2 Timothy 2:20-26

V20-26 – ²⁰In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble. ²¹If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work. ²²Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. ²³Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. ²⁴And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. ²⁵Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, ²⁶and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.

In v20-21, Paul gives an illustration to support his command for Christians to lead holy lives. The “large house” is the church, though elsewhere Paul uses a similar metaphor for the world (Romans 9:21). Some suggest that the articles “for noble purposes” are the true believers (the Church), while the articles “for ignoble” purposes are the unbelievers in the church. Others see this metaphor as describing the truth that some body parts are for less desirable tasks. Either way, v21 implies that a believer who, or a body part that, has been engaging in ignoble deeds can repent (“cleanses himself”) and be sanctified unto “any good work” (Ephesians 2:10). Sanctification is of God and, it seems, of men. We play a role in responding to God’s work within us (Philippians 2:12-13). And we best do that by resisting the devil, by fleeing “the evil desires of youth” (v22) – it seems that every stage of life has different temptations. Instead, as Paul issues a number of other short exhortations for Timothy in v22-25, we “pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace,” just as others “who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”

We must avoid “foolish and stupid arguments, because…they produce quarrels” (v23). The word translated “stupid” is elsewhere translated “ignorant,” “trifling,” “un-edifying,” and “senseless.” This command implies that the false teachers not only engaged in these discussions to nowhere, but also that they knew the arguments were useless and did so anyway. Paul wraps up this series with the concept that there’s always room for repentance and forgiveness (v24-26). So Timothy must treat these fools a certain way – not quarrelling, not resentful, kind, gently instructing – “in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will” (v25-26). God grants repentance (Acts 11:18; 1 Corinthians 3:6); that’s the only way that sinners would and could repent. In coming “to their senses,” Paul envisions an awakening, such as that which Ezekiel saw in the valley of the dry bones (Ezekiel 37). And finally, seeing that the devil “has taken them captive,” Paul considers that, just as the gospel takes people captive (as it did to Paul), Satan hunts POWs for his service, taking advantage of their sin nature, which makes them willing and able to serve him apart from God’s intervention. And that is what we were (Ephesians 2:2), apart from grace.

2 Timothy 2:15-19

V15-19 – ¹⁵Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. ¹⁶Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. ¹⁷Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, ¹⁸who have wandered away from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some. ¹⁹Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: ‘The Lord knows those who are His’ [Numbers 16:5 (Septuagint)], and, ‘Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.’

Paul issues some crucial commands for Timothy to follow in this passage. “Do you best” invites Timothy to act decisively; “one approved” refers to the metallurgical testing by fire unto purification, in order to prove genuineness. “A workman” refers to diligence in Christian living and spirit-filled passion for growth “in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). Will you be ashamed of your efforts when you “present yourself to God?” Erasmus translated this passage as “who ought not to blush,” while Calvin translated it as “who does not blush.” Do you see the difference? “Correctly” handing God’s word literally means “cutting a straight path.” Teachers are held accountable for their instruction of Scripture, leading people from point A to point B in a straightforward manner. Calvin gives the analogy of a father cutting his child’s food into manageable portions, with the key being “manageable,” unto the edification of the body. Paul is urging Timothy to teach sound doctrine and live in accord with God’s character (Orthodoxy and orthopraxy).

Timothy can keep on the straight and narrow path, and cut it for others, by avoiding “godless chatter” (v16). Literally, “godless” refers to “worldly and empty” talk. And of course, input-output, what goes in is what comes out. If you “indulge” in the things of this world, you will become more worldly, and therefore, “more ungodly” (v16). Worldliness – and the secular humanist philosophy – is self-deceiving and “will spread like gangrene” (v17), or cancer; it is a “mortal contagion,” Calvin says. Paul counts Hymenaeus and Philetus as traitors to these commands, indulging in the godless chatter that has led them astray, missing the mark, and deeper into ungodliness. He identifies them publicly to warn the congregation. Specifically, in v18, they claim that the resurrection has already taken place. This is a view common of early forms of Gnosticism, which spoke of a spiritual resurrection at conversion and a physical resurrection at the return of Christ. Thus, there was an extreme overemphasis on the present, living in and for the moment, ala Carpe Diem (1 Corinthians 15:12-14).

Despite the influence of such false teaching, which had corrupted the faith of some, Paul says, “Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm.” What he means is that the invisible Church stands firm (on His faithfulness), rejecting apostasy (1 John 2:19), and is actually sealed by the Holy Spirit, proving His ownership and providing security. Paul quotes the Septuagint – the Greek translation of the Old Testament – instead of the original Hebrew text of Numbers 16:5, which says, “the LORD will show who belongs to Him and who is holy, and He will have that person come near Him. The man He chooses He will cause to come near Him.” (See also John 10:14,27.) Paul takes the liberty of interpreting this verse in light of sovereign election and calling; none of God’s sheep, who know Jesus’ voice, will be led astray, because He keeps them by calling them to holiness and protecting them from false teaching.

2 Timothy 2:8-14

V8-14 – ⁸Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, ⁹for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained. ¹⁰Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory. ¹¹Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with Him, we will also live with Him; ¹²if we endure, we will also reign with Him. If we disown Him, He will also disown us; ¹³if we are faithless, He will remain faithful, for He cannot disown Himself. ¹⁴Keep reminding them of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen.

Paul begins this passage speaking of the importance of the resurrection. Jesus’ resurrection serves as the basis for his hope (v10-12), Timothy’s hope, and ours as well. Paul also notes that Jesus “descended from David.” This referral may be to emphasize His humanity, or perhaps to highlight the fulfillment of prophecy. Paul calls the preaching of the resurrected man, Jesus Christ, “my gospel,” implying, along with the suffering mentioned in v9, that he has taken full ownership of it, or rather, that it has taken full ownership of him. He voluntarily, actively, and steadfastly serves the gospel as a slave (v10), enduring all things – even imprisonment, “being chained like a criminal” (v9) – “for the sake of the elect.” Paul’s passion lies in the edification of the church (Colossians 1:24), the salvation of God’s people unto glory, both the glory of God in Christ, and the reflection of His glory in His people. “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13); not only did Jesus provide the example for us, but Paul did as well.

Paul jots down “a trustworthy saying” (1 Timothy 1:15; 3:1; 4:9; Titus 3:8), and most commentators think what follows (v11-13) is part of an early Christian hymn. The primary message of this passage is loyalty to Christ. Paul notes the union that we have with Christ in both death and coram deo life (v11; Romans 8:29), referring to baptism (Romans 6:1-11; Galatians 2:20; Mark 14:31; 2 Corinthians 7:3), and the perseverance (guaranteed, as suggested by the grammatical construction) we must pursue, overcoming sin and death (2 Corinthians 4:10) unto a reign in eternal glory (v10b,12a). (The details of this eternal and glorious reign are left out.) Paul also issues a sharp warning against apostasy (v12b), due to the age of persecution, torture, and death; but then he mentions the assurance we have through Christ’s faithfulness to His own (v13). Although believers may become faithless in some sense or degree, God remains faithful to those who are His own, to those whom He knows (Matthew 7:23; 11:27; Galatians 4:9; 2 Timothy 2:19); His character, unlike ours, doesn’t change (Numbers 23:19; Titus 1:2).

Finally v14 – “keep reminding them of these things” – seems to be in reference to the previous verses (v8-13, or v11-13), which helps us to make sense out of v7 as well; still some commentators see v14 as looking ahead to v15-19. Either way, Paul is exhorting Timothy to literally declare earnestly and solemnly in godliness the truth of the gospel, which will, at the same time, eliminate theological speculation (v14), expose the faults of the false teachers, and keep the audience from being ruined (v14), which is the Greek word for “catastrophe.” This is an important endeavor!

DC 402 - Week 6

After discussing race, class, and gender issues, we now turn to issues related to salvation, namely that it comes by grace. We'll discuss grace and faith and works and how they relate to justification and sanctification. On the tails of this week's study is a similar topic, that of eternal security and eternal rewards. But let's not jump too far. This week's workload might look something like this:

Monday - Read Joel, Obadiah, and Jonah, and comment
Tuesday - Read Nahum, Haggai, and Psalms 99-101, and comment
Wednesday - Memorize James 2:14,19 - "What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such 'faith' save him? ...You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that - and shudder" - and review previous memory verses, such as Galatians 3:28, Galatians 1:8, and Galatians 5:16
Thursday - Answer questions 1a-c and 2a-e (8 questions) and review memory verses
Friday - Answer questions 3a-f, 4a-b, and 5a-b (10 questions), including reading chapter 12 and Appendix 6 of Across the Spectrum, and review memory verses