提摩太后书

Meditative Reflection
The Word of God Needs to be Reflected Upon

“Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.” (2 Tim. 2:7)

In this second letter to Timothy, the Apostle Paul gives us insight into how we should read and hear his teachings, which are the very words of God:

(1) Treat his teachings as “pattern of sound teaching” (1:13): the word for pattern is “hypotýpōsin” which means an outline sketch.  It is like that drawn by an architect before he gets down to the detailed plans of a building. Allow me to quote again from Guthrie:

“The importance of this pattern cannot be over-emphasized. It means that the apostle claims his own teaching to be no more than a starting-point. It was to be a guide-line rather than a stereotyped form of words. It would allow for growth within the guide-line…Timothy is not told merely to repeat what Paul taught, but to follow that teaching as a basis.”
(TNTC, The Pastoral Epistles, 145)

But the question then is, “How can we understand and grow in our understanding based on it?”

(2) Reflect on his teachings (2:7), that is, do not just read the teachings, but use our mind to engage the words. Allow me to quote from Lenski:

“…one must pause and think to apprehend it all…The Scriptures are intended for our…mind, which God has given us so that we may use it…To be sure, these words are to be spiritually apprehended (1 Cor. 2:14), but no man so apprehend them if he is too lazy to use his mind.”
(Lenski, 2 Timothy, 784)

This is the primary reason why the inductive questions above are provided for your reflection as a necessary step toward the understanding of the Word of God. However, ultimately, it is not our minds that ushers us into the true understanding of the Word, it is the Holy Spirit. As Lenski goes on to say,

“For all spiritual things our thinking abilities, however keen and sharp, are not sufficient. The Lord must control, guide, enlighten our ‘understanding’.” (ditto)

In other words, reflection is the path to unfold the meaning of the Word of God, and the Holy Spirit is the lamp that illuminates it.

Meditative Reflection
Disowning Christ

“If we disown Him, He will also disown us.” (2 Tim. 2:12)

Paul is writing this last letter to Timothy, expecting that the time of his death as a martyr is near (4:6). As he encourages Timothy to endure similar sufferings that he is going through, he quotes another “trustworthy saying", likely a hymn sung in the early church. As much as it is a hymn of hope and encouragement, there is a warning too that “If we disown Him (meaning Christ), He will also disown us”.

During the persecution under the Roman Emperors, especially under the notorious Roman Emperor Decius Trajan (249-251),

“Many Christians steadfastly refused to go along with Decius’ demands and confessed Christ even under brutal torture. They were given the honorary title 'Confessor' by the church. However, multitudes of Christians did sacrifice to the gods and the emperor. Some bribed authorities to obtain fraudulent certificates stating they had sacrificed, when they had not. The Christians who complied with Decius’ order were excommunicated from the church as apostates and collectively called the lapsi, or those who had lapsed from the faith.”
(Grace Communion International)

A heated debate followed naturally in the church after the persecutions were over and that was, “what to do about the 'lapsed'?".  As Gonzalez puts it,

“There were several complicating factors. One was that not all had fallen in the same manner nor to the same degree. The case of those who ran to offer sacrifice as soon as they were told of the imperial decree was hardly the same as that of those who purchased fraudulent certificates, or those others who had weakened for a moment, but had then reaffirmed their faith and asked to rejoin the church while the persecution was still in progress.”
(The Story of Christianity, p. 88).

As expected, the decision to readmit such “lapsi” into the church or not and how created a huge chasm in the church for generations.

It is important to note that when Jesus warned Peter about his denial of Him saying, “Truly I tell you…this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times” (Matt. 26:34), the word used for “disown” is exactly the same word used in 2 Timothy 2:12. And yet, as we know Jesus did tell Peter also, “I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers” (Lk. 22:32).

In other words, the key was whether Peter would “turn back” or not, and he did. In the end, he was not only restored to his faith in Jesus Christ, he was restored as one of the chief apostles of the church of Jesus Christ.

Meditative Reflection
Correctly Handling the Word of Truth

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” (2 Tim. 2:15)

If during the life time of the first apostles, heresies and false teachings were rampant, it is no wonder that we are flooded with all kinds of “godless chatters” (2 Tim. 2:16), “false doctrines” (1 Tim. 1:3) and even “old-wives’ tales” (1 Tim. 4:7) these days.

Paul’s admonition to Timothy to correctly handle the word of truth is a timeless advice. “To correctly handle” in the original Greek means “to cut straight”; perhaps, Paul is thinking of “cutting straight the camel-hair cloth for tents” (Lenski, 799).

Without sounding too complicated, allow me to offer the following suggestions concerning “cutting straight” the word of truth:

- When we find the word of truth to be hard to understand, do not right away dismiss it as a translation error or a possible scribal error.

- When we find the word of truth too harsh to follow, do not seek to render it right away as only a cultural mandate not applicable to us today.

- When we find the word of truth very convicting, do not think of others but ourselves first in its application.

Paul has previously reminded Timothy of the right attitude in understanding the word of truth, and that is to “reflect on” it. Through it the Holy Spirit "will give [us] insight into all this"  (2 Tim. 2:7). Such an attitude of due diligence in reflection and the reliance on the Holy Spirit, together with this honest attitude toward the word of truth, will certainly help us to be an "approved workman who does not need to be ashamed".

Meditative Reflection
Difficult Times of the Last Days

“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.” (2 Tim. 3:1)

As Paul uses the future tense to talk about the difficulties of the last days, he is well aware that those are not just marks of the last days immediately preceding the return of our Lord, but sins that are also prevalent in his days (3:6 ff). However, as the time of our Lord’s return draws near, such wickedness will certainly increase in intensity, and especially in their blatancy and non-repentance, just as the angel told Daniel: “but the wicked will continue to be wicked” in those last days (Dan. 12:10).

As we read this list of vices today, we cannot deny that this is the world we live in. However, I believe that two of these sins do stand out to mark our times:

(1) Disobedience to parents:

Just within one generation, we can notice the difference in the attitude young people have towards their parents. When we were young, our fathers still had that fatherly authority that had been passed on to them for thousands of years of human history. Such authority has almost been totally wiped out in one generation. My now-adult daughter reflected on her rebellious teen’s years and said, “For whatever reason, we thought it was just cool to be rebellious. It was the thing to do.” This is the lie Satan has successfully planted into the heart of our young people and they have bought into this lie lock, stock and barrel.

(2) Unholy (or irreligious):

It began in Continental Europe and now has spread across the West, including North America, and I am talking about the loss of respect for religion, especially Christianity. It is not only reflected in the low attendance on Sundays in churches, but the disrespect for the belief in God. For some two thousand years, not only was church going on Sunday the norm in the West, the teachings of the church had great impact and influence over all aspects of life in the society. Now, the church is kept outside of not only politics, but also the everyday life of society. Arguments on behalf of decency and morality can no longer be made based on Scriptures, but on natural law only. It is indeed a sign of the End Times.

Meditative Reflection
The Importance of Godly Mentors and Teachers

“But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it.” (2 Tim. 3:14)

2 Timothy is noted, among other things, for the famous saying that “All Scriptures is God-breathed” (3:16) which affirms the absolute authority of the Bible as the inerrant Word of God. As to the exact method of its inspiration, there are many fine books that I can recommend for you to look up, including God Has Spoken by J. I. Packer which is highly recommended by John Stott in his own very worthwhile book, Understanding the Bible.

However, Paul also emphasizes to Timothy that apart from the authoritative source he has learned from, which is the God-breathed Holy Scriptures, it is also important to know from whom he has learned.

In the case of Timothy, he has learned the truth of the Word of God from infancy, from both his grandmother and his mother (1:5) who demonstrated “sincere faith” in their lives. Later, as an adult, he learned from Paul himself.

One might wonder how we can depend on learning truth from another person, even as important a figure as the Apostle Paul. The truth of the matter is, we all learn biblical truth from either our mentor or our pastor, and who they are greatly influences our understanding of God and His truth. Therefore it is always important to see who he or she is, not only admire their eloquence as a preacher.

In the case of Paul, he invites Timothy to look at who he is (3:10). This includes examining the following:

- His teachings: These were based not on great philosophy or wisdom but on the very word of the Holy Scriptures, demonstrated by the power of the Holy Spirit. Paul resolved to know nothing except Jesus Christ and Him crucified (1 Cor. 2:1-2).

- His way of life: It was definitely marked by purity.

- His purpose: It was to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ so that he might save some (1 Cor. 9:22).

- His faith: He has declared earlier in the same letter that, “I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day” (1:12). His faith and hope are in Christ alone.

- His love: His love for Christ is expressed in his love even for the Jews who persecuted him (Rom. 9:1-3).

- His endurance is unquestionable: All we have to do is to read the four accounts of his immense sufferings for Christ in 2 Corinthians 1:8-9; 4:8-12; 6:3-10; 11:23-33.

I think it is safe to say that throughout the account of Paul’s life given by Luke in the Acts of Apostles and the numerous letters that he has written, what marks him apart from the false teachers is the fact that whatever he does and whatever he says point others away from himself and to Christ. This is the mark of someone from whom we can learn the truth of God.

Meditative Reflection
Itching Ears

 “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine.  Instead, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.” (2 Tim. 4:3)

I am very fortunate in being nurtured in my early years of faith in a church that was committed to expository preaching. "What is expository preaching?", you might ask.  Well, I am amazed that Wikipedia gives such a succinct and proper definition of expository preaching:

“Expository preaching is a form of preaching that details the meaning of a particular text or passage of Scripture. It explains what the Bible means by what it says. Exegesis is technical and grammatical exposition, a careful drawing out of the exact meaning of a passage in its original context. While the term exposition could be used in connection with any verbal informative teaching on any subject, the term is also used in relation to Bible preaching and teaching. The practice originated from the Jewish tradition of the rabbi giving a 'Dvar Torah', explaining a passage from the Torah, during the prayer services. Expository preaching differs from topical preaching in that the former concentrates on a specific text and discusses topics covered therein; whereas, the latter concentrates on a specific topic and references texts covering the topic.”

Topical preaching obviously has its place, but can never replace expository preaching as the main diet of a congregation. When an expository preacher has done his own proper exegesis of a passage, he will be able to guide the hearers to discover together the proper meaning of the passage.  Such a regular diet of expository preaching has these results:

- Whets the appetite of the congregation to pursue reading of the Holy Scriptures themselves.

- Teaches the hearers, consciously or subconsciously, how to interpret the Holy Scriptures responsibly, systematically and contextually.

- Enables the hearers to discern if what they hear is biblical or not.

The unfortunate thing is that today, those who listen to a sermon hardly care about any of the above; they are simply satisfied with stories that are interesting or a few pointers that can “speak to their needs”.  This is the reason why, as Chuck Colson puts it, Christianity in America is a mile wide, but only an inch deep!

Meditative Reflection
A Drink Offering

“For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure.” (2 Timothy 4:6)

As I reflect on my own journey of faith, like many Christians, I have been deeply affected by the life and writings of the Apostle Paul. However, in the beginning of my spiritual journey, I did not like him; I found him to be judgmental and harsh. By the grace of God, as I grew in my faith and my knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, I have come to deeply appreciate the unwavering faithfulness and the love of the Apostle Paul — love for God and love for people. Therefore, as I come to the last part of his last epistle, I am gripped by his sense of loneliness — being deserted by many, and his sense of a life without regret — having fought the good fight, having finished the race and having kept the faith. However, I am particularly touched by his expression: “I am already being poured out like a drink offering” (4:6). This picture of a drink offering in the Old Testament poured around the altar speaks to:

(1) His life is a drink offering that is offered to none other than his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He is the only object of his worship, his service and his existence. This is powerfully depicted in these words that he wrote to the church in Galatia, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Gal. 2:20).

(2) His life as an offering being poured out like a drink — it is total and without reservation. Such is the life of the Apostle Paul as he lives totally for the sake of the gospel: “I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel…” (1 Cor. 9:22-23).

(3) His life is not as a sacrifice, but an offering that accompanies “the” sacrifice who is Jesus Christ. Indeed, as a drink offering is never made on its own, but “joined with meat-offerings (or as) an addition to the burnt offering” (COBTAEL, II, 894), Paul likens himself as wine that delights the heart of God (Cant. 1:2).

“A poured-out drink offering” — What a fitting epitaph for the Apostle Paul!