God’s sovereignty and human response in 2 Timothy
Near years I contribute to the Bible Reading Fellowship's (BRF) Bible reading notesGuidelines. Some time ago I wrote on 2 Timothy, Titus and Philemon, and share my thoughts as the Pastorals, whilst the focus for sure traditions, are neglected by many churches in their instruction. Here are my notes on 2 Timothy; tomorrow I will post the notes on Titus and Philemon.
Introduction
These iii messages, gathered at the stop of Paul's writings in our Bibles, are often neglected but offer u.s. some profound insights into Paul'due south thinking and practice. Alongside Paul'south letters to seven churches, it means that (if we include Hebrews as Pauline, which is probably mistaken only was a common assumption in the by), we take in total fourteen letters.
2 Timothy and Titus, along with 1 Timothy, are usually labelled the 'Pastoral Epistles' considering they are addressed to pastors who have oversight of some of the early Christian congregations in their expanse. There has been significant contend about whether they actually were written by Paul, in part because of some distinct vocabulary which is different from Paul'south before letters, and in part because of what appears to be a different focus on questions of church lodge, reflected in Paul's concern for the appointment of 'elders'. Only, equally we shall run across, there are many things in these letters which correlate not only with Paul's earlier concerns only also with those of Jesus and other New Attestation writers. Compared with the literature that we know from the second century, these letters expect thoroughly Pauline.
Philemon is rather different. A personal letter addressed to a friend and fellow leader, it is i of the 'prison epistles' along with Colossians and Ephesians, written past Paul when under house arrest, and never seriously questioned every bit authentic. Although these three messages are dealing with quite different concerns from his other letters, the portrait of Paul is consistent. In all three, but particularly in 2 Timothy—his concluding, written knowing that he was nigh the terminate of his life—we are offered fascinating insights into his graphic symbol and idea. Paul, the great theological thinker of the commencement generation of followers of Jesus and the fearless pioneering missionary and church planter, is revealed as a person of great warmth and tenderness, someone deeply dependent on personal relationships and greatly hurt past personal betrayal. Together, the letters give the states a Pauline combination of passion and wisdom, of victory and suffering, and of both personal and doctrinal insight.
ane. The conviction of organized religion 2 Timothy 1.1–xiv
Paul's opening greetings blends together the transformation in his thinking that has come up about equally a result of his experience of what God has done in Christ, and his tender affection towards Timothy, his 'dear son' in the Lord. And in these opening verses, he holds together important themes in Christian thinking that are often set against one another.
The beginning pair of themes is the sovereignty of God and the responsibleness of human response. Paul is an apostle of Jesus 'by the volition of God' (verse 1) and not of his own choosing. In fact, the whole project of our salvation and sanctification is 'because of God's ain purpose and grace' (poesy 9), arising out of God'southward intention and initiative before time began. Although Jesus' 'appearing' (verse 10) hither refers to his incarnation and public ministry building, Paul's personal feel on the Damascus Road reinforces his sense that God's revelation of himself in Jesus was of his own doing. And all the same, for Paul, this elicits non a sense of passivity but of vigorous human response, both for himself and for Timothy. Only equally Paul energetically pursued the ministry of being a 'herald, apostle and teacher' of the faith (verse 11), so he now encourages Timothy to take action, to 'fan into flame' (verse 6) the gift of God—probably the commission to exist a minister of the gospel—to respond with free energy to what God has called him to. The Spirit does non have command of usa, but leads u.s. into 'self-control' (verse seven), to the fulness of man maturity and responsibility. We need to bend our volition to 'baby-sit' the 'good eolith' of faith we have been given (verse xiv).
This means attending to both the inner life and the outer—to personal discipline and holiness likewise as the 'testimony of our Lord and of me' (verse viii), meaning either the testimony they offering or the testimony nearly them. Information technology ways experiencing both 'joy' (verse 4) in seeing what God has done in our lives and the lives of others, and in the approving of our new family in the Lord, and 'suffering' (vv 8, 12) pressure and opposition just equally Jesus did. It means looking back with pride ('my ancestors', verse three) and looking frontward in confident hope ('hope of life' verse ane). Paul can put up with public shame because he knows he is honoured by the One whose opinion is all that ultimately matters.
ii. Building a people of power two Timothy 1.fifteen–ii.10
Paul is often characterised as exemplifying 'muscular Christianity', not least because of his tireless activity in preaching and education and his travels around the eastern Mediterranean—he probably walked around 10,000 miles in his x nearly agile years of ministry. The metaphors at the centre of this passage reinforce this impression. A follower of Jesus is a 'soldier' (2.iii, despite the early Christians being uniformly pacifist), engaged in spiritual warfare, not against human forces but against the 'powers of this present darkness' (Eph 6.12), language that finds its way into many baptism liturgies. Discipleship involves the preparation authorities of an 'athlete' (2.v, though many Jews and Christians saw the Roman games every bit immoral because of the nudity involved), a metaphor Paul applied to himself every bit well as others (1 Corinthians 9.27) because he knew that even he had not however attained maturity (Philippians 3.12–fourteen). And though it is God who sows the seed (Mark 4.3) and who gives the growth (i Corinthians 3.6), nurturing faith in ourselves and others requires the hard work of a 'farmer' (2.vi). These are images that we must return to and reflect on again and again (2.7).
However Paul was no rugged individualist. His gratitude to Onesiphorus, who went out of his fashion to support and encourage Paul (1.16–eighteen), is typical of someone who was keenly enlightened of his dependence on others—those alee of him in faith, those from whom he had learnt much, and those whose support, ministry and partnership he treasured (Romans 16.one–16). If his words virtually those who have 'deserted' him (ane.15) sound harsh, this reflects the hurting of betrayal felt by someone who was a consistent team player. And then he urges Timothy to exist the same—to build a team of 'reliable' people, whom Timothy can 'trust' and who will share his teaching ministry (2.two). Timothy, like Paul, needs the visitor of other true-blue 'witnesses' who will share his testimony.
This twin focus is rooted in Paul's gospel (2.8), fifty-fifty though the summary here sounds more than succinct. Jesus was fully human, 'descended from David', the anointed male monarch who would fulfil the hopes and longings of his people for liberty and deliverance. And he did this through defeating decease as only God could practice—through existence 'raised from the dead' and ascended to the Begetter's right hand, sharing his glory and power. This combination of human discipline and divine ability come together to forge a renewed 'elect', the people of God, both for this age and the age to come.
3. The Foundation of Faith 2 Timothy ii.11–21
The trustworthy give-and-take or saying might be something already known which Paul is quoting, or might be a saying of Paul's. The four-fold assertions, all in the form 'if…then…' align with both Paul'south earlier teaching and the teaching of Jesus, and continue the theme of divine and human responsibility.
Firstly, Paul has explained that we 'dice with him' every bit we enter the waters of baptism, and then emerge to new life in anticipation of our last resurrection as nosotros emerge from those aforementioned waters (Romans vi.4). This symbolises the reality that, when we are in Christ, we are 'a new creation—the onetime has gone, and the new has come' (2 Corinthians 5.17). Secondly, patient endurance is the hallmark of Christian religion, since we cannot enter the kingdom without going through 'many hardships' (Acts 14.22). Simply those whom Jesus has purchased, and who walk his path of suffering will reign with him (Revelation 5.x). The third exclamation echoes Jesus' own teaching in Mark 8.38 (and Luke 9.26) that 'If any is ashamed of me…I volition be ashamed of him' on the concluding twenty-four hour period. God'southward gracious offer of new life is free, but it is not cheap, and accepting it requires plush commitment. And notwithstanding (fourthly) God always remains faithful, even when we are not, and his offer of forgiveness is ever available for those who plow to him.
These are precious truths which God's people need to keep hold of if they are to live this new life in all its fulness. Paul has no time for worthless quarrelling about mere words (vv 14, xvi) whether that is in theological point-scoring or idle gossip. But Paul knows that words matter, and and then longs that Timothy should handle the words of Scripture and of the good news about Jesus like a skilled craftsman who tin can make a straight cut in a piece of wood (verse 15). This includes the truth about our relationship with God (v 19) as well as sound teaching or doctrine (v 18); the ii belong together. (The idea of a secret resurrection is non unlike modern teaching almost a clandestine rapture, and is just as misleading.) There is no sense here of spiritual elitism; anyone who commits themselves to live in this truth can be used by God (five 21).
four. Spiritual leadership 2 Timothy 2.22–3.9
Martin Luther once divers sin as 'Cor incurvatum in se'—the heart turned in on itself. Here Paul encourages Timothy to live a disciplined life in society to fulfil his responsibilities equally a Christian leader—but it is a life turned, in a disciplined way, not in on itself but outwards towards others. Christian leadership involves beingness 'kind to everyone', avoiding unnecessary conflict, firmly focussing on good education, and beingness winsome to opponents. The betoken of teaching the truth is not to win arguments, but to win people, so that those who are in error might themselves 'come to their senses' (v 26) and as well come to live in the truth. For Paul, it seems, there is always hope, even for those who are 'opponents' of the gospel; even they have the possibility of repentance held out if they 'come to their senses', the phrase Jesus uses of the dissipated son at his turning point in Luke fifteen.17.
This is a spiritual and not simply a applied or pastoral chore—the winning over of others ways engaging in spiritual conflict and rescuing them from 'the devil's trap.' And then 'fleeing the passions of youth' probably does simply refer to sexual temptation (as is often thought) just includes having the maturity to avert snap judgements, score points over others, or get carried away with ability. Timothy needs a wise and steady head on his young shoulders.
This is all the more than pertinent because of the character of 'the terminal days'. Although there are hints at some intensification of evil towards the stop, the 'terminal days' actually began with Pentecost (Acts ii.17). Paul lists xviii vices in no obvious lodge, though with some overlap with the listing in Romans one.29–31—just in striking contrast to the fruit of the Spirit listed in Gal v.22–23. The power of true godliness is in the transformation that leads to holy living. This distinctive life is like the difference between Israel and Egypt at the Exodus; 'Jannes' and 'Jambres' are the legendary names of the magicians opposed to Moses and Aaron (Exodus 7.10–12). Just equally God's deliverance then became clear, and then the difference between true and false godliness will become 'clear to everyone'.
5. Apostolic confidence 2 Timothy 3.ten to 4.5
This supremely pastoral alphabetic character hither reaches its climax, as Paul makes his last accuse to Timothy before his very personal signing off, setting out iii features of apostolic ministry.
The first is that of relationship and fellowship, of shared ministry building with others who life that distinctive life and whose teaching he can trust. It is entirely consequent with Paul's ministry throughout the NT that he can appeal to Timothy past highlighting the qualities in his own life that has been fashioned afterward the example of Jesus, just as he did with the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 11.i). Merely Paul is not unique in this; Timothy also knows the way of life of 'those from whom you have learned' the faith, including his family. The second is that of suffering. Paul still recalls the difficult time he had on his 'first missionary journeying' in Iconium and Lystra (Acts xiv), and repeats hither what he said there: 'through many persecutions we must enter the kingdom of God' (Acts fourteen.22). His language here echoes Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mountain ('Blessed are you lot when people persecute you…' Matthew 5.11) and the theme of suffering forms the eye slice of Paul's defence of his apostolic ministry in two Corinthians xi.21–29.
The tertiary feature is faithfulness to the pedagogy of the Scriptures. Paul treats his Scriptures (the One-time Testament) as a reliable testimony to the acts of God in and amongst his people, and he constantly refers to them in communicating the truth about Jesus, the climax and fulfilment of God's action in the world. These now include New Testament, since the gospel writers saw themselves as continuing this reliable testimony (Luke 1.1–4, John 20.31–31), and considering others before long saw this in Paul'south writings too (2 Peter iii.sixteen). These scriptures, breathed out by the Spirit of God, are able to teach what is right and correct what is incorrect in agreement, and train right activity whilst rebuking wrong activeness (3.xvi) just as is the apostolic message which aligns with it (iv.2). So Paul urges Timothy to be unstinting in proclaiming the discussion of God, not merely because of the presence of God and Jesus in which they both live, but because of the hope of his appearing (this time referring to his return) at which he will 'judge the living and the dead', a phrase now incorporated in the creeds, and when the kingdom at last will be fully nowadays.
6. A life poured out for others 2 Timothy iv.6–22
In this boggling ending to his final alphabetic character, Paul touches on many of the themes he has already explored, only does so against a brimming sense of confident personal hope. Equally he has poured himself out for others and for the sake of the gospel in life, and then he is now beingness poured out in death— 'till expiry Thy countless mercies seal, and brand my sacrifice complete' (Charles Wesley). For Paul, expiry is not the end or a loss, just a 'releasing' into God'southward future, the literal meaning of the word translated 'departure'. He is confident, not just because he has indeed remained faithful to his life's terminate (compare 2.thirteen) but supremely because of the faithfulness of God who will bring his work to completion in Paul (compare Philippians one.6).
Again, Paul is acutely aware of the touch on of relationships. There are those who take failed to stay the course and have deserted both Paul and the gospel—Demas (v 10) and Alexander (v fourteen). Merely but as he has taught others to do (Romans 12.nineteen–xx), he does non seek revenge but trusts to God every bit guess of all. And Paul continues to the end to value those who have worked aslope him, particularly Luke, whose friendship explains the shut human relationship betwixt Paul's theology in his letters and Luke'south in his writings. Perhaps the most poignant mention is that of Mark—the same Mark who bailed out of ministry at an important moment (Acts xiii.xiii), and whose involvement became a serious point of contention between Paul and Barnabas (Acts 15.36 – 40). Paul not only taught about the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians five.16–21); he lived information technology out in his own life.
Paul's concern for reading the Scriptures endures to the cease—the probably pregnant of his asking for Timothy to bring 'scrolls and parchments', though this could also include some of his own writings. But he ends on a notation of continued trust; he knows God has delivered him in the by, and is confident that God will evangelize him over again—not necessarily from suffering and death at the easily of his enemies, but into the kingdom of God'south perfect, heavenly reign. For Timothy, his final wish is for the presence of God to guide him; the grace of God to environment him; and for the glory be to God in all things. It is a fitting end to a life well lived.
vii. Reflection
This fascinating final letter contains many striking and challenging ideas. Perhaps one of its most notable features is the way information technology holds together different aspects of Christian living and thinking which are often either separated or traded off against each other. It is going too far to call Paul's thinking 'dialectic', but the ideas which he holds in tension or relation to one another are things which, on their ain and stripped of their counterbalancing partner, easily become heretical.
The get-go pair is the thought of God'southward sovereignty and human response. Paul is articulate that salvation is not just God's gift, it is God's initiative from the very beginning. But this leads him neither to a determinism about who is saved nor complacency almost human activity. God's initiative calls for—demands even—human response, not only every bit an initial reaction just as an ongoing focus. This interaction between the human and the divine finds expression in the person of Jesus, who holds together in himself divine action and human response.
The second pair is the importance of both the personal as well as the corporate. Paul is clear that each person needs to make a personal response to God's invitation, just is every bit articulate that this so leads to a new corporate identity inside the body of Christ. It is reflected here in Paul's encouragement of Timothy to personal discipline on the one hand, and Paul's own focus on the importance of relationships with others, something he also wants to see in Timothy. This is a reflection of the way Paul holds together the subjective and the objective; the gospel is about personal experience merely information technology is also most truth; it is about feelings but also about facts. We never find Paul arguing that one of these has priority and the other then tags along.
Lastly, nosotros annotation Paul's twin focus on agreement and action. He wants people to fully understand what God has washed for them in Jesus—but so wants to run into their lives change past this, so that the difference is axiomatic to all.
Do encourage your congregations and friends to engage in regular Bible reading; BRF'south notes are really valuable in encouraging thoughtful reflection and application.
If you enjoyed this, do share it on social media, possibly using the buttons on the left. Follow me on Twitter @psephizo.Like my page on Facebook.
Much of my work is done on a freelance basis. If you have valued this post, would yous consideraltruistic £1.20 a month to support the product of this blog?
If you enjoyed this, do share it on social media (Facebook or Twitter) using the buttons on the left. Follow me on Twitter @psephizo. Similar my page on Facebook.
Much of my piece of work is done on a freelance basis. If you take valued this mail, you can make a single or repeat donation through PayPal:
Comments policy: Good comments that engage with the content of the post, and share in respectful contend, can add real value. Seek first to understand, then to be understood. Make the virtually charitable construal of the views of others and seek to acquire from their perspectives. Don't view contend every bit a conflict to win; address the argument rather than tackling the person.
Source: https://www.psephizo.com/biblical-studies/gods-sovereignty-and-human-response-in-2-timothy/
0 Response to "God’s sovereignty and human response in 2 Timothy"
Post a Comment