To Be One in Christ: We Have Treasure in the Jars of Clay -- the Series of Explanation and Analysis of Scripture (12) - 2 - part II
The Explanation and Analysis of Some of the Verses in Chapter 2 of 2 TIMOTHY
It is edited and compiled under the guidance of Holy Spirit. All thanks, praises and glories be to God!
(2 TIMOTHY 2:1-13, 19-22)
2 TIMOTHY 2:1 “ You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. ”
(NOTES)
“be strong ”:
This is also mentioned in other letters, for examples:
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ” (Eph 6:10)
“thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength,” (1Ti 1:12)
“I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” (Php 4:13)
From these verses, we can see that the secret for us to be strong and the source of our power, are all in LORD Jesus Christ. As long as we unite with Him, we will be strong, and will be strengthened in His grace.
“be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus”:
It is in the imperative mood. Whether one can be strong or not is up to his attitude and mind. In many cases, we can not be strong; it is not because we do not have the capability to be strong, but because we decline in the attitude and mind that we do not want to be strong.
“be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus”, we can not only by our own attitude and mind be strong, but also need to draw the grace in Christ to be strengthened. If the believers want to be strong, they need to remain in the grace of LORD.
“in the grace that is in Christ Jesus”:
One is strong by the grace of LORD, but not by the body of flesh. Only when we realize that the body is unreliable, we will truly rely on the grace of LORD, then we will be truly strong. If in every aspect of our life, we know the weakness of our body, we will rely on the grace of God in everything; thus, we will be the true workers of LORD. The true workers of God proclaim the grace of LORD. For those who proclaim the grace of LORD. They should experience the grace of LORD and continue in knowing the grace of LORD; thus, they can grow up by relying on His grace and distribute the grace of LORD to others.
“be strong ”:
This is the best way to deal with the enemy. In front of the invisible spiritual enemy, an indication of weakness absolutely won’t get any pity from the devil, no mention about any peace; it can only make one be defeated more miserably and shamefully. Therefore, in front of the devil, we can only be strong; that is the only way out. It is mentioned in the book of 1 Peter that: “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1Pe 5:8). “someone to devour” refer to those who in front of the devil, are weak and spineless, and can not be strong in the grace of Jesus Christ.
2 TIMOTHY 2:2 “ And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others. ”
(LIGHT IN WORDS)
(1) The workers of God should not only faithfully obey the truth themselves, but also should teach others to do the same; not only teach others, but also entrust the truth to the reliable men to proclaim the truth so that to bring more faithful people to obey the truth. Therefore, being “faithful” not only indicates that one himself obeys the teachings of LORD, but also conceives for the next generation of the church, and often thinks of cultivating the successors to give testimony about the truth. The faithful workers not only seek that they themselves are used by LORD, but also seek to bring up more useful and valuable instruments in the house of God that God can put them on the important positions.
(2) Note that, it should be that “entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others”, but not entrust to those who have specially good relationship and deep affection with oneself, or entrust the important position of the church to some persons in order to cultivate the influence of oneself. When we promote the younger generation in the church, first of all, we do not cultivate him in knowledge, capability and the relationship with ourselves, but cultivate him in the truth of LORD so that he can lead others in the truth of LORD in the church; afterwards, he will gradually become the senior in the church and can lead the church.
(3) A reliable servant used by LORD, not only believes that he can be used by LORD, but also believes many others can be used by LORD all the same. Thus, he is able to entrust his work, gift, right and insight of the light of the truth to others. In this way, his work won’t be limited by his finite self. If we can not make other believers become reliable men, we can not be counted as a successful ministry.
2 TIMOTHY 2:3 “ Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. ”
(NOTES)
“Endure hardship with us ”:
A. The author of our salvation endured the cross in order to redeem us and bring us to glory:
“In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. ” (Heb 2:10)
“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ” (Heb 12:2)
“Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. ” (1Pe 1:10-11)
B. We Christians endure hardships together for Gospel; we should be perseverant and stand firm in the faith:
“So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, ” (2Ti 1:8)
“That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day. ” (2Ti 1:12)
“for which (gospel) I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God's word is not chained. ” (2Ti 2:9)
“But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. ” (2Ti 4:5)
“Resist him (the devil), standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. ” (1Pe 5:9)
C. Our sufferings are momentary. However, we have the peace of Christ in us, which give us comforts and strength. For Jesus Christ has overcome the world, our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all:
“"I (Jesus Christ) have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." ” (Joh 16:33)
“For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. ” (2Co 1:5)
“And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort. ” (2Co 1:7)
“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. ” (1Pe 5:10)
“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. ” (2Co 4:17)
“like a good soldier of Christ Jesus”, Christ is the “captain” (K. J. V. Heb 2:10) of our Christians; we believers are fellow workers and fellow soldiers (Php 2:25; Phi 1:2; 2Ti 2:4); we should be good soldiers of Christ and fight the good fight (1Ti 1:18; 2Ti 4:7).
(LIGHT IN WORDS)
(1) To follow LORD, we must deny ourselves and take up our cross daily. If you have not prepared this attitude when you believe in LORD Jesus, you’d better examine the teachings on the Bible now and equip yourself to get on the road!
“If anyone would come after me (Jesus Christ), he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. ” (Luk 9:23)
The attitude of being willing and prepared to suffer is the weapon for us to be the good soldiers of Christ:
“Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. ” (1Pe 4:1)
(2) The soldiers should be devoted completely and be obedient unconditionally. We all know the hardships of being a soldier; it is impossible for a good soldier of Christ to live a cozy life, who even might need to sacrifice his life. When you believe in Jesus, do you have this attitude of being a soldier? The Christians will be the soldiers in the heavenly kingdom. Once being reborn, one joins the army of Christ.
Many Christians are not the good soldiers of Christ, but the army deserters of Christ. It is because they are afraid to suffer for Christ. The soldiers should take the national interest as the major premise and do everything for the victory. Since the Christians are the soldiers of Jesus Christ, they should do the same. To be a good soldier of Christ Jesus is the requirement from Christ to us who believe in Him. The good soldiers of Christ should pay attention to build up and have the following conditions:
A. should have strong and healthy physique:
The soldiers should have strong and healthy physique; otherwise, they can not endure the hardships. The good soldiers should have strong and healthy spirit, be self-disciplined and self-controlled, have the attitude of the willingness to suffer, and be able to bear with attacks and ridicules of others, and also the sufferings for Christ.
B. should have good trainings:
“a good soldier” means a soldier who can fight well in the war. The Christians should take good spiritual trainings: understand the truth of LORD well, know the crafty plots of the devil and the deceitful mind of people well, and know how to be a fisherman to gain people, how to take captive the mind of people with the truth, how to use the weapon of prayer to suppress the spiritual enemy -- the devil, how to cooperate with other brothers to have the same mind, how to repair the broken places in the church, how to resist the devil and do not give a foothold to the devil, how to tolerate others’ attacks and misunderstandings, how to admonish those who like making troubles, and how to encourage those who are weak; these are all good trainings.
C. should have good equipments:
Good soldiers are the army equipped the best. The Christians also need good spiritual equipments, and should put on the full armor of God (Eph 6:11-18): the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit, and praying on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. We should always be equipped with these spiritual armor, take practices in using them, and know how to use these equipments to guard against the enemies and to attack the enemies; thus, we will be the good soldiers of Christ.
D. should have good operational spirit:
All the good soldiers are willing to fight the battle; they not only have strong and healthy physique, good training, and good equipment, but also have the will to fight, good morale, loyalty to the nation, indomitable attitude, no consideration on one’s own safety, absolute submission, and complete devotion to the nation with their whole life. In the like manner, the good soldiers of Christ should pledge loyalty to Christ in the same way. Regardless of the circumstances, people, material gain and loss, misunderstandings of others, being attacked for the sake of other brothers, they stand firm on the truth and fight a good fight for the truth. Such persons are good soldiers of Christ. Since we are the servants of LORD, we should be the good soldiers and try our best to work for our LORD; should not be afraid of hardships; should not boast about oneself; should not be afraid of death; and should fight for the truth bravely and courageously.
The workers of God should be the good soldiers of Christ. In this chapter from verse 1 to 10, several parables are used to describe what kind of persons the Christians should be:
reliable teachers, good soldiers who are willing to endure hardships, single-minded soldiers, athletes who compete according to the rules, hardworking farmers, prisoners who endure the sufferings and so on. We, as the workers of God, should all be the good soldiers of Christ.
From verse 1 to verse 10, some necessary spiritual characters of a good soldier of Christ are listed. A good soldier of Christ should:
“be strong ” (2:1), be “reliable” (2:2), “endure hardship ” (2:3), be devoted (2:4), “compete according to the rules” (2:5), be “hardworking” (2:6), have “insight” (2:7), remember the Gospel of Jesus Christ (2:8), give up oneself (2:9), “endure” (2:10) and so on.
2 TIMOTHY 2:4 “ No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs--he wants to please his commanding officer. ”
(NOTES)
“civilian affairs”:
refer to those affairs regarding trade and money and so on.
“gets involved ”:
that is, gets entangled.
“No one … gets involved in civilian affairs”:
That is, they should not worry about and get entangled in the secular things. Here, “civilian affairs” refer to such things as clothing, feeding, living and all kinds of needs of livelihood. To be a good soldier, it does not mean that he does not need clothing, food, and the money of livelihood; but it means that he should not “get involved ” in these things and concentrate on such things.
(LIGHT IN WORDS)
(1) To be a good soldier of Jesus Christ, one should be single-minded, and should not get entangled in the material and worldly things and the momentary and civilian affairs in this life. Although we also need food, clothing, and money, we absolutely do not concentrate on these things, and only think of what to eat, what to wear. We should know that all of these are momentary, and we are aliens and strangers in the world. As long as we have food and clothing basically, we should be content with that. “But godliness with contentment is great gain. ” (1Ti 6:6) “But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. ” (1Ti 6:8) “not by ceremonial foods, which are of no value to those who eat them. ” (Heb 13:9) The worldly people wear clothes to show off and to attack the attention from others; the good soldiers of Christ wear clothes to be simple and clean. The feeding and living of the worldly people are for enjoyment and showing off; however, the feeding, living and all the needs of the good soldiers of Christ are different from the worldly people, and the good soldiers of Christ do not get entangled in these things.
(2) To be the good soldiers of Jesus Christ, we should not get involved in the civilian affaires and should concentrate on the work of the ministry. To be a soldier, one needs to be devoted and be obedient unconditionally.
(3) “he wants to please his commanding officer”; only those who devote themselves to being soldiers can please his commanding officer; only those who seek for the interests of the nation and are worthy of the expectation of the nation, are successful soldiers and can protect the interests of the nation. In the like manner, to be good soldiers of Christ, we should devote ourselves to pleasing LORD, but not seek for the self-satisfaction; we should work for the interests of LORD, but not one’s own cause.
2 TIMOTHY 2:5 “ Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor's crown unless he competes according to the rules.”
(LIGHT IN WORDS)
(1) On the athletic field, the participative athletes must compete according to the rules; otherwise, they will be disqualified and can not acquire the royal crown. Similarly, believing in Jesus and serving LORD must be done according to the rules established by God to obtain the crown of righteousness (2Ti 4:8). To believe in Jesus and serve LORD should not be done according to the rules established by one’s own church or faction; otherwise, even though it is successful in the eyes of men, it violates the regulations in the eyes of God and will be disqualified.
(2) Those who participate the competition, must obey the rules strictly. The condition for the Christians to overcome is also to do things according to the rules. Our rules are, doing everything according to the truth, fighting against the influence and domination of sins and evils, competing against those corrupt customs of the world and all kinds of disobedient force to God. We can not use the means of blood and flesh, and the fists of flesh. We can only by relying on the power of the Holy Spirit do everything according to the truth. The fight of the believers against the sins and evils, is not to use the visible fists, method and means of men; but to rely on the help from the invisible God.
(3) One who competes in the field, can only obtain the crown by competing according to the rules, and also exhausting all his strength and skills to compete against the opponent. There is only one purpose in all the competitions, that is, the victory. In the works of serving LORD, we must exhaust all our strength and intelligence, work for Him without holding back anything, make all our efforts, work together with LORD, fight a good fight for LORD, and obtain the victory.
2 TIMOTHY 2:6 “ The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. ”
(NOTES)
“hardworking farmer ”:
The hardworking farmer treasures the time, makes the best of every opportunity, sows and plants on time; it is reasonable that he is the first to receive a share of the crops.
“hardworking” is the reason of being “the first to receive a share of the crops”; “being lazy” is the reason of being “poor”.
(LIGHT IN WORDS)
(1) One who serves LORD should be like a farmer; for the farmer is hardworking, patient (Jam 5:7), perseverant, and prepared to work all the time. Reading the Bible more must receive more spiritual crops; making more efforts to save others must receive more spiritual seeds; we should be the hardworking farmers and sow more good seeds. Being “hardworking” is the secret for us to “be the first to receive a share of the crops”.
(2) The servants of LORD are worthy of living by Gospel. The worker deserves his wages (1Ti 5:17-18).
2 TIMOTHY 2:7 “ Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this. ”
(LIGHT IN WORDS)
(1) Thinking of the words on the Bible frequently can give one wisdom and understandings. The words in the Bible is able to make one wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus (2Ti 3:15). “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2Ti 3:16-17) If the Christians think carefully of the words of God, they can not only get the spiritual food to feed their spiritual life, but also can obtain the spiritual wisdom so that they can know themselves, others, and the cunning schemes of the devil better; thus, they will know how to overcome.
(2) “for the Lord will give you insight into all this”:
A. Wisdom, knowledge and understandings all belong to God:
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. ” (Pro 9:10)
“For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” (Pro 2:6)
“But it is the spirit in a man, the breath of the Almighty, that gives him understanding. ” (Job 32:8)
B. All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge of God are hidden in Christ:
“so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. ” (Col 2:2-3)
“For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, ” (Col 2:9)
C. God give Christ to us to be our wisdom and everything:
“We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true--even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. ” (1Jo 5:20)
“It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God--that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.” (1Co 1:30)
“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. ” (Jam 1:5)
“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. ” (Eph 1:17)
“To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, ” (1Co 12:8)
“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. ” (Jam 3:17)
2 TIMOTHY 2:8 “ Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, ”
(NOTES)
“Remember Jesus Christ … descended from David”:
This is to remember the faithfulness of the promise of God. It is because “descended from David” shows that Jesus Christ is the promised descendant. God promised David (2Sa 7:12-16; 1Ki 9:5) to establish his royal throne forever. The birth of Jesus proves that the promise of God is reliable and faithful.
“regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. ” (Rom 1:3-4) Jesus Christ is a perfect man, and also the Son of God.
“raised from the dead”:
The resurrection of Jesus Chrsit from the dead is the foundation of the Gospel. Jesus Christ died for us and bore our sins; He lives to overcome the death for us. Jesus Christ resurrected as the first fruit, those who believe in Him will rise the same as Him. His resurrection proves that He is surely the coming King of glories, and He is the King of Kings and sits on the throne forever and ever. We should faithfully and gladly preach the Gospel for Him.
“This is my gospel”:
in the original text, is “according to my gospel”. It shows that the above citation and proof is to compare the promise of God to David in the Old Testament with the fact of the resurrection of Jesus Christ in the New Testament, so that to prove that these two things are in accordance with each other (Act 2:23-36; 13:29-35). We should preach Gospel boldly and should not be afraid of the sufferings for the sake of Gospel. The good soldiers of Christ should always remember that the Gospel that we preach is Christ who was raised from the dead and was given according to the promise of God. This is the secret for us to overcome.
2 TIMOTHY 2:9 “ for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God's word is not chained. ”
(LIGHT IN WORDS)
(1) The good soldiers of Christ must be willing to give up oneself for the Gospel. Since the objects that we are fighting against are the devil, sins and evils, and the sinful nature, if we can not give up ourselves, we can not win in the battle. We should deny ourselves and take up the cross to follow LORD Jesus Christ (Luk 9:23). To “deny oneself ” means that one do not have in mind the things of men, but the things of God; means that one is willing to suffer for the will of God, even to be put into the prison and sacrifice one’s life (for “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. ” (Mat 10:28)); one is willing to give over to death the feelings of self, the worldly friendship and family passions and so on; one is willing to refuse any good intention if it is not in accordance to the will of God, and follow God wholeheartedly; one is willing to suffer for the sake of Gospel, that is, for the sake of the will of God, to endure all the unfairly treatments, insults and pains from others.
(2) To suffer as a Christian is not something surprising and shameful, but something joyful and blessed. It is because to follow the road of the cross of LORD is to bring us into the glory:
“Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. ” (1Pe 4:12-14) “However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. ” (1Pe 4:16)
“All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. ” (Mat 10:22)
“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. ” (Mat 24:9)
“So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, ” (2Ti 1:8)
“To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. ” (1Pe 2:21)
(3) The way that the apostles walked on, is the way that LORD Jesus walked on before. The good soldiers of Christ should follow the step of LORD closely and be willing to carry their own cross to follow LORD. Through the cross into the glory, this is the way that LORD Jesus and the apostles had walked on before. We can not think of other ways to the glory without going through the cross; we can not expect to enjoy the reward for those who overcome, while do not need to fight for the Gospel and suffer for the truth of LORD.
(4) “But God's word is not chained. ” The believers are willing to suffer for the Gospel, and to bear with the insults from others and the unreasonable treatments such as being chained. They should not be discouraged and lose heart, because God's word is not chained. “For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. ” (2Co 4:11-12) We are willing to be given over to the death so that the life of Christ could be revealed on us; this is the secret of the Christians to overcome. “For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like men condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to men. ” (1Co 4:9) We must make it clear that we overcome not by the blood and flesh, not by the means and reasons, but because we are willing to give up ourselves for LORD; thus, the Holy Spirit will have chance to work in the mind of us to show the work and power of God. All our fights are from God, not from ourselves. A Christian who is chained like a criminal, is shameful in the eyes of the worldly people. However, the will of God has complete freedom in him such that because of him, the Gospel is more prosperous and widely spread. Thus, the word of God is not chained.
2 TIMOTHY 2:10 “ Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.”
(NOTES)
“the elect”:
refers to the believer.
“obtain”:
indicates to succeed, reach and achieve.
“may obtain ”:
shows that the complete salvation of Christ and the eternal glory is not obtained by the believers yet. Therefore, the believers or the elect must have the true faith, stand firm in the faith, be holy to be one in Christ, so that to take hold of the eternal life.
(LIGHT IN WORDS)
(1) In order to preach Gospel and let others to receive the complete salvation of Christ Jesus and the eternal life, the workers of God should learn to be patient and perseverant, and in everything be patient and perseverant. Patience is one of the fruit of Holy Spirit (Gal 5:22). We should learn Christ's perseverance. “May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance. ” (2Th 3:5)
(2) As the workers of God, we should be able to see that, it is highly valuable that now we suffer the misunderstandings, loss and pains for the sake of Gospel. Thus, we will be willing to pay the price, endure the hardships and won’t let others fall because of us. We should love God and love others, and should realize the eternal and great significance to work for God. Many Christians can not endure the hardships; it is because they do not value the precious salvation in Jesus Christ such that they think it is not worthy of enduring the sufferings for LORD. May LORD open our eyes and make us see the truth so that LORD can entrust more spirits and souls to us.
2 TIMOTHY 2:11 “ Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him;”
(NOTES)
“Here is a trustworthy saying”:
This is the habitually used words in the pastoral letters, see also the verses in (1Ti 1:15; 1Ti 4:9; Tit 3:8).
“If”:
that is, on condition that, and supposing that; it is used to introduce a condition. Note that in verse 11 and 12, “if” and “will” are used for three times; it shows the conditions and their sure results.
“If we died with him, we will also live with him;”:
A. “died with him” literally means that one is willing to suffer for Christ even to death. “If we died with him, we will also live with him”; it is because whoever loses his life for LORD will find it.
“Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. ” (Mat 16:24-25)
“If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. ” (Rom 14:8)
“I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. ” (Php 3:10-11)
B. “died with him” in other verses indicates to crucify the old self on the cross.
“If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. ” (Rom 6:5)
“Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. ” (Rom 6:8)
“having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. ” (Col 2:12)
(LIGHT IN WORDS)
(1) “If we died with him, we will also live with him; ” Since we have such hope, we should not be afraid to suffer for Gospel, and we should not be afraid even if our bodies get killed. The death of our body is temporary, for we have the hope of a glory to resurrect. Since the resurrection of Christ is a fact, “we will also live with him” is also a fact. This is the reliable and trustworthy hope for us. With this hope, we should not feel shameful any more to suffer for the Gospel, and this is the hope that the good soldiers of Christ must take hold of.
2 TIMOTHY 2:12 “ if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; ”
(LIGHT IN WORDS)
(1) “if we endure, we will also reign with him. ”
To “endure” indicates to endure the hardships mentioned above; to endure the persecution for the sake of Gospel to the point of being chained as a criminal or sacrificing the life for LORD. How can we reign with Him? If we endure, we will also reign with him. It is obvious that to endure the sufferings for the sake of Gospel is the condition to reign with Him. Lord Jesus has the enormous endurance to the most, therefore, He is the King of the Kings. If He does not have such an enormous endurance, we can not have the life today. Endurance is to prepare to reign with Him. The sufferings that we endure today is to train us how to endure. How we reign with Him, this is a very serious matter, but not a trifling matter; those who are on the throne must not abuse the authority and power. One who can not work hard and is upset easily by the criticism, is easily discouraged, and likes complaining, can not be used by LORD and reign together with LORD. God allow us to encounter all kinds of trials; it is for the purpose of training our life and making us stable and experienced so that we can reign together with Him. Endurance is the condition to be the king; therefore, if we endure together with Him, we will reign with Him.
“To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations-- 'He will rule them with an iron scepter; he will dash them to pieces like pottery' -- just as I have received authority from my Father. I will also give him the morning star. ” (Rev 2:26-28)
“To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. ” (Rev 3:21)
(2) “If we disown him, he will also disown us;” Blessed are those who are insulted and persecuted because of the name of LORD (Mat 5:11-12). However, if one disowns LORD, LORD will disown him.
“Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven. ” (Mat 10:32-33)
2 TIMOTHY 2:13 “ if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself.”
(LIGHT IN WORDS)
(1) God is faithful. The faithfulness of God is established on God Himself. God Himself is the backer of His faithfulness. The reason that the faithfulness of God is solid and unchanging, is because God Himself is eternal and unchanging.
“Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands. ” (Deu 7:9)
“Your love, O LORD , reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. ” (Psa 36:5)
“The heavens praise your wonders, O LORD , your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones. ” (Psa 89:5)
“But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not "Yes" and "No." ” (2Co 1:18)
“let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, … Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. ” (Heb 10:22-23)
“So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good. ” (1Pe 4:19)
(2) The faithfulness of LORD is because of His nature, not like ours which is because of the responsibility and bounds; but it is because His nature is faithfulness and can not disown Himself. He can not disown His righteousness, love and holiness and all that He determine.
(3) However, we must not misunderstand this verse of “for he cannot disown himself”; and partially interpret it from the aspect of His love to us; that is an incomplete understanding of this verse. “For he cannot disown himself”, also implies that He can not appease the sins and evils, transgressions, disobedience of us and the situations that we should be disciplined. His words are reliable and faithful, not only including His forgiveness and endurance, but also including His rebuke, discipline and judgment.
“they will sing before the LORD , for he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his truth. ” (Psa 96:13)
2 TIMOTHY 2:19 “ Nevertheless, God's solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: "The Lord knows those who are his," and, "Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness." ”
(NOTES)
“sealed with this inscription”:
implies that: (1) whatever has been sealed, shows that it belongs to that person; (2) the one who is sealed has a point that is the same as the seal. “The Lord knows those who are his,” shows that whoever sealed by LORD belongs to LORD; “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.” shows that whoever sealed by LORD must be like LORD.
“sealed with this inscription: "The Lord knows those who are his,"”; whoever belongs to LORD is sealed with Holy Spirit.
“Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.”:
Being obedient to LORD with mouth is useless. The lessons of the obedience are mainly to deny oneself with the cross and to deal with sins, that is truly obedient to God.
(LIGHT IN WORDS)
(1) God already laid foundation, which is Jesus Christ (1Co 3:11). The Lord knows those who are his, and who are the devil’s. “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.” LORD teaches that: “"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ” (Mat 7:21) Those who confess the name of LORD, do things in His name, and believe that they themselves belong to the name of LORD, should turn away from all the wickedness. As to those who confess the name of LORD with mouth, while do not do what is right, they are not righteous and do not belong to God. All wrongdoing is sin. Since one has confessed the name of LORD, he should not remain in sins any more; this is one of the inscriptions of those who belong to Him.
“Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. ” (1Jo 3:7)
“All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death. ” (1Jo 5:17)
“This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.” (1Jo 3:10)
2 TIMOTHY 2:20-21 “ In 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. If 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. ”
(NOTES)
“In a large house there are articles not only …”:
The house of God is like “ a large house ”. In a large house, there are articles of gold, silver, wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble. These articles with different value have different applications. The believers in the house of God are also like all kinds of different articles; their spiritual levels are different; their loyalty and devotion to LORD are different. Just as the articles of gold, silver, wood and clay, although are all articles, their values and honors are different. We should pursue to be the noble articles; for the house of God is “a large house”, only the noble articles are worthy of the “large house”. That is the purpose of this parable.
“cleanses himself ”:
that is, washes and purifies oneself. We can only cleanse ourselves with the blood of Jesus Christ. If we are willing to be cleansed by the blood of Jesus, we should use our will, be willing to deny the old self, get rid of all the sins and evils, and let Christ be in charge in our life.
“cleanses himself from the latter ”:
“the latter” refers to the article for ignoble purpose. “ignoble” things are more subtle than sins that we usually conceive; not only refer to some obvious sins and evils; but also refer to those things that are unworthy of the status and dignity of the believers. Anything has intergradient of sins and evils and anything shameful and of the darkness are the ignoble things.
“an instrument for noble purposes”:
An instrument is for the purpose of holding and containing things, also for supplying. God want people to be holy so that to hold Him, be filled with Him, and to supply Him and show Him.
“made holy, useful to the Master ”:
The instruments that God use are holy instruments. The holy instruments are the noble instruments and useful to LORD. Since one is willing to get rid of all the sins and evils and ignoble things, there won’t be anything in his mind to block the work of Holy Spirit and hinder the filling up of LORD any more; thus, he could be the useful instrument to LORD. The instruments that are useful in “ a large house ” are the noble instruments. The instruments that we want to be, are the noble and useful instruments to LORD.
“prepared to do any good work”:
When we become the useful instruments, God can use us to do all kinds of good things. We must be cleansed by LORD first; get rid of the sins and evils, the ignoble things, the hobbies of the sinful nature, and the will of oneself; thus, we can concentrate on obeying the will of LORD wholeheartedly, and be prepared to do any good work. If one wants to do the good work without being cleansed by LORD, the good work he does will be like the filthy rags and can not please God. The noble instruments in the house of God are to be prepared to do any good work, but not to be used as the decoration. Note that “an instrument” is different from a decoration; it is for using, not for showing.
“any good work”:
including those things that are considered humble or honorable. We should note that the “humble” things and the “ignoble” things are different. “ignoble” refers to the nature of the matters has the ignoble ingredient; since it is sinful, it makes people feel shameful. However, the humble thing is not necessarily ignoble. Those humble things might be tiny in the eyes of men; but might be honorable in the eyes of God. We must be the noble instruments first, then we can do any good work.
(LIGHT IN WORDS)
(1) Who are able to be the noble instruments in front of God? They are those who are cleansed from the ignoble instruments. The believers should cleanse themselves, flee from all the sinful nature and evil desires, turn away from all the wrongdoings, be separated from the old self, deny oneself, empty oneself, be filled with the holy life of LORD Jesus Christ, be holy, and be one in Christ; then they can be the noble and useful instruments to LORD in the house of God. We should rely on LORD to do what is good and righteous, and be the instruments to show the glorious life of God.
2 TIMOTHY 2:22 “ Flee 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. ”
(NOTES)
“the evil desires of youth”:
not only refer to the sexual passion between men and women, but also include those things on eating, drinking, playing, having fun, and indulgence in the sinful nature and so on; and also those strange ideas, all kinds of illusions and desires that are not in accordance to the Bible, such as: reaching for what is beyond one’s grasp, seeking to be in the limelight, refusing the admonishment, and acting by blood and flesh; these are all the evil desires of youth.
“Flee the evil desires of youth”:
It is because the youth are full of vigor, are easy to be tempted by the selfish desires, and are easy to fall into the temptations.
“Flee”:
We should not come near the tests, should not deliberately meet with the tests, and then resist the tests.
“those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart”:
that is, those who do not live according to the sinful nature and selfish desires, who love LORD and are spiritual. We should be with these people to pursue the spiritual growth together.
“and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” Here, it mentions several spiritual virtues that the workers of God should have: righteousness, faith, love and peace:
“righteousness”:
indicates to treat others fairly and justly, and deal with the things of God without self-partiality. This requires one to pay the price to train oneself, to learn and to pursue.
“faith”:
Here, it does not refer to the faith of the salvation of the believers; but refers to the faith-pursuing of the believers in daily life. Although they have believed in LORD and were reborn, they still need to seek to grow up in the faith. The progress in the faith makes us live a life that overcomes.
“love”:
refers to the love of God. Love can let us gain people, and let us shine for LORD. Love is the biggest gift in the spiritual gifts and also is part of the nature of God. Therefore, the Bible says that God is love (1Jo 4:8); he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law (Rom 13:8-10); and over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity (Col 3:14); love covers over a multitude of sins (1Pe 4:8). The believers should keep on pursuing love; for the more love we have, the more we are like God and God is the source of the love.
“peace”:
The brothers live together in peace and unity; this is an ideal spiritual life. LORD Jesus also mentioned that the peacemakers are blessed in the beatitudes (Mat 5:9). When we live in peace with others, we will have a peaceful mind. We could have a lot of enemies for the sake of the truth of the Gospel, but we can not set up any enemy because of the weakness of oneself and the undisciplined emotions of oneself.
To pursue these spiritual virtues, we need to choose to be with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. Those who are pure in heart and who would like to pray a lot in front of God, are good spiritual companions for us. There are some who seem to be able to give spiritual talks, but are not willing to deal with the spiritual problems, and ambiguously get over the problems of sins and evils; it shows that their spiritual situation is not honest, and their spiritual life has a lot of hindrance. Therefore, whether one prays with a pure heart or not, is the standard to see whether one’s spiritual life is good or not.
References:
1. Zhongdao Chen: “The Lectures on the Bible Studying of the Letters in New Testament”.
2. P. C. Chong: “The Bible Courses”.
3. Quoted notes from Watchman Nee, Shuguang Niu.
