“Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal.” 2 Timothy 2:8–9
Paul starts this section of his letter to Timothy with powerful words: “Remember Jesus Christ.” How often does our day go by and we haven’t thought of Jesus once? Paul knew Timothy was struggling so he gave him some incredibly practical advice. Then he reminds him how powerful Jesus is. He’s risen from the dead. He overcame death. He’s the offspring of David. He’s the King of kings.
Don’t forget the elect
“Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.” 2 Timothy 2:10
Paul is constantly focused on the elect. He wants more than anything for the elect to be saved. Sometimes, we can be so focused on what we believe our calling is that we forget to focus on the people of the church, the elect. Even though he’s in prison, Paul sees his suffering as benefiting the elect.
“The saying is trustworthy, for:
if we have died with him, we will also live with him;
if we endure, we will also reign with him;
if we deny him, he also will deny us;
if we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself.”
2 Timothy 2:11–13
Jesus cannot lose the war
The broad context of these passages is suffering. If we suffer for the elect like Paul and Timothy, then we can be assured of being united with Christ one day. Jesus cannot lose this thing. When we make it through, we get to reign and rule with him. In him, we’re fighting a war we cannot lose.
How huge that must have been for Timothy, who was suffering in Ephesus! Lots of people Timothy knew were denying their faith when the heat of persecution was turned up. It’s OK to struggle with your faith because Jesus will always remain faithful. In the last three verses the one constant is Jesus: he is powerful, he is King, and he is faithful.
Questions
- Are you remembering Jesus? Are you being mindful of him? One thing I always pray for my four daughters is that they be mindful they’re in the presence of God.
- Are you serving for the suffering of the elect? It’s not so much about what you feel gifted to do, but about suffering for the sake of the elect that ultimately they may know Jesus.Are you struggling? Do you relate to the last verse? What is it that causes you to get to the end of your faith? Jesus is faithful and good. It’s ok to struggle with your faith because Jesus is with us right now in the power of the Holy Spirit.
This is Pastor Dave’s fourth post on 2 Timothy. You can check out the previous ones here, here, and here.
