Reading: 2 Timothy 3
IN chapter 2:1 stress was laid upon the grace of God: "Thou therefore, my child, be strengthened in the grace that is in Christ Jesus", but we have to ask how this can be done. It is all very well for Paul to speak of the grace available to make Timothy a different sort of person, but how is Timothy to appropriate that grace? It is very good for Paul to show Timothy his personal responsibility in the light of the power of God, but the vital question concerns how he can obtain the necessary grace. None of us needs to be persuaded that there is grace in Christ Jesus, and none of us needs to have it proved that His grace is sufficient for all our needs, but we may well ask how it can be ours. How can it come from that vast repository, Christ Jesus, and enter into our experience? How does Timothy empower himself in the grace that is in Christ Jesus and then, when he does so and is fashioned into the likeness of his Lord along the line of the six pictures of chapter 2, how does he make use of that powerful grace in reaching out to others? There remain then, unanswered, two very practical questions: How do we receive grace and how do we use grace? This brings us to the third line of teaching in this Epistle. It focuses in chapters 3 and 4 but it also runs right through the whole letter. It is The Word of God.
The Powerful Word
The first emphasis of Paul's teaching about this matter is that in the Word of God, the Church possesses all necessary truth. The Church [23/24] already possesses all necessary truth. Full stop! Now that is a very remarkable consideration. Paul was aware that he was drawing a line across Church history, for the apostolic company was now dying out. God had spoken directly to His Church through these men, but now Paul affirmed that there was to be no more. With the closing of the New Testament the Church has all the truth it needs.
Is that not remarkable? Paul envisaged Timothy as facing a desperate situation: "In the last days perilous (threatening) times shall come" (3:1). The apostle foresaw that fiercely challenging times would come, and yet he did not give the slightest hint that there would be new truth for those situations. The apostolic band was to die out and go -- there would be no more apostles in this sense -- but the Church would go into this post-apostolic period in possession of all the truth needed and would not be permitted to expect or await fresh truth for it already possessed the complete body of all divinely inspired truth.
Next, as he opened up this theme, Paul showed that truth changes people, so that it is by the truth of God that the grace of God is experienced, and thirdly -- as we would expect -- he insisted that this truth is the Church's instrument for outreach into the world. We see therefore that the questions left for us from our previous study as to how grace is to be experienced and used, are answered here in chapters 3 and 4: everything depends upon truth received and upon truth proclaimed. Paul did not divide his letter into four parts, but we can see that reference is made to the truth of God in each of the four chapters:
Chapter 1. Hold it!
"Hold the pattern of sound words" (vv.13 and 14). This is a great description, wholesome, healthy words. The words are wholesome in themselves and they impart wholesomeness to all who receive them. Paul sees Timothy as having in his hands a pattern of sound words, a fixed and definite pattern, given and bequeathed. "Hold it!" he says, making it clear that this is not something to be expected or looked for but to be maintained in possession. He goes on to say, "that good thing that was committed unto thee, guard through the Holy Spirit" (v.14). The "good thing" is the pattern of sound words and it was to be guarded by the Holy Spirit. This is, in fact, the only reference to the Holy Spirit in all these four chapters. As Paul looked out into the age looming in front of the Church, he recollects all that he had taught about the Holy Spirit and the one thing which he saw it necessary to underscore was that the Holy Spirit is made available to believers for the guardianship of truth already given. He inspired the Word and now He interprets and applies it.
Chapter 2. Study it!
The second reference to the Word of God is one which we have previously noted: "Give diligence to present thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, handling aright the word of truth" (v.15). We saw that Timothy was called to drive a straight course with the Word of God. Further reference is made to the very vexed situation Timothy had to face, people denying central Christian truth, Hymenaeus and Philetus who "have erred from the truth, saying that the resurrection has passed already" (v.18). In that situation of potential argument and conflict, Timothy's reaction was to be an unashamed, honest, straightforward handling of the word of truth.
Chapter 3. Abide in it!
Against the background of false teachers, Timothy was reminded that he had followed Paul's teaching. In contrast with those men and their errors there was at least one man, the individual Christian Timothy, of whom it could be said, "But thou didst follow my teaching" (v.10). And again, with equal stress on the individual Timothy, "Abide thou in the things that thou hast learned and been assured of" (v.14). The apostle goes on, "From a babe thou hast known the sacred writings ..." (v.15). How firmly is this strand of the Word of God twisted into the woof of Paul's total teaching.
Chapter 4. Preach it!
The word preach in verse 2 means 'act like a town crier'. It does not necessarily speak of loudness but of clarity and authority. "Herald the word." The theme of chapter 1 was The Power of God, the theme of chapter 2 is the Powerful Christian, and now in chapter 3 and the opening verses of chapter 4 we have The Powerful Word. Concerning the false teachers, it is said that they are "ever learning and never powerful to come to the knowledge of the truth" [24/25] (3:7). That is the state of the human heart and mind; no power to come to the knowledge of the truth. Contrast this with "... the sacred writings which are powerful to make wise unto salvation" (3:15). The human heart has no power to understand or master divine truths, but the Scriptures are powerful to bring salvation and make this wonderfully possible.
The Recurring Peril
"Know that in the last days, grievous times shall come" (3:1-5). We live in the last days and those days are going to have within them perilous seasons. The days are not one prolonged period of threat, for the word rendered 'times' means seasons or periods. The last days are going to have within them certain periods that are described as 'grievous'.
The only other time that word is used in the New Testament is in Matthew 8:28, in the story of the Gadarene demoniac, Legion. Concerning this man it is recorded that he was so "fierce" that no man could pass that way, and this same adjective is used, showing that the fierceness of the demoniac and the fierceness of the perilous periods of the last days are similar. The word therefore means that which is threatening, and such situations are to come again and again and yet again during these last days.
What causes this is a problem of human nature, for verse 2 continues: "because men ...". The word there translated 'men' is not the Greek word used for individual men, but one which is used for the race, as if saying, for mankind.... It is as though there are certain periods in the last days when a spirit of degeneracy lays hold upon the whole human race as the curse imposed by God goes one step further.
In his Keswick Readings on 2 Timothy, John Stott points out that the particular way in which this threat resident in human nature manifests itself is that there is a reversal of the true order of things. Note that the first thing said about this mankind is that men would be "lovers of self" and the last thing is "rather than lovers of God" (v.4), so that the love of self comes first and the love of God is discounted. In between those two statements there is a list of words which, almost without exception, are words of despising, setting at nought or disparaging other people. So John Stott points out that the natural order, intended by God for His creatures made in His own image, was that, first of all, God should be honoured; secondly others should be respected; and lastly, self should be given its place, whereas in this situation that order is reversed. The love of self is the primary focus, the love of God is rejected, and other people are preyed on and disregarded in scorn of moral values.
This bears out what I have said, namely that the degeneracy of the human heart is such that the original sin in Eden, which was the beginning of the Fall, is working out to its natural consummation. This is the outworking of God's curse upon a sinful race. The end of putting self first and God last produces an ever-increasing manifestation of that which had its beginnings in man's first sin.
This is the problem in human nature, but it can also be a problem for the Christian: "... holding a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof" (v.5). In other words, this spirit of the age is not something from which the Church is exempt; it can eat into the Church and produce what Handley Moule called 'the greatest non-Christian religion -- unspiritual Christianity!" The Christian is not just on the outside, looking in; he is surrounded by a peril which can easily become his peril as well. That is why these times are so threatening. To have the form of godliness while denying its power is a peril which faces every believer.
There is that in all of us which wants to be left alone; we don't want to be stirred up by the power of God manifesting itself among us, but would rather go on in our own comfortable way. To some extent we may all be bitten by that spirit which was manifested by the Gadarenes who, when they saw the man sitting clothed and in his right mind, begged Jesus to leave them alone and go away. We may not approve of a Christ who is going to make transformations like that! We need to be careful lest antipathy to what is going on among God's people may simply come from a desire to be left alone and not have our comfortable inherited pattern disturbed by the movings of the Holy Spirit.
Unthankfulness is also one of the marks right at the heart of this disastrous list of the manifestations of the outworking of the curse (v.2). [25/26] Most of us are far better off financially than we ever thought we would be. Are we correspondingly thankful to God and proportionately generous to other people? It is easy to stand aloof from the world we live in and to be aghast at what is going on in the world and yet to become conformed to it. We look around and so easily recognise the decline in the world; we say that standards are lowering and morals and society breaking up, but are we more notably holy than we were? Are we noticeably more holy than we used to be? To some extent we too have declined and allowed television to involve us in this corrupt world.
Compared to what we were some 30 years ago, our hearts are callous about the fate of the world. I remember the wave of horror that went through our country at the time of the Italian attack on Ethiopia before the last war, yet nowadays we hear of murders and outrages and go on our way unruffled. To some extent, my beloved, it may be true of us that these perilous days have come upon us and, all unawares, are subtly transforming us into the world's mould.
The Counter Offensive
From 3:14 onwards we are told three things which Christians need in the light of this recurrent peril. They are discernment, strength of character and equipment for the counter offensive. Discernment -- "The Scriptures are profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction". Personal strength of character -- "that the man of God may be complete". The equipment for counter offensive -- "furnished completely unto every good work". We see here that the very things we need are the things promised and which come to us by grace through the Word of God.
Paul calls for individual distinctiveness. The men of iniquity, the men of false doctrine, are going on their way, "But thou ..." (v.10). "Evil men and impostors shall wax worse and worse", "But thou ..." (v.14). This individual distinctiveness is possible through the operation of the powerful Word of God.
i. The Content of the Scriptures
In verse 10 Paul says, "You followed my teaching" and immediately he continues, "Abide in the things which you have learned" (v.14). The apostle then goes on to add something else, "from a babe thou hast known the sacred writing" (v.15). We know them as the Old Testament but Paul would not have used this name, any more than would the Lord Jesus Himself. We see, however, that Timothy is reminded that he has both Paul's teaching and the inherited Scriptures of the Old Covenant and it is concerning all that together that Paul affirms: "Every Scripture is inspired" (v.16). It is important, I think, to realise that in principle Timothy was in our situation, having possession of the New Covenant Scriptures and the Old Covenant Scriptures, that totality of scripture which is inspired by God.
ii. The Nature of the Scriptures
Concealed behind those three words, "inspired by God" (v.16) there is one compound word in Greek, one which can best be expressed by a made-up word 'God-breathed'. Every Scripture has been breathed out by God. Please notice what this tells us: it tells us that the Bible is not a human product upon which God imposed a little extra gloss and polish, but the Scriptures are a divine product which has come to us through human agencies. The communication of the Scriptures is from God, through chosen men, to the Church. Some people say that it was through the Church that God gave the Scriptures to the world. Not a bit of it! The Scriptures have never been given to the world. It was through chosen men that God gave them to the Church. That is why the Church can never be any more than a keeper and a witness to Holy Scripture. When the prophets of the Old Testament said: "Thus saith the Lord", this is what they meant. They meant exactly what the words declare, namely that God was speaking through them without interruption, making them His mouthpiece. The nature of the Scriptures is that they are the very words of God. We may well enquire and discuss how God's inspiring activity took place in different forms in the Scriptures but we must accept that this inspiring activity covers the whole of the Scriptures, both in the Old and New Covenants, so that the Church can always affirm: 'This Book is God-breathed'.
iii. The Effect of the Scriptures
"Every Scripture is God-breathed and is profitable ...". This means that the Scriptures are designed to achieve an end, that end being given in this marvellous catalogue and programme: [26/27]
1. "... for teaching. The Scriptures instruct in the truth of God.
2. "... for reproof." The word means the refutation of error, so that if an untruth is cherished in the mind, the ministry of the Scriptures is to refute that untruth and to replace it by the truth, and if an error is cherished in practice in the life, the ministry of the Scriptures is to expose that error, to convict of sin, and to replace the error with the true practice and pattern of behaviour. So we have the reproof of error in the mind and the reproof of malpractice in the life.
3. "... for correction." The word indicates a positive direction for living. In its way it is distantly related to the word translated 'handling aright' in 2:15 which, as we have seen, suggests the idea of making a straight road. This is what the Scriptures do for us -- they set a straight road before the believer so that his feet may walk in a straight path.
4. "... for instruction which is in righteousness." This is the word one would use concerning the bringing up of a child, or what we would call 'education'. The Scriptures have an educative programme which takes us from the condition of babes in Christ and brings us through to spiritual maturity.
'Righteousness' in the Bible always means 'that which is right in the sight of God' and this involves coming to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, which is Christian maturity. Here, however, such maturity is also described in two other ways, "that the man of God may be complete and fully furnished ...". I have invented a little translation of my own -- 'that the man of God may be fitted and kitted'. The original Greek provides two words which have that sort of rhyming effect. 'Fitted' refers to inner fitness, the fitness of character and person, a vessel meet for the Master's use, while 'kitted' involves possessing the equipment which we can take into action for use in the service of God. All this is included in the command "Abide in the things you have learned" (v.14). You have had the sacred Scriptures since you were a babe, very well, abide in them. You know them already, then abide in them! Live in these Scriptures. Make them your home. Make them your permanent address. There is nowhere else for you to go.
The Ministry of the Word
There is no chapter distinction in the original letter so that the first verses of Chapter 4 show that the kitted-out Christian is to devote himself to the ministry of the Word. Paul gives the command twice over: "Preach the word" (v.2) and "Do the work of an evangelist" (v.5). The word 'preach', as we have already seen, is associated with the work of the town crier, laying stress on clarity and authority. Clarity, so that all may hear what he says, and authority, since in his case you know that he has not made it up out of his own imagination, but has been sent from the Town Hall with a message of authority. Herald the Word! The second phrase, "do the work of an evangelist", means that he is to bring the Good News. We have here three reasons why this double work of ministering the Word should be exercised.
1. A Divine Reason
"I charge you in the sight of God and of Christ Jesus, who shall judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and kingdom, preach the word!" This is the divine reason. God in Christ will hold an enquiry into this very thing. When Jesus comes again, it will be the one thing He wants to know about, because it is the one thing which He told the Church to do when He went away. "Go into all the world," He said, "and make disciples of every nation." When He comes back, it will be no use telling Him of a hundred and one other things we have been doing, for this is the one thing He told His Church to do. Paul therefore reasons with Timothy, 'Look, I am bringing you right into the presence of God; I am reminding you that Jesus is coming again, and in that context I command you to preach the Word and bring the Good News'.
2. The Human Reason
Verse 3 begins with the word "For", which is an explanatory word as to why the man of God should preach the Word. This is the human situation, "For the time will come when they wilt not endure sound doctrine". I tell you to preach the Word, not because opportunities are abounding on every hand but because the doors are closing all around you. I command you to preach the Word, not because the situation is expanding, but because it is contracting. I tell you to preach the Word, not because time is on [27/28] your side, but because time is against you. The time will come when they will not endure it, so take the opportunity now while you have it.
3. The Personal Reason
Paul renews his exhortation to do the work of an evangelist with the reason: "because I am already being poured out, and the time of my departure is at hand" (v.6). The apostolic age is over; my time is finished; but you are in my succession. There is a true apostolic succession, and it is that we take up the torch which the apostles put down, doing the work of an evangelist, which is the task they left behind for us. In the personal allusion, Paul was able to say that he had fought a good fight; he had finished his course; he had kept the faith; and with that background he called the next generation and every subsequent generation to take up the task.
Such work entails sacrificial effort: "Endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist". Paul is terribly realistic; never for one moment does he suggest that the work of the gospel is a push-over. The two things lie together: hardship and evangelism. So we see that Paul's last word to Timothy is the same as his first had been, for he began to open out his message with the words: "Suffer hardship with the gospel" (1:8).
Brothers and sisters, ours is the apostolic task, and it is to be fulfilled so as to meet with approval from our returning Lord. This is the ultimate test of a duty fully discharged -- to meet with the smile and approval of our glorious Lord. As to our minds, then, let us be clear. As to our efforts, let them be unstinting; and as to our ministry, let us be determined that it is fulfilled right to the end.
J. Alec Motyer