Join us in today’s episode as we delve into 2 Timothy Chapter 2 and unpack the rich teachings Paul imparted to Timothy. Listen as our guest reader, Larry Gehling, brings the text to life, followed by Alan’s reflections based on decades of personal journal entries. Discover how these timeless lessons on strength, faithfulness, and right conduct can guide our daily lives as Christians.
00:09:15 Summary and Reflections on Christian Character
SPEAKER 01 :
Welcome to Add Bible, an audio daily devotion from the Ezra Project. Allen J. Huth shares a Bible passage with comments from over 35 years of his personal Bible reading journals and applies the Word of God to our daily lives.
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Today we are in 2 Timothy chapter 2. We’ll listen to Larry Gehling, our guest reader, as he reads the 26 verses of 2 Timothy 2.
SPEAKER 02 :
2 Timothy 2 You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses and trust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. It is the hardworking farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything. 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. But the word of God is not bound. 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. The saying is trustworthy. For if we have died with him, we also will 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. Remind them of these things and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good but only ruins the hearers. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some. But God’s firm foundation stands in bearing this seal. The Lord knows those who are his, and let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity. Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work. So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies. You know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome, but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snares of the devil after being captured by him to do his will.
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In 1992, in my personal Bible reading journal, I wrote about 2 Timothy 2. He remains faithful even when we become faithless. Also, handle accurately the word of truth, and then avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness. That was my journal entry in 1992, so let’s look at 2002. I wrote, Don’t quarrel. Correctly handle the word of truth. Avoid godless chatter. Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments. Do not quarrel. Be kind to everyone. gently instruct, let God bring them to their senses. And I wrote a prayer after that journal entry. I wrote, Oh, that I would never quarrel again. Oh, that I would subdue anger forevermore. Oh, that I would be kind to everyone all the time. Lord, change me, strengthen me to do well at this. Help me be peaceful, trusting you in all things. Well, I wrote that in 2002. I probably have made a little bit of progress on some of those things, but certainly have more work to do. And in 2012, I broke up 2 Timothy 2 into two sections on two different days. The first day was verses 1 through 13. The second day was verses 14 through 26. So let me go over those two journal entries. Pass on faith by staying the course. Stay focused. Play by the rules. Work hard. Remember Jesus. That is who we’re passing on. But if we deny him, he also will deny us. That’s a reference to verse 12. And then I went on the next day to the last part of the chapter, and I wrote a great theme verse for life. And I quoted verse 15. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. Then I continued to write, avoid irreverent babble and don’t swerve from the truth. Be an honorable vessel of use, set apart as holy with a pure heart. The Lord’s servants are not quarrelsome, but kind to everyone. And even after this journal entry, I wrote a similar prayer that I wrote 10 years before. I wrote, Almighty God, approve me as a worker for you. Always help me rightly divide the word of truth. Guard my mouth, my heart, to avoid irreverent babble, and be kind to everyone. Let’s look at the instructions that Paul is giving young Timothy, and thereby also giving to us today. He first tells Timothy to be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus. Next he tells Timothy to pass on to faithful men that which he has learned from Paul. He then tells Timothy to share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. And he tells Timothy to compete according to the rules. And then he tells Timothy, So maybe you are being instructed to think over the things that we’re hearing in 2 Timothy 2, and the Lord will give you understanding. Then he tells Timothy, Remember Jesus Christ. Is Jesus on your mind on a regular, daily basis? And then he tells Timothy to remind them of these things. Remind them of what? Remind them that the word of God is not bound. Remind them that 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 will also deny us. If we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself.” Paul told Timothy to remind the Corinthians of those things. He is reminding us of those things as we hear him in this chapter. Next, he tells Timothy, do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. And I mentioned in one of my journals, that’s a great theme verse for life. Are you doing your best for the Lord? And then he tells Timothy, avoid irreverent babble. I wrote in my journal, I need to do this and you may need to too. We probably all engage in a lot of chatter, a lot of irreverent babble that really goes nowhere. What Paul says is that it will lead people into more and more ungodliness. So let’s avoid irreverent babble. Next, Paul tells Timothy, flee from youthful passions. And what do we replace youthful passions with? Well, Paul tells us. He says, flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. And then again, Paul tells Timothy, have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies. You know that they breed quarrels. I know I need to do this and you may need to do this as well. There’s a lot of discussions I get into that just breed controversy. They breed quarrels. So I know in my life right now, I’m trying to refrain from engaging in those kind of discussions. Paul finishes out the chapter by telling Timothy, And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome, but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance, leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil after being captured by him to do his will. Are you one of the Lord’s servants? Let’s close this chapter out by just going over these last isn’t it? So, Lord, may you use us to do these things. There’s a laundry list here of many things that you instructed Timothy to do that you’re telling us to do as well. This is basically an outline of Christian character. So, if I need to go back over this, will you guide me to listen to Ad Bible again, or will you remind me to read this chapter on my own and think through these things? Lord, help me correct, help me improve my own Christian character so that you may use me to lead someone else to your truth, so that you may lead me to get someone out of the snare of the devil. Lord, let it be so, and we’ll give you the praise. In Jesus’ name, amen. Thanks for listening to AdBible today. 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