2 TIMOTHY 2:8-14 FAITHFULNESS TO THE MOST FAITHFUL ONE

2 TIMOTHY 2:8-14

FAITHFULNESS TO

THE MOST FAITHFUL ONE

2 Timothy 2:8 Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel:

Susie: Paul emphasizes Jesus’s humanity by pointing out that He is descended from King David and the rightful heir to the throne as the Messiah was prophesied to be.

Susan: Then Paul highlights Jesus’s resurrection from the dead which was God’s confirmation that Jesus fulfilled the purpose for which He was born on earth, to redeem His people by His death on the cross.  

Susie: This means that Jesus is the descendant of David who will reign eternally as established by the Davidic Covenant.

2 Samuel 7:16 And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.

2 Timothy 2:9 Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound.

Susie: Paul’s suffering and his imprisonment were a direct result of his preaching this gospel. He was treated as a criminal for proclaiming the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ. He was even kept in chains and closely guarded.

Susan: Even though Paul was bound in chains, God, in His wisdom and power, created a way for the word, His gospel, to be disseminated throughout the earth. Paul’s letters not only reached those of his own generation but have continued to inspire and infuse all who have read them to this very day and beyond.

1 Peter 1:24-25 For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

Susie: Paul’s writings comprise the lion’s share of the New Testament and contain invaluable instruction concerning the conduct of churches as well as individual believers. The Holy Spirit could not be confined in prison along with Paul. He inspired Paul to write the letters which have reached countless numbers of people with the gospel.

2 Timothy 2:10 Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

Susie: The elect are those God has chosen from the foundation of the world for salvation. However, they still need to hear the gospel to activate the faith God has given them to trust in Jesus.

Romans 10:14-15 (NASB) How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!”

Romans 10:17 (NASB) So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

Susan: The hardships Paul had to endure were worth it to him for the sake of the souls who needed to hear the gospel message.

2 Timothy 2:11 It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him:

Susan: When we die to self, meaning fleshly appetites, our old sin nature, by surrendering ourselves to Jesus we become a new creation. The Holy Spirit now lives in and through us, and we become God’s instrument of Kingdom change.

Susie: I love the illustration of the butterfly. The ugly, creeping caterpillar in a sense dies as it is encased in the chrysalis. Then a transformation takes place and a beautiful butterfly emerges and flies away. Our sinful lives were ugly like something creeping on the ground. Then Jesus transformed us and enables us to soar with Him.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Galatians 2:20  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Susan: Having this new life that Jesus purchased for us on the cross is exponentially different from the existence we experienced before. It is a life filled with purpose and joy with the glorious hope of eternal life with our First Love, Jesus Christ.

John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

2 Timothy 2:12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:

Susie: Becoming a Christian, dying to our old nature and being transformed, does not guarantee an easy life even though it is more abundant. Jesus tells us we will suffer persecution. However, we are promised that Jesus has overcome and will enable us to do so as well. Also, we know that this life in our earth-suits is only temporary, a vapor, compared to the joys of our forever home with Him.

John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

John 15:20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.

Romans 8:17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

James 4:14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

Susan: “Deny” in this context is complete rejection of Jesus as Messiah and Lord, the One sent by the Father as the ransom for our sins to bring us into right relationship with Him. It is a complete denial rather than a passing doubt.

2 Timothy 2:13 If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.

Notes from Reformation Study Bible:

2:13 if we are faithless, he remains faithful. This is a wonderful affirmation of assurance that although we are called to endure and be faithful, salvation does not rest ultimately on our faithfulness, but upon that of Christ (v. 19).

he cannot deny himself. Christian hope is rooted firmly in the unchanging character of God (Num. 23:19; Titus 1:2).

Susie: If we, as a believer, have a temporary doubt or failure to live out what we believe, Jesus does not drop us flat. Our salvation is through faith in Jesus by the grace of God and not of our doing. Therefore, it is Jesus’s responsibility to hold on to us and not the other way around. Jesus is faithful to his promise to keep us (John 10:27-29).

2 Timothy 2:14 Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers.

Susie: Timothy was to remind the Ephesians of all these things and exhort them in the name of the Lord to conform to that which Jesus taught.

Susan: Arguments over nit-picky things do not produce spiritual fruit. They only produce division and disunity. Paul had already written to the church at Ephesus about the importance of unity among believers.

Ephesians 4:1-3 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

                            QUESTIONS       

1.     What is the significance of the fact that Jesus was a descendant of David?

2.        What did Paul mean by “the word of God is not bound?”

3.    In what way does the believer die with Jesus?

4.       Does our new life in Christ guarantee that everything will be easy and wonderful for the rest of our lives? Support your answer with scripture.

5.        What does Jesus promise for those who suffer because of their belief in the Gospel?