2 Timothy 2:24–26 (ESV)
24 And the
Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach,
patiently enduring evil, 25 correcting
his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to
a knowledge of the truth, 26 and they
may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being
captured by him to do his will.
I readily admit to a
sense of discouragement at times, today being an example. Most pastors surely
must go through this. Jesus may not be
accused of discouragement but at the very least He reflected some frustration. “Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do
not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say,
‘Show us the Father’?” (John 14:9, ESV). It truly is astounding that a pastor can
labor for years and still be engaging the same issues, day after day. The same issues remain the same issues. Admittedly this leads to discouragement. As I pray, the Lord takes my mind to 2 Timothy
2:24f.
The command to me is
not to be quarrelsome. Quite literally Paul's imperative is directed
toward the servant of the Lord; that
is, the δοῦλοσ [doulos] – the slave – the one bonded to
Christ in submission and service. This
man should not quarrel; not to μάχομαι [machomai], not to engage in combat. It speaks of an environment of aggressiveness
but also an environment where one is trying to outdo the other. It's when I am looking for that
knock-out-punch. "Don't do that,"
says the Apostle.
Thankfully, Paul doesn't leave us
there. He gives me alternatives:
a. Be kind … to everyone.
b. Be able to teach (the qualification of
an elder (“Therefore an overseer must be . . . able to teach,” (1 Timothy 3:2b, ESV).
c. Patiently enduring
evil. Evil? Really?
Probably not. The NIV translates
the phrase "not resentful." The idea is bearing the opposition without
resentment.[1]
d. Correcting his
opponents with gentleness or meekness. I
would think that the correcting, must be rooted in God's Word thus making verse
15 relevant: “Do your best to present yourself to
God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling
the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15, ESV);
and giving life to the character qualification of being "able to
teach."
And all this is done,
"in hope." The hope of the
kind, gracious pastor is that God sovereignly will grant repentance (μετάνοια [metanoia]
– a change of mind.) If God provides the
change of mind, then the servant need not be combative. Why is it that God has to change the
mind? Answer? “and they may come to their senses and
escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.”
(2 Timothy 2:26, ESV). To come to one's senses and escape is all one word in
the Greek. It essentially means a return to sober thinking.[2]
" Here Paul is talking primarily about those
accepting false teaching that they may recover themselves out of the snare of
the devil. Satan is behind all false teaching. There is nothing innocent about
any of it."[3] Can a Christian fall prey to
false teaching, Satanic deception? I
think so. When Peter was abruptly
challenged by our Lord, Jesus said to him: “But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind
me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the
things of God, but on the things of man.”” (Matthew 16:23, ESV) .
Did you notice the
charge and evidence presented by Christ?
Behind the false statement of Peter was a Satanic influence whereby
Peter's thoughts (φρονέω [phroneo] were not the thoughts of
God. It was a contest between the
thoughts of God versus the thoughts of man.
It was a human-based reasoning versus a Divine reasoning. It was the Word of God in contrast to the
word of man. And the only hope is Divine
intervention that changes the one mind to another.
So as the same issues remain the same
issues and people seem reluctant to change, rather than be frustrated, God
calls the person who is bound to Christ in service to exhibit the fruit of the
Spirit and to teach patiently. He then
is to leave the results to the sovereign God who can wrestle the minds of His
people from the human-based focus of the Devil to the thoughts of God that are
indeed “. . . not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the
Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than
your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8–9, ESV).
The glory of the
Gospel is that this same Jesus labored patiently and meekly among His own. Some did not receive Him. Some received Him in increments. Even when He
went to Calvary and rose again, His disciples did not get it all. Yes, He was eventually
led as a lamb to the slaughter and did not provoke or argue – but He died on
the Cross to clear my guilt of impatience and unbelief – as well as everyone
else who believed in Him. And some day
by the gracious glorification of His Son among the Church, His Bride, all disputations
and arguments will cease; and so shall we ever live with the Lord. “Of the increase of
his government and of peace there will be no end . . ..” (Isaiah 9:7a,
ESV).
Note to self: Do not quarrel.
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