Live truth. Pass it on.
We are continuing our study through 2 Timothy and considering the concept of exhortation. Paul is exhorting Timothy to fulfill the work of the ministry. In this study, we’ll look first at the motivation for fulfilling the work of the ministry. Next we’ll consider the mandate to “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.” Finally we’ll spend some time considering the reasons or purposes behind this encouragement.
As we continue our study through 2 Timothy—Live truth. Pass it on.—we’re going to take some time today to consider the true essence of the Bible. We believe that the Bible was breathed out by God—in other words, it is the verbal plenary inspiration of God. That means that “every word found in the Bible is given to us by God (verbal), everything in the Bible is authoritative (plenary), and every word is also divinely directed (inspired).” We cannot pick and choose what we want to believe. We believe the Bible in its entirety or not at all!
When writing to the church at Corinth, Paul said, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). Was Paul a perfect example of Christ? Was Paul able to surpass the example of Jesus in the marathon that his life became? No! But we can say without hesitation that Paul was one of—if not the greatest champion of the faith. Again, he is simply saying, “Do whatever I do, as I attempt to emulate Jesus!” In this passage in 2 Timothy 3, Paul is asking Timothy to remember the way he had lived his life before him and emulate his example.
In this passage, Paul is still addressing the issue of false teachers in the church at Ephesus. These false teachers had “the appearance of godliness”—meaning that they knew how to walk and talk like Christians, but their hearts were far from God. While this text is specifically referring to the false teachers in the church at Ephesus, we are able to take this list of scathing characteristics and examine ourselves in order to reveal the condition of our hearts as well.
The most important determining factor in a person’s life is their character. Your character includes all aspects of your inner being— your social awareness, your intelligence quotient (IQ), your emotional quotient (EQ), and your spiritual maturity. If someone is deficient in one of these areas it will limit their ability to be the person that God wants them to be! So Paul encourages Timothy to reject his immature tendencies of adolescents and diligently pursue the heart of God.
Character or competency—which is most important? Too many people today consider competency the most important factor for a successful life. Admittedly, there are some jobs out there that are benefited by a lack of moral character in their employees; but when it comes to living the Christian life, character is paramount! Those who are Christ followers are God’s vessels, but our lives determine whether we are vessels “for honorable use… [or] for dishonorable”—will we be faithful to God and His Word or unfaithful?
Every follower of Jesus Christ attempts to understand and apply God’s Word to his life. This is not necessarily an easy task! There are principles that we must follow for properly handling the Word of Truth—the Bible. The process of discovering the meaning of Scripture objectively is called exegesis. In this passage, Paul challenges believers to use the Bible for what God intended—reproof, rebuke, teaching and training in righteousness—not for debating, arguing and babbling on incessantly. Understanding and applying the Bible properly is hard work that should not be taken lightly.
One thing that I really love to do is to get together with old friends and reminisce about all the crazy stuff that we used to do. Remembering the good things in life is a healthy thing, so long as we don’t live in the past. God encouraged His people to remember—remember the Passover, the Law, entering the Promised Land. He wants us to remember the great, spiritual moments of our lives as well, for when we remember God’s goodness to us in the past we will have hope for God’s goodness in the present! Remember!
In the previous chapter, Timothy is encouraged to follow the pattern of Paul’s life in Christ Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit. Now in chapter 2, Paul challenges him to pour himself into others so that he can multiply the ministry by entrusting it to others. He closes this section by sharing three analogies of what faithfulness looks like in a believer. A faithful believer is single-minded in his commitment, disciplined in his actions, and diligent in his work in the ministry.
God is looking for ordinary, regular people who realize that they are not able to serve God without His intervention and help. They know that they cannot succeed without His power at work in and through them. As Oswald Chambers said, “All through history God has chosen and used nobodies, because their unusual dependence on him made possible the unique display of his power and grace. He chose and used sombodies only when they renounced dependence on their natural abilities and resources.”