2 Timothy 2 - Introduction

Timothy is exhorted again to constancy and perseverance, and to do the duty of a faithful servant of the Lord, in dividing the word aright, and shunning prophane and vain babblings. Of Hymeneus and Philetus. The foundation of the Lord is sure. He is taught whereof to beware, and what to follow after; and in what sort the servant of the Lord ought to behave himself.

Anno Domini 67.

BECAUSE the Judaizing teachers in Asia had all cast off St. Paul as an apostle, and because it was not in his power to oppose their corrupt doctrines in person, he ordered Timothy to be strong inthe exercise of his spiritual gifts, and in preaching the unspeakable benefits bestowed on Jews and Gentiles without distinction, through Christ, and not through the law of Moses, 2 Timothy 2:1.—and the things concerning Christ; namely, that he is the Son of God; that he died for our sins; that he arose from the dead, ascended into heaven, and now sitteth at the right hand of God, governing the universe; and that he will return to judgment; also salvation by faith alone in Christ; and all the experimental truths of the gospel; all which Timothy had heard from the apostle, as facts and doctrines confirmed by the testimony and experience of many witnesses: these he ordered him to commit to faithful men, capable of inculcating them on others, who, in their turn, should hand them down in like manner; that the knowledge of them might be continued among mankind to the end of the world, 2 Timothy 2:2.

But in regard that Timothy,by preaching these things, would expose himself to much persecution, the apostle exhorted him to endure evil treatment as a good soldier, of Jesus Christ, 2 Timothy 2:3.—imitating ordinary soldiers, who hold themselves in constant readiness to march and fight, that they may please their commanders, 2 Timothy 2:4.—imitating also those who contend in the games, who do not expect to be crowned, unless they observe all the rules of the combat, 2 Timothy 2:5.—and husbandmen, who must labour, before they partake of the fruits of the ground which they cultivate, 2 Timothy 2:6.—Farther, he desired him faithfully to do the work of an evangelist, by frequently calling to remembrance, and preaching, that Jesus Christ of the seed of David, though put to death by the Jews as a deceiver, was raised from the dead, and thereby demonstrated to be the Son of God, according to the apostle's gospel, 2 Timothy 2:8.—for the preaching of which he was now bound in chains as a malefactor, 2 Timothy 2:9. But he bare his sufferings with joy, for the sake of the Gentiles elected to be the visible church of God; that theymight obtain salvation through the preaching of the gospel, 2 Timothy 2:10.—And to encourage Timothy, and all the ministers of Christ who should read this letter, to faithfulness in preaching the gospel, and to courage in suffering for it, he set before them this greatest of all motives, that if they suffer death with Christ, they shall also live with him, 2 Timothy 2:11.—Whereas, if through fear of persecution and death theydeny him, by concealing or misrepresenting the things concerning him, he will, at the day of judgment, deny that they are his servants, 2 Timothy 2:12.—This Christ had expressly declared, Matthew 10:33 and he certainly will do it: for he cannot deny himself, 2 Timothy 2:13.—All these things the apostle ordered Timothy to represent; as the Judaizing teachers perverted the doctrines of the gospel, to render them conformable to the prejudices of the unbelieving Jews and Gentiles, hoping thereby to avoid persecution. Also he ordered him earnestly to testify to them, as in the presence of the Lord; not to fight about the meaning of detached words and sentences in the law, from which nothing could result but the subversion of the hearers, 2 Timothy 2:14.—And, with respect to Timothy's own conduct, the apostle ordered him to present himself to God an approved unashamed workman, who rightly divided the word of truth among his hearers, 2 Timothy 2:15.—Then he counselled him to shun the profane empty babbling of the Judaizers in their discourses about the law, because such a method of talking led to more impiety, 2 Timothy 2:16.—and was of an infectious nature, corrupting the mind as a gangrene does the body. He then mentioned Hymeneus and Philetus, two bigoted Judaizers, whose vain babbling led to more and more impiety, 2 Timothy 2:17.—For by affirming that the resurrection was accomplished when men believed, they denied the resurrection of the dead, and overturned the faith of some, who had expected a future eternal life in the body in consequence of their resurrection, 2 Timothy 2:18.—But although these and other ungodly teachers, by opposing the doctrine of the apostles, denied their inspiration and authority, the truths to which the apostles bore testimony remained firmly placed, as the foundation on which the church of God is built, 2 Timothy 2:19.—Farther, that Timothy and the faithful at Ephesus might not entertain wrong thoughts of God, for permitting false teachers in hischurch; the apostle observed, that it is in the church as in a great house, where there are vessels made of different materials, some for an honourable and some for a dishonourable use, 2 Timothy 2:20.—but that if any teacher, by the power of divine grace, cleanse himself from false doctrines, unholytempers, and bad practices, he will be in the house of God a vessel sanctified and meet for the Master's use, 2 Timothy 2:21.—And that Timothy might be such a teacher, the apostle gave him a variety of directions and advices, respecting his behaviour and method of teaching, 2 Timothy 2:22.