(The substance of an address)
It is generally accepted among intelligent Christians that Second Timothy speaks of the days of failure of the corporate testimony given to the saints, but it also sets before us the path we are to pursue in such days. However great the failure of men, God's will and purpose are secure in "the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus," and on this promise we can always count.
In 2 Timothy 1 we are reminded of the unfeigned faith that marked Timothy, his mother and his grandmother; a faith in God which turns instinctively towards Him, in which there was no slavish fear, but which had the spirit of power, of love, and of wise discretion. This faith is necessary if we are to walk, amidst the failure, well pleasing to God.
A second feature in chapter 1 is not to be ashamed of the testimony of the Lord, a testimony with which are connected suffering, rejection and shame. It is so easy for us to seek to escape from reproach, it may be by excusing ourselves in saying that the day for the Gospel testimony is over. The faithful man of God will seek to maintain the balance of the truth of the Gospel and the truth of the assembly, each being maintained because it is the truth of God.
Then we are to have an outline of sound words, and for this there must be the careful study of Paul's teaching, and of the doctrine of Christianity in other Scriptures. The faith and love in which the outline of Paul's doctrine is to be held would exclude the harsh legal spirit so often evinced in seeking to force on others our views of Scripture. The valuable deposit of divine truth, given to us, can only be truly held in the power of the Holy Spirit, who dwells in us.
Only by being strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus can we meet the difficulties of the last days: and even as Paul commissioned Timothy to commit to faithful men the truths he had learned, so today, the faithful servant of the Lord will pass on the precious truth he has learned to those who, by the grace of God, will be able to teach others also. The word ministered is not only for food, comfort and teaching, but for the instruction of those who will be able to pass it on to others.
As good soldiers of Jesus Christ we are to take our share in the sufferings that belong to God's testimony; like athletes who compete in the games, we are governed by rules; ours are the divine instructions of God's word, which alone must control all our activities: and like the husbandman, we must labour first before we can expect to have the enjoyment of the fruit in the coming glory.
Timothy, in 2 Timothy 2:14 is given the solemn charge to the saints that they strive not about words to no profit; and failure in this has brought about the sad state in which we find ourselves today. The exhortations to Timothy are also for us; we are so to work as not to be ashamed of what we do, and the word of God is to be ministered without fear or favour. Some at Corinth denied the resurrection; here were some who nullified its truth by saying it had taken place already. If the faith of some was overthrown by false teachings, our hearts can rest in the assurance that "The Lord knoweth them that are His."
The servant of the Lord is to have the features of his Master, avoiding strife, being gentle towards all, ready to teach as enabled of God, forbearing, in all meekness meeting those who oppose, realizing that only the Lord can recover those who have got into the snare of the devil. The Christian profession has become like a great house, and those who would be faithful to God must be separate from the vessels of dishonour that are in it.
In 2 Timothy 3 we are brought right down to the perilous conditions of the last days, and the man of God is cast directly on the word of God for guidance. With Timothy, we are directed to Paul's doctrine, and manner of life, and all that marked him as a servant of the Lord. While thankful for the conditions of life that God has given us, there will always be for the faithful a measure of persecution; and the measure is large for some in other lands. Timothy had learned the truth from Paul, and was fully assured in his soul of its divine origin, and it affected him in all the details of his life. It is because many lack this full assurance that they are so little affected by the truth in these last days.
What we have learned of the truth, we are to abide in; and are to value all the truth, whether learned from Paul or from the other Scriptures. Timothy had known the Old Testament Scriptures from childhood. This should encourage those engaged in Sunday School work to teach the children the Holy Scriptures, which make those who listen wise unto salvation, through faith in Christ Jesus. And how very important it is that our own children, in our homes, should be brought up to know the Scriptures, and to love them as the sacred letters.
When we come to 2 Timothy 4 there is the feeling of sadness as the apostle, about to be put to death for Christ's sake, appeals to Timothy to come to him quickly. He thinks of those who had been associated with him in the service of the Lord: Demas had forsaken him, having loved this present world; only Luke, the beloved physician, was with him, Crescens and Titus being engaged in service elsewhere, Tychicus having been sent to Ephesus. Mark, fully restored to the service of the Lord, was to be brought as serviceable to Paul for ministry; but Alexander, the coppersmith, had done him much harm. In the midst of all his troubles, and when all forsook him, Paul can find encouragement in this, that "The Lord stood with me and gave me power."
With all this in his mind, the apostle, in verse 1, gives Timothy a solemn charge to "Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine." We can see how the apostle's heart, at the end of his faithful and devoted service to the Lord and His saints, yearned for the continuance of Christ's testimony after he was gone to be with the Lord.
In closing, let us sum up the features that are to mark the man of God in these last difficult days, desiring that we may be numbered among the faithful who, in some measure, bear these features. We are to be marked by unfeigned faith; courage in testimony and not being ashamed of the Gospel; having an outline of sound words and being able to instruct others; strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus; passing on to others what we have learned, value and hold: enduring hardness, controlled in all our activities by the word of God, and labouring in view of the harvest day; not striving about words to no profit, but striving in toil that will not make us ashamed, cutting in a straight line the word of truth; avoiding false teaching, and setting right the opposers: gentle, forbearing and using every opportunity to set forth the truth; manifesting practically the traits consistent with the doctrine; abiding in the things learned, and holding them firm to the end; preaching the word, whatever the season, reproving and exhorting; bearing evil, doing the work of the evangelist, and filling up the full measure of whatever the Lord in His grace has committed to us. H. T.