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2 Timothy
Chapter Two
I.
Content of the Chapter
God’s Workers should Be Strong and Strive
for the Truth
A. be
faithful men who will be able to teach others (v.2).
B. be
a good soldier of Christ Jesus (v.3-4).
C. be
the athlete who is crowned (v.5).
D. be
the hardworking farmer who is first to partake of the crops (v.6).
II. Consider the words of the apostle and remember
Jesus Christ (v.7-13).
A.
consider the words and examples of the apostles (v.7, 9-10).
B.
remember Christ’s being raised from the dead, reigning and faithfulness (v.8,
11-13).
III. Be diligent to be a worker who does not need
to be ashamed (v.14-18).
A. not
to strive about words (v.14).
B. rightly divide the word of truth (v.15).
C.
shun profane and idle babblings (v.16-18).
IV. Cleanse oneself from the latter so as to be a
vessel for honor and useful for the Master (v.19-23).
A. be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for
the Master (v.19-21).
B.
flee lusts, but pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace (v.22-23).
V. Be able to teach and patient (v.24-26).
II.
Verse by Verse commentary
2Tim. 2:1 “You therefore, my son, be
strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.”
YLT: “Thou, therefore, my
child, be strong in the grace that [is] in Christ Jesus,”
Literal Meaning: “You therefore, my son” It shows that the following exhortation is
based on the good example of Onesiphorus at the end of the first chapter (See
1:16-18). As the most beloved spiritual son of Paul, Timothy should overcome
all difficulties and move forward with courage more.
“Be
strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus” the word “be strong” in the original is the
imperative passive voice and it refers to letting God work and make him strong
through grace in Christ.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) First of all, we must have the will to be
strong. The Lord cannot make us strong if we do not have the desire to be
strong.
2) Everyone cannot be strong by his own natural
strength and he has to appropriate grace in Christ Jesus.
3) God gives Christians responsibility and power at
the same time so as to make us fulfill our responsibility. There won’t be power
without grace so that men cannot be strong to fulfill the responsibility which
God has given him.
4) Grace itself is God Himself and the life of God
and therefore grace not only makes us be saved but also makes us strong.
2Tim. 2:2 “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.”
YLT: “and the things that
thou didst hear from me through many witnesses, these things be committing to
stedfast men, who shall be sufficient also others to teach;”
Literal Meaning: “And the things that you
have heard from me among many witnesses” “many witnesses” refers to all believers who were
present with Timothy when Paul preached the truth at all previous times. “That
you have heard from me” refers to the sound words (See v.13), i.e. healthy
words.
“Commit
these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” “commit” refers to the transfer of the
truth; “faithful” refers to being faithful to the truth; “men who will be able to
teach others also” refers to those
who are good at teaching the truth. This sentence shows the basic conditions of
preachers: 1) faithfulness; 2) prudence (See Matt. 24:45).
This verse implies four generations of men who
inherit and pass on the truth: 1) the first generation----I----Paul the
apostle; 2) the second generation----you----Timothy; 3) the third
generation----men who will be able to teach others; 4) the fourth
generation----others, i.e. who receive instructions. From generation to
generation, the truth keeps dateless.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Teachings of the truth are committed to those
who are faithful to pass on from generation to generation. Though everyone has
the Bible in the hands, not everyone is able to read the light from the Bible
directly. And therefore we should respect the spiritual light that was handed
down from previous generations and prove (1Thess. 5:20-21).
2) I often hear many preachers say that we do not
need to read anyone’s spiritual books except the Bible. It is the extreme
statement unworthy to be accepted by us. Actually if we cannot consult any spiritual
books indeed, we even could not hear the message preached orally by preachers.
3) The aim of service that preachers should pursue
is the propagation of the truth and the building-up of the church instead of
their own fame. And therefore there should not be the so-called “the domain of
work” which one occupies for a long time and in which he does not allow other
fellow-workers to work.
4) Preachers should pay attention to cultivating
successors, besides shepherding common believers so that the truth and the work
of the Lord could be passed down from generation to generation. Any preacher
who is unwilling to hand the ball to others is not the faithful servant of the
Lord.
5) It is committed to those “who will be able to teach
others also” instead of those
to whom we are close in an attempt to cultivate the greater influence.
6) A servant who is faithful and used by the Lord
trusts that not only he by himself is used by the Lord but also many others
will be used by the Lord.
2Tim. 2:3 “You
therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”
YLT: “thou, therefore,
suffer evil as a good soldier of Jesus Christ;”
Literal Meaning: “You therefore must endure
hardship” refers to enduring
hardship for the truth of the gospel (See 1:8).
“As
a good soldier of Jesus Christ” “a good soldier”
refers to a soldier who is well-trained and is able to commit himself to the
field to accomplish the assignment. It implies that preaching the gospel and
bearing witness to the Lord are as partaking in the spiritual conflict and one
even may sacrifice in the field (See 4:6). However, the Lord’s workers should
take “being good soldiers” as their own responsibility (See 1Cor. 9:7).
2Tim. 2:4 “No one engaged in warfare
entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who
enlisted him as a soldier.”
YLT: “no one serving as a
soldier did entangle himself with the affairs of life, that him who did enlist
him he may please;”
Meaning of Words: “affairs”: affairs
in this life, the worldly affairs, the worldly bustle; “entangle”: entwine.
Literal Meaning: “No one engaged in warfare
entangles himself with the affairs of this life” It means that the duty of soldiers is preparing
themselves to meet the combat mission and they should not hold their affairs of
civilians at the same time. In other words, no one could serve the army and
keep his position of a civilian at the same time.
“That
he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier” it means that in this way men could achieve the
aim of enlisting him as a solider.
The third and fourth verses show the four features
of a good soldier of Christ: 1) the mind of suffering; 2) giving one’s mind to
serve; 3) pleasing the Lord.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Those who work for God should be loyal and
devoted and dedicate themselves to God as soldiers.
2) Only when a server of God always establishes the
aim in future definitely will he be a becoming worker.
3) God’s workers should follow the leadership of
God’s calling and should not let the worldly affairs hinder or entangle
them.
4) The enemy always utilizes the glory in this
life, enjoyments of the flesh, disputes of right and wrong, the rationality of
the letter, busy works, the worldly wisdom and others to disorder our aims and
consume our mind of conflict.
2Tim. 2:5 “And also if anyone
competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the
rules.”
YLT: “and if also any one
may strive, he is not crowned, except he may strive lawfully;”
Meaning of Words: “compete”: contest,
sports competition; “crown”: garland, wreath.
Literal Meaning: “And also if anyone competes
in athletics” “athletics” refers
to arena; “compete” refers to competition. Here Paul used the ancient Greek
sport as a metaphor to show that the witnesses of the Lord’s faith are like
athletes who take part in a match.
“Unless
he competes according to the rules”
“the rules” includes the rules of the competition, the demands for the exercise
and training before the competition, obeying rules, self-discipline and etc. “According to the rules” means that one has to obey some terms when
serving the Lord and bearing witness to the Lord and should not do as he
pleases.
“He
is not crowned” “crowned” refers
to the reward for the victory of the competition. Here the meaning is extended
and it refers to the reward from the Lord.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Christians should serve God with the attitude of
competition------trying our best and not being random or considering service as
not indispensible.
2) Christians’ service must be “according to the rules”------confirming with the will of God and
the spiritual principles. We should not use the fleshly ways such as advocacy,
lassoing or have the spirit of the world such as taking advantage of the weak,
fawning on the strong and only seeking to achieve the aim unscrupulously.
3) The proper server would rather sacrifice the
benefits at present than do the work which does not conform to the will of God
and violates the witness.
4) It is possible for every Christian to have the
glorious reward as long as he is attentive to his duty and tries his best to
pursue (See 4:8; Matt. 25:21,23).
2Tim. 2:6 “The hardworking farmer
must be first to partake of the crops.”
YLT: “the labouring
husbandman it behoveth first of the fruits to partake;”
Literal Meaning: “The hardworking farmer” the feature of a farmer is labor and
cultivation and there won’t be harvest without labor.
“Must
be first to partake of the crops”
it is just for them to “be first to enjoy their achievements”.
The two examples in the fifth and sixth verses show
that the faithful and diligent ones will receive reward from the Lord, however,
probably the reward is not material but the spiritual enjoyments.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Christians should not muddle or be opportunistic
in their service and we must pay the price and spend the efforts and labor.
2) The true service is full of the nature and
provision of life and we ourselves are first to have the enjoyments and
satisfaction. If we feel dull in the service, probably something is wrong with
our service.
2Tim. 2:7 “Consider what I say, and
may the Lord give you understanding in all things.”
YLT: “be considering what
things I say, for the Lord give to thee understanding in all things.”
Literal Meaning: “Consider what I say” “what I say” refers to the principles and
teachings that Paul had made previously; “consider” means that we should try to
figure out and meditate and then we will comprehend the truth within them.
“And
may the Lord give you understanding in all things” “understanding” refers to the intelligence needed
to deal with things.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) On one hand men themselves should consider and
on the other God Himself will give us the understanding. Men’s exploration and
pursuit and God’s enlightenment and opening complement each other and are
indispensable.
2) The Bible usually gives us the revelation of the
principle and as for how the principle is applied to the practical life, we who
read the Bible should consider carefully and may receive understanding from
God.
3) Before we believed in the Lord, we behave by our
own abilities, intelligence, stratagems and etc. Now we have been saved, we
should learn to walk by the understanding given by the Lord in everything and
then we shall fell relaxed and it is effective.
2Tim. 2:8 “Remember that Jesus
Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel,”
YLT: “Remember Jesus
Christ, raised out of the dead, of the seed of David, according to my good news,”
Literal Meaning: “Remember that Jesus Christ,
of the seed of David” “Jesus” stresses
on His identity of a man------He is Jesus of Nazareth who was the word coming
into the world, humbled Himself and took upon Him a form of a servant; “Christ”
stresses on the position of His work------He was the Messiah who was appointed
by God, sent by God to accomplish the will of God and do His work.
The word “the seed of David” stresses on the humanity of the Lord
Jesus------He is “the Son of Man” and He indeed has the life and disposition of
a man (See Matt. 1:1; Rom. 1:3). And therefore He is qualified to stand in the
position of man and replace men to receive the judgment of God and be crucified
on the cross.
“Was
raised from the dead” Death reigns upon
men through sins (1Cor. 15:55-56) and no one is able to get into the power of
death and come out because everyone is under sin (Rom. 3:9). Only Jesus Christ
manifests that He is different from the world through His being raised from the
dead because He is the Son of God. And therefore the word “was raised from the
dead” stresses on His divinity------He fully has the life and disposition of
God (See Rom. 1:4).
“According
to my gospel” the central
message of the gospel that Paul the apostle had preached is as follows: 1)
Jesus Christ is the Son of God (Acts. 9:20); 2) He came to be a man and bore
sins for men on the cross so that men could be reconciled to God (Eph. 2:16);
3) He gave the life of God to those who believe in Him through His being raised
from the dead (Acts. 26:23; Rom. 4:25; 5:18).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The Lord Jesus came into the world and took upon
Him the form of us. He was in the likeness of us with the aim of letting us be
like Him.
2) Jesus Christ who is spoken in the gospel is both
the Son of Man and the Son of God and therefore He is able to give men the
perfect salvation and the gospel is the perfect gospel.
3) We were dead in trespasses and sins, however,
God made us alive together with Christ (Eph. 2:1, 5) and be born from above to
become sons of God.
4) If the Lord Jesus was not raised from the dead,
He was one of the great ones at most. However, He was raised from the dead and
lives forever so that we are able to experience this true and living Lord. It
is the difference between Him and all the other religious founders.
5) Since the Lord Jesus is the Son of God and has
the life and disposition of God, those who believe unto Him and are united to
Him have the life of God (1John. 5:12) and are partakers of the divine nature
(2Pet. 1:4).
2Tim. 2:9 “for which I suffer
trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains; but the word of God is not
chained.”
YLT: “in which I suffer
evil -- unto bonds, as an evil-doer, but the word of God hath not been bound;”
Literal Meaning: “for which I suffer” Since Paul was saved, he suffered
tribulations throughout his life for the sake of preaching the name of Jesus
Christ (See Acts. 9:16), i.e. for the sake of preaching the gospel.
“Trouble
as an evildoer, even to the point of chains” It means that he was treated as a common
criminal.
“But
the word of God is not chained” here “the word of
God” and the gospel are synonyms. Men could bind the messenger of the gospel,
however, the gospel is not bound.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) When we preach the gospel and bear witness
towards others, though we ourselves will encounter others’ opposition, the word
that we preach spreads as quickly as the wildfire burns a mountain and cannot
be held back. Such wonderful fact will eliminate our fear and encourage us to
advance bravely.
2) The world may persecute believers who bear
witness to the Lord and the Lord’s servants may suffer enough from others’
mockery, however, we should not forget that when we bear humiliation, the word
of God is spread by us because the word of God is full of power and cannot be
hindered.
2Tim. 2:10 “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.”
YLT: “because of this all
things do I endure, because of the choice ones, that they also salvation may
obtain that [is] in Christ Jesus, with glory age-during.”
Meaning of Words: “obtain”: hit a
target, achieve the aim; “with”: together, after.
Literal Meaning: “Therefore I endure all
things for the sake of the elect”
“the elect” refer to the Jews in the narrow sense, however, it refers to all
those who believe in the Lord and are saved (Col. 3:12) in the broad sense.
“Enduring all things” refers to enduring the persecution and tribulation added
upon them by the opposed.
“That
they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory” this sentence does not mean that “the salvation which is in
Christ Jesus” and “eternal glory” are two things of different categories. It
means that the salvation will give us eternal glory because the ultimate
purpose of the salvation is leading us into the realm of eternal glory (Rom.
8:21; Heb. 2:10).
2Tim. 2:11 “This is a faithful
saying: For if we died with Him, We shall also live with Him.”
YLT: “Stedfast [is] the
word: For if we died together -- we also shall live together;”
Literal Meaning: “This is a faithful saying” the verses from v.11 to v.13 may be a
short song spread in all the churches at that time or the creative writing of
Paul the apostle.
“For
if we died with Him, We shall also live with Him” the word “if” does not imply the negative “doubt”
but mean the positive “it is proved on this ground” . If we have been in the
likeness of Christ’s death, we shall be in the likeness of His living (See Rom.
6:5, 8).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) It is not quickened, except it die (1Cor. 15:36)
and death is before life. We experience the fact that we die with Christ
together and then experience the fact that we live with Christ together (2Cor.
4:10-11).
2) Dying with Christ is negative and living with
Him is positive. Dying with Him brings in living with Him. If there isn’t dying
with Him, living with Him is of no meaning.
2Tim. 2:12 “If we endure, We shall
also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us.”
YLT: “if we do endure
together -- we shall also reign together; if we deny [him], he also shall deny
us;”
Literal Meaning: “If we endure, We shall also
reign with Him.” Here “endure”
refers to suffering with Christ; “reign” refers to having glory with Christ
(See v.9-10). If indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified
together (Rom. 8:17).
“If
we deny Him, He also will deny us”
“deny” refers to not confessing Him before men. Whoever denies Me before men,
him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven (Matt. 10:33).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Whoever endures unto the end in tribulations and
trials shall be rewarded when Christ comes again.
2) “The mouth confession” is made unto salvation
(Rom. 10:10) and in like manner, confessing Him is made unto
victory------declaring the truth bravely and being acceptable to God (See Rev.
12:11).
2Tim. 2:13 “If we are faithless, He
remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.”
YLT: “if we are not
stedfast, he remaineth stedfast; to deny himself he is not able.”
Meaning of Words: “faithless”: be
unbelieving, dare not believe; “deny”: disavow, contradict.
Literal Meaning: “If we are faithless, He
remains faithful;” “if” indicates
that whatever condition we are under. “Faithless” has two explanations: 1)
being unfaithful to Him; 2) rejecting the faith. “Faithful” refers to being
faithful to His own words (See 2Cor. 1:19-20).
“He
cannot deny Himself” means that the
Lord’s faithfulness is based on His nature and it cannot be changed by our
faithfulness. He cannot deny Himself forever.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) God’s faithfulness is built upon God Himself.
God Himself is the support of His faithfulness. The reason why God’s
faithfulness keeps steady and unchangeable is that God Himself is unchangeable.
2) We always fail and fall down in the environment
of temptation because of naivety and weakness and we even dare not turn to the
Lord. It is indeed the wrong idea! Because the Lord once told us by Himself
that having loved us, He loved us to the end (John. 13:1). Whatever condition
we are under, we could have boldness to turn to Him and He will forgive us and
give us a shelter.
2Tim. 2:14 “Remind them of these
things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit,
to the ruin of the hearers.”
YLT: “These things remind
[them] of, testifying fully before the Lord -- not to strive about words to
nothing profitable, but to the subversion of those hearing;”
Meaning of Words: “remind”: call attention
to, bring to remembrance; “ruin”: subvert, overthrow, overturn, turn down.
Literal Meaning: “Remind them of these things” “these things” refers to “a faithful
saying” from v.11 to v.13, i.e. the Lord shall respond to our attitude to the
word of God according to His faithfulness.
“Charging
them before the Lord” refers to
commanding in earnest.
“Not
to strive about words” there is only one
word in the original concerning “strive about words” and it could be translated
into “disputes about words” which means not disputing ceaselessly about the
trifling letters unrelated to the truth.
“To no profit”
means that the positive effort cannot be achieved.
“To
the ruin of the hearers” refers to making
the hearers be confused in mind so that they cannot discern right and wrong and
suffer great harm and loss in faith.
2Tim. 2:15 “Be diligent to present
yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly
dividing the word of truth.”
YLT: “be diligent to
present thyself approved to God -- a workman irreproachable, rightly dividing
the word of the truth;”
Meaning of Words: “diligent”: earnest,
industrious, long, serious; “rightly”: straightly; “dividing”: cut, dissect,
break a path.
Literal Meaning: “Be diligent to present
yourself approved to God” “diligent” is the
imperative in the original and it refers to the attitude of preaching. “Present yourself approved to
God” refers to the motive for preaching;
“approved to” originally refers to being qualified after test.
“A
worker who does not need to be ashamed”
“does not need to be ashamed” refers to blameless; “A worker who does not need to be
ashamed” refers to a work
who is not ashamed of preaching the truth, holding fast to the truth that he
believes and is unwilling to compromise at all, lest he humiliate the name of
the Lord.
“Rightly
dividing the word of truth” refers to the way
to preach. “Rightly
dividing” originally means
that a tailor cuts out the cloth straightly, a farmer plows the land
straightly, a carpenter cuts the wood straightly or a mason paves a stone path
straightly. And here it is used as a metaphor for preaching the word of God
with the right way and attitude------one never distorts the word of God to
depart from the original meaning.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Only those who try their best to be approved to
God instead of men will be able to divide the word of God justly and honestly.
2) False teachers distort the truth according their
own will and the faithful workers of God should rightly divide the Bible
without prejudice.
3) There are many different truths in the Bible.
They have boundaries respectively and though they connect with each other, they
cannot be mixed up. We must cut these truths straightly and clearly and should
not distort or preach the truths randomly.
4) All those who are committed to serve the Lord
should rightly divide the word of God before the children of God according to
His meaning in order to give the church of God the “sincere” provision (See
1Pet. 2:2). If one has not been enlightened by the Holy Spirit, he had better
keep back and be silent. We should not give a strained interpretation or repeat
what others say. We should never interpret the Bible according to our own
opinions instead of God’s meaning in the Bible. It is also a testimony that a
server should bear in the last time.
2Tim. 2:16 “But shun profane and idle
babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness.”
YLT: “and the profane
vain talkings stand aloof from, for to more impiety they will advance,”
Literal Meaning: “But shun profane and idle
babblings” “profane and idle
babblings” refers to the heretical fallacies which lead men into the ungodly
life and the unholy and worldly ideas.
“For
they will increase to more ungodliness”
“they” refers to those who specially make profane and idle babblings; “they
will increase to more ungodliness” because they march forward in the wrong
direction------the counter direction of godliness.
2Tim. 2:17 “And their message will
spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort,”
YLT: “and their word as a
gangrene will have pasture, of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus,”
Literal Meaning: “And their message…like cancer”
“cancer” refers to the rotten ulcer, i.e. a malignant tumor.
“Will spread” it could be translated into “will have pasture”
according to the original. “Pasture” is the medical term and it is used to
describe the place where cancer has nutrition and therefore the state of the
illness worsens and spreads.
“Hymenaeus
and Philetus are of this sort” Paul once
mentioned the name of “Hymenaeus” and had delivered him unto Satan as a
punishment (See 1Tim. 1:20); “Philetus” was not seen in other scriptures and
probably he worked together with Hymenaeus to deny the truth
of resurrection (See v.18).
2Tim. 2:18 “who have strayed
concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past; and they
overthrow the faith of some.”
YLT: “who concerning the
truth did swerve, saying the rising again to have already been, and do
overthrow the faith of some;”
Meaning of Words: “stray”: miss the
mark, deviate from the line.
Literal Meaning: “who have strayed concerning
the truth” the main content
of the truth of the gospel includes resurrection (See v.8) and therefore those
who have said that the resurrection is already past indeed have strayed
concerning the truth of the gospel.
“Saying
that the resurrection is already past”
it means that there is not resurrection at all. And it is the extremely grave
heresy because it denies the hope of the world to come (See 1Cor. 15:52;
1Thess. 4:16; Rev. 20:4, 6).
“And
they overthrow the faith of some”
“the faith” refers to the individual subjective faith. If a believers has lost
the subjective faith, he won’t have the works of faith and therefore such faith
is dead (James. 2:17, 26).
2Tim. 2:19 “Nevertheless the solid
foundation of God stands, having this seal: ‘The
Lord knows those who are His,’ and, ‘Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from
iniquity.’”
YLT: “sure, nevertheless,
hath the foundation of God stood, having this seal, `The Lord hath known those
who are His,' and `Let him depart from unrighteousness -- every one who is
naming the name of Christ.'”
Literal Meaning: “Nevertheless the solid
foundation of God stands” “Nevertheless”
shows that there are some who have strayed concerning the truth saying words
that overthrow the faith of men (See v.17-18), however, there is another group
of men who are completely different from them.
Here “foundation” does not
refer to the foundation of the church but the foundation of the truth.
Concerning the former, Christ is the foundation of the church (1Cor. 3:10) and
concerning the latter, the church is the foundation of the truth (1Tim. 3:15).
The church is the solid foundation of the truth that God has established
because the church is built up by Christ’s life of resurrection and such life
cannot be corrupted or conquered (Heb. 7:16; Acts. 2:24). And therefore the
standing (existence) of the church could withstand all the corruptible elements
so as to hold and manifest the truth of God.
“Having
this seal:” “seal” includes
three meanings: 1) it shows whom it belongs to (See Rev. 20:4); 2) it shows its
connation and essence (See Eph. 1:13); 3) it shows its nature (See Gal. 6:17).
“‘The
Lord knows those who are His,’” the first nature
of the church is the tie of life. The Lord has the tie of life with all true
believers in the church and therefore not only the Lord knows them but also
they know the Lord (John. 10:14).
“And,
‘Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from
iniquity.’” The second nature
of the church is the manifestation of life. Concerning everyone who calls upon
the name of the Lord and becomes the Lord’s true believer (Rom. 10:13), the
sanctified life in him has the power to make them depart from iniquity.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) His seal is upon us, showing that we belong to
the Lord and He shall take the complete responsibility upon us.
2) In the church, probably others do not know or
even misunderstand us, however, it is enough for us to rejoice that the Lord
knows who are His.
3) Believers should not only call the name of the
Lord with the mouth but also get rid of the lowliness and inferiority so that
what we do on the outside could be congruent with the state of our hearts, bearing
glories witness to the Lord.
2Tim. 2:20 “But in a great house
there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some
for honor and some for dishonor.”
YLT: “And in a great
house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of
earth, and some to honour, and some to dishonour:”
Literal Meaning: the word “but” shows that the real state described in this verse
does not agree with the definition of true believers mentioned in v.19.
“In
a great house” refers to in the
house of God, i.e. in the church (1Tim. 3:15), the abnormal phenomenon has
appeared unexpectedly.
“There
are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay” “gold” symbolizes divinity, “silver”
symbolizes redemption, “wood” symbolizes the natural character of men and
“clay” symbolizes the earthly nature. When the church----“little flock” (Luke.
12:32) becomes “a great house”, concerning the members in it there is the
adulterated case. On one hand, the devil has mixed “the wheat” with “tares”
(Matt. 13:38-39) and on the other believers themselves are unwilling to pursue
and have not “taken oil in their vessels” (Matt. 25:3-4). And therefore there
is the distinction between good and bad and honor and dishonor.
“Vessels of gold and silver” typifies true believers whose inner life
has been renewed and changed. And they manifest “the divine nature” (2Pet. 1:4)
and “the salvation of souls” (1Pet. 1:9) upon them. “Vessels of wood and clay” typifies the false believers and failing
believers. They merely manifest their reprobate natural character upon them.
“Some
for honor and some for dishonor” “honor” refers to
vessels useful in the hand of God. “Dishonor” refers to the vessels of little
use or even no use.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) You and I are only vessels in the hand of God.
Vessels cannot belong to themselves or be used by themselves and vessels must
be used according to the will of the master.
2) There is distinction of honor and dishonor
concerning vessels and the distinction lies in the inner nature instead of the
outer abilities. And therefore we should pay attention to the growth and change
of the inner life.
2Tim. 2:21 “Therefore if anyone
cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and
useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.”
YLT: “if, then, any one
may cleanse himself from these, he shall be a vessel to honour, sanctified and
profitable to the master -- to every good work having been prepared,”
Meaning of Words: “useful”: more
useful.
Literal Meaning: “Therefore” shows that since there is the distinction
of honor and dishonor, the following paragraph shows the features of vessels
for honor according to the context.
“If
anyone cleanses himself from the latter” “cleanse” means “departing from iniquity” (See
v.19) and it is the outer testimony to the inner divine life of believers. “From the latter” refers to both the dishonorable things and
men.
“He
will be a vessel for honor” “honor” refers to
the elevation of nature.
“Sanctified” refers to being sanctified to God. In the
original this word is the perfect passive participle, implying that it has
already existed and one obtains such position when he believed in the Lord.
We
believers have been sanctified by God when we are saved, however, it is the
objective fact and it should turn to be our subjective experience. Here it
stresses on the substantiating of position.
“And
useful for the Master” here it stresses
on the change of function.
“Prepared
for every good work” “prepare” refers
to being well-prepared and ready to start. Here it stresses on the level of
training.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Whether we are useful for the Lord is determined
by how we “cleanse” ourselves. The Lord only uses those who esteem themselves
and are willing to make effort at improving themselves.
2) Only when one equips himself well will he be
able to do every good work for the Lord. Whoever is unwilling to train himself
and make effort at preparing is of little use in the hand of the Lord.
2Tim. 2:22 “Flee also youthful lusts;
but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord
out of a pure heart.”
YLT: “and the youthful
lusts flee thou, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace, with those
calling upon the Lord out of a pure heart;”
Literal Meaning: “Flee also youthful lusts;” “flee” is the imperative verb in the
present continuous tense and it implies “carrying out continuously”. “Youthful
lusts” stresses on the flesh and lusts.
“With
those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart” “a pure heart” indicates that one is pure in his
heart and does not have adulteration------there is none that he desires beside
God (Ps. 73:25). “Calling on the Lord” refers to seeking for and relying on the
Lord.
“But
pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace” “righteousness” refers to being just and upright towards
God and men. “Faith” stresses on faith towards God (1Thess. 1:8). “Love”
stresses on love towards men (Col. 1:4). “Peace” refers to having peace towards
God, men and himself.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The so-called “those who call on the Lord out of a
pure heart” are those who
neither mind the flesh nor live according to the lusts.
2) Calling on the Lord is the first step to pursue
spiritual. There is not the spiritual growth without prayers.
3) On the spiritual way, it is better for one to
pursue with men of the same mind than to pursue by himself and he will yield
twice the result with half the effort.
4) In the pursuit of spiritual virtue, Christians
should pay equal attention to God, men and ourselves and go forward together.
2Tim. 2:23 “But avoid foolish and
ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife.”
YLT: “and the foolish and
uninstructed questions be avoiding, having known that they beget strife,”
Meaning of Words: “disputes”: guess;
“generate”: beget, rear.
Literal Meaning: “But foolish and ignorant disputes” “ignorant” refers to uneducated, uncultivated and
untrained. The whole sentence means that one argues with men according to one’s
own mind and will instead of the teaching of Christ’s truth (See Eph. 4:21).
“Avoid…knowing that they generate strife” in this chapter “they” includes: 1) “striving
about words” (See v.14); 2) “profane and idle babblings” (See v.16); 3) words that
“have strayed concerning the truth” (See v.18); 4) “foolish and ignorant
disputes” (See v.23); 5) “opposing” the truth (See v.25).
2Tim. 2:24 “And a servant of the Lord
must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient,”
YLT: “and a servant of
the Lord it behoveth not to strive, but to be gentle unto all, apt to teach,
patient under evil,”
Meaning of Words: “servant”: bondman,
slave; “quarrel”: strive, combat.
Literal Meaning: “And a servant of the Lord
must not quarrel” “quarrel” refers
to the attitude of being unwilling to acknowledge defeat and trying to win in
everything.
“But
be gentle to all” “gentle” refers to
the meek, tolerant and kindly attitude; “not quarrel” in the previous sentence
is the negative forbiddance and “gentle” in this sentence is the positive
exhortation.
“Able
to teach, patient” “able to teach”
refers to being able to teach others (See v.2) and it is the essential
condition of abilities to be the Lord’s servants. “Patient” is the essential
condition of attitude to be the Lord’s servants. The abilities that believers
accept teachings are uneven and therefore one has to teach patiently. One
should bear the contradiction of others because he may face “those who are in
opposition” (See v.25).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) True servers have one feature that they are able
to deal with “the opposition” of men (v.25) by “gentleness”. It is the most
effective weapon and it triumphs finally as the slain lamb------“when he was
reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not” (1Pet. 2:23).
How gentle He is. And finally He surpasses all, ascends the highest throne and
becomes the mighty “Lion” (See Rev. 5:5-6).
2) In the spiritual conflicts, those who stretch
out the hands of the flesh to “quarrel” or “oppose” will not last for a long
time and those who “are patient” and be ill-treated “gently” are the final
overcomers.
2Tim. 2:25 “in humility correcting
those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that
they may know the truth,”
YLT: “in meekness
instructing those opposing -- if perhaps God may give to them repentance to an
acknowledging of the truth,”
Literal Meaning: “in humility correcting
those who are in opposition” “correcting”
refers to advising and admonishing and it implies blame. “Those who are in
opposition” refers to those who do not listen to the teachings of the truth or
hold the opposite attitude.
“If
God perhaps will grant them repentance” “repentance” in the original refers to the change
of mind. One’s mind was against God and the truth of God formerly and now he
turns to God and the truth of God.
“So
that they may know the truth” because once one’s
heart turns to the Lord, the veil upon his face will be taken away so that he
shall see the light of the glorious gospel of Christ (See 2Cor. 3:16; 4:4).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The main reason why men are unable to understand
the truth is that something is wrong with their hearts. Whenever their hearts
are against God (“repentance” means turning to God), they cannot receive the
light.
2) Those who are against the truth actually are
ignorant of the truth. They oppose the truth for the sake of opposition and it
is not that they know the truth and find the error of the truth.
2Tim. 2:26 “and that they may come to
their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by
him to do his will.”
YLT: “and they may awake
out of the devil's snare, having been caught by him at his will.”
Literal Meaning: “and that they…having been taken captive by him to do his will” From this we know that the devil is the
principal plotter at the back who is against the truth. The devil, the enemy of
God, captures the mind of men and makes men have the error of hearts to oppose
the truth invariably.
The meaning of “his will” is
uncertain in the original. And therefore some Bible exegetes interpreted it as
the will of the devil. However, some Bible exegetes interpreted it as the will
of God and therefore according to the original it could be translated into “they
who have been taken captive by the devil may come to their senses and escape
the snare of the devil and turn to the will of God”.
“May come to their senses and escape the
snare of the devil” “come to their
senses” refers to regain consciousness and come out of a trance.
III.
Outlines of the Spiritual Lessons
Conditions of a good soldier of Christ
II. Being faithful
(v.2).
III. Hardship (v.3).
IV. Being
single-minded (v.4).
V. According to the
rules (v.5).
VI. Being diligent (v.6).
VII. Understanding
(v.7).
VIII. Remembering
Jesus Christ (v.8).
IX. Denying oneself
(v.9).
X. Endurance (v.10).
Christians’ Positions
I. A teacher
(v.2)------receiving and committing teachings.
II. A good soldier
of the Lord (v.3-4)
A. enduring hardship;
B. not entangling himself with the
affairs of this life;
C. pleasing him who enlisted him as a
soldier.
III. The one who
competes in athletics (v.5)------according to the rules (See 1Cor. 9:24-27).
IV. The hardworking
farmer (v.6)------labor and cultivation (See 1Cor. 9:10).
V. A worker who does
not need to be ashamed (v.15)------rightly dividing the word of truth.
VI. A vessel for
honor, and useful for the Master (v.21-23)
A. cleansing oneself from the latter
(v.21).
B. fleeing also youthful lusts (v.22a).
C. pursuing with those who call on the
Lord out of a pure heart (v.22b).
D. avoiding foolish and ignorant
disputes (v.23).
VII. A servant of
the Lord (v.24)------be gentle to all and able to teach.
The Basic Motive Power of Those Who Serve
God
I. Pleasing him who
enlisted him as a soldier (v.4).
II. Gaining the
crown (v.5).
III. Being first to
partake of the crops (v.6).
The Things Evangelists should Remember
(Recall)
I. Remember the
center that the word of God declares------the humanity and divinity of Jesus
Christ (v.8).
II. Remember that
the preachers of the word of God are bound, however, the word of God itself is
not bound (v.9).
III. Remember that
the word of God would make men obtain the salvation with eternal glory (v.10).
IV. Remember the
faithfulness of the word of God and it will bring in the eternal rewards and
punishment (v.11-13).
The Talk Christians should Avoid
I. Striving for
words: because it is of profit and ruins the hearers (v.14).
II. Profane and idle
babblings: because they make men increase to more ungodliness (v.16).
III. Words which
have strayed concerning the truth: because they overthrow the faith of men
(v.18).
IV. Foolish and
ignorant disputes: because they generate strife (v.23).
The Work, workers and ways for Teaching the
Truth
I. Work of teaching
the truth (v.14-18)
A. not to strive about words (v.14).
B. rightly dividing the word of truth
(v.15).
C. shunning profane and idle babblings
(v.16-18).
II. Workers who
teach the truth (v.19-22)
A. they know the seal of the foundation
of the truth (v.19).
B. there are vessels for honor and
vessels for dishonor (v.20).
C. they need to train themselves (v.21).
D. they need to pursue virtue (v.22).
III. The way to
teach the truth (v.23-26)
A. rejecting disputes (v. 23-24a).
B. the essentials of teaching
(v.24b-25a).
1. being gentle (v.24b).
2. being able to use the skills in teaching
(v.24b).
3. being patient (v.24c).
4. being in humility (v.25a).
C. committing to God (v.25a-26).
The Way to Deal with Heresies
I. The positive
aspect------be workers who do not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word
of truth (v.15).
II. The negative
aspect------shun those who preach heresies (v.16).
The Eight Features of Being Useful for the
Master
I. Cleansing oneself
(v.21a).
II. Being sanctified
(v.21b).
III. Being useful
for the Master (v.21b).
IV. Being prepared
for every good work (v.21c).
V. Having a pure
heart (v.22):
A. fleeing lusts;
B. pursuing righteousness;
C. pursuing faith;
D. pursuing love;
E. pursuing peace.
VI. Discerning the
good and bad (v.23).
VII. Being friendly
to men (v.24):
A. not
quarreling;
B. being gentle to all;
C. being able to teach;
D. being patient.
VIII. Keeping the
truth (v.25).
──
Caleb Huang《Christian Digest Bible
Commentary Series》
Translated by Sharon Ren