Faithfulness or Apostasy
Be Persistent to the End
2 Timothy 4
Tom J. Nettles
I
Urgency
of a Word Centered Ministry 4:1-8
A The
clarity of Timothy’s present task 1-5
1
An
impressive foundation - Paul already has
issued at least 20 imperatives in this letter;
Eleven [or more] of these directly impact his view toward Christian
truth as issued in words. He has told
Timothy many important things: “Kindle
afresh the gift of God, Don’t be ashamed of the Testimony of our Lord, join me
in suffering, retain the standard of sound words, guard the treasure entrusted
to you, remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead etc., be diligent to present
yourself approved to God, continue in the things you have learned” He had told Timothy in 2:14 “earnestly charge
them before God not to wrangle about words.”
With all these imperatives, and more, this one imperative recapitulates
the seriousness and urgency of all of them.
2
The
earnestness of the charge 1 All the more impressive, then is the
intensity of this charge; for same verb see 1 Tim 5:21 accompanied by same
modifiers. In that passage, the issue
was the selection and discipline of elders, the teaching ministry of the
church. Paul’s deep God-inspired
commitment to the importance of each local church as the purveyor of divine
truth and the guardian of the gospel cannot be sidestepped in biblical
interpretation. The church and its
elders must see themselves as under divine authority and having no liberty to
invent the church’s mission, its officers, its message, or its worship. These are established in the Word. To go beyond Scripture is to teach some
“other doctrine” strictly forbidden by Paul [1 Tim 1:6].
(a) Before God – This
dismisses the influence of earthly pressure and the power of men for the
ultimate fact of God as creator, sustainer, and all seeing – Lk. 12:1-12 Fear of man may drive many a minister to
abbreviate his emphasis on some vital biblical truth. External pressures can make one feel that he
is answerable to man and not God. God’s
truth must never be a matter of human negotiation, political strategy, or
denominational prudence. We must be brought to our senses and realize that
nothing can be hidden from the eyes of him with whom we have to do [Hebrews
4:13] It seems that Paul was accused of
such trifling handling of the word, but he denied the charge vigorously and
demonstrated his unalloyed commitment to the full truth of revelation in spite
of human reticence about the exclusivity of his message [Galatians 1:9, 10].
(b) Before the Lord Jesus
Christ
(1) Judge – cf. Hebrews
9:26-28; 10:26-31; John 5:22, 30 – Jesus has appeared once in humiliation to
die for sinners and bring salvation to
the many whose sins he bore. When he
returns the issues of sin and salvation will be immutably set. Both those who remain alive as well as those
who have died will be judged by the Lord Jesus.
He himself will call all the dead forth from their graves and then judge
them according to an absolute standard of righteousness as well as a variety of
circumstances accompanying the different levels of revelation available to all
persons. To those whom he has quickened
in spirit [John 5:22] and have, therefore, believed on him, there will be life
eternal. Paul’s admonition comes in
light of the reality not only that Timothy will give an account to Jesus the
judge, but that those who hear him will be judged and will also stand as
witnesses either to his faithfulness or his compromise.
(2) By His appearing – In
1:10, his first coming, by which he abolished death etc.; Titus 2:13, the second
appearing in glory; 1 Tim 6:14, his second appearing; 2 Thes 2:8 – the glorious
appearing of his coming when, by its splendor, he destroys the man of
lawlessness. A variety of circumstances
and factors conspire to demote preaching from its true place of preeminence in
the church. When we are reminded ,
however, that Paul admonishes Timothy to preach and gives as impetus the
glorious appearing of Christ, nothing should be able to diminish the splendor
and power of such a prospect.
(3) By His Kingdom – His
future visible rule as well as his present rule through redemption and
3
The
clarity of the command 2 –“Preach the
word.” No doubt as to what word he
commends: He has in mind, of course, the
Old Testament writings as well as the apostolic deposit of faith that Timothy
learned from Paul and that he was responsible for passing on to others [2:1, 2;
3:10, 14]. By this time Peter could
commend in writing Paul’s letters as containing instruction consonant with his,
but more tightly reasoned and deeply grounded, put in the class of Scripture [2
Peter 3:1, 2 14-18]. Many feel that
other sources of instruction beyond Scripture may interest people more. New curriculums employing TV sitcoms, popular
books, and movies make their appeal to certain crowds. Paul would have none of this, however, and
insisted in the most solemn terms that the content of teaching and proclamation
was the Word.
(a) Stand upon it when it
is opportune and not opportune, responsive or unresponsive, good times or
no-times. The affections of an age or of
a particular culture shall not woo the faithful minister away from his
commanded task. Paul did not expect Timothy
to take a poll to discover if people wanted word-centered instruction; the
content of proclamation is determined from above, not below. No amount of disfavor may dissuade one from
preaching the word. This is not
negotiable, it is commanded even if the time is not ripe for it. Jesus even preached to the spirits in prison
[1 Peter 3:16-20]. He announced his
victory over sin and death, and all enemies of truth, to those, both demons and
men, who opposed the preacher of righteousness, Noah. Noah’s truth, so seemingly incredible in his
time, so alien to the world’s view of God, sin holiness, judgment, finally has
full vindication though the time in which he proclaimed it was ‘inopportune.”
(b) Faithful exposition leads one to reprove,
rebuke and exhort: Reprove refers to the correction of error as well as men for their
error. Knowledge of scriptural truth in
a comprehensive and coherently arranged order necessarily gives foundation to
this important pastoral task. Rebuke refers to confrontation, whether gentle
or severe, for sin. Some of this must be
done privately but at times public rebuke is demanded by the nature of the
offence. Exhort is the positive encouragement in duties of love to God and
love to neighbor and also consolation in times of trouble and distress. Sometimes one must be a Boanerges, son of
thunder, and at other times a Barnabas, son of consolation.
(c) Effectiveness requires
patience, long-burning and genuine instruction.
Patience without instruction creates laxness and an effete Christianity. Instruction without patience tends to
frustration, unnecessary confrontation, discouragement and a loss of pastoral
sympathy.
4
Distressing
Temptations to Ignore the command 3, 4
“For the time will come;” “For;” The
urgency of the above instructions is increased by the reality that Christian
truth will be challenged, ignored, and amended by those who can not stomach its
power. Paul foresees one of the
inopportune seasons, the no-time. The
time came soon, as Paul already has dealt with doctrinal deviation in several
of his letters, here in chapter 2, 1 Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians; The apostle John confronts this throughout
his epistolary correspondence and gives severe warnings against aiding false teachers
in any way [2 John]. Peter also foresaw
this and confronted it in person. [2 Peter].
Our Lord dealt with this in his earthly ministry. Even in his presence some preferred easier
doctrine [John 6:27-29, 41-45, 52-58, 60-65, 66-71]
(a) Obnoxious to sound
doctrine – Paul already has admonished Timothy to hold fast the form of sound
words, whole words, words that need no correction. Now he speaks of those who cannot endure
whole, comprehensive, coherent, fully biblical doctrine. The depravity of men causes them to reject
the doctrine of depravity and their corruption and helplessness makes them
eschew the gospel of grace that is their only help.
(b) Seekers of teachers to
say pleasing things – play on words;
They can not endure the curative qualities of sound didaskalia [teaching or doctrine] so they seek didaskalous [teachers] palatable to their tastes in their sickness
unto death. These teachers say pleasing
things congenial to the ears of those who have bought them.
(c) Turn away from truth,
to fables – on the one hand they have their ears tickled by those same ears
turn away from the truth.
5
Don’t
Fall 5
Falling comes when calling declines, therefore
(a)
Be
sober, that is, clear headed and serious minded about all things; don’t be
deluded by the immediate fashionableness of an idea. Maintain a clear feeling for the seriousness
of Christ’s judgment of the living and the dead. “He carries on with his exhortation to make
sure that the more grievous the troubles, the more conscientiously will Timothy
labour to cure them, and the more pressing the dangers, the more intently will
he keep watch.” [Calvin]
(b) Suffer hardship rather
than surrender truth – summary of 2:3-7 and also 1:8. Timothy is not invited to a life of ease and
comfort. The gospel is a head on
collision with the world. The world is
moving to hell and its speed and momentum witnesses to its delight in hellish
things. The heavenly-minded consistently
run counter to this direction, reject the driving force behind it, seek to
alter the direction of those caught in the speedy thrill of a roller coaster
ride that crashes into perdition. Every
earnest Christian becomes a “partaker of the afflictions of the gospel.”
(c) “Do the work of an
evangelist” Continue his focus on the Christ-centered gospel preaching –
1:8-11; 2:8. Paul probably has in mind
the “evangelist” as one of the specific offices of Ephesians 4:11. If it is true that Paul has recognized in
Timothy and has set him aside as a prophet [1:6], then he also may perform the
work of an evangelist. The apostle may
do the work of a prophet, an evangelist, and a pastor-teacher; the prophet may
do the work of an evangelist, and a pastor teacher. The evangelists may do the work also of a
pastor teacher. In certain cases
specific qualifications rule otherwise [Acts 21:9; 1 Cor. 14:34; 1 Timothy
2:11, 12]
(d) Do not omit any part of your ministry – “Fulfill
your ministry” [KJV – “make full proof”]He wanted Timothy to enjoy the same
satisfaction and confidence at the end of his life that Paul now
experienced. He was to prophesy, do the
work of an evangelist, serve as a pastor teacher, and all with such a view of
honoring Christ and emulating him that he also would join Paul in serving
joyfully through affliction for the cause of the gospel. There is more joy in the afflictions of a
Christian than in the greatest prosperity, unmixed with affliction, that the
world may provide. See Psalm 4:7 – “You
have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.”
B The end of Paul’s
ministry 6-8 – “For” - Paul gives an
urgent reason for Timothy to fulfill his ministry and to give such close
attention to the word.
1
His
realization of an impending martyrdom 6 {also
see comments on verses 17, 18 below] “Ready to be offered” That is, already being offered; Paul views his sacrifice through martyrdom as
the ratification of the truth of the new covenant that he has preached and as
sealing the certainty that God has included the Gentiles in the messianic
covenant [Phil 2:16-18 where he uses the same word for his sacrifice as a seal
on the sacrificial offering he gives to God of the faith of the Gentiles.] The same idea of the Gentiles covenantal
status through the sacrifice of Christ is seen in Ephesians 2:11-19; also 2
Corinthians 1:5, 6 for the apostolic suffering that the Gentiles would be included
combined with 3:4-5:21; Paul suffered and presents his martyrdom as a sacrifice
poured over that which he offers in giving up the Gentiles to God. All of this is the necessary and concomitant
means by which the certainty of Christ’s sacrificial and reconciling work gains
its full application for all of those for whom he has given himself as a sin
offering [2 Cor 5:21]. and the time of
his departure has come, his loosing from the present order of things and
the present calling. When he considered this possibility in the letter to the
Philippians he concluded that though he had a desire to “depart” and be with
Christ, there was yet more that his apostolic calling demanded of him here.
Phil 1 :23 “Having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by
far” uses the same word for depart as here in 2 Tim 4:6,” It is used in the
passive in Acts 16:26 when by the earthquake “everyone’s bonds were
unfastened.” He was not unfastened from this life before, but now, he senses
that the time of unfastening has
come. The time for the fulfillment of his desire to be with Christ, whose glory
he has seen so profoundly, whose excellence forced from his affections their
attachment to earthly greatness. Soon he would be unloosed from suffering,
unloosed from the emotionally grinding daily care of the churches, unloosed
from the attacks of false teachers, unloosed from the disappointments of
trusted earthly companions, unloosed from the threats of Jewish religious
leaders and the Roman political machine. His pressing “toward the goal for the
prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” would soon be attained.
2
Confidence
of a stewardship fully executed - This
involves three things. One, He has fought a good
fight—everything that has exalted itself against Christ he has brought captive,
not with carnal weapons but with those provided by the Spirit cf. 2 Cor. 10:3-6
and Ephesians 6:10-20. Two, he has finished his course. Paul did not run in vain as an apostle
(Galatians 2:2; Phil 2:16) but both his message and the result of his message
was consistent with that calling (1 Cor 9:1, 2). Nor did he manifest merely
external gifts and fruit, but kept himself
under control, running with purpose in fulfilling the calling as a Christian
even as he preached the gospel fulfilling the calling as an apostle. [1 Cor
9:24-27]. Three, he has kept the faith, both that which was granted him in
Christ Jesus when he found in Christ an excellence above all personal qualifications
[Phil. 3:8, 9] as well as that deposit of faith that consists of precious
revealed truths that, under the power of the Spirit, transform the elect from
one degree of glory to another.
3
A
clear view of the Future - Paul sees
clearly that God will grant him that for which he initially set him aside [1
Timothy 1:11, 12] God rewards Paul in
accord with the gifts of His own gracious working within him. He counted him faithful, that is accounted
from the beginning that Paul would be set aside for justification and would
demonstrate the true nature of faith through the severe challenges experienced
throughout life. God gave him faith and
all concomitant graces to show that it was genuine, tested and proved, and now,
by that same grace he will grant the crown of righteousness.
4
God
does not surrender his righteousness in this, but demonstrates in this reward
the same justice he manifested in the propitiatory offering of Christ [Romans
3:25, 26], for the one granting this crown is the “righteous judge.” God’s
merciful provision to sinners and the exuberant status of joy he grants them is
not an expression of mercy in disregard of righteousness, but is all the more
full because it is based on righteousness, the eternal life that is the result
of a perfectly fulfilled Law. This phrase, “the crown of righteousness” could signify
the crown that is righteousness or the crown that comes as a result of being
declared righteous. No contradiction
exists in the ideas but they certainly are tied to each other.
5
The
encouraging words that follow (“not only to me”) show that such confidence
comes not only to an apostle of Paul’s stature and suffering, but for all those
that love the appearing of Christ. Love does
not save or justify; faith-only fits
the declaration of justification. Love
always is imperfect and in our present state cannot fulfill the Law. Though it does not exist perfectly, however,
it exists in truth and is the spirit-wrought foundation for true faith. Faith cannot exist where love of Christ’s
righteousness does not precede. This is
why the new birth is necessary and why faith works by love [Galatians 5:5, 6]
II
Some
Personal Concerns 9-18
A The particular care
Paul needs from Timothy emphasized in verses 9, 13, 21 While in this life, though he is on the verge
of departing it, Paul needs to take advantage of all the means provided for a
continued witness and physical well-being.
The cloak he needs for winter is on the way. The parchments for his continued study. Perhaps some of these, ta biblia, papyrus rolls, would have been his own letters and the
parchments, membranas, would have
been Old Testament books. We are never,
even on the verge of death, beyond the need for study of the word of God to fit
our souls for entering into his presence.
Obviously the cloak for which he asked, one of his few earthly possessions,
he needed for warmth as winter approached (21).In addition, Paul desires the
presence of Timothy himself. Truly Paul
had no one else like him and others had now left or were on other missions.
B Observations Paul
makes about personal relations
1
Demas
forsook the work for the sake of the world – for Demas see Philemon 24 and Col
4:14. We perhaps cannot conclude with
absolute certainty the status of Demas, but it appears that his is a Hebrews
6:1-8 example. My! What had Demas seen in accompanying Paul? Conversions,
faithfulness of the apostle under extreme pressure, works of the Spirit as he
demonstrated the signs of an apostle, and inspired proclamation of what would
be canonical truth in perpetuity until the day of Christ. Yet none of this
sufficed for genuine conversion without the internal work of the Spirit to give
him the conviction that his citizenship was not in this world but in Heaven
from which he awaited a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Failing to se the
difference between the corruptible, perishing present order and the infinitely
glorious unchanging future order, Demas love this present world, the “now age.”
How sad, but so will we all unless omnipotent grace transforms our vision and
our love.
2
Some
have gone to other tasks – Crescens went to
3
Luke
is with him, the faithful companion and careful observer of what Paul did and
said from his deployment to
4
Mark
is reclaimed – See Acts 12:12; 13:13; 15:36-41.
5
Tychicus
has been sent to
6
Alexander
has aggressively opposed the message. Cf. 1 Tim 1:20 – Paul seems convinced
that he is dangerous to the faith and to believers as well. As then, so now,
the chief danger from any enemy is opposition to revealed truth. Any that would
oppose the message of Paul, oppose God and the well-being of his people.
C Paul on Trial
1
Abandoned
by human support at his defense 16 - See
the Lord’s promise to Paul Acts 23:11 and the consequent time of witness in
Rome Acts 28:28-31. It is difficult to ascertain all that are included in this.
Does this refer to Luke who was “with him?’ It probably was the occasion on
which Demas departed. It is harder to tell if this included Crescens and Titus,
but to me it seems unlikely.
2
Divine
intervention 17 –Nevertheless, though
human support failed, Paul recognized that he had been given courage, clarity,
and perseverance n the moment of
ultimate testing by the operation of the grace of God. Again, Pal
recognizes that this strength is not that Paul might be glorified, but that the
specific task to which he was called might be completed to the glory of God. It
is possible that this indicates that Paul would have one more journey (“so that
through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might
hear it. So I was rescued from the Lion’s mouth”) to reach a Gentile center
that he had not yet evangelized. If son the narrative of 6-8, would have to be
seen as an unchanging abiding confidence of Paul, not necessarily a revealed
awareness that his martyrdom was the sure outcome of this imprisonment.
3
Paul’s
confidence in ultimate preservation 18 -
This is a striking confidence in light of Paul’s realization that
martyrdom is just around the corner, or at least, inevitable as soon as his
divine assignment reaches conclusion. He
is not concerned finally about temporal preservation except as it relates to
finishing his task, but he is concerned that all the evil opposition not deter
him from the purity of his devotion to Christ and the gospel. By whatever path God leads him to the eternal
kingdom, Paul is satisfied, as long as the destination is eternal life under
the immediate and glorious rule of Christ.
III.
Final
Greetings - In spite of many who forsook
him, Paul maintained knowledge of those who remained faithful to the gospel and
to the tasks assigned them by the Lord. How warmly we are reminded of the joy
and comfort of Christian brotherhood. Friendship built on a common salvation
and a fellowship of mind on the doctrines of the grace of God form a foundation
for friendship of the most enduring and endearing sort (3 John 15).
IV.
Observations
on correspondence to Timothy [gathered
from the close of 1 Timothy 6] with some additions.
A
The
heaviest burden and most pervasively applied concern is the importance of the
bishop/elder for the orderly, God-ordained growth and holiness of the
church. His gender, his selection, his
maintenance, his discipline, his public function with the whole church, his
private relations with individual members, his task of teaching both publicly
and privately for correction of a variety of errors both in conduct and
doctrine, and the importance of his personal growth in knowledge, skill, and
holiness are interweaved throughout the letter.
B Orthodox teaching
arising from absolute reliance on divine revelation for its content and
emphasis is set beside teaching of purely human generation. The church should be nurtured on one and
avoid the other. 2 Timothy re-emphasizes
this warns repeatedly against “other teaching” that is teaching not generated
through the apostolic office.
C We will have the
abiding reality of “professors” of the faith that fall away and at times even
become inveterate enemies of the faith.
Others, however, might be reclaimed after having fallen dangerously
close to an irremediable condition [cf. 1 John 5:16]
D The goodness of the
present order as having come from God combined with a recognition of its
present condition of passing away should instruct Christians as to how to live
with present enjoyment and godly use of the world while looking forward to
eternal life. That which drives their
right understand and affection for both of these is their desire for the glory
of God. The closing thoughts of 2
Timothy give increased clarity to this phenomenon as Paul considers present
life in the face of impending death.
E The church has an
elevated place of importance as the Household of God, the community in which
God’s truth about himself is invested.
Church order, therefore, has eternal implications. Appropriately ordered relationships inside
the church as well as relationships of integrity toward outsiders give godly
shape to the body of believers. Bishops,
deacons, husbands, wives, children, teaching of truth and passing it on in pure
form all are concerns of the apostles’ instruction.
F
The
right use of the Law in its relationship to the Gospel is another important
element of teaching. The power of the
Law’s moral implications gives definition to the content of the Gospel, the
nature of saving faith, and the advance in godliness.
G Confidence for
ministry comes from clear views of divine sovereignty and God’s faithfulness to
his own purposes. It is for the elect
that Paul suffers and his confidence that the Lord knows those who are his
gives him confidence that the gospel finally will not fail to accomplish its
purpose, and so his own labors cannot be in vain (2:10, 19).
H 1 Timothy follows the
New Testament pattern of Christocentric Trinitarianism in his Theology
proper. Specific entailments of each
person of the Trinity inform the discussion at those points peculiar to the
operations of that divine person, but the whole concentrates on and culminates
in Christ. This Christocentrism
continues strongly in 2 Timothy [e.g. 1:9, 10] which ends with the blessing
“The Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.”