2 Timothy 2:1-13--A Good Soldier of Christ Jesus

2 Timothy 2:1-13
English Standard Version

A Good Soldier of Christ Jesus
2 You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, 2 and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also. 3 Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. 5 An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. 6 It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. 7 Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.

8 Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, 9 for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! 10 Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. 11 The saying is trustworthy, for:

If we have died with him, we will also live with him;
12 if we endure, we will also reign with him;
if we deny him, he also will deny us;
13 if we are faithless, he remains faithful--

for he cannot deny himself.

---

Notice that Paul is calling Timothy "my child."  Paul is not Timothy's flesh-and-blood father, but he is a spiritual father to him (notice the phrase "by the grace that is in Christ Jesus" which indicates this).  Paul tells Timothy to continue the work that Paul has started (again, this letter reads like a a last will and testament because Paul knows by the revelation of the Holy Spirit that he is going to die soon).  Verse 2 is a very important verse for discipleship:
1a1) "What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses" (starts with the apostles, which we have recorded for us in the Bible)
1b) Timothy received this directly from Paul (We have the additional writings of the Early Church fathers who heard the gospel directly from the Apostles, though these are not equal with Scripture, they are of great benefit to us)
2) "Entrust to faithful men" (those are Elders, pastors, and teachers)
3) "Who will be able to teach others also" (the congregation and the next generation of leaders of the Church)

This "program of discipleship" happens within the context of the local church with the interest of preserving the true gospel taught by Jesus and His Apostles and faithful leading His Church and watching over it until He returns.  Timothy (and all those in this process) are reminded that we are called to suffer for the sake of Christ.  That is the duty of a good soldier--to suffer for His commanding officer and to keep himself ready for action.  Part of diligently being ready to serve means not becoming entangled in "civilian" affairs.  This is especially important for the pastor or evangelist who has given his entire life to the preaching or the Word of God and the sharing of the gospel.  Everything he does is to do the will of and please his commanding officer (he will not act in a way that will discredit or bring dishonor or shame to himself or to his unit, chain of command, or country).

Paul then switches metaphor to his next-favorite analogy--an athlete preparing to to compete in what would appear to be the Olympics (because they competed for a perishable crown made of olive branches.  This in no way compares to the imperishable crown that we will one day receive from our Lord for running our race well and finishing the race set before us.  However, every athlete competing in the games much play by certain rules so as to not be disqualified.  Paul tells Timothy to run in such a way so that he will not be disqualified when it comes time for the Lord to give rewards to His servants.

Paul then switches analogies again to talk about a farmer who plants his field the produces fruit who has a right to take some for himself and his family to enjoy the fruits of his labor.  In the same way, Paul argues that it is good and right for someone who has given their whole life to teaching and preaching and evangelism to be supported by the local churches and to not need to worry about anything.  They should not need to worry about "civilian affairs" of where they will stay, what they will eat, buying new clothes, etc.  Everything they need should be provided for them (notice I said need, not want).  In fact, they should be so well cared-for that the world sees how the Church cares for its Elders and marvels, because the world does not value their work, but to the Christian, it should be one of the most-valued occupations.

Paul encourages Timothy never to forget or stop preaching the Resurrection, because it is the core of the gospel--without it, we have no "good news."  Even if Paul is currently in chains as a prisoner because of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the gospel itself has not been bound as the Romans hoped, because it is not the work of men, but of God.  His gospel will go forth to the entire world though unlikely men and women, and though the world may try, they will not be able to stop it.  Not only will it go forth, but it will accomplish its purpose of bringing about the salvation of people from every tribe, tongue and nation and redeeming a people who belong to God (by His Election) that He will one day glorify to make into the perfect Bride for His Son.

Then there is a little creed (maybe a song or poem) for Timothy to remember and teach to the congregation so that they remember the truth of the gospel and the power and centrality of the Resurrection.

"If we die with Him, we will also live with Him;
if we endure, we will also reign with Him;
if we deny Him, He will deny us;
if we are faithless, He is faithful--

for He cannot deny Himself."

I think that's both simple and profound.  We must be born again (buried in the likeness of His death and raised to walk in newness of life) to truly have eternal life.  If we have never died to our old man, then we do not have the salvation and eternal life that only Christ can offer.  However, Jesus did not just die for us so that we could receive eternal life and have nothing to do--that seems to be the view a lot of people have of heaven.  No, we are going to have shared dominion over the New Creation in the same way Adam and Eve had dominion over the original Creation.  We won't be fighting the Curse of Sin, but we will still have good work to do--not just now, but for all eternity.  I look forward to seeing exactly what it is that God has prepared for me because He knows exactly what He created me to do (some of us spend our entire lives here on Earth never figuring that out).

Next, Paul addresses those who would deny Christ when put in situations where they were challenged to denounce their Savior and Lord and their so-called faith to save their own life and/or the lives of their family members.  Jesus, Paul and the other writers of the New Testament are clear that anyone who would deny Christ to try to save his own life is proving that he does not have the faith that he claims to have.  Those who possess true faith will never deny Christ, even in the circumstance where they die for Him because He died for them and they love Him more than even their own lives (or anything else that anyone may try to take from them to coerce them to deny Christ).

That said, the true disciple of Christ is not always going to be faithful to Him.  We sin and deny Him in small ways nearly every day through our actions--sometimes in even greater ways like what Peter did when he swore with an oath that he didn't know who the slave girl and the people around the campfire were talking about when Jesus was on trial.  Yet, Jesus forgave Peter, and He is able to forgive us too.  He is "Faithful and True" even if we are not.  Thank you, Jesus, that the salvation you provide is based totally on your faithfulness and not mine!