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Tag: Second Epistle to Timothy

God has not given us the spirit of fear

Written by LWOM Amsterdam on . Posted in 2 Timothy, What’s new?.

but of power and of love and of a sound mind

What does it mean that God has not given us a spirit of fear (2 Timothy 1:7)?

Before Paul’s death, Paul writes a letter of encouragement and exhortation to Timothy, his beloved protégé. Timothy has a shy personality and feels uneasy about his weighty responsibilities. Paul does not want fear to stifle Timothy’s ministry or his gift from God, so he addresses Timothy’s spirit of fear.

Paul says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7, NKJV). The Greek word for “fear” in this verse does not refer to reverential fear that is often associated with fear of the Lord. Rather, the word refers to cowardice or timidity. Matthew 25:14–30 provides an example of this type of fear. A master entrusts three servants with gold before embarking on a journey, and only two of the servants increase the master’s wealth during his absence. The third servant fears the master and buries his gold. The master responds to the servant’s cowardice by taking back the gold and giving it to the servant with the most gold. The servant’s fearful spirit hindered his full devotion to the master and his ability to make wise decisions.

In the context of 2 Timothy 1:7, Paul speaks of fear in sharing the gospel amidst persecution. The frightening circumstances surrounding Timothy’s calling to share the gospel add additional anxiety to his already timid personality. Paul encourages Timothy by reminding him of his heritage of faith. His grandmother Lois and mother Eunice provided an example of devout faithfulness to God throughout Timothy’s life. They likely taught him the Jewish Scriptures and showed him how to be an honorable man of God. Paul writes that Lois and Eunice’s sincere faith lives inside Timothy. Paul’s motivation in addressing Timothy’s spirit of fear is not that he doubts Timothy’s sincerity of faith. Rather, he desires to restore Timothy’s courage. Paul goes on to exhort Timothy to fan into flame his God-given gift. Gifts flourish when surrendered to God, and they decay when we allow fear to paralyze us. Fear can hinder a gift’s effectiveness, and Paul says that power, love, and a sound mind will aid Timothy’s flourishing and work toward God’s glory.

As Paul reminds Timothy that God has not given us a spirit of fear, he focuses on the Spirit who gives us “power, love and self-discipline” (2 Timothy 2:7, NLT). The spirit of power produces bravery and the resolution necessary to face and endure danger and difficulty. The spirit of love fuels sacrificial service toward God and mankind. Lastly, a sound mind cultivates self-control, alertness, and truth. Paul does not want fear of man or fear of death to keep Timothy from sharing the gospel. For the rest of 2 Timothy, Paul continues to prepare Timothy for a bold, gospel-focused life.

We should not give in to a spirit of fear. When we focus on our anxiety or on our own ability to obey and follow Christ, fear and timidity are the result. Yielding to the Spirit who gives us power, love, and alertness refocuses and calms us. It is only through God’s strength that we can boldly, lovingly, and accurately share the gospel. May we never allow fear to hinder us from sharing the gospel, but instead rely on God to give us courage!

Kept the faith

Written by LWOM Amsterdam on . Posted in 2 Timothy, What’s new?.

What did Paul mean when he said he had kept the faith?

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7). This is one of the better-known and most-quoted passages of the apostle Paul. These words written just before Paul’s death are a powerful affirmation of his unyielding love and undying faith in Jesus and the gospel message (Galatians 1:4; 2:20; Philippians 1:21).

The word translated “kept” means “to keep by guarding, to watch over.” The Greek word for “faith” is pistis, which has to do with a conviction based on hearing (cf. Romans 10:17). Paul’s trust in Jesus never wavered. His faith was as solid on the day of his death as it had been the moment he first believed on the Damascus road (Acts 9:3). He was firm in his faith in the midst of the mob’s violence (Acts 16:22; 2 Corinthians 11:25; 1 Thessalonians 2:2). He stood uncompromising before the dignitaries Felix (Acts 22:10, 22), Festus (Acts 25:9), and Agrippa (Acts 25:26). He boldly confronted Peter when that apostle showed signs of compromising the teachings of Christ (Galatians 2:11-16).

The expression “I have kept the faith” has two possible meanings. One is that Paul had faithfully declared the gospel and guarded its truth, keeping its message unadulterated. Elsewhere, Paul called this the “pattern of sound teaching” and encouraged Timothy to “keep” it as well (2 Timothy 1:13; cf. 1 Timothy 6:20).

The other possible meaning of “I have kept the faith” is that Paul had fulfilled his divine appointment in this world, viz., that he would be Jesus’ messenger to the Gentiles (Acts 9:15; 22:21). When Jesus commissioned Paul, He was clear that the appointment would mean much suffering (Acts 9:16). But Paul gladly accepted the summons and never wavered in his commitment, trusting that he would soon experience “an eternal glory” (2 Corinthians 4:17).

Keeping the faith is never easy. Without question, Satan sought to derail Paul’s work by opposing him far and wide. There were Galatian legalists, Colossian Gnostics, and Judaizers at every turn. There were forged letters (2 Thessalonians 2:2). There were slanderous attacks on his integrity, his personal appearance, and his unpolished speech (2 Corinthians 10:10; 2 Corinthians 1:6). Not to mention the physical beatings he took (2 Corinthians 11:23-27). He was truly “hard pressed on every side” (2 Corinthians 4:8). Paul’s faith was the victory: “I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day” (2 Timothy 1:12). What God had committed to Paul, Paul committed back to God. And through it all, Paul looked forward to the moment when he would hear the Lord say, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” (Matthew 25:21).

As believers in Christ, we, too, should “keep the faith.” What has God called you to do? Do it with all your might (Colossians 3:23). Just as Paul “longed for His appearing” and anticipated receiving the “crown of righteousness” (2 Timothy 4:8), so should we serve the Lord and faithfully fulfill His plan for our lives.

Itching ears

Written by LWOM Amsterdam on . Posted in 2 Timothy, What’s new?.

What does 2 Timothy 4:3 mean by itching ears?

The apostle Paul wrote a warning for the church: “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” (2 Timothy 4:3).

The Greek word translated “itching” literally means “to itch, rub, scratch, or tickle.” To want one’s ears “tickled” is to desire massages rather than messages—sermons that charm rather than challenge, entertain rather than edify, and please rather than preach. The people Paul warns about will have, as one commentator put it, “ears which have to be continually titillated with novelties.”

“Itching ears” is a figure of speech that refers to people’s desires, felt needs, or wants. It is these desires that impel a person to believe whatever he wants to believe rather than the actual truth itself. When people have “itching ears,” they decide for themselves what is right or wrong, and they seek out others to support their notions. “Itching ears” are concerned with what feels good or comfortable, not with the truth—after all, truth is often uncomfortable. Paul’s warning is that the church would one day contain those who only opened their ears to those who would scratch their “itch.”

Those with “itching ears” only want teachers who will assure them that all is well, teachers who say, “Peace, peace . . . when there is no peace” (Jeremiah 6:14). Where there is a demand for something, the suppliers are not far away. Paul says that not only will there be great demand for watered-down, personalized messages, but there will be “a great number of teachers” willing to provide such pap and steer people away from “sound doctrine.”

Evidence today of people having “itching ears” includes the popularity of messages that people are not required to change, as if repentance were outmoded; that people are basically good; that God is too loving to judge anyone; that the cross, with all its blood, is not really necessary; and that God wants His children to be healthy, wealthy, and content in this world. As people turn their backs on the truth about sin and condemnation, they disregard their need for repentance and forgiveness. And a craving for “new” and “fresher” ideas grows—even though there is “nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9–10)—accompanied by a longing to feel good about who they are and where they’re going. Messages that tickle ears can fill a lot of churches, sell a lot of books, and buy a lot of time on cable tv.

Some of the early followers of Jesus complained about some of the Lord’s words: “Many of his disciples said, ʻThis is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?’ . . . From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him” (John 6:60, 66). Walking away from hard truth is easy to do.

In today’s postmodern church, we see many walking away from the hard truth. Some churches that once preached sound doctrine now teach as acceptable the very evils the Bible condemns. Some pastors are afraid to preach on certain passages of the Bible. “Christian feminists” deny God as a heavenly Father, calling Him a “she.” “Gay Christians” are not only welcomed without repentance into church fellowship but into the pulpit, as well.

The church’s remedy for those who have “itching ears” is found in the same passage of 2 Timothy: “Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction” (2 Timothy 4:2). It is a solemn charge, made “in 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” (verse 1). And it contains all the elements needed to combat the temptation to tickle ears: preach, correct, rebuke, and encourage. The content of preaching must be the written Word of God, and it must be preached when convenient and when inconvenient. This takes “great patience and careful instruction,” but sound doctrine is worth it.

The church’s quest to manage the comfort level of its audience must never take priority over preaching the Word. The fear of offending people’s sensibilities can never supersede the fear of offending God. Rather, the church should follow the example of the apostles: “We have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God” (2 Corinthians 4:2).

The church today, more than ever, needs to re-examine the teachings it endorses. We need to ask ourselves the following questions:

  • Are our teachings truly from God or simply itches we want to scratch?
  • Are we standing on solid biblical grounds, or have we allowed the world to influence our thinking?
  • Have we guarded ourselves from the schemes of Satan (Ephesians 6:11)?
  • Are we keeping ourselves “blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23)?

The truth is, God is not concerned with scratching our itches but in transforming us into the image of His Son (Romans 12:2; 2 Corinthians 4:4).

I know whom I have believed

Written by LWOM Amsterdam on . Posted in What’s new?.

What does “I know whom I have believed” mean (2 Timothy 1:12)?

Second Timothy 1:12 reads, “That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.” In this verse and its context, Paul encourages his protégé, Timothy, to be bold and even “suffer for the gospel” (2 Timothy 1:8).

Paul, who suffered for the sake of the gospel he preached, remained unbothered and unashamed because he trusted Christ. His words serve as an encouragement for many Christians today, just as they did for Timothy.

Christ is the foundation for our faith (1 Corinthians 3:11), the One in whom Paul and we believe. Our confidence stems from Christ’s tangible demonstration of trustworthiness. Throughout His life, death, and resurrection, Jesus was faithful to His Father in heaven and faithful to His disciples. “Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end” (John 13:1).

Unlike other faith systems, biblical Christianity teaches that God initiated the relationship between Himself and mankind by taking on human flesh and dying on a cross. The crucifixion of Christ, supported by historical evidence, is transformative. Many individuals, having understood their moral accountability before God, have found freedom in the Son’s atonement. Christ’s resurrection further solidifies His claim to deity and unveils His magnificent plan for humanity. Christianity stands as a faith grounded on reason, inviting adherents to place their trust in Jesus. We, like Paul, can know in whom we have believed.

Paul was “convinced” that the One in whom he believed was able to keep what was committed to Him “until that day”—that is, the day of His return (2 Timothy 1:12). Christ is trustworthy because He is holy, perfect, and sinless. We rest assured that He will fulfill all His promises, including His promise to glorify us one day (Philippians 3:20–21; Romans 8:30). Christ also demonstrates His trustworthiness by meeting our needs and delivering us from difficulties or leading us through them. Countless people can testify to Christ’s trustworthy nature (www.tyndale.com/sites/unfoldingfaithblog/2018/10/02/check-out-these-real-life-testimonies/).

When we know whom we have believed, we have a stable ground to stand on through life’s uncertainties. Few people are prepared for tragedy, and suffering individuals can turn to depression or nihilism without any objective source of comfort. Christians grounded in Christ will also experience grief and may feel perplexed, yet they ultimately find rest in the unwavering presence of a sovereign God. All circumstances, good and bad, He uses for our good (Romans 8:28).

Our confidence in whom we believe also spurs us to “work enthusiastically for the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58). In our pluralistic, postmodern society, enthusiastic work on God’s behalf can be difficult. However, challenges should not deter us. The apostles faced similar problems, yet they were unashamed of the gospel (Romans 1:16). The apostles’ perseverance was not a sign that they were super Christians; rather, it was a sign that they knew whom they had believed. And they knew their Lord and Savior was able to keep what was committed to Him.

What was it that Paul had entrusted to Christ, the One whom He believed? Various scholarly interpretations abound, but it seems likely that Paul was talking about his soul. He had committed his entire being to the Lord for safekeeping; he had fully entrusted himself, without reservation, knowing that the Lord is faithful. In this, Paul followed the example of Christ Himself, who, “when he suffered, . . . he entrusted himself to him who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:23). As believers we are all in God’s hands. Christ is our hope, and we can be sure that He will preserve our souls.