2 Timothy 2:6-13

d.

As a farmer 2 Timothy 2:6-13

Text 2:6-13

6 The husbandman that laboreth must be the first to partake of the fruits. 7 Consider what I say; for the Lord shall give thee understanding in all things. 8 Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, of the seed of David, according to my Gospel: 9 wherein I suffer hardship unto bonds, as a malefactor; but the word of God is not bound. 10 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. 11 Faithful is the saying: For if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him: 12 if we endure, we shall also reign with Him: if we shall deny Him, He also will deny us: 13 if we are faithless, He abideth faithful; for He cannot deny Himself.

Thought Questions 2:6-13

79.

Who is the husbandman in this reference?

80.

Why is the word, must, used in 2 Timothy 2:6?

81.

Are we to make a comparison here between the farmer who labors and the lazy farmer who does not? What is the emphasis?

82.

What are the fruits of which the farmer partakes?

83.

In what sense does the farmer partake of the fruits?

84.

Why consider what Paul is saying, if the Lord will supply the understanding?

85.

Why insert this admonition at this place?

86.

Why suggest just here that Timothy remember Jesus Christ?

87.

Jesus is not dead, but alive. Jesus is of the royal line of David. How does this relate to the context?

88.

In what sense was the good newsmy gospel; i.e., belonging to Paul?

89.

What is Paul's purpose in describing his persecutions and imprisonment?

90.

What is a malefactor?

91.

In what sense is the Word of God not bound?

92.

Show the immediate reason Paul could endure all things.

93.

In what sense was Paul's imprisonment for the elect's sake?

94.

If certain persons are the elect, wouldn-'t they obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus without Paul's efforts?

95.

Show how the two above thoughts relate.

96.

What is the eternal glory mentioned here?

97.

Why use the expression, Faithful is the saying?

98.

When did we die with Him?

99.

We shall also live with Himis this referring to heaven? Explain.

100.

When shall we reign with Him?

101.

Name three ways in which we can deny Him. When, and where, and how will He deny us?

102.

Is there some difference in being faithless, and denying Him? Explain,

103.

In what respects does Christ remain irrevocably faithful?

104.

Christ cannot deny Himself. Does this rise from inability to do so? Explain.

Paraphrase 2:6-13

6 It becometh the husbandman to labour his field before he partakes of the fruits of it, How much more oughtest thou to labour in the ministry before thou art rewarded?
7 Consider what I say concerning the necessity of devoting thyself wholly to the ministry, and of enduring evil, and may the Lord Jesus give thee a just discernment in all religious matters,
8 Often recollect and preach, that Jesus Christ really descended from David, was raised from the dead, and thereby demonstrated to be the true Messiah, according to the Gospel which I preach.
9 For which Gospel I suffer evil even to bonds, as a malefactor, But though my enemies may bind me, they cannot bind the Word of God. It will spread itself in spite of all opposition.

10 For this cause I patiently bear all things on account of the Gentiles elected to be the people of God, that they also may obtain the salvation from sin and death, which is procured by Christ Jesus, and which will be accompanied with eternal glory.
11 Suffering for Christ is not so great a misfortune as the world imagines: For this affirmation is true, that if we die with Christ, as martyrs for religion, we shall also live with him eternally.
12 If, like Christ, we suffer persecution patiently, we shall also reign with Him: But if, when brought before kings and councils, we from fear deny our relation to Him, He will, at the judgment, deny that He knows us.
13 Though we be unfaithful in denying Him, He abideth faithful to all His promises and threatenings. He cannot act contrary to His own essential perfections.

Comment 2:6-13

2 Timothy 2:6. Continuing the thought of reward, Paul uses the illustration of the farmer. Is the emphasis upon the effort, or work, of the farmer, or upon the reward he receives from this labor? There is a good deal of discussion among commentators as to which thought should receive the emphasis. It is comparatively easy to say, with the soldier, the point is endurance. In the case of the athlete, it is discipline, or compliance with the rules for the crown. It would seem that both thoughts of hard labor and reward are here used with the farmer, as self-control and reward are used with the athlete.

The faithful minister will work as hard as a hard-working farmer. When he does, he has the assurance that he will be the first to share in the benefits of his labor. What are these benefits? The preacher who does not first preach his sermon to himself is not worthy of the name. Thou that teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? The preacher should become the first convert to every sermon. Thus he is first to partake of the benefit of his labors.
In another sense, the preacher is to live of the Gospel which he preaches. As he sows spiritual things, he can expect a return in material things. This same thought is emphasized several times by Paul elsewhere.

2 Timothy 2:7. Since Paul has compressed three figures of speech into so few words, he feels a word of warning is necessary lest Timothy read the words without a grasp of their full meaning. Ponder, meditate, think upon what I have written. It is written to you, about you; consider it very carefully. Remember also, that the Lord has promised wisdom and grace adequate for our understanding. There would be no mistakes as to points of emphasis with Timothy.

2 Timothy 2:8. Verses eight through thirteen are a summary of the principle stated in the previous verses; i.e., we must endure before we can reap, or that hardship precedes victory. Two illustrations are given: Jesus Christ, and Paul. Finally, the subject is concluded with the faithful saying; which restates the same principle of, no cross, no crown.

Timothy is urged to remember Jesus Christ. But to what purpose? Reading this in its context we would answer, Because Jesus Christ well illustrates the point, -He is our grand example.-' He is risen from the dead. but only after He had suffered at the hands of sinners and was crucified.
Paul adds two modifying thoughts: first, that our Lord was of the royal line of Davidthus adding insult to injury by crucifying the heir to the throne of David. Second, that the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ was the heart of the message he preached.

2 Timothy 2:9. Because of the good news I preach, I am suffering the present persecution. Knowing of Paul's reluctance to say anything about his sufferings, we can imagine the hardships in the Roman prison were indeed severe. Paul was held in chains as a common criminal. But God brings victory out of defeat: the very thing for which I am imprisoned is not in prison. I am here for preaching The Word, but it is not bound! The Word of God is with Timothy and with all others; it is spread over the wide Roman Empire! Wherever Paul or other inspired men had spoken or written, the Word of God was living and working,

2 Timothy 2:10. Because the Word of God is not bound and will accomplish its glorious purpose in the elect, Paul was ready to bear up under whatever hardships came his way.

Paul felt his remaining steadfast even in prison, was necessary for the elect's sake; i.e., he wanted to present the best possible example so as not to discourage a single one. If he could, in any way, help the least or the last of the elect to obtain what he was confident awaited him, he would suffer anything Nero wanted to bring upon him.

On the other hand, this sentence, Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sake, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory, could look backward instead of forward, Paul could have reference to what he had suffered, as well as what he is suffering. He could mean that he stood up under the sufferings described in 2 Corinthians 11:16-33 and Romans 8:35-39 because he knew his labor was not vain in the Lord.

The use of the word, elect, reminds us of the need to understand the teaching of the New Testament on election. It is not our purpose to develop it here, but suffice it to say, no Bible student worthy of the name will fail to search the Scriptures diligently on this important subject.

It should be pointed out that salvation is in Christ Jesus-', and that there is no salvation outside of Christ. How does one come into Christ Jesus,? Read Galatians 3:27 for an inspired answer from Paul.

The eternal glory of our salvation is here anticipated, and is certain of the fulfillment. Something of the power of the age to come should be reflected in the lives of those who will share it.

2 Timothy 2:11-13. Here is the fifth and last faithful saying. We like the thought of Hendriksen that this is probably a part of an early Christian hymn, a cross-bearer's or martyr's hymn. He says, with good effect: Now the word -for-' indicates that in the hymn, something preceded. The probability is that the unquoted line which preceded, was something like, We shall remain faithful to our Lord even to death, or We have resigned ourselves to reproach and suffering and even to death for Christ's sake. (Ibid pp. 254, 255)

The quoted lines are:

For if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him:
if we endure, we shall also reign with Him:
if we shall deny Him, He also will deny us:
if we are faithless, He abideth faithful;
for He cannot deny Himself.

Please do not miss the point of quoting this hymn (if indeed it is). This is a conclusion to the thought that without a cross there is no crown; without a thorn there is no throne. We shall take up a discussion of each phrase as it appears:

If we died with Him When did this take place? We died when Christ died. Please read Romans 6:8 and 2 Corinthians 5:14 for a confirmation of this. Remember that this is applicable to all Christians. It was written to Timothy and the saints in Ephesus to offer them strength and challenge, but it is just as applicable to us. Paul said of himself, I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I that live, but Christ liveth in me. (Galatians 2:20)

(We have read the discussions which link this phrase, If we died with Him with a martyr's death, but we much prefer the above interpretation and can see no conflict with the context.)
When Christ died, we died. This identification of ourselves with Christ is a powerful motive for holy living. Such a motive was needed in this day of intense persecution.

We shall also live with Him This is the joyous advantage in dying with Him. We are as truly identified with His Resurrection as we are with His death. We have been raised together with Christ in this life, and it is but a foretaste of the life to come. If we do not live like Christ here, how can we hope to live with Him for eternity? If we do not live like Him, we cannot live with Him. The blessed thought is, He deigns to live with us and in us through the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9).

if we endure, we shall also reign with Him Endurance is more than begrudgingly bearing difficulties. Endurance is remaining steadfast amid all manner of trials. Endurance is a positive quality, not a negative one. Please associate this endurance with Christ; we are to endure or suffer with Him, They who suffered with David in his humiliation were preferred with him in his exaltation; so it will be with the Son of David (Henry).

Reigning with Christ is more than an offer of the hope of heaven. It is true right here and right now: if we endure, we shall reign with Him, If we are willing to bear the reproaches and accusations found in fellowship with Jesus, we can also share in the triumph of overcoming evil with good. One day, all the daily trials and difficulties will be past, and we shall reign with Him forever in the new heaven and new earth.

if we shall deny Him, He also will deny us These words seem almost a quotation of Matthew 10:33 or Mark 8:38. Indeed, some commentators feel they are.

What is meant by denying Christ, and how could it be done? Commentators have read final denial, fatal denial, hypocritical faith, etc., into these simple words, deny Him. Did Peter deny Him? Did Jesus deny Peter? When we reject Him, we are rejected by Him. We are well aware that the final judgment day is inferred by the text, but please remember, that judgment day arrives every day for thousands of persons in the form of a visit from Death.
Every time we please ourselves instead of Jesus, we have denied Him. To remain in this state and die in such a state is to be forever denied by Him. When we are ashamed of Him or His Word in this wicked and adulterous generation, we have denied Him. Who is to say that such a person never owned Him in the first place?

if we are faithless, He abideth faithful, for He cannot deny Himself. This is a conclusion to all that has been said in 2 Timothy 2:11-13. This is not intended to be a discouragement, but an encouragement. If we fail, God remains faithful, We can always return to the solid rock; we have forever a norm of truth that does not change. If we turn aside, it is only because we choose to do so; it is not that God wants us to, or that there is some advantage in it.

Like the disillusioned prodigal, we can be sure there is a warm house, a loving father, and a cleansing bath awaiting our return from the pig-pen of the world.
God's faithfulness is a part of His very being: a part of His essence. He is essentially and eternally consistent. It is His nature to be so. Therefore, He cannot deny Himself. To deny His faithfulness is to deny His existence.

Fact Questions 2:6-13

60.

Which is to be emphasized in 2 Timothy 2:6: the work of the farmer or the reward of the farmer?

61.

What are the fruits of which the minister is the first to partake?

62.

Give your own exegesis of 2 Timothy 2:7.

63.

2 Timothy 2:8 through 2 Timothy 2:13 are a unit; explain of what and why.

64.

Why remember Jesus Christ? Please answer in the context.

65.

Why mention that Jesus was of the seed of David?

66.

Why mention according to my Gospel?

67.

We know Paul was very reluctant to say anything about his suffering. How does this thought relate to 2 Timothy 2:9 a?

68.

In what sense was the Word of God not bound? Show how God brought victory out of defeat.

69.

Paul endured all things for the elect's sake; explain how his sufferings related to the elect.

70.

Show how 2 Timothy 2:10 could look either backward or forward in thought.

71.

Who are the elect? Who does the electing? How?

72.

Do we presently have salvation in Christ Jesus?

73.

Which Verses contain the faithful saying?

74.

If the faithful saying was part of an early hymn, what was the thought of the part not quoted?

75.

What is the purpose in giving this faithful saying?

76.

When and where and how did we die with Christ? Are we presently dead?

77.

In what sense are we to live with Christ?

78.

Please define endurance.

79.

Show how we are presently reigning with Christ and how we will do so in the future.

80.

What type of a denial is to be understood from 2 Timothy 2:12 b? Is this a final; fatal denial?

81.

If we deny Him, is it proof positive that we never knew Him at all? Do you agree? Explain.

82.

Show how 2 Timothy 2:13 is a conclusion to 2 Timothy 2:6-12.

83.

God's eternal faithfulness is a great source of encouragement. Discuss.