” in v16 is small, but it is crucial; Paul’s meaning is clear. God exhales every word of His word; and this happens not by might, not by power, but by the Holy Spirit (Zechariah 4:6; 2 Peter 1:21). I pray for my children the prayer of Paul, which reminds of this topic, from Ephesians 3:16-17 – that God “may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.”

Scripture has another, subsequent purpose as well, from v16-17; once having brought mankind to faith in Christ, the Scripture equips believers for godly living. It is “useful,” and meant to be used, “for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness.” I couldn’t have said it better myself; but teaching is to impart knowledge; rebuking is to show error; correcting is to turn away from error to righteousness; and training in righteousness is to guide in the right direction. This purpose is in itself merely a means to an end, that “the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

The word translated “thoroughly” as an adjective, might better be rendered as the noun “adequate,” followed by a comma, though in fact both “thoroughly” and “equipped” are cognate verbs in the Greek. It’s used only here in all of Scripture, but it means “complete and proficient,” “perfect for a purpose,” or “entirely suited.” And taken together, as one commentator says, the phrase is speaking of “gifted, functioning maturity which is brought by the Spirit through the Scripture.” Apart from Scripture, in other words, we cannot do the good that “God has prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10). So to summarize, Paul wants Timothy to stand on the Scriptures for several reasons. First, they bring salvation; second, they are inspired, breathed out, by God through the Holy Spirit in the words of holy (set apart) men; third, they are practical (they bring sanctification) – one commentator has said with many in agreement that there is no more practical book in the world than the Holy Bible; fourth and finally, the Bible is sufficient; nothing more is needed. So stand firm.