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2 TIMOTHY CHAPTER 2 KJV WEB See previous page 2Tim 2,1-7 (5b) Responsibility >> Advocate God’s cause >> Disciples are soldiers in God’s army (115c) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Working the grace of God >> Through your ministry >> Through your calling >> To build up the body of Christ – When Paul told Timothy to "be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus," he was referring to something that has been lost from the doctrines of the Church. This concept of working (with) the grace of God is written throughout the Bible, but people can't see it. The apostles and writers of the New Testament understood this very important truth, but the Church today doesn’t because of a couple doctrines that are presently in the way. Those doctrines are Calvinism and Armenian-ism. Calvinism is the doctrine of predestination; everything is up to God, and we are powerless to change our destiny. Armenian-ism is just the opposite; man is in control of his own destiny. These two opposing ideas by themselves are wrong, but together they explain how God works with man. Combining their contribution we discover a plethora of Bible verses interspersed throughout the Scriptures that have gone unnoticed for centuries. Most everybody teaches that grace is defined as the work of God, but that is a better definition of His mercy. We need to understand that God has called us to participate in His grace. No man has been saved by the cross apart from exercising his will. It would be nice if Jesus shed His blood and saved the whole world, but the world is not saved, suggesting there is something man must do to participate in God's grace to effect his salvation. On the one hand, there are many in the Church who sit on their hands, expecting God to do everything for them (Calvinism); and on the other, many are trying to work their way to heaven (Armenian-ism), yet neither of these can please God. Calvinists think there is nothing they can do to please Him, as though all their works are as filthy rags. This was the case before we got saved, but afterward He calls us to do works that are holy to the Lord. We don't try to move His hand; He is trying to move ours. They fail to understand the fundamentals of the gospel and of their own salvation. They don’t realize or perhaps they have forgotten that we did something to get saved (we gave Him our permission to save us). See also: Anointing; 2Tim 2-1; 9i / Lost knowledge of the Scriptures (through willful ignorance); Jn 20-9; 175f / Predestination (Calvinism); 1Pet 1-1,2; 219h 2Tim 2-1 (9i) Responsibility >> Strengthen one another >> Be strong – What does it mean to “be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus?” It sounds paradoxical at face value. If the purpose of grace was to make us strong, then why do we still need to be strong? Believing is not measured in increments; we either believe or we don’t believe. God wants us to make full use of His grace to find our calling and fulfill it. All these things are located on the trail of good works that God has prepared for us (Eph 2,8-10). These are works we perform through His grace that are pleasing in His sight. Paul explains that God strengthens us when we first become Christians, so we can use His grace to mature throughout our lives. That is, there is something for us to do, but this contradicts the teachings of many churches about the Grace of God, primarily the evangelicals, who say that grace is the work of God, that we are so depraved and evil that we are not capable of producing works that are worthy of God’s approval, but what did God say to Peter when he rejected the will of God? “What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy” (Act 10-15). If God has cleansed us and made us holy, then we can be strong in His grace to produce works that glorify Him. Prior to encountering His grace we were common sinners headed for eternal destruction, but after we were saved and God imparted His grace, everything changed. Now our good works are acceptable to Him (Rom 12-1,2). There will never be a time when we will be worthy of eternal life, yet our faithfulness is pleasing to Him. See also: Anointing; 55a (36m) Gift of God >> Adopted >> We are adopted in the flesh – Timothy was Paul’s spiritual son; they considered their spiritual lives more relevant than their natural lives. That might sound like a cult to some, but there is one faith that revolves around the truth, while all others revolve around a mere perception of truth, and the further they wander from the real truth the more cult-like they become. God’s true children are not in a cult, though the world sees us as such, because they don’t know the difference between truth and error. Meanwhile, the world can be wild about their fleshly passions and desires without accusation of being in a cult, yet the world is as much a cult as they say about us. The only thing that separates cults from genuine faith is the truth. We can believe as strongly as we want about the truth and it will never be fanatical or cult-ish, because the truth always leads to love, and love is the antithesis of a cult. See also: Formation of a cult; 1Tim 5-21; 51i (55a) Paradox >> Opposites >> Working the grace of God – Church leaders have one of the greatest responsibilities to successfully convey the truth to of the gospel. Remember the parable of the wine and the wineskins? “People [do not] put new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wineskins burst, and the wine pours out and the wineskins are ruined; but they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved” (Mat 9-17). The wine represents the Holy Spirit and the skins represent our doctrines we use to contain the truth. By this we can define the anointing: it is the truth in spirit form. Therefore, we cannot use old, worn-out doctrines to contain the anointing, so if we want to walk in the grace and power of God, we must establish more accurate doctrines. When Paul said to Timothy, “Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus,” he was talking about obtaining a hearing ear, listening for the Holy Spirit and doing what He says. The goal of the leaders of the Church is to accurately convey the gospel, so when we believe it, the anointing can rest upon us. The anointing is God’s seal of approval, guaranteeing that we understand the gospel according to the teachings of Christ, but until anointing rests upon us we do not know the truth as we ought to know it. See also: Anointing; 72h / Anointing (It will return in the last days); Rev 8,2-6; 61a (72h) Authority >> Hierarchy of authority >> More authority the more responsibility >> Closer we get to Jesus the more authority we have – Christ was anointed more than any man, not just because He was God in human flesh, but also because He understood the truth better than anyone and lived it. There are some people who seem to wield an anointing, but when we listen carefully to their message and discern their error, we come to understand that they received their anointing from demons. When we know and discern the truth and hear it preached, we sense an anointing on that person’s life and are sure it came from God. Paul was telling Timothy that if he effectively conveys the truth, inadvertently he will also have conveyed an anointing that follows the truth. However, as we know from reading some of the literature of the first and second century Church, this anointing failed to successfully transfer to the next generation, suggesting that certain aspects of the gospel of Christ failed to transfer after the apostles fell asleep. Fortunately we still have Scripture in its purity, suggesting that the problem lies in our doctrines. Somewhere along the line, very early in Church history, the truth was compromised so that Christ can no longer anoint His believers, simply because we don't believe in such things anymore. The anointing simply does not fit with the doctrines we currently teach, and therefore we see very little of God’s anointing among the people. Paul prophesied this would happen in Act 20-29,30, “I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.” See also: Anointing; 2Tim 2-2; 72f / False revelation; 2Tim 2-7; 89h / Condition of the Church today; Act 2,41-47; 147f KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 2Tim 2-2,3 (102h) Thy kingdom come >> Faithfulness (Loyalty) >> Trustworthy >> Loyalty -- These verses go with verse 11. Paul commanded Timothy as a fellow soldier in God's army to pass the baton to the next generation and entrust the gospel to faithful men who will be able to teach others also, and so guaranteed its perpetuation throughout the generations. A soldier goes through much hardship. They are not served turkey dinners with all the trimmings but must eat unpalatable foods that merely keep them alive, and their generals call them to do impossible things, and they exceedingly strive to accomplish their goals to win battles and ultimately the war. Paul didn't ask Timothy to pick up weapons to physically fight but to sacrifice his flesh and dedicate his heart and give his all to the gospel. This is what first century Christians did, and because of them the Church is still alive today, and their testimony of faith has encouraged and inspired generations after them for two millennia. We owe them a debt of gratitude for their zealous commitment and their loyalty to our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ. 2Tim 2-2 (72f) Authority >> Transferring authority >> Receiving delegated authority from men – Paul is divulging the process of transmitting the gospel of Christ to the next generation, which has caused the Kingdom to live in the hearts of men and women for the last 2000 years. Verse one pertains to what we need in ourselves to successfully make the transfer, and the second verse tells us how to do it. It is one thing to receive the grace of God; it is another thing to be strong in that grace. We need divine authority in a relationship with Jesus Christ before we can transmit it to others, for we cannot give what we don’t have. This was one of Timothy’s very own experiences with Paul, who transferred the gospel of God’s grace to Timothy, and now Paul was telling him to repeat the process on others and perpetuate the gospel to the next generation, reminding Timothy to invest his life in soul winners who will dedicate their lives to producing the fruit of God’s kingdom. See also: Anointing; 2Tim 2,1-7; 115c (106i) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Hearing from God >> Means of hearing from God >> Through prophets (155i) Witness >> Validity of the believer >> Witness of the believer >> The Church bears witness of the believer – We have the written word, which has not changed since it was written, and then we have the testimony of those who have believed that does change. In some ways this is a good thing and in other ways it is not. Every person has his own perspective and attitude, which causes him to interpret the Bible a little differently, and these can be positive insights that can add to our understanding of God, but when people contradict and misinterpret Scripture, it causes problems. (239g) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Pursuing the knowledge of the kingdom >> Teachers are construction workers >> God raises up teachers to raise up the body -- This verse goes with verses 23&24. The works of Paul were not done in a corner but openly for all to hear and see. This is something Jesus said about His own ministry in John 18-20, “I spoke openly to the world. I always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where the Jews always meet, and in secret I have said nothing.” Paul did not drag Timothy into a dark corner to teach him philosophies; rather, he taught openly among many witnesses, so that Timothy had the promise made more sure. Now that Timothy has had the word of God confirmed in him, Paul charged him with teaching the gospel to faithful men who were “able to teach others also,” that the human chain of faith would not be broken but would multiply and fill the earth with the knowledge of God, which it did. Largely as a result of Paul’s work, all of Europe was Christianized. Paul committed himself to men like Timothy, because he saw potential in him, and poured his life into him who had proven his faith through much toil and hardship, and showed Paul he was willing to suffer for the cause of Christ. For this reason Paul knew he would be faithful to the Holy Spirit and to the word of God that dwelled in his heart. 2Tim 2,3-10 (7b) Responsibility >> Protecting the Gospel >> Defend the word of God by obeying it KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 2Tim 2,3-7 (95l) Thy kingdom come >> Positive attitude about suffering >> Suffering under the hand of God -- These verses go with verse 10 (102b) Thy kingdom come >> Ambition >> Ambitious to fulfill God’s calling >> To please Him (116f) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Working the grace of God >> Through hardship – Paul is urging Timothy to suffer hardship as good soldiers of Christ Jesus. How many times have we gone through hardship and difficulty and wanted to give up? So many times we have gotten tired of our circumstances, thinking they will never end, and we became frustrated and exhausted at the futility of our lives, but if we persevere, over time we can look back and see what our faithfulness accomplished. We were careful to make right decisions, though there were plenty of opportunities to do wrong. We were faithful and kept serving God, though we were oppressed and treated shamefully. Nobody understood what we were doing, though we were fulfilling the purpose and calling of God in our lives. When that period ended and we drifted into placid waters and could finally look behind us to see the result of our faithfulness, we realize we accomplished more with God than we could without Him. He couldn’t have used us without our willingness to go though hardship. We saw God’s hand in everything we did that created results in people, in our community and in the world that were far greater than what mere men could do. God wants all His people to live faithfully during times of tribulation and distress. Jesus talked about loving our enemies. We can accomplish more than any gun in the hand of a soldier. People are so used to the knee-jerk reaction of violence upon hatred; we respond differently. Instead of hating those who oppress and persecute us, we show them kindness. At first, people think we’re crazy, but when they realize we are doing it on the grounds of faith, it causes them to consider the possibility that God is in the world through His people, and as a result some get saved. We are in a war; we are the children of God; therefore, we can afford to suffer hardship as good soldiers of Christ Jesus. We can afford to forgive our enemies and give them what they need, because God is supplying our needs, and He has forgiven us and accepted us into His family. (187aa) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Die to the flesh >> The ministry of dying to self >> Die to self to minister to God >> Jesus died for us; now it's our turn to die for Him -- These verses go with verse 11. The reason God has called us to die to self is so we will not worship ourselves. Once saved, the newborn Christian soon discovers that he has made an enemy of the devil, who is much stronger and wilier than he, yet the devil has no power over us at all, except by deception. Now that the Christian has eternal life dwelling in Him, Satan is obliged to deceive him into either giving up his salvation or lying to him about it and morphing the gospel into something that God never intended. Satan has caused the Church to interpret, reinterpret and ultimately misinterpret the Scriptures, until it has become a hopeless hodgepodge of thoughts and ideas that are almost impossible to unscramble. People ask, ‘Which religion is right?’ The answer is none of them! Religion is intrinsically false. There is only one thing that is right and true, and that is faith in Jesus Christ, for all religions revolve around something other than a simple faith in the Son of God. 2Tim 2,3-5 (162h) Works of the devil >> Being a slave to the devil (Addictions) >> Bondage >> Addicted to sin >> Being a slave to the nature of sin -- These verses go with verses 23-26 2Tim 2-3,4 (167c) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Carnality/Secularism (Mindset of the world) >> (226a) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Parables >> Parables about war (233e) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Seeking the kingdom >> Seek The Kingdom With Your Essence >> Seek the Kingdom of God with your whole life 2Tim 2-3 (99g) Thy kingdom come >> Endurance (Thorn in the flesh) >> Enduring circumstances >> Enduring hardship (127n) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Goodness >> Devote your life to doing good -- This verse goes with verses 20-22 (165h) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Hardship >> The hardship of persecution -- This verse goes with verse 9. A committed life to the gospel of Christ will suffer; therefore, it is useless as a Christian to fear it or attempt to avoid it, in that our success in spreading the gospel is directly related to suffering. (188c) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Suffering >> Growing pains >> Growing outwardly -- This verse goes with verse 9. Christianity is not very popular, in that the word “suffer” is an inherent element of faith. There are many sacrifices we must make at every turn of life. When a person enlists in the army, he does not live the same way as a citizen; he is constantly managing time, stress and other concerns. Similarly, the workplace often requires that we make sacrifices too, but at least we have money, unless we can’t make ends meet. So there is suffering in the world and there is suffering in Christianity; therefore as a Christian in this world, we will suffer twice, and for this reason most people don’t become Christians, but of course if they die without Christ, they will suffer forever in hell, rushing headlong into the very thing they were trying to avoid. We might as well take on Jesus’ yoke who said is easy by comparison to the world's burden. There are advantages to Christianity; we know we are forgiven; there is hope of eternal life, supposedly brotherhood and spiritual fellowship, and there are many other perks to Christianity, but there is also suffering (2Cor 1,3-7). A high-paying job that brings stress, Paul says to get rid of it, so we can dedicate our lives to God instead, and localize our suffering to our faith in dying to self. Suffer for Jesus’ sake instead of for the worldliness of money, for these things will ultimately be taken from us. KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 2Tim 2,4-7 (7l) Responsibility >> Use time wisely >> Get ready >> Use this time to gather (44j) Judgment >> Transformed >> Fulfill your ministry according to the will of God (100h) Thy kingdom come >> Diligence >> Diligence in running the race that is set before us 2Tim 2-4,5 (87e) Thy kingdom come >> Ministry to God through obedience >> Seeking the glory of God 2Tim 2-4 (81b) Thy kingdom come >> Prayer >> The priesthood >> Striving to please Christ (100j) Thy kingdom come >> Devotion >> In your ministry to God >> Fulfill God’s calling in your life (120l) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Contentment >> Content with your way of life >> Content with remaining single – One way to avoid entangling ourselves in the affairs of everyday life is to remain single, thus simplifying our lives and reducing our need to participate in the world, getting by with less and taking an easier job to make ends meet. People feel the need to get married, though, and the Bible does not condemn it, but nor does it encourage us to marry. Catholicism, however, encourages marriage and having lots of children as a means of perpetuating its religion, since they cannot make disciples. That is, instead of winning new converts, they just grow them. This is not the Bible’s advice on evangelism; we are not to grow converts; we are to win them to Christ and fulfill the great commission (Mat 28-19,20). The unspoiled doctrines of the true faith are attractive enough that we should be able to win people to Christ if it weren’t for the apostasy of our times. Moreover, if we went about making converts but sent them to a church that taught watered-down doctrines fit only for old women (1Tim 4-7), we would be wasting our time, for they would soon walk out the same door they entered. See also: Evangelism (Separating the counterfeit from the genuine); 1Jn 3-3; 191c (161k) Works of the devil >> Satan determines the world's direction >> Carried Away >> Carried away by religion -- This verse goes with verses 16-18 (165e) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Do not partake of the world >> Do not desire the treasures of the world – No genuine Christian should entangle himself in the affairs of everyday life. We must make a living, so we are forced into the world to hold down a job to receive money we use to buy the things we need. However, once we have “clocked-out” we can disentangle ourselves from the world on our own time, but many so-called Christians entangle themselves all the more on their free time. Generally speaking, the more money a person makes at his job, the more demands his boss imposes on him, and the more entangled he gets in the world. Typically, high employee salaries are used to attract the best candidates and keep them employed at the company, and are used against them as incentive to work harder and longer and do things against their moral judgment. If a person had a lousy job and the boss told him he had to sacrifice more than he was willing, he would just quit his job and find another lousy job that required fewer sacrifices. High-paying jobs are not easy to find, but the demands that we must meet in order to keep them force us to further entangle ourselves in the affairs of everyday life, and this is something that Paul is telling us to avoid. As Christians we would be further ahead finding a job that paid less so we could have more control of how we lived in this world. (190e) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Circumcision >> Undressing >> Take off your sins (197g) Denying Christ >> Man exercises his will against God >> Man withers when he is in control >> Distracted from a fruitful life – Our daily routine has a very strong influence on us to accept a sense of normalcy and reality, making us vulnerable to satanic deception. Our mind revolves around concerns of meeting our needs and the enjoyment of our success. However, Paul warns us not to get caught up in them, because these things are not our lives. Jesus said in Lk 12-15, "Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions;" and Ps 69:22 says, “Let their table become a snare before them, and their well-being a trap.” If we prioritize God's purpose and calling, we won't go wrong. (213i) Sovereignty >> God is infinite >> Jesus owns you >> His will becomes our will >> We are God’s property -- This verse goes with verse 19. A person doesn’t enlist in the army and then come home and continue life as usual. Soon after he signs the papers and becomes the army's property, he packs his bags and starts a new life somewhere else in an environment of war. Similarly, when a Christian confirms God's covenant of salvation, he has entered a spiritual war with the world, the flesh and the devil. He soon discovers that his nearest enemy is himself, his own sinful nature, and he is commanded to put it to death, as Paul said, “I die daily” (1Cor 15-32). The fact that there are more soldiers killing each other in the world than there are soldiers in God’s army indicates that suffering cold and hunger, working fingers to the bone, hiking for miles with heavy gear and digging trenches is actually easier than being a Christian, who is called to put to death the deeds of the flesh. If being a Christian were easy, more people would believe in Jesus, and if the Christian life glorified the flesh, the whole world would clamor to Him. (240h) Kingdom of God >> Opposition toward the Kingdom of God >> Hindering the kingdom >> Natural disadvantage of the world – If we Christians integrate into the world, no good thing will come of it. The only direction the Holy Spirit will lead us is what Rev 18-4 says, “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues.” The world has no truth but to tempt and deceive. Its elementary principles may seem real on some temporal level but they are not true, for Truth is eternal as it is written, “The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever” (1Jn 2-17). The world is incapable of the truth; if people actually believed in God, they would join the Church and no longer entangle themselves in the affairs of everyday life. KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 2Tim 2-5 (1b) Responsibility >> Avoid offending God/man >> follow the golden rule (80c) Thy kingdom come >> Know the word in spiritual warfare >> To fight in the Spirit -- This verse goes with verse 15 (216k) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> God’s will over man >> God Is Independent Of His Creation >> You cannot control God’s desire for you >> man is not in control of God’s gift (225o) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Parables >> Parables about running a race – Paul was talking about running a race; he mentioned there were rules, and in verse 1 of this chapter he said, “You therefore, my child, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” That is the theme of what Paul was saying here; we are running in His grace, meaning that we are using the grace that God has instilled in us to achieve His goals. This flies in the face of a lot of false teachers these days who like to think that grace is something that God does by Himself, as though we were on an operating table asleep, while He works on us. Although the Bible teaches that God is working in us (Phi 2-13), Paul in this passage it telling us to use His grace to run the race in such a way that we may win (1Cor 9-24). We are not to run outside the lines. If we start late, we won’t win that way; but if we start early, we will be disqualified, so there is a timing issue. Don’t forget to practice, or we won’t have the stamina to reach the finish line. When Paul mentioned rules, was he talking about the Law? Probably! If we violate the Law while running the race, we will be disqualified, though we have heard that the Law is no longer in effect. Violate the Law and consequences will come to us, so how is the Law no longer in effect? Note that none of the rules help us win, except to keep the race fair; however, the rules are a means of disqualification. We have many opponents, who also are fast runners. It is not possible to beat the devil because the rules don’t apply to him, so it is not a level playing field, and for this reason we need God's help. He will deal with the devil later, but we must contend with him now; and when God throws him into the lake of fire, he will suffer more than anyone who is there with him, in that the suffering of hell is directly related to sin (1Cor 15-56), and we know that the devil has sinned more than anyone. We don’t have to worry about judgment, because the devil has already been judged (Jn 16-11). (226b) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Rewards of the Kingdom of Heaven >> Reserved in heaven >> God crowns us with glory for sharing our rewards >> The reward of a crown 2Tim 2-6 (76o) Thy kingdom come >> Desires >> Word is food >> Harvesting the word of God (225d) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Parables >> Parables about wealth >> Parables about a land owner and his farm (230b) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> Partaking >> What we must do to partake of the kingdom >> Partaking which requires our participation – This corresponds with the statement, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain” (1Cor 9-9), and it refers to pastors being paid for their services. It also refers to Timothy being respected for his leadership in the Church. The one who serves the saints receives a blessing from the recipients of his ministry. This indicates a healthy church, but if the minister is not rewarded for his services, it is a symptom of an unhealthy church. The people not serving the Lord, and thus do not appreciate what the pastor does for them, and for this reason he is not rewarded for his faithfulness. God has set up His kingdom in such a way that the one who serves is rewarded by the ones who benefit from his ministry. If a pastor spends untold hours preaching and teaching and is truly committed to the word of God and prayer and to the saints, yet he is unappreciated by the members of his congregation, most likely their are people in the assembly who are disturbing the saints. “Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.” (248k) Priorities >> God’ s preeminence >> Values >> The Highest Values >> Some things take precedence over others 2Tim 2-7,8 (82f) Thy kingdom come >> Three elements of prayer >> Our approach >> Meditation 2Tim 2-7 (89h) Thy kingdom come >> Fear of God is the beginning of wisdom >> Wisdom of the Spirit – God speaks to His people to reveal His word in two ways: (1) He gives us understanding in the Scriptures, and (2) He speaks to us about the Scriptures by revelation of the Spirit. Before we understand the Scriptures by revelation, we must properly interpret the Bible in the first place. We must be careful not to ask God for a revelation of a misconception, which is just the opportunity the devil seeks to spiritually reveal heresy about God's word and seal it into our conscience so we cannot stop believing it. Look at the Pharisees, Scribes, Sadducees, chief priests and all the leaders of Israel who were responsible for Jesus’ death; they believed very strongly. They were zealots of their religion, but their beliefs were skewed, and the devil sealed their false notions into their hearts as with a hot branding iron (1Tim 4-1,2). This is why it is necessary to know the truth and not a facsimile of it. Timothy was ready to die for his faith in Jesus, and Paul was confident that Timothy would understand what he was saying, because he was committed to the truth. These days, however, people are lackadaisical about their faith; some actually believe Truth is a fallacy; to them Paul did not write these words, for they have itching ears that are willing more to believe a lie. See also: False revelation; 2Tim 2,23-26; 128g (109ha) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Spirit and the word >> Spirit the teacher >> Spirit interprets the word for us – Paul didn’t have to spell out everything to Timothy, because he had the spirit of God to reveal the truth to him. This guaranteed they were on the same page, so there was no misunderstanding between them. (110j) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Spirit and the word >> Spirit of revelation >> Revelation of the truth >> Revelation of the true doctrines KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 2Tim 2,8-10 (98ka) Thy kingdom come >> Endurance (Thorn in the flesh) >> Endurance invites the Holy Spirit into your life >> The salvation of God >> Enduring the wicked is to overcome them 2Tim 2-8 (37e) Judgment >> Jesus’ humanity >> He was part of the lineage of David – Jesus literally rose from the dead, but descending from David was more figurative. We know that Jesus’ Father was God, and so He was genealogically tied to the mother, Mary. According to Jewish custom, the father determined the children’s lineage, so her input was legally irrelevant. The only connection Jesus had with the house of David was through his surrogate father, Joseph, who descended from the tribe of Judah. This means Jesus had no congenital link to David's throne, yet Paul is saying that He did. The fact that Joseph was not his real father means that Jesus had no bloodline leading back to David; therefore, the point of the Old Testament prophets was that Jesus’ kingship in the Millennium resembles David’s reign in his struggle to dominate over Israel's enemies before he could finally establish his throne in Jerusalem, reminiscent of the Great Tribulation prior to Jesus’ second coming. Paul was a very learned man; he would know if Jesus was really descended from David or not. God the Father impregnated Mary through the Spirit, and then she married Joseph, who was in the line of David, so that legally Mary’s lineage transferred to the tribe of Judah through her husband, and all his children (Jesus’ brothers) descended from Judah, as did Jesus, legally but not literally. (39a) Judgment >> Jesus defeated death >> Resurrection of Jesus Christ (238j) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Pursuing the knowledge of the kingdom >> Teachers >> Teachers "remind" their students >> Teaching by rote 2Tim 2,9-11 (187b) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Die to the flesh >> The ministry of dying to self >> Die to self to minister to people >> Die to self to encourage the strong – What does it mean, “If we died with Him, we shall also live with Him?” Whatever we were doing before we got saved, it is all in the past; we have a new way of life now and a new direction, and we’re following the Holy Spirit wherever he may lead. As we live for Him, believing in Jesus to the end, we will also live with Him forever in heaven in our resurrected bodies that are indestructible. 2Tim 2-9,10 (242c) Kingdom of God >> Opposition toward the Kingdom of God >> Persecuting the kingdom >> Persecuting God >> Persecuting the word of God – Paul gave a list of things the world had done to him in punishment for openly expressing his faith during his years of ministry (2Cor 11,23-33). He opened his mouth and spoke the truth so that some were saved, some even who persecuted him. 2Tim 2-9 (119h) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Freedom >> Having freedom to minister – Paul was in prison, but the word of God was not imprisoned. It found freedom in Timothy and others like him who continued to spread the good news of the gospel. Paul was not the only evangelist preaching Jesus. The word of God was still finding a place in people’s hearts, and the Church was still presenting the gospel to those who would believe in Jesus for eternal life, though Paul was in prison. The biblical concept of freedom refers to receiving power from God to do His will. Jn 1-12 says, “As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God.” We have the right not only to be His children and also to live like Him. (163b) Works of the devil >> Being a slave to the devil (Addictions) >> Bondage >> Being slaves of men >> Prison -- This verse goes with verse 26 (165h) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Hardship >> The hardship of persecution -- This verse goes with verse 3 (177i) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Presumption (Hinduism) >> Misunderstanding the word of God (188c) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Suffering >> Growing pains >> Growing outwardly -- This verse goes with verse 3 (216f) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> God’s will over man >> Compelled by the Spirit >> God forces His bond-servants to do His will KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 2Tim 2-10 (95l) Thy kingdom come >> Positive attitude about suffering >> Suffering under the hand of God -- This verse goes with verses 3-7 (210e) Salvation >> The salvation of God >> Jesus is our savior >> Especially of believers (219g) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> The elect >> God chooses us as we choose ourselves >> God chooses us as we fulfill His calling (234f) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Seeking the glory of God >> Seeking the fruit of the ministry – Paul separated salvation from eternal glory to show the difference between the two, though we should see them as one. We get saved in this life, and in the next life we will enjoy life in eternity with God in heaven, one being the cause of the other. Eternal glory is incomprehensible to us with our finite minds; we can hardly scratch the surface of all that God has prepared for us. If we searched deeper, we would discover that our future is not much different from the Great Commission (Mat 28,18-20). We will be teaching people how to live in a world that God created, but the details are mostly kept for the life to come. God will create a new Adam and Eve and command them to be fruitful and multiply, and God will give them us to care for them. We will be blessed and loved by many people and by Christ Himself and by our heavenly Father as stewards of His creation. See also: New heavens and a new earth (God will create another race of man and put us in charge of them); Tit 3,4-6; 103d (236a) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Invest in the kingdom >> All things are for your sake >> We are fighting for you >> Our suffering is for your sake – When Paul said he endured all things for the sake of the elect, that is saying a lot, for he suffered a lot. Every drop of his blood that hit the ground for the cause of Christ, every slap in the face, every insult, every time he ran for his life, Paul had us in mind (Gal 2-5). He was a man on a mission, preaching the gospel of the kingdom to the known world, whose commitment to Christ unlikely was ever matched. The resulting people from Paul’s ministry were worth the trouble, the effort and the suffering he endured. In fact, he was happy to do it, but if nobody got saved, he would not have been happy. Although Christ called him to be the Church’s lead apostle and evangelist, his personal motive was the people who got saved. Paul may have remained obedient to Christ even if no one got saved, but he would have no doubt wondered what God was doing if no fruit came of it. He may have figured that since he could not see around the corner, perhaps after his demise the purpose of his ministry would finally be realized; this is in reference to his epistles that we read today. (244d) Kingdom of God >> The eternal kingdom >> Eternal life of the trinity >> Jesus is the source of eternal life 2Tim 2-11 (38e) Judgment >> Jesus defeated death (Satan) >> Resurrection anointing (53a) Paradox >> Opposites >> Of life and death >> Die in order to live (56g) Paradox >> Opposites >> Seek God’s life by subduing your flesh (102h) Thy kingdom come >> Faithfulness (Loyalty) >> Trustworthy >> Loyalty -- This verse goes with verses 2&3 (113k) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> The anointing >> Resurrection power (187aa) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Die to the flesh >> The ministry of dying to self >> Die to self to minister to God >> Jesus died for us; now it's our turn to die for Him -- This verse goes with verses 3-7. Paul is saying that in either case for those who are in Christ, if we literally or figuratively die, we will find His presence. The way Jesus taught the gospel, there is not nearly the difference between t his life and the one to come when we obey the Holy Spirit, because He is the very essence of heaven. Without the Holy Spirit we would still have Jesus and the Father and heaven, but it just wouldn't be paradise anymore. Plus, when we meet Jesus face-to-face, combined with the Holy Spirit as our escort, He will exponentially multiply the experience of Jesus Christ in His glory. We know that heaven is greater than this life, but God would have it that we minimize our differences by dying to self, dying to our dreams and wishes, giving up our own plans and taking on His plan and purpose for our lives. When we do, God imbues us with an anointing that will furnish the presence of Jesus wherever we go. "Christ" means anointed One, so “Christians” means anointed ones. God has called each of us to carry an anointing, some greater than others, based on His purpose and calling for each person and based on our faithfulness and our attention we give Him. The anointing makes the word of God come alive in our heart. It is the treasure that God has invested in us that we cultivate as students of the word and disciples of prayer. This requires us to die to self, and if we do, Paul promises we will live with Christ in this life and in the life to come. (209a) Salvation >> The salvation of God >> Personal relationship >> Being married to God >> We go where He goes (254c) Trinity >> Holy Spirit’s relationship between Father and Son >> Jesus is the life of the Spirit >> We live because He is life >> We live because we died with Him KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 2Tim 2-12,13 (21c) Sin >> Disobedience >> Unfaithful – Here lies the difference between denying Christ and being faithless: “faithless” refers to our dreadful behavior, whereas denying Christ is a public confession of that behavior. Faithlessness needs the blood of Jesus to cover its sins, but denying Christ is one step from unbelief, which is the unpardonable sin. Being faithless means we are disobedient, we’ve submitted to our weaknesses that we cannot overcome. God is merciful to the faithless, being a fleshly problem; He knows we are made of dust, but our denial of him is a spiritual problem, and it insults Him. We have a body that is more willing to commit sin than to serve Christ; we love God, but our body hates Him. God knows we are weak; our mind is weak; our will is weak, and our emotions are weak. When sin tempts us we shudder like a leaf in a breeze, our legs get wobbly and our mind swims in every direction except toward the Lord. God knows we are this way, yet our commitment to righteousness honors Him. (98l) Thy kingdom come >> Endurance (Thorn in the flesh) >> Endurance invites the Holy Spirit into your life >> It appeals to the glory of God – If we endure, in the future we will reign with Christ. This indicates that not all the saints will reign with Christ, those who do not endure. There will be peasants in heaven, consisting of those who never served the Lord but believed in Him for eternal life. They are not less important to God, for the least are greatest and the greatest are least in His kingdom. There is no classification in heaven like there is in this competitive world, where the greatest are greatest and the least are least. In the Kingdom of God, no one looks down their nose at those who are less than themselves. Although some will have higher positions of authority than others, that does not make them better or more important than the least of them. If we wish to reign with Christ, then we must endure as servants, even as we will serve in heaven. Some are called to higher callings than others, but for those who do not fulfill their calling but are content with being peasants, “if we are faithless, He remains faithful; for He cannot deny Himself.” (102d) Thy kingdom come >> Faithfulness (Loyalty) >> Faithfulness is dependable >> God is dependable – The Bible says that Christ remains faithful, because He cannot deny Himself. For Christ to deny us because we are faithless would be denying Himself of us. God will not deny Himself the joy of man living with Him forever in His heavenly kingdom. He denies those who deny Him, but those who love Him with a whole heart yet occasionally trip and fall He will not deny. God limits Himself by His own volition, but He will not change. In order to remain true to Himself there are certain things He will not do, but that doesn't make Him a slave to His own will, for He cannot be tempted to live against His nature. He is totally free in Himself; He is holy, righteous and good, and part of that is forgiving those who have sinned in their weakness, who otherwise love Him and believe in His goodness, righteousness and truth, but can’t always find it in themselves to live that way. 2Tim 2-12 (55m) Paradox >> Lose by gaining >> Lose God’s will to gain your own will (88h) Thy Kingdom Come >> Fear of God >> Fearing the judgment of God is the beginning of wisdom >> Fear the sovereign hand of God on your life (192g) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Result of putting off the old man >> Gain by losing >> Waiting for God to do it His way >> Being patient to receive something better (199g) Denying Christ >> Man chooses his own destiny apart from God >> Rejecting Christ >> Throwing God away >> Denying Christ – The Bible teaches that denying Christ is far worse than being faithless. God gives us faith, and if we can’t make our flesh cooperate with Him, that is being faithless, but if we deny Him, we are confessing publicly that we don’t believe in Jesus. This is the opposite of what the Bible teaches is the way of salvation, confessing Jesus as Lord (Rom 10-9,10). Jesus said in Mk 8-38, "Whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels." God takes a dim view of anyone denying the Lord; He likens it to blasphemy. The way blasphemy works, if we do it once, it doesn’t mean we have lost our salvation, any more than denying the Lord once bans us from heaven, as Peter so eloquently showed, but if we continually deny Him, it proves we don't believe in Him or that we are losing our faith, which we use to appeal to God's mercy. Denying Christ sets us on course with blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, leading to a reprobate mind. Denying Christ until our faith dies doesn't happen by a single act, but over a period of consistent denials. This is a tremendous offense to God. The person who lives in denial of Christ either isn’t a Christian or is in the process of losing his salvation. (227d) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Rewards of heaven >> God rewards endurance >> Rewarded for overcoming sin – “If we endure, we will also reign with Him.” If we endure the circumstances of this life, if we keep the faith until the end, we will also reign with Him. God is testing us in this life to see if we are worthy of eternal life. Many Christians say they are enduring because they believe in God; and maybe they do, but if their faith doesn’t have any works, then how are they enduring? Does affirming a set of Bible passages to be true constitute faith? It suggests a human faith, but God has given us His faith like a football and told us to hang onto it until He comes. On the day of our spiritual birth He gave us His Spirit of faith, which is to possess His very essence. We have God’s faith dwelling in us. Has our faith grown since we received it? The only evidence of life is growth (Lk 19,11-27)! Have we achieved a certain level of victory, or have we simply allowed this life to kick us around, as though we were helpless to defend ourselves against the world, the flesh and the devil? The Bible says that we are not defenseless against these forces; instead, they are weaker than us, if we only knew it. Have we gained any level of victory over these things? That is the question Paul would ask us, for maintaining our faith is to endure (2Tim 4-7). We may have fallen flat on our face many times, but we have gotten-up and continued, and we have made progress in our lives toward God and in our hearts toward faith. (243l) Kingdom of God >> The eternal kingdom >> There shall be no end to His increase >> God's kingdom is Infinite >> We will reign with Christ forever – “If we endure, we will also reign with Him.” This aspect of reigning with Christ is a conundrum of the Church today. Nobody seems to understand what Paul is saying. If we are going to reign with Christ, whom will we reign-over? Christians say that this is a question that currently doesn’t have an answer, that if there is no Bible verse explicitly speaking of our future in heaven, we are not to read into the Scriptures what we think it says, yet they regularly do this. For example, the most common answer you will hear about this question is that we will reign over ourselves, or the angels, as though God could not create another people after us. They say that the strong (those who are more gifted, such as Moses) will rule over the weak, but how do they reconcile Jesus saying that the greatest are least and the least are greatest (Mat 18,1-4; 23-11; Mk 9-34,35; Lk 9,46-48; 22,24-27)? It would seem that the moment one tried to rule over another, he would be found least of all, and someone else would have to take his place, and the same would happen to him, and so by the principles of the Kingdom of God that Jesus laid down for us, ruling over ourselves is impossible. Why would God have us reigning over ourselves anyway? Jesus said that we will be like the angels who also do not reproduce, and we will not reign over them either. We are greater than the angels, but that makes us least of them. The angels have less authority than we do, but that makes them greater than us. We cannot reign over anybody who lives in heaven for the simple reason of equality. The Bible does not make a distinction between our brother and us when it comes to the Church, for we who are many are all one. The Bible calls us the bride of Christ. Jesus is God in the flesh; He doesn’t have many wives; He is not a polygamist, and the Church collectively is the wife of the Lamb, and we the many are one in the consummation of the marriage through unity. That consummation will produce fruit, for who would dare conceptualize God’s wife being barren? The fruit will be a new race of man, who will be a mergence of God and the Church. There is the black and white race, and there are the Indians and the Chinese; there are many races of man in the world, but they’re all the same. For instance, when a black man marries a white woman, they can produce children, proving they are the same. However, in the case of Christ and the Church, when they conceive and bear children, they will not be like us, in that we conceived them through unity as many fused into one, whereas they will produce children probably in the same manner that we know in this life. We are the children of Christ, and they will be the children of the Father, and in that sense they will be of different from us. One way they will differ from us is that we know good and evil and they won’t. There will be other aspects pertaining to rights and authority, such as we are citizens of the New Jerusalem and they are not. No one else has that address, though they can visit the holy city by invitation only, but they cannot live there. Also, we who constitute the wife of the Lamb are a finite people, whereas they will be infinite in number, being children of the Father. Isaiah 9-7 says, “There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of armies will accomplish this.” Since they will not know good and evil, they will be one step down from us in terms of being made in the image and likeness of God. Also, Eph 2-6 says that Christ “raised us up with him, and made us to sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” We will be the only people who will have such a high position with Christ. “If we endure, we will also reign with Him;” reign over whom? Now you know! 2Tim 2-13 (20h) Sin >> Doubt replaces faith – We have the authoritative words of God in the Bible, though we don't know His word in its purest form coming directly from Jesus' lips, and we don't know eternity until we get to heaven. The universe is big, expansive, intricate and complex, requiring a creator. Since the Bible teaches that we should love the Lord and fear Him, even if the Bible’s rendition of Him is incorrect, God would respect us for thinking about Him that way, something to consider when doubts arise in our heart. People who don’t believe in God are an affliction to those who do believe; they are black holes in an otherwise seamless tapestry of faith in His infinite creation and eternal word. (64g) Paradox >> Anomalies >> Limits of God >> God cannot deny Himself (205a) Salvation >> Salvation is based on God’s promises >> According to promise >> God never changes KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 2Tim 2,14-18 (84l) Thy kingdom come >> Your words can lead to your own demise >> They can be destructive – Wrangling about words is semantics (the individual meanings of words, as opposed to the overall meaning of a passage; onelook.com). Paul told Timothy to solemnly charge the leaders of the Church not to get semantic with the word of God. This is actually a common problem in many Christian circles, especially when it comes to endtime prophecy. If we ever find ourselves arguing with a fellow Christian about a single word or two, stop and remember this verse, because we know it is not the will of God. They call it a "debate", but that is just a nicer word for arguing. Debating about religion is no doubt a common occurrence, but we should leave that to unbelievers. Those of us who believe in Jesus should seek unity, not division. Jesus died for our sins; He rose from the dead and ascended into heaven and sent the Holy Spirit in His place. There is no room for debate in that, and anything beyond this is peripheral. Anybody who would debate about a single word has a contentious spirit. Discussions of this sort are fruitless, leading to the ruin of the hearers. Some like to start arguments and complain about everything, and invariably they fail to arrive at the truth. (158c) Works of the devil >> Essential characteristics >> Divide and conquer >> Strife >> Contentions, especially about words (semantics) -- These verses go with verses 23-26. Having a spirit of contention was Paul’s complaint regarding those who like to be controversial, who like to stir up trouble and raise conflicts. He solemnly charged Timothy in the presence of God not to wrangle about words. For contentious people, debating is an opportunity to be argumentative. God has not called us to argue or to stir up strife, or to raise controversial questions; rather, “be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman, who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth.” Sometimes accurately dividing the truth comes down to a single word, so the difference between this and wrangling about words reduces to attitude. A contentious spirit has the motive and attitude to be divisive, while God's workman strives to unite people around the truth. (159c) Works of the devil >> Essential characteristics >> Counterfeit >> Counterfeit godliness >> Counterfeit Christian – People will attempt to trap us in semantic arguments. Contentious people listen for anything they can use that we might say and embellish our words, taking us out of context, like they do the Bible. As a result, our reputation flushes down the toilet because we had an argument with a religious Pharisee. Paul is telling us to avoid such people like the plague. He didn’t live in politically correct times as we do; he wasn’t concerned about protecting the offenders' identities, nor did he care if he hurt their feelings. Paul had no patience for those who would attempt to usurp the gospel. They were a thorn in his flesh (2Cor 12,7-10). Paul asked God to remove them from his ministry and God answered him, ‘No, they keep you humble.’ A little suffering helps the Christian; God can protect His own gospel. Suffering drives us to seek God for comfort, and his remedy adds things to our lives that help us fulfill our ministry. He wants us to convey His word to others through a powerful anointing. (167g) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Carnality/Secularism (mindset of the world) >> The carnal mind does not receive the things of God >> It does not understand the word of God – You can present an idea about the meaning of a word, but if the person disagrees, leave it at that. God wants us all on the same page, and the Holy Spirit is able to do that, so if there is a conflict, someone is disobeying the Holy Spirit. Paul wanted Timothy to follow God, so if anyone argued with him, he would know for certain that the person was resisting the Holy Spirit, but Timothy had to pay a price to have this level of confidence in the truth. Argumentative people obviously do not suffer the will of God in their lives. This is what we look for: do people suffer for the truth, or do they just like to argue about it? Do not bother with argumentative people, do not invest your life in them, and do not waste your time with them. (172f) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Tares among the wheat >> Hypocrites among the just >> Talkers among the walkers – Are we talking about Christians here? It doesn’t sound like it. Rather, these are religious hypocrites lacking faith. They may have been Christians at one time, but Paul does not hold out any hope for them. He didn’t say to Timothy, ‘Concentrate on these people and spend as many resources on them as necessary to reach them.’ Jesus goes looking for people who have gone astray, and so should we, but Paul did not instruct Timothy to do this for these particular individuals, because he would have had no success with them. They had already crossed the line, evidenced by their contentious spirit that is the opposite of seeking truth. We don’t have the resources or the office of reaching those who have lost the will to serve God. Only God's grace can break through their crusted hearts that eventually crystallizes to solid rock of unbelief, unless God can somehow reach them. They have bought the lie that their salvation is eternally secure, so now they can live any way they want. Easy-believism has led many a soul into the waiting arms of hell. (203h) Denying Christ >> Man chooses his own destiny apart from God >> Back-slider >> Withdraw from obeying God >> Withdrawing from God 2Tim 2-14,15 (104f) Thy kingdom come >> Pure in heart shall see God >> Shall see the Father >> Being in the presence of God 2Tim 2-14 (138f) Temple >> Building the temple (with hands) >> Reproof >> Reprove your brother for not thinking right (148b) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear witness to Jesus >> Evangelism >> Solemnly testify against unbelief – Those who do word studies think they can find a better word or phrase than the translation they are reading. Bible Hub is a website that parallels a verse with multiple translations, which is often very useful. Some look up words in the Greek to find its original meaning, and what they use to describe the meaning of the Greek is more words, using words to study words. Studying words is not often effective, which was Paul's point. The Bible says to rightly divide the word of God, so we try to divide every word, yet sometimes we still come to the wrong conclusions; instead, we should try conducting a contextual study on the passage in question, which usually yields better results. We get out our Greek dictionaries and lexicons, thinking all our resources make us better Bereans, but Paul said that “the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith” (1Tim 1-5). If we insist on studying words, a useful course would be to look for trends in the number of instances the Bible uses a certain word or concept, showing significance and giving it credence. For example, if a word is used fifteen times in the Bible, then we should give it stronger weight than a word that is used only three times. The scarlet thread running through Scripture from Genesis to Revelation is the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ; we should therefore focus on that and broaden our scope from there, but to focus our attention on words is useless according to Paul, and leads to the ruin of the hearers. (158a) Strife (Key verse) (163a) Works of the devil >> Being a slave to the devil (Addictions) >> Bondage >> Being slaves of men >> In bondage to peoples’ expectations of you (197h) Denying Christ >> Man exercises his will against God >> Man withers when he is in control >> False doctrine is fruitless (238h) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Pursuing the knowledge of the kingdom >> Teachers >> Teachers "remind" their students >> Strong reminders (240i) Kingdom of God >> Opposition toward the Kingdom of God >> Hindering the kingdom >> Taking away the key of knowledge >> Hindering people from entering the kingdom -- This verse goes with verses 16-18 2Tim 2-15,16 (14j) Servant >> Ministry of helps >> Helpers Are Indirectly In Charge Of The Word >> They have the heart of the one who trained them KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 2Tim 2-15 (4a) Responsibility >> Advocate God’s cause >> Accountable to the character of God (9d) Responsibility >> Prevent disunity within the body of Christ >> Prevent division (78j) Thy kingdom come >> Renewing your mind by the word of God >> Study the Bible – The Bible will not disappear at the end of this age any more than the Old Testament disappeared at the end of its age. The Bible is a collection of books that may continue to increase one book at a time throughout eternity as a record of the works of God with man, and as a record of those who stood behind Him and supported Him in all He did, such as Timothy, who was probably Paul’s most trusted helper on his missionary journeys. His authority was just under an apostle as one of the great church leaders of his time. He would stay after Paul established a church and act as itinerate pastor, until a permanent shepherd could be chosen among the congregation. Timothy accurately taught the word of God in the ways that Paul taught him. He wrote to Timothy, but his letters were read to all the saints and widely circulated among the brethren; therefore, what Paul wrote to Timothy has application to us all. There were only a limited number of manuscripts back then; not every one had a Bible in his house as they do today, but if they did, they would have read it. It takes a lot of time and effort to become proficient in the Scriptures; we don’t just read the Bible once or twice and consider ourselves certified in the knowledge of God. If we will become students of the word, then we should also become disciples of prayer, for the two of them complement each other like peas and carrots. (80c) Thy kingdom come >> Know the word in spiritual warfare >> To fight in the Spirit -- This verse goes with verse 5 (100g) Thy kingdom come >> Diligence >> Diligence in studying the Bible – The early Church had few manuscripts, so they couldn’t read the Bible all day like we can, yet they did regularly come together and publicly read the manuscripts and discussed the word of God and spent time in prayer according to the Christian faith. Soon afterward there was the dispersion from Jerusalem, and as Christianity increased in sphere throughout the world, the saints continued in spiritual fellowship. The word of God was so important to the people that when Gutenberg finally invented his printing press, the very first project of mass production was the Bible. This happened in the 1400’s, so for over 1400 years people lived without a Bible; all they had before that were manuscripts, which were handwritten copies of copies. For this reason, people memorized large portions of Scripture and recited them in public. They exhibited tremendous diligence in the Scriptures, compared to today when everybody owns a Bible but hardly reads it. Paul said we are to be workmen who do not need to be ashamed. (102a) Thy kingdom come >> Ambitious to fulfill God’s calling >> To see God’s will in your life (107l) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> hearing from God >> The Bible will lead you to truth >> Thy word is truth – The person who diligently studies the Bible does not need to be ashamed; he can divulge his knowledge of the Scriptures and be confident what he teaches is true. However, there are those who are very proficient in the Scriptures, yet they believe a lot of strange ideas. There is no difference between the person who rarely if ever reads his Bible and the person who has devoted his life to the Scriptures yet has come to all the wrong conclusions; they are both shameful. There is only honor in believing the truth, and the only way to derive the truth from Scripture is to be a disciple of prayer. That is to be in touch with the Spirit of Truth, our Teacher. (108c) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Faith is the balance between truth and unbelief – “Secular humanism” is redundant, for all humanism is intrinsically secular. On that note, t he Catholic Church doesn’t want its parishioners to read their Bibles. That should be the job of the priest to prevent misinterpretation, they say, so the Church doesn't end up with a hundred different denominations like the protestant Church has done, as though giving the Bible to a priest guarantees against misinterpretation. This is the height of spiritual deception, and it has bled into the Protestant Church. For example, we conduct our services in a way similar to the Catholic Church with strong central leadership, leaving the congregation to be mere spectators of the service, whose only real ministry is to tithe to perpetuate the system. As with Catholics, parishioners of the protestant Church hardly read their Bibles, though they still consider themselves devout Christians, because they faithfully go to church each week. What the observer takes from this is that Christians are not very interested in God, only in religion, giving the Church the appearance of another humanistic institution in the world. See also: Protestant services model after the Catholic Church; 1Pet 4-10,11; 234d (122a) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Confidence in God >> Confidence in the word of God (138a) Temple >> Building the temple (with hands) >> Maturity >> Maturing by the word of God (153k) Witness >> Validity of the Father >> God bears witness against the world >> Shame >> Living for Jesus exposes sin >> Your walk with God puts others to shame – It is ironic that verse 15 is sandwiched between verses 14 and 16 in that people frequently use verse 15 as an excuse to argue about the Bible, while 14 and 16 tell us not to argue. We are not to use our knowledge of the Bible to argue with one another, but to accurately teach the word of truth. We should not attempt to teach contentious and argumentative people; it is a waste of time. Rather, we should teach the word to people who are seeking the knowledge of God. Pet issues are peripheral to the gospel; people use them to avoid the gospel, yet to appear Christian. No one can judge who is a Christian and who isn't, but those who prefer issues over truth wave a red flag over their heads indicating that they are Christian in name only. (239k) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Pursuing the knowledge of the kingdom >> Teachers >> Let not many of you become teachers >> Dividing accurately the word of truth – The one who interprets Scripture least is usually most accurate in his assessment, but the one who adds layer upon layer of interpretation cannot possibly be right. Their manner of teaching suggests that God is such a lousy communicator that He needs us to interpret for Him. Man’s darkness fully accounts for his ignorance of the Scriptures without adding the need for interpretation. The one who over-interprets the Bible will soon lose sight of its message and get lost in his own mind. The real reason people interpret the Bible is when they read something they don’t like, they can make it say whatever they want. KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 2Tim 2,16-18 (26f) Sin >> Consequences of sin >> Death is the fruit of the world – Worldly and empty chatter is semantic; that is how it should sound to our spiritually trained ear, having the ability to strain out the noisy static of fruitless discussion from the edifying teachings of faith and love. Chatter, that is how a machine sounds, an aging car that develops rattling noises, needing a bold tightened. The sound is always obnoxious, rarely something that is working properly, just parts vibrating together, like vocal chords lacking direction. Get into an argument with someone who fits this description, who likes to argue about words, and we will soon discover his secular worldview. Although he is not stupid, he is running on empty, devoid of the Spirit. He interprets everything through the lens of societal issues, through a secular lens, which is how he approaches the Scriptures, but the truth simply does not reside at that address, and his empty chatter is never willing to repent. He thinks he knows the truth, and so how can we teach him anything? (106l) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Hearing from God >> Purpose of hearing from God >> To protect your faith (161c) Works of the devil >> Wandering from the character of God >> Wander from the truth – There are those who argue about the Bible and there are those who talk about anything but the Bible, and in neither case should we treat them as brethren. People like to talk about their children and their grandchildren and their jobs… anything but what Jesus is doing in their lives; why is that do you suppose? Jesus is doing nothing in their lives because they won't let Him, being entangled in the affairs of everyday life (verse 4). For most people in this situation they are unreachable, having secular minds, yet claiming to be Christian. God doesn’t want us wasting our lives on those who have no intentions of serving the Lord. (161k) Works of the devil >> Satan determines the world's direction >> Carried Away >> Carried away by religion -- These verses go with verse 4 (179f) Works of the devil >> Practicing witchcraft >> Wolves >> False prophets >> False prophets preach works and deny Christ – A heretic teaches legalism because it works to hold people in bondage. They almost always go back to the dos and don’ts of religious behavior, crafting doctrines and providing rationales for the things they require of their parishioners, and those who refuse to cooperate are condemned. They point at people with a critical finger, turning everything black or white, right or wrong, true or false, attempting to eliminate all their questions and defenses. The law is that way, and Paul was saying that most heretics and false prophets go back to a form of law, though they never live by their own rules that they impose on others. (182e) Works of the devil >> The origin of lawlessness >> Deception >> Three causes of interpreting Scripture falsely >> Because they have no regard for God’s word (240i) Kingdom of God >> Opposition toward the Kingdom of God >> Hindering the kingdom >> Taking away the key of knowledge >> Hindering people from entering the kingdom -- These verses go with verse 14 2Tim 2-16,17 (16e) Sin >> Man’s willingness to be evil >> Allowing sin to reign in your flesh >> Afraid to deal with it 2Tim 2-16 (179k) Works of the devil >> Practicing witchcraft >> Wolves >> Wolves lead people into a cult >> Leading people through ignorance -- This verse goes with verse 18 KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 2Tim 2-18 (179k) Works of the devil >> Practicing witchcraft >> Wolves >> Wolves lead people into a cult >> Leading people through ignorance -- This verse goes with verse 16. Teaching that the resurrection had already taken place was exactly the issue that Paul addressed with the Thessalonians in 2The 2,1-3. Verse two says you should “not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.” Obviously, some of the Gnostic believers of their time were filling the minds of the saints with these false teachings. “The Day of the Lord” pertains to the First Resurrection and the Rapture, among other things. We don’t hear about the Rapture having already occurred, because we have World News at 5:30 PM, and we would know if the Rapture occurred. In Paul’s day people only knew the developments in their neighborhoods, less in their town and even less in the next town, etc., so the Rapture could possibly have occurred and they not known it. We have every problem except this one in our churches today. (201j) Denying Christ >> Man chooses his own destiny apart from God >> Running from God >> Man’s will over God >> God permits man to go his own way (236l) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> The Church is transferred to the kingdom >> The Rapture >> The day of the Lord – Their teaching spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have wandered from the truth. They claimed that the First Resurrection/Rapture had already occurred, spurring Paul to write Second Thessalonians chapter two, being an example of God turning a bad thing into something good. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that these two guys who spread the rumor that the resurrection had already occurred means that they too were left behind, incriminating themselves. The Church was already divided on the point of the "Rapture", making it seem the most important subject of endtime prophecy, and it remains the most volatile word in Christendom. These false prophets who were spreading lies prove that nothing has changed over the last 2000 years, and it is the same caliber of people lying about the Rapture today. 2Tim 2-19 (42h) Judgment >> Satan destroyed >> Transformed >> Conform to the purity of Christ – Jesus said that determining who are the true brethren is a simple matter of examining their fruit. Everyone who wants to be a teacher of the word of God must abstain from wickedness, because sin leads to false teaching. We cannot live a lie and teach the truth, for our teaching is only as truthful as our life. Abstaining from wickedness is not an option for those who are serious about our faith, for we cannot believe in God and walk in sin. We can be backsliders for a season, but then repentance is in order. We cannot point at someone and say with utmost certainty that he is a Christian, but we know that God knows, and this is the firm foundation of the true Church. The witness dwells in the believer, and we can prove ourselves by abstaining from wickedness. If we cannot furnish proof of our faith by abstaining from wickedness, we have no other way of proving it. If we go "astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ" (2Cor 11-3), we are just hoping to be Christians, but the Bible doesn't say we are saved by grace through hope but through faith, for without faith we have no reason to hope. (71k) Authority >> Ordained by God >> We have His seal (97j) Thy kingdom come >> Endurance (Thorn in the flesh) >> Rooted deeply >> Standing firm in the faith >> Immovable – The Bible has much to say about developing confidence in God. We can equate confidence with faith so as our faith develops, our confidence grows too. Nevertheless, faith and confidence are two different things. Faith is something we receive from God, not to be confused with the gift of faith, mentioned in 1Corinthians chapter 12. Faith is how we have come into the household of God; faith is how we have become born-again and have been given this introduction into His grace. God-given faith is a deep knowing that we belong to God, but confidence grows through our walk. Faith and confidence are interrelated, edifying each other so that our walk enhances our faith and our faith enhances our confidence. See also: Difference between "belief" and "faith" (Believing in God by revelation of the Spirit) Mat 4-23,24; 145c (105e) Thy kingdom come >> Pure in heart >> Abstain from wickedness (137f) Temple >> Building the temple (with hands) >> Jesus is the foundation >> Church is the foundation of manifested truth (150ca) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear witness to Jesus >> Confessing Jesus to be saved >> Confessing Jesus as the Son of God -- This verse goes with verse 22 (156i) Witness >> Validity of the believer >> Evidence of salvation >> Confessing Jesus is evidence of salvation (192j) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Turn from sin to God >> Repent >> Stop practicing sin >> Stop sinning – What good is it to know we belong to Christ, but nobody else believes it because our walk is so shoddy? We know in our spirit that we belong to God, for His seal resides in us. Rom 8-16 says, “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God.” However, this is not a seal that we can reveal to others. The only way to reveal this seal is through confidence that we have in Him that grows through consistency. We cannot put a price on confidence with respect to the people who judge our sincerity, and we cannot put a price on their trust in our faith. This is big when it comes to unity in the body of Christ. (213i) Sovereignty >> God is infinite >> Jesus owns you >> His will becomes our will >> We are God’s property -- This verse goes with verse 4. This seal is like two sides of a coin, where one side belongs to us and the other side belongs to God. Our side of the seal is confidence that proves to the brethren that we belong to Him, and His side is faith that we use to relate to Him. If our faith is broken by sin, and if we refuse to repent, our confidence in Him suffers, and everyone will know it. (217j) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> God’s will over man >> I never knew you >> Because you are not of His sheep (219h) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> The elect >> God chooses us as we choose ourselves >> God chooses us through our faithfulness KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 2Tim 2,20-22 (8k) Responsibility >> Responsible to defend God’s cause >> Preparing for the ministry (32g) Gift of God >> Father will honor you if you die to self >> Your faithfulness (74c) Thy kingdom come >> The heart >> God wants you to protect your heart (103h) Thy kingdom come >> Purifying process >> Cleanse yourself – In a wealthy man’s house there are not only vessels made of gold and silver, but also vessels made of materials of lower value. Paul is using this analogy to say that not all Christians are the same in the house of God, but the goal of every Christian should be to cleanse himself from things that bring dishonor to Him. Gold purified through fire is a common theme of Scripture. Fire represents suffering, which is another theme running through Scripture. God passes us through fiery circumstances to purify us as a vessel of honor. Even pottery has gone through the fire, but if it is made of wood, it will burn. This is the kind of life that is dishonorable to God, one that cannot be purified without turning to ash, who do not survive God's purifying process. (127n) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Goodness >> Devote your life to doing good -- These verses go with verse 3 (187e) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Die to the flesh >> Dying to receive the glory of God >> Die to self to be set free (213h) Sovereignty >> God is infinite >> Jesus owns you >> We are his instruments >> We are clay in the potters hand – Each person represents a collection of vessels. Some are beautiful works of art, while others are made of pottery or whittled from a piece of wood; some are used for noble purposes, others for less noble purposes. For example, one canister is used for a spittoon while another is where we keep the ashes of our grandfather. The noble vessels are made of gold and silver, while the less noble vessels consist of wood and other flammable materials. God comes to our house and conducts a surprise inspection using fiery circumstances, and He wants us to downsize, getting rid of the junk and increase the quality of our home. As time passes we collect more vases, some valuable and some not, and occasionally we must sort the common from noble, keeping only the good ones, so when the Lord comes, He will be pleased with us. In place of youthful lusts we pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. A pure heart is in reference to sincerity of faith, which was how Paul described Timothy. 2Tim 2-20,21 (4g) Responsibility >> Advocate God’s cause >> He who is faithful in little is also faithful in much (191f) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Result of putting off the old man >> Set apart >> God sanctifies us through our devotion to Him (227e) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Rewards of heaven >> God rewards endurance >> Keeping our rewards through endurance 2Tim 2-22,23 (192k) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Turn from sin to God >> Repent >> Stop practicing sin >> Run from sin 2Tim 2-22 (22f) Sin >> Lust (craving pleasure) >> Fleshly desire (95h) Thy kingdom come >> Attitude >> Having an obedient attitude >> Ready to do God’s will (105a) Thy kingdom come >> Pure in heart >> A pure heart is a genuine heart – Paul told Timothy not to walk through this world alone but to walk with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. I can lean on you and you can lean on me as members of one another; that is the whole purpose of the Church. Just as one hand works with the other, so we are to work with our fellow believers to forge spiritual maturity for the sake of promoting the gospel in the world. There are many attributes of God that Paul mentioned, but purity of heart is the key attribute that unlocks all the others. A person can pursue righteousness, peace, faith and love but never achieve them without purity of heart. He may obtain a facsimile of these attributes, but without a pure heart we cannot receive anything from the Lord (Jm 1,6-8). Lacking a pure heart disconnects us from heaven. Without purity of heart everything is imitation; we only pretend to believe in Jesus, lost in a world of godless sinners. (125ba) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Faith and love in equal measure (126a) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Peace >> God is at peace >> The peace from God (148f) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear witness to Jesus >> Evangelism >> Natural advantage as an evangelist >> Being youthful (150ca) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear witness to Jesus >> Confessing Jesus to be saved >> Confessing Jesus as the Son of God -- This verse goes with verse 19 (193k) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Turn from sin to God >> Run to God >> Run to God to avoid running from Him KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 2Tim 2,23-26 (12h) Servant >> Bond servant >> Their indifference to the world (89b) Thy kingdom come >> Fear of God is the beginning of wisdom >> Wisdom corresponds with logical reasoning (128g) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Gentleness >> Be gentle in all your ways >> Be gentle in correcting one another – As people coming from religious backgrounds such as Hinduism or Islam or any other false religion, many of their beliefs have been imparted into them by demonic revelation. They believe it in a spiritual manner as much as Christians believe the truth, and for this reason it is very difficult to dissuade them from their beliefs. Only God can do this through prayer. We can tell someone about Jesus, but this is not the same as imparting the truth into them; only the Holy Spirit can do that. We need to add prayer to the word of God and entreat Him to move on their behalf to grant them repentance. The word of God and prayer is required to dissuade people from their religion and into faith in the truth. See also: False revelation; 193g (157a) Witness >> Validity of the believer >> Evidence of being hell-bound >> Rejecting God >> Rejecting the truth – Controversial subjects are not at issue with contentious people but the spirit they use to contend their arguments. We are to correct with gentleness those who live in error, using the fruits of the spirit to show them how a person ought to live who names Jesus as their Savior. We show them they are walking by a wrong spirit. The people whom Paul is describing are not Christians. They are unbelievers who are infiltrating the Church and trying to draw the disciples to themselves (Act 20-30), and their motives are evil. At the top of the list is pride and arrogance, and ultimately money. (158c) Works of the devil >> Essential characteristics >> Divide and conquer >> Strife >> Contentions, especially about words (semantics) -- These verses go with verses 14-18. We should avoid controversial issues that people can easily spin to correlate with their own knowledge. If we allow them to continue, they will divide the body of Christ, so doing nothing is not an option. The subject matter that is easily misinterpreted and turned into controversy are the topics that wander from the teachings of godliness, which was Paul’s main emphasis throughout both letters to Timothy and Titus. Everything else is subject to ignorant speculation. People in the Church today argue over everything, but Paul said that the Lord’s bondservant must not be quarrelsome. Rather, we must speak the word in a Spirit of kindness and teach with patience those who would contend with us. We should not try to beat the contentious person at his own game, but maintain a higher standard and win over our opponents with weapons of righteousness in the fruits of the Spirit. (162h) Works of the devil >> Being a slave to the devil (Addictions) >> Bondage >> Addicted to sin >> Being a slave to the nature of sin -- These verses go with verses 3-5 (176c) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Ignorance >> Ignorance lurks in darkness (177k) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Presumption (Hinduism) >> Presuming the will of God >> Man’s knowledge of God is based on presumption – Being argumentative and contentious is the opposite of pursuing the fruits of the spirit. These argumentative issues are always speculative and impossible to prove; that’s why people argue about them. Argumentative people need an act of God in their lives to change, for only the Holy Spirit can reach them. They hold to their pet issues, considering them more important than the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. We must correct them with gentleness to oppose their ways, lest we fall prey to their harshness. Those who fixate on peripheral issues use them as a means of diverting their attention off the gospel. They are being led by the devil to wander from God’s purpose, whose will is to focus on the simplicity of the gospel and the love of the brethren. They cannot comprehend the simple truth of God’s love because they don't care about it. God has not called us to concern ourselves with anything beyond a simple faith in Jesus Christ. No matter how dark the world gets; no matter how grave the issues, the gospel must remain front and center or we will stray from the truth and succumb to heresies and teach them in place of the truth. (193g) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Turn from sin to God >> Repent >> God grants repentance – Paul described a Christian toiling with a contentious unbeliever, masked as a disciple of Jesus, attempting to steal the hearts of the saints. The Christian challenge is to show the offender the character of God as we work with Him, who grants repentance to those who live in error, leading to the knowledge of the truth. Those who are seeking salvation and righteousness through faith are led by the Spirit to church that they might receive from God everything they need to inherit eternal life, but they are not the only ones being led to church. The devil also leads certain ones to church for the opposite reason, not to discover eternal life, but to drag the saints off their trail of good works and into a lair of demonic abuse, where unbelief lies in wait to replace their faith. This is a travesty of epic proportions that we cannot allow in our churches. We must confront those who would steal away the disciples under our noses. Paul mentioned three of the nine fruits of the Spirit in this passage: kindness, patience and gentleness, as a means of showing the ways of the Lord to those who live in error, and hopefully leading them to the knowledge of the truth as God grants them repentance. See also: False revelation; 2Tim 2,23-25; 36b (200j) Denying Christ >> Excuses for rejecting Christ >> Using irresponsibility as an excuse to reject God >> Using your sinful nature as an excuse to sin (212d) Sovereignty >> God is infinite >> He is the creator >> Evolution (Defaming God) >> The philosophy of evolution 2Tim 2,23-25 (36b) Gift of God >> Gifts from the Holy Spirit >> The gift of repentance – Paul said that maybe God would grant them repentance, meaning this is what it takes to be released from spiritual darkness, for only God can deliver them by granting them repentance who live in error. It is a gift of His grace to be released from the lies of the devil who believe them by revelation, just as those who are convinced of the truth believe it by a revelation of the Holy Spirit. We can tell people about God's truth, but until they get a revelation of it, they cannot believe. The birds swoop to eat the seed the moment it hits the ground, according to the parable of the sower (Lk 8,4-15). Until we understand the truth by revelation, we are susceptible to spiritual forces of wickedness in high places. See also: False revelation; 2Tim 2,24-26; 119j 2Tim 2-23,24 (1e) Responsibility >> Avoid offending God and people >> Do not criticize in the flesh (239g) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Pursuing the knowledge of the kingdom >> Teachers >> Teachers are construction workers >> God raises up teachers to raise up the body -- These verses go with verse 2 2Tim 2-23 (186f) Works of the devil >> The result of lawlessness >> The reprobate >> Man’s role in becoming a reprobate >> The fool >> The heart of a fool KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 2Tim 2,24-26 (95a) Thy kingdom come >> Perspective >> False perspective in the world (109f) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Revelation of God >> Revelation of God's word is true knowledge (119j) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Curse of sin is broken >> Bondage of Satan is broken – The spirit we believe is the spirit we serve, and we receive its respective blessings or else curses. Hence, to obey a demonic spirit is to be cursed by the revelation it inspires, and in like manner to obey the Holy Spirit is to be blessed by the revelations He inspires. For this reason Paul promised blessings from God to all who obey the Holy Spirit (Eph 1-3), and for this reason also it is important to understand and believe the truth, for we are doing more than believing a set of facts, for God has made a covenant with us through His word that accompanies salvation. See also: False revelation; 2Tim 2-1; 72h 2Tim 2-24,25 (127c) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Kindness >> Be kind like God >> Returning kindness for evil – God wants us to be kind to our enemies, even especially to our enemies. We could almost say they are our best customers in that they give us free publicity. They try our faith, and if we remain faithful in front of their ensuing adversity, we should be able to overcome just about anything. There is nothing harder on our flesh than to be kind to those who are unkind to us. Paul said something like this to the Galatians, “looking to yourself so that you also aren’t tempted” (Gal 6-1). If we act like our enemies or imitate their misconduct, whom we are trying to correct, we are really no better than them. Perhaps we say we have a better cause than theirs. On the contrary, this does not withstand scrutiny if being kind to them has a better outcome. If practicing the fruits of the Spirit doesn’t work with them, if they never see the light, or have a change of heart, being mean to them won’t work either. Jesus chewed out the Pharisees for good reason, because they were trying to take over the Church. Therefore, anyone who tries to take over the Church, we can talk to them the same way Jesus did, and John confirms this in his third epistle, and there are other cases throughout Scripture that teach us to contend earnestly for the faith (Jd-3,4). However, if we are just talking about somebody who disagrees with us during Bible study, and he happens to be wrong, he is not trying to take over the Church; he’s just trying to express his point too. If he doesn’t believe our teachings and doctrines, maybe he will believe our kindness and gentleness and patience; but if he doesn’t believe that either, then maybe he is a false brother. In that case there is another set of teachings regarding how we should treat him. If he doesn’t listen to us, we should bring a witness, and if he doesn’t listen to two or three witnesses, tell it to the whole church, and if his misconduct continues, then we are to consider him an unbeliever (Mat 18,15-17). However, in this verse Paul is talking about someone who simply disagrees with our ideas. 2Tim 2-24 (126l) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Patience >> Be patient with your brother 2Tim 2-25,26 (18l) Sin >> Twisted thinking >> Evil is good >> Loving bondage – Very few people behave like the truth matters to them, though there are more Bibles in circulation than any other time in history, removing all excuses. Paul was emphatic about being accurate in the knowledge of God, and in fact throughout the entire old and New Testaments this attitude is maintained, that “perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth.” The truth delivers us from satanic bondage, meaning that people who don’t think the truth is important are being manipulated by demons. Satan wants them to believe the truth is unimportant, so he can replace it with his truth. This should mean that we can talk to people who are enslaved to demonic religions and they easily let go of them, because they are unimportant, yet a person caught in satanic delusion is nearly impossible to reach, meaning the devil's lies are important to him. This suggests that most people are willing to believe a lie rather than God's truth. (31h) Gift of God >> Grace >> Salvation >> The ministry of reconciliation (116l) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Rest in Jesus (Sabbath) >> Rest in His yoke by dying to self >> Relax as God kills you 2Tim 2-25 (111a) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Spirit and the word >> Spirit sets you apart by the word >> Set apart through repentance – On the one hand, Paul taught that each of us should make a contribution to the knowledge of God, and on the other hand He wants us all to agree (1Cor 1-10). Normally, we wouldn’t think these two would go together, but they do when the Spirit of God is moving among His people. He can reconcile things that seem to contradict; but without Him, contention arises from any little thing. If there are disputes and arguments in the body of Christ, they are because the Holy Spirit is not in charge. The lifestyle of godliness and the fruits of the Spirit lead to the truth, but arrogant blasphemers think they already know the truth, and this is where the work of God comes to convict them. Paul is saying that the only way we can convince people they need to repent is to show them the ways of God. We cannot simply tell them but show them by example, praying they come to their senses and realize they are prisoners of satanic forces of deception. KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 2Tim 2-26 (163b) Works of the devil >> Being a slave to the devil (Addictions) >> Bondage >> Being slaves of men >> Prison -- This verse goes with verse 9 See next page