2 Timothy 2:22-26: Flee, but Follow
2022-02-05
2 Timothy 2:22
You may get a bit of déjà vu reading this verse. Paul had a similar admonition in 1 Timothy 6:11: “But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness” (1 Timothy 6:11). Timothy was told in this previous verse to flee the love of money and worldly goods, but to follow after a series of adjectives quite spiritual in nature. Here, we see Timothy is to flee “youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace.” Timothy was young: “Let no man despise thy youth” (1 Timothy 4:12). Surely, there was a temptation for him to do what other young people were doing. These youthful lusts may be immoral in nature, but they do not have to be. These could be worldly ambitions like career success. Whatever they are, whether they are inherently sinful or not, these are things that distract from the things of God (Hebrews 12:1).
In lieu of youthful lusts, we are to follow after other things:
Righteousness is being just and loving justice. This contrasts with youthful lusts. Instead of following what is right for you, you look at what is right for others. “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves” (Philippians 2:3).
Faith “is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). To walk by faith, you are not trusting in the stuff you see. “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world” (1 John 2:16). We see here that lust is connected to what the eye sees. However, “we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). Lust is sensory, but faith is the conduit to God given to us by God and is not sensory.
Charity (love) is sacrificial service for another. Lust serves self rather than another person. Lust changes what love really is. Love originates with God, because God is love (1 John 4:8, 16). By nature, lust can never be love because it serves self rather than others.
Peace is quietness, rest, lack of enmity, and lack of strife. Consider James 4:1-3. People will hurt others so they can get what they want. This further shows that lust cannot be love, but it also shows the inner turmoil that one must have to do harmful things to obtain what they want.
Furthermore, following after these things is done together with other people: “with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” We need to be with like-minded people in following after the things of God.
It is one thing to call on the Lord, but another to do so with a pure heart. Do we call on the Lord with other motives, and what does that look like? Having just looked at James 4:3, we see an example: “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.” People even preach the Gospel with impure motives, as we looked at recently in Philippians 1:15-16.
But calling on the Lord out of a pure heart dispenses with all motives. Whatever the Lord wills, that is what we will. Self has been far removed out of the way. However, we often want our comfort and happiness. We do not want to acknowledge the reality that the world needs to hear the Gospel. We do not want to acknowledge the reality that our once prosperous nation is in swift decline, riding on the coattails of previous generations. We need a real repentance away from ourselves and toward our God, and “bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance” (Matthew 3:8).
2 Timothy 2:23
Once again, we return to foolish talk and why we should avoid it. Previously, we talked at length about profane and vain babbling. Now, these “foolish and unlearned questions” to be avoided are different in that they are questions and not statements. We discussed this before... “He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings” (1 Timothy 6:4). The conclusion there was that straying from the Word of God leads to fruitless questions, and in turn, strife. This would be arguments that do not lead to godly edification. When we discussed this, we mentioned the schism over filioque. While there is healthy discussion that can happen over such a subject so we can understand the nature of God better, there comes a point where we cannot be fully dogmatic over such a subject. When we get dogmatic over a subject that is unclear, we get schisms that should not happen. Such a question is unlearned, because we can never know the nature of God with such precision because of our finiteness. It is foolish because we sacrifice unity for something that we do not truly understand ourselves.
2 Timothy 2:24
On the contrary, “the servant of the Lord must not strive.” We should not argue with those who are intentionally trying to distract us from the mission. “A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject” (Titus 3:10). Show a person his error once or twice, but there comes a point where we leave the conversation. Out soul winning a few years ago, we met a man who was adamantly against the Trinity. We showed him the contrary in Scriptures, but after that, we saw his motive was just to argue, so we respectfully ended the discussion. We want to reach out to the people who genuinely want to be helped, not the man who wants to argue.
However, the servant of the Lord must be gentle to everyone. I heard something recently that being gentle is not weakness, but strength under control. The servant is also apt to teach, but in gentleness. We recall that having the ability to teach was a requirement for an elder. There are added qualities here, such in gentleness and patience.
2 Timothy 2:25-26
The context for this gentleness and patience in teaching is qualified here: “In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves.” There are people who genuinely need and want to be taught and be saved. These people, however, have a lot of baggage with them. Maybe it is false religion, maybe it was harrowing trauma they went through in the past. Whatever it is, they have trouble grasping the truth of the Gospel. The servant of the Lord is going to patiently persevere while dealing with such a person “In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth” (2 Timothy 2:25). If they are willing to listen, perhaps God will save them. Persevere with them, no matter how much they test your patience.
God gives repentance, according to 2 Timothy 2:25. We must help such a person to understand the Gospel, but we must also pray for God to be working a repentance in them. The Spirit of God will be there; we must elicit prayer from many others that God will move in such a person’s life.
At the same time, the person is accountable to “recover themselves out of the snare of the devil” (2 Timothy 2:26). They must desire to be free from the shackles of sin and want to be saved.
There is a shift that happens: they are to be delivered “from the power of darkness” and be translated “into the kingdom of his dear Son” (Colossians 1:13). They are under the power of the devil. They may not necessarily be demon possessed, but they are under his power. The only antidote is the Gospel, and its transforming power that it appropriated by faith.