2 Timothy 2:1-13 (NKJV) You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. 3 You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 4 No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. 5 And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. 6 The hardworking farmer must be first to partake of the crops. 7 Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things.
8 Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel, 9 for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains; but the word of God is not chained. 10 Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.
11 This is a faithful saying:
For if we died with Him,
We shall also live with Him.
12 If we endure,
We shall also reign with Him.
If we deny Him,
He also will deny us.
13 If we are faithless,
He remains faithful;
He cannot deny Himself.
V1 “You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” Speaking to Timothy, Paul addresses him as “my son,” which means a close and faithful fellow worker. The relationship would be as a father who teaches and guides his son. Paul doesn’t tell Timothy to be strong; he tells him to be strong in the grace of the Lord Jesus, that is, to depend on God’s assisting grace for you ministry. Compare 2 Corinthians 12:9.
V2 “And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” The standards of God’s leadership, beliefs, worldview, lifestyle, and rules were known to Timothy. These standards were to be used and taught to a new generation of church leaders. The Greek word for “faithful” is (G4103) πιστός pistós, which means trustworthy, faithful, and firmness in the faith. It is also used of God in 2 Corinthians 1:18. The Lord Jesus said to be faithful in small things before one can be called to be faithful in bigger things (Luke 16:10-12 and Luke 19:17). These church leaders need to be able to teach. Some of the most important duties of a church leaders is to teach the Scriptures, teach the Christian worldview, lifestyle, rules, doctrine, evangelism, and apologetics. See 2 Timothy 3:16-17. The word “others” refers to new leaders but most importantly all believers.
V3 “You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.” Rest and comfort are in heaven. Down here, we have service to do for our Lord and the road is not always easy. We must be faithful. That’s why Paul emphasizes the need for God’s grace. Paul faced many hardships, afflictions, persecution, imprisonments, etc. There is the internal warfare where the devil and our flesh seek for us to be diverted from holiness. There is the external warfare of mockery, gaslighting, verbal and physical abuse.
V4 “No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.” This teaches priorities. We are Christians, so God’s way must be first. This attitude would be exercised in ministry, family, business, and society. The result of wrong priorities is explained by the Lord Jesus in the parable of the sower: Matthew 13:22 (NKJV) “Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.”
V5 “And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.” An illustration showing the importance of following God’s rules in Christian living and ministry. All of us must appear before the judgment seat of Christ (Romans 14:10-11 and 2 Corinthians 5:9-10) where we are judged for faithfulness. Crowns are rewarded. See 1 Corinthians 3:10-15.
Some other comments:
(Holman Commentary) “Christian living also requires adherence to certain rules regarding purity, doctrinal orthodoxy, faith, and love. Those who abide by the truth of God’s Word will receive their reward on the day of judgment. Those who try to claim the prize without a commitment to faithful obedience will be disqualified.”
Barclay (beware): “There is a very interesting point in the Greek here which is difficult to bring out in translation. The King James Version speaks of striving lawfully. The Greek is athlein (G118) nomimos (G3545). In fact that is the Greek phrase which was used by the later writers to describe a professional as opposed to an amateur athlete. The man who strove nomimos (G3545) was the man who concentrated everything on his struggle. His struggle was not just a spare-time thing, as it might be for an amateur; it was a whole-time dedication of his life to excellence in the contest which he had chosen. Here then we have the same idea as in Paul’s picture of the Christian as a soldier. A Christian’s life must be concentrated upon his Christianity just as a professional athlete’s life is concentrated upon his chosen contest. The spare-time Christian is a contradiction in terms; a man’s whole life should be an endeavor to live out his Christianity.”
Let us remember the words of the Lord Jesus about faithfulness: Matthew 5:19 (NKJV) “Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
V6 “The hardworking farmer must be first to partake of the crops.” The harvest of the dedicated farmer is great, but the part-time or less dedicated farmer receives less. God’s harvest is not in numbers but faithfulness and obedience to the Scriptures. Barclay (beware) adds: “Often the husbandman must be content, first, to work, and, then, to wait. More than any other workman, he has to learn that there are no such things as quick results. The Christian too must learn to work and to wait. Often he must sow the good seed of the word into the hearts and minds of his hearers and see no immediate result. A teacher has often to teach, and see no difference in those he teaches. A parent has often to seek to train and guide, and see no difference in the child. It is only when the years go by that the result is seen; for it often happens that when that same young person has grown to manhood, he or she is faced with some overmastering temptation or some terrible decision or some intolerable effort, and back into his mind comes some word of God or some flash of remembered teaching; and the teaching, the guidance, the discipline bears fruit, and brings honour where without it there would have been dishonour, salvation where without it there would have been ruin. The farmer has teamed to wait with patience, and so must the Christian teacher and the Christian parent.”
V7 “Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things.” Paul urges Timothy’s service and wisdom in his responsibilities. We must learn the facts (knowledge), the why’s and how’s (understanding), applications and experience (wisdom). Prudence is wisdom with alertness of surroundings and situations an anticipation of coming failures and/or successes.
V8 “Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel…” Showing the importance of the resurrection. See 1 Corinthians 15:1-6. Jesus’s resurrection was a bodily resurrection.
V9 “…for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains; but the word of God is not chained.” The resurrection of the Lord Jesus has caused Paul mocking, scorn, imprisonment, and attempts on his and other’s life (Acts 4:2-3, Acts 17:32, Acts 23:6 and following verses, and Acts 24:21. While Paul is in prison, he witnesses to the guards and other prisoners.
V10 “Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.” We must all show endurance. See Galatians 6:9, Acts 20:24, Romans 15:5 (also showing the need for God’s assisting grace), and Hebrews 12:1-3. Also, James 1:4 (EHV) “And let patient endurance finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” The word “salvation” here is to be understood as deliverance. It is a deliverance from the world, its system, and his reactions to Jesus and His followers.
V11 “This is a faithful saying:
For if we died with Him,
We shall also live with Him.”
This is considered to be an ancient Christian hymn. Hymns should express good theology and applications. We did die with Him (Romans 6:5, Galatians 2:20, and Colossians 3:3). We will also live , which refers to the resurrection. Jesus’s resurrection is the guarantee of believers resurrection (at the Rapture). See Romans 6:8, Colossians 3:4, and 1 Thessalonians 5:10. Our old self consisting of soul and spirit is dead; God created a new soul and spirit that is holy (2 Corinthians 5:17).
V12 “If we endure,
We shall also reign with Him.
If we deny Him,
He also will deny us.”
Here are two conditional statements: 1) if we endure, then we will reign with Him and 2) if we deny Him, then He will deny us. The choice is ours. We have God’s assisting grace. The Greek word for “endure” is (G5278) ὑπομένω hupoménō, which means to persevere. We will reign with Him; we will be service to the Lord Jesus, the King of all kings and Lord of all lords. The Greek word for “reign” is (G4821) συμβασιλεύω sumbasileuō, which means co-regent. The Greek word for “deny” is (G720) ἀρνέομαι arnéomai, which means to refuse to acknowledge, know, have loyalty to, etc. These who do deny want nothing to do with Jesus. It is a total rejection. Peter denied the Lord Jesus three times, but repented and never did it again even finally dying as a Christian martyr. He did not have a total rejection of Jesus and the faith.
V13 2 Timothy 2:13 (WEB) If we are faithless, he remains faithful. For he can’t deny himself.”
The last clause gives a solemn warning; this gives a message of hope. Not every weakness of faith will call down the awful judgement ἀρνήσεται ἡμᾶς; for man’s faith in God is not the measure of God’s faithfulness to man. He is ‘the faithful God’ (Deu 7:9). ἀπιστεῖν here, as always in the N.T., definitely means unbelief, a wavering of faith, not an open act of disloyalty, so much as an inward distrust of God’s promises. We have the same thought in Rom 3:3 (in a different context)…” (Cambridge Greek Commentary).
Denying implies a total, complete, and permanent rejection. See Romans 9:6.
Barclay writes: “Long ago Tertullian said: “The man who is afraid to suffer cannot belong to him who suffered” (Tertullian: De Fuga, 14). Jesus died to be true to the will of God; and the Christian must follow that same will, whatever light may shine or shadow fall.”
The faithfulness of the Lord Jesus is not changed by someone who totally and permanently rejects Him.