E.DENNETT
TWO
TIMOTHY
CHAPTER 1:1-5 There is a great and felt difference
between the first and second epistles to Timothy. The former contemplates the
assembly in its pristine order, with everything regulated by the divine word;
the latter deals with the path of the faithful in a time of confusion and
departure from the truth. There are two verses which express this difference.
In the first, the Apostle writes of the "house of God, which is the church of
the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth" (1 Tim. 3:15); whereas in
the second, he speaks of some "Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that
the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some. Nevertheless
the foundation of God standeth sure," etc. (2 Tim. 2 :18, 19.)
This was
now the consolation that, if confusion reigned in the house of God, if vessels
to dishonour had become mingled with the vessels to honour, the foundation,
laid of God Himself, was immovable. Still it must have been an unspeakable
sorrow to the Apostle to behold the outward decay and corruption of
Christianity, the almost open departure of the Church from the holy ground on
which he, by the grace of God, had been enabled to plant it. In truth it was an
exhibition of what has been seen in every age and in every dispensation;
namely, the failure of that which had been entrusted to the responsible hands
of men. For if Christ, on the one hand, builds the Church, and builds that, as
He surely does, which is imperishable and indestructible, He, on the other
hand, permits His servants to build also; and many of these as surely build up
upon the foundation wood, hay, stubble (1 Cor. 3), and thereby the outward form
and presentation of the house of God are corrupted. This, as we have said, had
already taken place in the days of the Apostle; and in this epistle he not only
expresses the feelings of his own heart with respect to this sorrowful state of
things, but he is also led to give such directions as avail for the guidance
and conduct of exercised souls in the midst of the prevalent disorders. The
first two verses contain the address and the greeting. "Paul, an apostle of
Jesus Christ by the will of God." In other epistles he presented himself as a
"servant" (Rom. 1:1; Phil. 1:1; Titus 1:1); but here he views himself in his
apostolic character, as one sent and commissioned by the Lord Himself, and, as
such, having authority which no unfaithfulness on the part of others could
nullify. He might be, as indeed he was, forsaken, if not refused, by many; but
the authority entrusted to him survived. It is the same now as to gift.
Wherever this is found, the privilege and responsibility to use it abide, even
though it may not be acknowledged by the saints. The Head of the Church who
bestows it counts upon, and holds the person on whom it is bestowed responsible
for, its faithful employment. (Compare Matt. 25:14-30.)
He was,
moreover, Apostle by the will of God. This, and nothing less than this, was the
ground and source of his office. Called by the Lord Himself, he was called by
the will of God; and this certainty in his soul was the secret of his courage
and devotedness in the Lord's service. (Compare Josh. 1:9.) And if by the will
of God, it was "according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus." The
truth may be departed from, and the testimony be consequently surrendered, but
the life which is in Christ Jesus - eternal life - is indestructible, as it is
also outside of and above all question of failure or corruption.
The
Apostle therefore takes this ground in this inspired communication to Timothy;
for grievous as it must have been to him to see the light of the golden
candlestick (Rev. 1) dimmed if not extinguished, the thought of the immutable
character of life, secured in Christ Jesus by the unchangeable promise of God,
could not fail to minister powerful consolation to his soul. It is well to keep
these two things distinct. As to life and salvation, every believer will be
kept through faith by the power of God (see 1 Pet. 1 :3-5); but the place of
testimony, whether corporately or individually, may be, and often is, forfeited
through unfaithfulness, or through succumbing to the influences of this present
evil age.
"To Timothy, my dearly beloved son," etc., more exactly, "my
beloved child." In the first epistle, Paul names him, "my true child in the
faith" (J.N.D. Trans.), thus pointing him out as one that walked in his own
footsteps in regard to the truth; here it is the expression of his own heart
for the one who, as a son with his father, had served with Paul in the gospel.
In truth, the heart of the Apostle clung to Timothy at such a moment of sorrow;
and his pouring out his heart in this way became the basis of the appeals and
exhortations he was about to address to his beloved child. This is divine in
its method, for it is ever God's way to reveal the depth of His affections for
the saints before giving to them words of guidance or admonition. (See 1 Cor.
1, and Col. 3:12-17.)
"Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and
Christ Jesus our Lord." It has often been noticed that, when writing to
assemblies, the Apostle, in his salutation, says grace and peace, but in the
epistles to individuals, he says mercy.* The reason is that as individuals we
need mercy, because of our weakness and infirmities every step of the road (see
Heb. 4:14-16); whereas the Church is regarded as on the perfect ground of
redemption before God, without any consideration of weakness or even failure.
It is, as another has written, the perfect grace of God by Christ, the perfect
peace of man, and that with God; it was this which he (the Apostle) brought in
the gospel and in his heart. These are the true conditions of God's
relationship with man, and that of man with God, by the gospel - the ground on
which Christianity places man. The grace, as well as the truth, came by, and
was perfectly expressed in, Jesus Christ. "God so loved the world, that He gave
His only begotten Son"- this is pure and sovereign grace. And the first
announcement the Lord made to His assembled disciples, on the evening of the
first day of the week, was, "Peace be unto you." In this salutation therefore
we find the revelation of the heart of God, and the effect of the finished work
of Christ, together with the provision of mercy, secured by the present
ministration of Christ on high, for the pathway through this scene while
awaiting His return.
Verses 4, 5. First, in thanking God, the
Apostle makes the remarkable statement, "Whom I serve from my forefathers with
pure conscience." He had said the same thing in effect when standing before the
sanhedrin (Acts 23:1; see also 24:16); and it is necessary to seize the true
import of these words. That his forefathers had been godly persons is manifest,
as also that they had been distinguished by a conscientious observance of the
law, walking according to the light they had received, being governed by the
Word as far as they comprehended it. And this, as we understand, is what Paul
here affirms of himself, that while he was in Judaism he maintained a good
conscience, did not permit himself any known violations of the law, being even
then, as "touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless" (Phil.
3:6). But this has nothing to say as to the state of his heart when a Jew; only
he insists that he preserved, until of course the light flashed into his soul
when on his way to Damascus, an upright conscientious course; and also that
this characterized his service after his conversion as an apostle. He ever
pressed this point as of the utmost importance (see 1 Tim. 1:5, 19; 3:9; 4:2;
Titus 1:15; Heb. 13:18); and we would do well to remember it, for nothing more
exposes the Lord's servant, and Christians indeed generally, to the darts of
Satan than a bad conscience. It is to lack the breastplate of righteousness,
without which our most vital parts are laid bare to his weapons.
The
subject of the Apostle's thanksgiving is, "that without ceasing I have
remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day." It is a striking way to put
it, one that would not ordinarily be adopted by saints, because perhaps we are
less mindful than he was, that we are entirely indebted to the grace of God for
power to remember anyone incessantly in prayer. Paul therefore gives thanks
that he had been able to bear up Timothy before the Lord - a sure sign, too, it
may be added, inasmuch as he penned these words under the guidance of the Holy
Spirit, that Timothy needed his prayers, and thus that Paul was in communion as
to him with the mind of God.
Then follow expressions which reveal the
Apostle's fervent affection for his beloved child in the faith; "Greatly
desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with
joy." v. 4. Recalling Timothy's affection inflames his own; and while
expressing it, consolation is doubtless ministered to his own heart. The
occasion of Timothy's tears is not revealed; but it was probably at the time of
some separation, bidding him farewell, it may be, when leaving him in
captivity, as he departed to his own service. Whenever it might have been, it
plainly shows that the affection of Paul was fully reciprocated, and that it
was no common tie that knit together the hearts of these two servants of the
Lord. It was the recollection of this parting, combined with his own ardent
love, that led him to desire to see Timothy that he might be filled with joy;
for to him the Apostle could unburden his heart, and be refreshed in the
enjoyment of Timothy's love and fellowship. Many a servant, in times of
declension, has thus learned the sweetness and encouragement of real heart
fellowship concerning the work of the Lord. Then, putting Timothy in this
respect in a similar position to his own in relation to his ancestors, he adds,
"When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt
first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded in
thee also." v. 5. The position is similar, but it is not, as in Paul's case, a
good conscience, but "unfeigned faith"; for Timothy had no Jewish ancestry, for
his father was a Greek. And hence, though his mother was a Jewess, he was
unclean according to the Jewish law. He is thus traced back only to the
commencement of the Christian faith in his family, which dated from his
grandmother.
It is a beautiful picture, drawn for our instruction; for
we learn from this same epistle that Timothy from a child had known (and who
can doubt, through the teaching of these pious women, or at least his mother)
the Holy Scriptures. Both the grandmother and mother, as well as Timothy, had
embraced the Christian faith; and the Apostle seems to regard this fact as
proving the greater reality of "the faith" in Timothy's soul, and as laying
him, as will afterward be seen, under all the more solemn obligation of
faithfulness to the Lord in this loose and corrupt epoch of the Church. The
reflection cannot but be evoked from the mind of every reader, that it is a
priceless blessing to have godly parents, and such godly parents as seek to
bring up their children in the nurture arid admonition of the Lord. The
judgment seat of Christ alone will reveal how much Timothy was indebted, in the
grace of God, to the instructions of his mother Eunice. May such parents ever
abound in the Church of God!
CHAPTER 1:6, 7
The expression
of the Apostle's heart to Timothy, as well as his longing desire to see him, is
but preparatory to the appeal contained in verses 6-8. It is indeed the
groundwork on which he builds up his exhortations. He thus drew the heart of
Timothy to himself, to prepare him to receive his message. "Wherefore," he
says, "I put thee in remembrance, that thou stir up the gift of God, which is
in thee by the putting on of my hands." v. 6.
By the light of the
first epistle we may understand the whole history of Timothy's gift. In chapter
1 we find that he had been pointed out as a chosen vessel of gift by prophecies
(of course, in the assembly), and that Paul accordingly committed to him a
"charge." Chapter 4:14 further teaches that the bestowment of the gift, "given
thee by prophecy," was accompanied by "the laying on of the hands of the
presbytery"; and now we learn that it was the Apostle himself, "the presbytery"
being associated with him, who was the instrument or channel appointed by the
Head of the Church for the actual communication of the gift to Timothy. It is
the ascended Christ who, having led captivity captive, gave, and still gives,
gifts to men, for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry,
for the edifying of the body of Christ. And Timothy was honoured, in the
sovereign favour of God, in being made a vessel for the blessing of the saints.
It is of this he is reminded by the Apostle, and charged at the same time to
"stir up" the gift of God.
Previously he had been warned not to
"neglect" it (1 Tim. 4:14); now he is more urgently exhorted on the same
subject. This points to a common danger. When there is a real action of the
Spirit of God among the saints, when His power is demonstrated in edification
and restoration, or in conver-sion, the ministry of the Word is welcomed and
appreciated. But in times of coldness, indifference, and apostasy, the saints
will not endure sound teaching, but after their own lusts they will heap to
themselves teachers, having itching ears, and they will turn away from the
truth (chap. 4:3, 4).
Then comes the danger to the servant of the Lord.
Seeing that his ministry is no longer received, he is tempted to retire, to
lapse into silence, or to resolve with Jeremiah not to speak any more in the
Lord's name to the people (Jer. 20:9). As knowing the heart and the tendency of
Timothy, Paul provides against this snare by urging him to rouse himself, and
to stir up by constant use the gift he had received for the correction and
edification of the Lord's people. The greater the confusion and departure from
the truth, the greater the need for a real and living ministry; but in order to
maintain this, the servant must learn to draw strength and courage, not from
the faces of people, but from abiding and secret communion with the
Lord.
If the Lord, through His Apostle, summons Timothy to more
diligent service, He also draws his attention to the source of his power.
"For," continues the Apostle, "God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of
power, and of love, and of sound mind." v. 7. The first clause, which might be
rendered the spirit of "cowardice," reveals Timothy's especial weakness. He
evidently was a man, like Jeremiah, of a timid, shrinking spirit - one who only
with difficulty, unless under the sway of the Holy Spirit, could face dangers
and opponents. But while the servant of the Lord "must not strive; but be
gentle unto afl men, apt to teach, patient" (chap. 2:24), he must be also as
bold as a lion in the defence of the truth, and in maintaining the honor of his
Lord. Timothy is therefore taught that the spirit God gives is not one of fear
or cowardice, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
These are
three remarkable words, and they require a little examination. First, it is a
spirit of power; for if God bestows gift, He gives also the power to exercise
it; that is, should be added, if there is the state of soul for its
use.
It is indeed of the last importance to remember the connection
between state of soul and the power of the Spirit. The gift may abide even in
one who is unfaithful or indifferent; but the power to use it will not be
present unless its possessor is walking in dependence upon God, unless he lives
in the acknowledgment that power is outside of himself, and in the realization
of his own utter weakness. This is the Apostle's point: "God," he says, "hath
not given us the spirit of fear; but of power." If therefore the servant, and
Timothy was to learn it, is animated with fear or timidity, he should know that
this is not the spirit God gives, for His Spirit is one of power.
These
two things are to be noted - the source of the power, and the character of the
spirit given. Moreover, the spirit is also "of love." The Apostle follows in
this the same order as in 1 Corinthians. In chapter 12 he speaks of spiritual
manifestations in the assembly; and, at the end of the chapter, of workers of
miracles, gifts of healing, and speaking with tongues - all of which are
connected with displays of power.
And then in the next chapter, he
proceeds to speak of love, teaching that if anyone spoke with the tongues of
men and angels, and had not love, he would become as sounding brass, or a
tinkling cymbal; for in truth divine power can only be wielded by the Spirit,
through a divine nature; for of this it is that love is the expression. The
flesh, man's sinful nature, can never be used in the Lord's service; and thus
power and love - divine, holy love - can never be dissociated. There will also
be, as a consequence of love, a sound mind, or, as it has been translated, "a
wise discretion"; for when governed by the Spirit of God, the servant will
always exhibit divine wisdom in his work, and be kept in quiet control and
subduedness in the presence of God. He will know when to speak and when to be
silent, when to be in season and when to be out of season; for he will be
maintained in communion with the mind of his Lord.
CHAPTER
1:8-11
Such being the characteristics of the spirit God gives to His
servants, the Apostle proceeds to exhortation: "Be not thou therefore ashamed
of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner: but be thou partaker of
the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God." v. 8.
There is, perhaps, an implied contrast in this exhortation; thus, many are
becoming ashamed of the testimony (see v. 15), but be not thou ashamed. And the
danger, as before indicated, might have beset Timothy at this moment when
almost all were turning aside, and when the elect vessel of the testimony was a
poor despised prisoner. It is a remarkable fact that, so early in the history
of the Church, as once before indeed at Antioch when Paul withstood Peter to
the face, the maintenance of the truth of God depended upon the faithfulness of
one man, and he a captive. Courage, and such courage as God alone could give,
was requisite at such a crisis, that spirit of power which alone could enable
Timothy to stem the adverse currents that were sweeping by him on every side
with such velocity and force. Did he waver at this time in his allegiance to
the testimony of the Lord? God only knows; but we may be sure that this
fervent, pleading exhortation reached him at the needed moment. Mark, too, that
the vessel of the testimony is identified with the testimony; for the Apostle
adds, "nor of me His prisoner." Many profess to hold and to love the truth,
while they would fain stand apart from those to whom the testimony is
committed. But this can never be, as our passage shows, according to the mind
of God; and hence it would have been as displeasing to Him, if Timothy had been
ashamed of Paul, as if he had been ashamed of the testimony. Or to put it still
more strongly, to have been ashamed of Paul, being what he was, would have been
to be ashamed of the testimony of the Lord.
There is however more: not
only was he not to be ashamed either of the message or the messenger, but he
was also to be fully and openly identified with both. "Be thou partaker of the
afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God." Another translation
will bring out more clearly the Apostle's meaning: "Suffer evil along with the
gospel." The gospel is in a way personified, and Timothy is urged to cast in
his lot with it fully and entirely, at whatever cost, that the reproaches which
might fall upon it might also be borne by him (compare Rorn. 15:3); and the
significant words are added, to encourage him in this course, "according to the
power of God," the power which God bestows upon His servants to sustain them in
the presence of the adversary, and to maintain His truth in the face of all
danger; for no human energy, no steadfastness of purpose, nothing short of
divine power, will avail in the conflicts of service in the gospel.
The
mention of the power of God leads the Apostle back and upward to the source of
all the blessing which was flowing out through the gospel; namely, to God's
purpose and grace, as the immutable foundation on which God was working, and as
the assurance that no efforts of the enemy could frustrate the accomplishment
of the thoughts of God. "Who ha.th saved us," he says, "and called us with a
holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and
grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began; but is now
made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished
death, and hath brought life and immortality rendered] to light through the
gospel." vv. 9, 10.
What a comprehensive statement! What a sweep of
vision, first, back into eternity, and then onward to the time when death will
be swallowed up in victory! For what is it the Apostle here brings before us?
First, that if God has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, it is not
because of anything (meritorious) we are or have done, but according to His own
eternal counsels of grace, and grace given to us (let the reader mark the
language - "given to us") in Christ Jesus before the world began. Then he
points out that the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ was in pursuance of
God's purposes, and that by His death and resurrection death has been
abolished; and life and incorruptibility, the resurrection of the body, have
been brought to light through the glad tidings which were now being proclaimed.
As has been written, "It is a counsel of God, formed and established in Christ
before the world existed, which has its place in the ways of God, outside and
above the world, in union with the Person of His Son, and in order to manifest
a people united with Him in glory. Thus it is a grace which was given us in Him
before the world was. Hidden in the counsels of God, this purpose of God was
manifested in the manifestation of Him in whom it had its accomplishment. It
was not merely blessings and dealings of God with regard to men - it was life,
eternal life in the soul, and incorruptibility in the body. Thus Paul was an
apostle according to the promise of life."
There are several distinct
steps in the unfolding or realisation of these blessings. After the purpose of
God there was the appearing of Christ in this world; there were His death and
resurrection, the means of the accomplishment of the divine counsels; there
was, together with the Holy Spirit sent down from heaven, the proclamation of
the glorious message of the gospel; then, those who by grace received the
message were saved and called with a holy calling, and made to know, at the
same time, that all was of grace; and, last, there was the possession of life,
eternal life, along with the prospect of the resurrection of the body -
incorruptibility. It was Paul's mission to unfold these things in his
preaching, as he says, "Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle,
and a teacher of the Gentiles." v. 11; see also 1 Timothy 2:7. The solemnity of
the times led the Apostle, it might be said, to magnify his office, to insist
upon the fact that he had been divinely appointed as a herald, an apostle, and
a teacher of the Gentiles; and, by the grace of God, his life was consecrated
to his work, so that no adversities, no hindrances, could daunt his courage or
extinguish his zeal; for he was able to say, as we find in another epistle, "To
me to live is Christ."
CHAPTER 1:12-18
In the preceding
verse the Apostle explains that he had been appointed (not of man, as he
informs the Galatians, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father,
who raised Him from the dead) as the herald and apostle of the gospel; and now
he speaks of the consequences of his mission as to himself, together with his
sustainment and consolation: "For the which cause I also suffer these things:
nevertheless I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed, and am
persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against
that day." His present sufferings were those resulting from his captivity (v.
8), and from the opposition now everywhere encountered by the gospel, as also
from being deserted by so many professed believers, and perhaps teachers (v.
15). And he regards these sufferings as flowing out from the position he
occupied in reference to the gospel (chap. 2 :9) ; that is to say, the faithful
prosecution of his mission entailed upon him these sorrows and persecutions.
Nor could it be otherwise at such a moment, nor indeed at any moment. For
wherever a servant of the Lord seeks to serve Him alone, and to cling to His
Word in spite of all opposition, against that man will be arrayed all the
forces of the enemy. It was so with Paul, so that (as he tells us in the next
chapter) he suffered trouble in the work of the gospel as an evildoer, even
unto bonds, therein following, if at a distance, the footsteps of his Master,
who suffered unto death, and that the death of the cross, because of His
fidelity, perfect fidelity, as God's witness on the earth.
But if the
Apostle was in his service encompassed by suffering, he knew where to turn for
comfort and strength. On man's part it was trouble and persecution, but when he
looked up, all was assurance and confidence; and hence he could say,
"Nevertheless I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed"; and he could
leave himself and his circumstances entirely in His hands. Moreover, man was
powerless as to the eternal issue before his soul. He might apparently succeed
in hindering the testimony by shutting up the Apostle in prison; he might, as
the tool of Satan, drive away many of his companions; he might even be
permitted to make a martyr of Paul; but if so, he would have to learn that he
had but been yoked to the chariot wheels of God's purposes, and that he had not
been able to touch that which was most precious as to Paul, so also to Christ.
Man may kill the body, but can do no more; and knowing this, the Apostle was
confident that the Lord could and would keep that which he had committed unto
Him against that day - the day when all things will be made manifest, when the
Lord will come to be glorified in His saints, and to be admired in all them
that have believed. It is to that period the Apostle looks; and meanwhile he
was able to trust the Lord, not only for his own salvation and eternal
happiness, but also for the recompense of his service. The enemy could do
nothing with such a man, because his hopes and joys were outside of the scene
through which he moved.
Having given the ground of his own confidence
in the midst of his present circumstances, he turns again to exhortation. "Hold
fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love
which is in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by
the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us." vv. 13, 14. These are very important
exhortations, and require careful attention. The form of sound words is rather
an outline - an outline of the truth in the inspired words which Timothy had
heard from the Apostle. Elsewhere Paul affirms that his teaching was "not in
the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the words which the Holy Ghost
teacheth" (1 Cor. 2:13). He thus claimed inspiration, not only for the matter,
but also for the words in which his apostolic communications were made; and
hence it is, as another has said, that we are never sure we have the truth
unless we have the very language which contains it. In a day when rationalism
and infidelity (both springing from the same root, the latter being but the
full development of man's reason) are seeking to pervert the foundations of
God's revelation to man in the Scriptures, it is necessary to reassert the
truth which the Apostle affirms; for the infallible certainty of the Word of
God is the only rock on which the soul can securely repose amid the changing
sea of the speculations of man's wandering mind.
It is for this reason
that Paul exhorts Timothy to have an outline of Scripture teaching in inspired
words, that he might ever be prepared to authoritatively instruct the enquirer,
or to confute the adversary. The difference between this that Paul pressed on
Timothy and creed lies in this: Timothy's outline was to be in divine words,
whereas the creeds of Christendom are expressed in human language; and on this
very account they fail, even when "orthodox," to express the full truth of
revelation. Timothy's outline was inspired without any human admixture; the
creeds are composed by human minds, taking Scripture, as far as their authors
understood it, as the basis, and given in the words of man's wisdom. Paul had
taught Timothy, as already said, in divine words; and these words were to be
used by him in the way directed, forming a compendium in scriptural language of
Christian doctrine, as there were but few New Testament scriptures at that time
in existence. Timothy then was to have and to hold fast the form of sound
words; but if he was enjoined to do this, the manner in which it was to be done
is also given. It was to be "in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus."
Dissociate even the truth from Christ, and it will become a dead thing; use it
apart from faith and love, and it will be a powerless weapon.
The
Apostle therefore guards his "son" Timothy in his service by reminding him of
his need of using nothing but the truth in his conflicts, of holding the truth
in the living activities of his soul, and as flowing from and being the
ex-pression of the glory of Christ. Faith comes by hearing the Word; but if it
is produced by it, in its presentation of a God of grace in and through the
Lord Jesus Christ, it leads back to it, not only as the foundation on which it
is based, but also as containing the sources of all divine knowledge. Faith,
moreover, in attaching itself to its object, Christ, as revealed in the
Scriptures, works by love, or rather, apprehending the divine and infinite love
unfolded in Christ; love also is immediately begotten in the soul, for we love
Him who first loved us. And faith and love are necessarily in Christ Jesus - in
Him, for He is the source, object, and sphere of both alike. (Compare 1 Tim. 1
:14.)
If Timothy was to hold fast the objective truth, there was also
another thing he was to keep; namely, "that good thing committed unto thee." In
verse 12 the Apostle had said that he was persuaded that the One whom he had
believed was able to keep that which he had committed to Him against that day.
Literally, it is "my deposit"; and in verse 14 the rendering should be "the
good deposit keep," etc. If on the one hand we have a "deposit" (all our hopes
of glory) with Christ, He on the other hand entrusts His servants with a
deposit. The question then is, What is this good deposit? It cannot be eternal
life, or salvation; for the keeping of this belongs to Christ Himself, and
hence it is probably the truth - the truth as committed to the stewardship of
His servants - to be maintained by them in all fidelity while serving in the
prospect of that day. (Compare 1 Tim. 6:13, 14.)
Timothy's gift was
also a deposit, and that, as we have seen, he was to hold and use in the
service of his Master; but the connection here points rather to the
interpretation we have given. And, indeed, unless we guard, and carefully
guard, the truth in our own souls, we shall never be able to use it rightly in
service. It is thus the first thing, in connection with the whole armor of God,
that the loins should be girt about with truth (Eph. 4). If, therefore, we
would be faithful witnesses for Christ in a day of declension, the truth must
first have its rightful place over our own hearts and consciences, and must be
jealously watched over and guarded if the witness-bearing is to be continued.
The Apostle reminds Timothy that the only power for this is the Holy Ghost, and
also that he already possessed that power. "Keep," he says, "by the Holy Ghost
which dwells in us, the good deposit" (J.N.D. Trans.). It is well to remember
that if the Lord send us on any service, or if He set us for the defense of the
truth in a day of difficulty, He has given us a power that is equal to all the
demands that can be made upon us. We are too often occupied with the sense of
our own feebleness, instead of with the power possessed through the indwelling
of the Holy Spirit. The Apostle turns again to his own circumstances; but if he
does so, it is but to bring out into bright relief the contrast between
unfaithfulness and fidelity, as also to teach us how precious the latter is to
God. First, we have the dark side: "This thou knowest, that all they which are
in Asia be turned away from me; of whom are Phygellus and Hermo genes." v. 15.
It was through Paul's preaching that "all they which dwelt in Asia heard the
word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks" (Acts 19:10); and thus they were,
in no small degree, his debtors. But now, together with the aged and devoted
Apostle's being in prison, they had lost their first love; the fervency of
their zeal had cooled, and they had become ashamed of God's chosen vessel of
the truth. It was not that they were not really Christians, nor, perhaps, that
they had become open backsliders, much less apostates; but they were not
prepared to suffer from identification with the rejected servant. They had
undoubtedly fallen in with the course of this age, and would thus be tempted to
regard Paul as an extreme man, as too exclusive, as an enthusiast, as one who
imperiled the progress of Christianity by his fanaticism. They thus turned away
from him, seeking smoother paths, where the cross would be lighter.
Two
names of those who forsook Paul are given - Phygellus and Hermogenes - and the
fact that their names are given shows that they were well known, probably
leaders among the saints - those, therefore, who would lend a sanction to this
unfaithful course. It may be that the teaching of these men had adapted itself
to the currents of the moment; for the tendencies of any age always find
expression through some who claim the place of teachers. Be this as it may, it
was a sad spectacle-public Christianity, that is, the outward form of it in
this world, severing itself from the chosen vessel of the truth! On the other
hand, there is no grander sight than that of Paul - deserted, alone, in
captivity - retaining through grace his confidence in the Lord, and in the
truth committed to his charge. If faint, he was still pursuing; and if he were
weary in his lonely conflict, his hand still clave to his sword (see 2 Sam.
23:10).
There was one ray of light amid the gloom of the moment, one
rill of consolation flowing into the heart of the Apostle from the heart of
God, through His servant Onesiphorus. This godly man, so far from being ashamed
of Paul or his chain, being in Rome, sought him out very diligently, and rested
not until he had found him, and was used of the Lord to minister refreshment to
the captive Apostle. Precious privilege vouchsafed to Onesiphorus! Precious
also to the weary soul of Paul were these cups of cold water which Onesiphorus
put to his thirsty lips! And the Lord saw this blessed serv-ice, and esteemed
it as rendered unto Himself. "I was in prison, and ye came unto Me" (Matt.
25:36).
The gratitude of the Apostle's heart turned into a prayer for
Onesiphorus. "The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus; for he oft
refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain: but when he was in Rome, he
sought me out very diligently, and found me. The Lord grant unto him that he
may find mercy of the Lord in that day: and in how many things he ministered
unto me at Ephesus, thou knowest very well." vv. 16-18.
The Apostle's
prayer embraces a present and a future blessing. He desires present mercy for
the house of Onesiphorus; that is, he prays for the members of Onesiphorus'
family, of his household indeed, and also that the Lord would grant Onesiphorus
himself to find mercy from "the Lord in that day." "That day" refers to the
Lord's appearing (see v. 12), when He will display His own in glory, and when
the recompense, in grace, of each of His servants will likewise be exhibited.
Onesiphorus had already been the object of mercy in his salvation; but, as
passing through the wilder-ness, he was "looking for the mercy of our Lord
Jesus Christ unto eternal life" (Jude 21). And it is this, mercy in its full
fruit and consummation, that Paul prays he may find in that day.
The
closing statement shows that it was not the first time Onesiphorus had been of
service to Paul. In Ephesus too he had ministered in many things to the
Apostle, and the Spirit of God has caused it to be recorded here, as it is also
recorded in heaven, to teach us that He marks and appreciates the slightest
kindness shown to His servants in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
CHAPTER 2:1-7
The connection of this chapter with that which
precedes it is both intimate and striking. The Apostle was led to depict his
circumstances and his situation in the darkest colours; for in truth nothing
could be gloomier to the outward eye than the outlook at that moment. He
himself was a prisoner, and "all they which are in Asia" had turned away from
him. It was therefore a grave crisis in the history of Christianity, and one in
which divine wisdom was required to guide aright the feet of the faithful. What
then are the counsels which, at such a time, the Apostle gives to his "son"
Timothy? First, he says, "Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that
is in Christ Jesus." v. 1. It Is not what most would have expected. At a time
when so many were turning their backs upon God's chosen vessel of the truth,
surely some degree of severity, some little sharpness, would be advisable to
recall the saints to a sense of their responsibility before God in
acknowledging the authority of His servant. Such might have been the thoughts
of man; the thoughts of God were of another kind. Timothy was to be strong in
the grace that is in Christ Jesus - the grace given to us in Christ Jesus
before the world began - that grace of which Christ in His incarnation and
death, was and is the expression, and which is stored up in Him (see 2 Cor.
8:9). This is full of instruction.
But how was Timothy to be strong in
grace? The word is the same, for example, as that found in Philippians 4:13,
and this will supply the key to its interpretation. It means that he was to be
strengthened inwardly by this grace, so that he would be best prepared to stand
in an evil day, and to cope with its prevailing evils. There is no weapon we
are so often tempted to lay aside as grace; but we learn here that it is in
proportion to outward decay, unfaithfulness, and corruption, that we need to be
built up, fortified by it, in order to deal effectually with the difficulties
of the path. The man of God himself therefore must be continually established
in grace, as well as be unfailing in its presentation as the mightiest means,
in the power of the Holy Ghost, both to confirm the wavering and to recover the
backslider.
In the next place, he says, "And the things that thou hast
heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who
shall be able to teach others also." v. 2. This remarkable instruction is very
significant. It shows clearly that no further revelation was to be expected,
and that the provision contemplated, as a barrier against the inroads of false
doctrines and pernicious errors, was the transmission of the truth as it had
been received of the Apostle (and certified to be apostolic teaching by many
witnesses) to faithful men who should be competent to hand it on unadulterated
to others. Not a hint is given of any successors of the apostles, or of any
authority whatever in the Church, to whom an appeal might be made to define the
truth and to expose false doctrines. The Apostle's confidence is in God and the
word of His grace (see Acts 20:32); only he would have Timothy to be diligent
in imparting the truth to such as would be thereby qualified to contend
earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints. The waves of error were
already rolling in from every quarter, and the inspired Apostle urges his
beloved Timothy to raise up in this manner breakwaters to intercept their
force, and to guard the saints from their destructive power. So now our safety
is to be found first in building ourselves up on our most holy faith, and then
in diligently instructing the saints, that they may know how to discern between
truth and error, and thus to detect the artifices of the adversary.
The
Apostle proceeds to insist upon some necessary personal qualifications for the
work to which Timothy was called: "Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good
soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the
affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a
soldier. And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except
he strive lawfully. The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the
fruits." vv. 3-6. Every servant of the Lord should ponder, and ponder again and
again in the presence of God, these grave and weighty words - words which will
never lose their solemn force as long as labourers are found in the Lord's
work. First then the servant must know how to endure hardness,1 for such must
be expected by every "good soldier of Jesus Christ." None knew this better than
he who penned these words, who, after recounting his persecutions and dangers,
adds, "In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst,
in fastings often, in cold and nakedness." 2 Cor. 11 :27. If therefore he
exhorted Timothy to take his share in suffering, he had himself trodden the
path, and thus does but encourage him to follow in the same steps. And where is
the servant, it may be inquired, who does not need this admonition? To shun the
cross is a common temptation, and it is only when we are under the power of the
constraining love of Christ, with a single eye to His glory, that we are
impelled to a joyful identification with the sorrows and sufferings of His
interests here upon the earth.
The figure employed institutes a
comparison. A soldier on service expects to endure "hardness," and so also
should the soldiers of Christ. The Apostle therefore adds, that no man that
warreth entangles himself with the affairs of this life. He makes arrangements,
on the other hand, to lay aside all his business responsibilities that he may
be absolutely free from all other claims so as to be at the absolute disposal
of his commander. Are the soldiers of Christ to be on any lower level? Are they
to seek to serve two masters? Are they to engage only in the conflict when they
can spare time from other engagements? Most blessed is it when busy men devote
their leisure to the Lord's work, preferring His interests to their own ease
and comfort; but the Apostle speaks here of another class of servants who, in
the power of the Holy Ghost, disengage themselves from every human claim
because they desire to please, to be under the absolute control of, the Captain
of their salvation. It will be a sad day for the Church and for the saints when
such are no longer found, and a sure sign of the decay of the energy of the
Holy Ghost in their midst.
Another figure is next introduced for
further instruction. In the olden games and contests, those who strove were
bound to observe the rules, if they would obtain the prize. So likewise those
who engage in the Lord's conflicts have to remember that they must "strive
lawfully," be in subjection to His conditions of service, which must be carried
on in conformity to His will and His Word. This is of the utmost importance;
for many a right thing is done, even by otherwise good soldiers of Jesus
Christ, in a wrong manner or at a wrong moment, whereby the end is defeated.
The Lord's servants must wait entirely upon the Lord's will, both for the time
and the mode of their warfare, or they will not gain the crown of His approval.
Nowhere is this more plainly taught than in the siege of Jericho. To human eyes
the manner of conducting it, the method of warfare, was nothing but folly; but
it was the Lord's way (and "the foolishness of God is wiser than men"), and the
victory was assured.
In addition, the husbandman (and this introduces
yet another comparison) must first labour before he can partake of the fruits.2
Our Lord reminded His disciples of the same principle when He said, "He that
reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he
that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together." John 4:36. It is indeed
a universal law, that labour must be expended before the harvest can be
enjoyed; and it is this which Paul recalled to the mind of Timothy. The
tendency of all, and especially of the Lord's servants, is to forget this
salutary truth in the intense desire to gather in and feast upon the fruit. It
should therefore be remembered, and thereby we should be saved from many
disappointments, that now is the time of labour, and that it will be the time
of labour until the Lord's return, and hence that our only concern should be to
be found diligent and faithful in our service. The time of partaking of the
fruit is future, and the knowledge of this will encourage Our hearts to
persevere in service, and all the more in that our enjoyment of the fruit will
be in communion with the Lord. "He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing
precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves
with him." Psa. 126:6.
The Apostle, having placed these things before
Timothy, urges them upon his attention: "Consider what I say; and the Lord give
thee understanding in all things." v. 7. If we take these words as they stand,
they contain an exhortation and a prayer, or at least the expression of a
strong desire, which directs Timothy at the same time to the Lord as the source
of the power to understand divine things. It would seem, however, as stated
below, that the better reading is, "The Lord shall give thee understanding in
all things." This gives a slightly different, though very important, meaning.
While equally reminding Timothy of his dependence on the Lord for power to
apprehend His mind, it gives also a connection between considering, or thinking
upon, the apostolic communications, and the action of the Lord in opening his
mind to understand Paul's inspired words. And this connection always subsists.
The more we consider, weigh, meditate upon the Scriptures, the greater will be
the activity of the Holy Spirit in unfolding their teachings to our souls. It
is indeed when we are occupied with the Word of God in calm and peace, in the
presence of God, that the Lord draws near and gives us understanding; and hence
this exhortation to Timothy. It is therefore not by the application of the
mind, but by the operation of the Holy Spirit, that divine things are entered
into and understood - a lesson much needed in a day of mental activity and
intellectual research.
CHAPTER 2:8-13
The transition from a
consideration of the needed personal qualifications for the work to which
Timothy was called to the motives which would sustain him is in the highest
degree significant. In one word, the Apostle sets Timothy down in the presence
of the Lord - "Remember Jesus Christ raised from the dead, of the seed of
David, according to my gospel" (I believe this to be a more accurate
translation). The differ-ence is important; for, taking them as they stand in
the original, it is at once perceived that "Jesus Christ raised from the dead"
is the prominent thought, and also more especially connected with the words,
"according to my gospel." For it was indeed the gospel of the glory of Christ,
"who is the image of God," that was committed to Paul (2 Cor. 3:4), the gospel
that proclaimed that Jesus Christ, the Christ who had been here and was
crucified, had been raised from the dead and glorified as man at the right hand
of God, having the glory of God displayed in His face. The expression, "of the
seed of David," tells us that Christ was true man, and what He was on earth in
His presentation to the Jews.
In the epistle to the Romans the same two
things, if not in the same order, are linked together. Giving them as they
really stand, we read, "The gospel of God, . . . concerning His Son, . . .
which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; and declared to be
the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the
resurrection from the dead." "Jesus Christ our Lord." Chap. 1:1-4.
As
to the force of the combination of these two aspects in Timothy - Jesus Christ
raised from the dead, and His being of the seed of David - we may give the
language of another: "The truth of the gospel (dogma is not the subject here)
was divided into two parts, . . . the fulfillment of the promises, and the
power of God in resurrection. These, in fact, are, as it were, the two pivots
of the truth - God faithful to His promises (shown especially in connection
with the Jews), and God mighty to produce an entirely new thing by His creative
and quickening power as manifested in the resurrection, which also put the seal
of God upon the Person and work of Christ." It was Jesus Christ, therefore, in
all this wide-embracing character, as born into this world of the seed of
David, but as having been raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, that
Timothy was to remember to have ever before his soul, as containing the whole
truth of his message, and as supplying him with an all-powerful motive for
fidelity and endurance in his work.
This was, as we have seen, Paul's
gospel; and now we learn once again (see chap. 1 :8-12) that its proclamation
entailed persecution. He thus continues: "Wherein I suffer trouble, as an
evildoer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound." v. 9. This was
true at the moment of the Apostle's writing, and we have only to read the
record of his activity in The Acts to discover, as indeed was testified to him
by the Holy Ghost, that bonds and afflictions awaited him in every city.
Bearing the precious message of the gospel, the ministry of reconciliation,
and, as an ambassador for Christ, as though God did beseech by him, entreating
men everywhere to be reconciled to God, not only was his message constantly
refused, but he himself was looked upon as a disturber of the world's peace,
and, finally, was shut up in prison as a malefactor! So completely, however,
did the Apostle lose sight of himself in his concern for the interests of God
in the gospel, that he found his consolation in the recollection that, if he
were in captivity, the word of God could not be confined. A like contrast is
often found in The Acts. In chapter 12 Herod puts James the brother of John to
death, and "proceeded further to take Peter also." But this very activity of
the enemy brought in the interposition of God. Peter is delivered from his
captivity, Herod is smitten, and then the significant statement is added, "But
the word of God grew and multiplied." v. 24. In such ways, when the enemy deals
proudly, God steps in and shows that He is above him. Paul has even a deeper
consolation: "Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sake, that they may
also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory." v. 10.
It has often been remarked that the Lord Himself might have used these words,
and hence only one in the enjoyment of fellowship with the Lord's own heart as
to His people could employ such language; for, in truth, the object of the
Lord's own sufferings was the salvation of His people. He suffered, as we all
know, as no other could, because He made expiation for our sins; but the point
of the Apostle's statement is not the character but the object of his
sufferings.
By the grace of God, therefore, and in the power of the
Holy Spirit, he was enabled to suffer all that came upon him, in connection
with his testimony, for the elect's sake. He was made willing, nay more; with
something of the love of Christ for His people animating his soul, he even
desired to endure persecution if so be they might obtain the salvation which is
in Christ Jesus, with all that was connected with it, even eternal glory. And
it should be ever remembered that the same path is opened to every servant of
the Lord. If smaller vessels than the Apostle, they may yet have the same
desires, aims, and objects; and they will have them just in proportion as the
affections of Christ fill their hearts. Intense love for His people, because
they are His people, is one of the most essential qualifications for service;
for this will become, in the power of the Holy Ghost, the spring of unwearying
devotedness to Christ for their eternal welfare.
In verses 9 and 10 the
Apostle seeks to encourage Timothy in an evil day by a reference to his own
path, and by the exhibition of the motives which, through grace, governed his
own soul. He now proceeds to remind him of certain divine principles, or of
certain infallible consequences resulting both from identification with, and
from unfaithfulness to, Christ in His rejection.
"It is a faithful
saying: For if we be dead with Him, we shall also live with Him: if we suffer,
we shall also reign with Him: if we deny Him, He also will deny us: if we
believe not, yet He abideth faithful: He cannot deny Himself." v.
11-13.
The exact significance of "It is a faithful saying," or,
literally, "faithful is the word," is not at once perceived. It may be the
solemn asseveration of the truth of the following sentences; or it might mean
that these truths were current among the saints, and that the Apostle takes
them up to apply them to the matter in hand. To Timothy they would, at such a
moment, have great force and solemnity. Tempted at least to shrink from the
cross involved in his service, nothing could be more seasonable than to be
recalled to the truth, that if we have died with Christ, we shall also live
with Him.
Now death with Christ lies at the very foundation of our
Christian position; but blessed as it is in delivering us from all that would
enslave us in this scene, it involves certain responsibilities. The Apostle
thus wrote to the Colossians: "If ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of
the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances?"
Chap. 2:20. Having been associated with Christ in His death involved their
acceptance of the place of death in this world. So with Timothy, with us all.
If we take the place of being dead, no persecutions, no dangers, could turn us
aside from the path of service. It will moreover encourage us always to
consider ourselves dead, and to bear about in the body the dying of Jesus, to
remember that our living together with Him is the divine consequence of
association with Him in death. For, as the Apostle says elsewhere, "If we have
been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the
likeness of His resurrection." Rom. 6 :5.
It is the same with the next
statement: "If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him" (v. 12). Not that our
reigning with Christ is in any way dependent upon our present suffering, but
rather it is that suffering here is the appointed path for those who will be
associated with Christ in His kingdom. This was shown out in type in the
direction that the purple cloth was to be spread upon the altar before it, with
its vessels, and was covered with badgers' skins for its transport through the
The word "for" should be inserted before the last clause; thus, He abideth
faithful; for He cannot deny Himself.
Being what we are, and the world,
the flesh, and the devil being what they are, suffering with Christ is a
necessity, and especially in the path of service; but if it is so, He sustains
us by the prospect of association with Himself in the glories of the kingdom.
These are encouragements, but there are also warnings. Should we, alas! deny
Him (and denying Him here has its full force of absolute apostasy), He will
deny us. (See Luke 12:9.) If, moreover, we believe not, the Lord will not fail
to accomplish all the purposes of His heart, all the thoughts of His love; for
He cannot deny Himself. He is in no way dependent upon our fidelity or service,
though He may be pleased to bestow upon us the privilege of being His servants,
of labouring in His vineyard.
Daunted by constant opposition, we may be
disheartened, fall into despondency, be tempted to think that the light of the
testimony is altogether extinguished, and thus come under the power of doubt
and unbelief. But the Lord will work on, in spite of all our faithlessness, in
the accomplishment of His will, and in His own time will infallibly present the
Church to Himself, "a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such
thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish" (Eph. 5:27).
The
knowledge then that God is faithful, and that He cannot deny Himself, is
assuredly a rock on which the feeblest and most timid of His servants may
repose in the darkest moments; and it affords also an encouragement to look
beyond the confusion and the ruin, to that blessed future when every thought of
the heart of God for His Church and for His people will have its perfect and
eternal realization in the glory.
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