2 Timothy 3: from bad to worse

Paul in prison wrote to Timothy, the bishop of Ephesus:

1-5 Don’t be naive. There are difficult times ahead. As the end approaches, people are going to be self-absorbed, money-hungry, self-promoting, stuck-up, profane, contemptuous of parents, crude, coarse, dog-eat-dog, unbending, slanderers, impulsively wild, savage, cynical, treacherous, ruthless, bloated windbags, addicted to lust, and allergic to God. They’ll make a show of religion, but behind the scenes they’re animals. Stay clear of these people.

Everyone is very prone to sin, and to sin more and more. In a world that is getting more evil, Timothy will have to take tough decisions about himself and the church. Paul will soon die, but Timothy will find wisdom in the Scriptures:

14-17 But don’t let it faze you. Stick with what you learned and believed, sure of the integrity of your teachers—why, you took in the sacred Scriptures with your mother’s milk! There’s nothing like the written Word of God for showing you the way to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.

2 Timothy 2: be strong in the grace

Paul is in a prison. Timothy is a bishop and the church is facing problems: some are preaching heresies there. Timothy must confront these preachers but Timothy is young and he is a little timid. Can Timothy deal with his mission? We read:

1 You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

"be strong" came from Endynamoō which means: "be continually strengthened" or "allow yourself to be empowered". Paul is not asking Timothy to trust in himself, to be strong using his power, Paul is asking Timothy to trust in Jesus's power. "Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus" is a command to us, Christians, today.

2 Timothy 1: Paul is near death in a prison.

 Paul is in a prison for the second time in Rome. Nero is Caesar. He is near death. We read:

11-12 This is the Message I’ve been set apart to proclaim as preacher, emissary, and teacher. It’s also the cause of all this trouble I’m in. But I have no regrets. I couldn’t be more sure of my ground—the One I’ve trusted in can take care of what he’s trusted me to do right to the end.

Imagine that Paul were not certain about his resurrection after death, would he be in peace in prison? Probably he were thinking about if what he has done was right or wrong. However, Paul trusted in Jesus and received the treasure/gospel that he was obliged to preach.

1 Timothy 6: Guard the treasure

Paul wants Timothy to conduct the church in Ephesus, but he advises Timothy:

11-12 But you, Timothy, man of God: Run for your life from all this. Pursue a righteous life—a life of wonder, faith, love, steadiness, courtesy. Run hard and fast in the faith. Seize the eternal life, the life you were called to, the life you so fervently embraced in the presence of so many witnesses.

What is to "seize the eternal life"? I, as a modern man, think that I am saved / have eternal life; so let us move on to the next chalange. Certainly Paul didn't think that the eternal life was some kind of "solved problem" when he said "take hold of the eternal life". The eternal life is very different from our normal life; it is a life of fight against our "normal" way of thinking. In the eternal life, Jesus is the king not me. 


Paul ends the letter:

20-21 And oh, my dear Timothy, guard the treasure you were given! Guard it with your life. Avoid the talk-show religion and the practiced confusion of the so-called experts. People caught up in a lot of talk can miss the whole point of faith.


What is to guard the treasure? It is to protect the message, the gospel as it was being corrupted by some influencers in the church of Ephesus. Even today, it is very common that a person who doesn't belong to Jesus wants to appear as smart talking about religion. The gospel is not about me , it is about our Lord Jesus.

1 Timothy 5: No magic in the church

Timothy was some kind of bishop. He had to manage leaders in the church:

17-18 Give a bonus to leaders who do a good job, especially the ones who work hard at preaching and teaching. Scripture tells us, “Don’t muzzle a working ox” and “A worker deserves his pay.”
19 Don’t listen to a complaint against a leader that isn’t backed up by two or three responsible witnesses.
20 If anyone falls into sin, call that person on the carpet. Those who are inclined that way will know right off they can’t get by with it.
21-23 God and Jesus and angels all back me up in these instructions. Carry them out without favoritism, without taking sides. Don’t appoint people to church leadership positions too hastily. If a person is involved in some serious sins, you don’t want to become an unwitting accomplice. In any event, keep a close check on yourself. And don’t worry too much about what the critics will say. Go ahead and drink a little wine, for instance; it’s good for your digestion, good medicine for what ails you.

As the Spirit was moving in the church, one could think that the Spirit would do some kind of magic. For instance, whenever a leader were falsely accused, the accuser would be killed by the Spirit. When Timothy, as a bishop, were ill, then no need for medicine - the Spirit should heal him. 

However, reading this passage, I thought that this advice had a lot of common sense as if there was no kind of magic in the church. 

We, human beings, are subject to the Lord rules and many rules are to be applied equally to all mankind. The people of the Lord are being changed, i.e., are still sinners who are fighting against evil, however, our fight is not lonely. We are in community with the blessing of our Lord.

1 Timothy 4: The Lord loves all mankind

The false masters were spreading a different message: no to marriage, not to eat certain foods. Paul shows a loving God:

4 For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude; 5 for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer.

The loving God, loves all mankind:

10 For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have set our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all mankind, especially of believers.

Salvation is open to every man and woman. It happens for those who believe in Jesus, our savior and Lord.

1 Timothy 3: Christian leader qualifications

The church in Ephesus had false masters, bad leaders. Paul addresses the qualifications of the leaders that should take place the bad leaders. The message/teachings of the bishops/masters were crucial. The focus of the message:

16 This Christian life is a great mystery, far exceeding our understanding, but some things are clear enough:
He appeared in a human body,
    was proved right by the invisible Spirit,
        was seen by angels.
He was proclaimed among all kinds of peoples,
    believed in all over the world,
        taken up into heavenly glory.