Timothy: May 2014
Table of Contents
Timothy
Paul was older; Timothy was young. Their lives were closely linked, as were the lives of Timothy and his parents. Whether we fall into the older or younger or parent or son or daughter category, we have much to learn and benefit from in considering God’s record of Timothy’s life and his interactions with his spiritual father and natural parents. We each have things to receive from those in the generation before us and things to pass on to the generation after us, for it’s part of God’s chosen way of passing on His truth from generation to generation.
J. G. Bellett has well said, “It is beautiful to see the ‘unfeigned faith’ dwelling in one generation after another of the same family, as in the grandmother Lois, the mother Eunice, and the child Timothy, but it is beautiful also to read in the third of those family generations the tears and the affections which give the full persuasion that their religion is not a mere imitative or educational one — the mere catching of a family influence — but the precious inwrought power of a kingdom which God Himself has set up in the soul.”
Timothy - His Life and Ministry
Timothy occupies an important and unique place in the early days of the church. He heard the preaching of Paul as a young man and, having been brought up under the sound of the Scriptures, was ready to receive the message of salvation. Some time later, he became associated with Paul in his ministry and continued in this until Paul was martyred. He continued faithful when many others gave up the precious truth Paul taught, and he was the recipient of the final epistle written by Paul. His life and experiences hold many lessons for us today, and especially for those who are younger.
Early Years
We first read of Timothy when Paul visited Derbe and Lystra the second time, along with Silas. At that time he was “well reported of by the brethren” and attracted Paul’s attention. Evidently he had believed when Paul had first visited Lystra some years before, for Paul calls him “my own son in the faith” (1 Tim. 1:2) and “my beloved son” (1 Cor. 4:17). Several things are noteworthy in his early life.
First of all, Scripture notes that his father was a Greek (Acts 16:1), and we know that this would have been a disgrace and a shame for his mother, as it was forbidden in the law for a Jew to marry a Gentile. She was evidently a godly woman, and how she came to marry a Greek we are not told. We are not told anything else about his father, and it is quite likely that he had no interest in the things of the Lord. Second, Paul bears testimony to the faith of both his mother and his grandmother (2 Tim. 1:5), and this bore fruit when Timothy heard Paul’s preaching. But he was not merely saved; his life and walk were such as to give him a good report of his local brethren, and Paul felt led to ask him to accompany him in his ministry. John Mark, who had traveled with Paul and Barnabas on their first trip, had turned back from the work, but now the Lord had provided a replacement. It was a great privilege for a young man like Timothy to be in Paul’s company, but his life and testimony were such as to commend him to this work, and his afterlife proved the reality of his faith and his heart for the Lord.
Gift
As with other servants of the Lord, Timothy had a gift, and this is spoken of in a definite way, which involved others who were acquainted with him. First of all, we are told in 1 Timothy 4:14 that the gift “was given thee by prophecy.” No doubt this refers to the New Testament prophets of those days, who, being familiar with Timothy’s exemplary conduct and heart for the things of the Lord, were led of the Lord to prophesy concerning a gift that the Lord would give Him. Second, Paul exhorts Timothy to “stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands” (2 Tim. 1:6). Paul, as an apostle, was the instrument used of the Lord in the administration of this gift, and he imparted it in a definite act, by the putting on of his hands. Thus Timothy was signally marked out for the work He was to do. Finally, we read that this gift was associated with “the laying on of the hands of the presbytery” (1 Tim. 4:14). Those who were elders in the assembly expressed their fellowship with the gift and with the prophecy concerning it.
All this was done, not only to assure Timothy of the gift, but to encourage one who was evidently timid and unwilling to put himself forward. This is, no doubt, an admirable trait in a believer, but, on the other hand, Timothy was not to allow this natural reticence to deter him from using the gift or from acting with authority when necessary.
Ministry
Throughout the New Testament, Timothy’s name continues to surface in connection with Paul and with the work of the Lord. He evidently formed part of Paul’s company in his missionary journeys and was a constant “partaker of the afflictions of the gospel” (2 Tim. 1:8). He is spoken of several times in company with Silas, and it is clear that they two often went together, when Paul was temporarily separated from them. Paul sent Timothy and Erastus together to Macedonia (Acts 19:22), as being competent men who could work for the Lord on their own without Paul’s being with them. Paul states his intention to send Timothy to other places, such as Philippi and Corinth, in order to know how the believers were getting on. In Romans 16:21, Paul refers to him as “my workfellow,” and in 1 Corinthians 4:17, he calls him “my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ.” To the Corinthians he could say that Timothy “worketh the work of the Lord, as I also do” (1 Cor. 16:10). What comfort it must have given to Paul to have a young man in whom he could have such confidence and whom he could trust to minister the truth of God faithfully!
His name is also connected with a number of the epistles Paul writes, as one who was well-known to the various assemblies and who supported and taught the same truth as the Apostle. In the salutations in Philippians, Colossians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 2 Corinthians and Philemon, his name is used along with Paul’s and others such as Silas (Silvanus).
Finally, it is clear that he was a prisoner for the Lord’s sake, at least once, for we are told in Hebrews 13:23 that “our brother Timothy is set at liberty.” He might well have been a prisoner at other times, for it appears that he was with Paul in Rome, when Paul wrote some of his epistles from prison there.
In all of this, Timothy displayed a character and outlook that commended him, and when Paul wrote to the Philippians, he could say of him, “I have no one like-minded who will care with genuine feeling how ye get on” (Phil. 2:20 JND).
First and Second Timothy
Paul’s epistles to Timothy have a special character, for although they were written to him as an individual, and thus give us individual faithfulness and conduct under different circumstances, yet there is much that is applicable to collective testimony too. As one who was in a position of responsibility, the instruction is individual, but the content of the epistles was also intended for Timothy to minister to believers collectively. In 1 Timothy we get instruction for the godly individual when things were relatively in order in the church, so that Paul could equate “the house of God” with “the church of the living God” (1 Tim. 3:15). Much practical instruction is given to us in this epistle, covering many different spheres of the believer’s life.
Finally, 2 Timothy gives us instruction for the faithful individual when the church is in disorder. God allowed this state of things to develop before Paul was called home, so that we, in these last days, would have instruction and guidance in such a situation. The church is not mentioned in the whole epistle, while the house of God is called “a great house.” But there is a pathway for faith, and Timothy is encouraged to walk in it, while being careful to avoid special pitfalls that were not present when the church was in order. There was now a need to “depart from iniquity” and to purge one’s self from “vessels to dishonor.” But there would also be those who would “follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace,” and “that call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (2 Tim. 2:22).
Timothy’s life is a tremendous encouragement to us, and especially to young men. His life is detailed for us to show how a young man can be an overcomer and live for the Lord even under difficult circumstances. A search of the many scriptures which refer to him well repays the effort!
W. J. Prost
Timothy - Lessons From His Life
Some details of Timothy’s life have been considered in other articles in this issue. But what special lessons can we learn from his life and work? There are several that stand out.
A Difficult Background
First of all, Timothy had to overcome a difficult background. With parents from divergent backgrounds in both race and religion, he might easily have thrown up his hands, so to speak, and taken the view that he did not know what to believe. Today it is rather fashionable for some, both unbelievers and believers, to blame the failures and shortcomings in their lives on their upbringing. While we cannot choose our upbringing, God holds all of us responsible for how we react to His claims, once we have attained maturity. We do not need to allow sad events in our past to overshadow and warp our lives; we can be overcomers, as was Timothy. The godly example set by his mother and grandmother paid off, and Timothy made a decision to accept Christ and live for His glory — a path that he followed unswervingly. In this he is a great encouragement and an example to all of us, and especially to young people.
Character
Second, Timothy was of a somewhat timid and retiring nature. Paul told Timothy, “Let no man despise thy youth” (1 Tim. 4:12). When Paul thought to send him to Corinth, he told them to “see that he may be with you without fear,” and “let no man therefore despise him” (1 Cor. 16:10-11). There was no need for Paul to say this on behalf of Apollos; he was of a different character — ”an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures” (Acts 18:24). But they might be prone to despise and slight Timothy, whose physical bearing and demeanor would be more reticent. Yet he was mightily used of the Lord, and Paul commended him in the highest way. This too is an encouragement to us, for a commanding presence and a forceful personality are by no means necessary in the things of the Lord, and, indeed, these might well be a hindrance to the working of the Spirit of God in the individual. In Timothy’s case, God chose to use one whose character was more reserved and quiet.
Physical Limitations
Third, it is clear that Timothy was not a robust and healthy man. Paul could encourage him to “take a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and thine often infirmities” (1 Tim. 5:23). No doubt these infirmities, like Paul’s thorn in the flesh, were at times a difficulty to Timothy, but they would have the effect of keeping him more dependent on the Lord. To be in prison with such physical limitations would have been the more trying, but the Lord evidently preserved him. While it is true that the Lord gives, as part of a spiritual gift, a body suitable to use that gift, yet sometimes He allows physical infirmities which keep us looking to Him for the needed strength for whatever we may be called to do. In this way the Lord is glorified, for it is only by the breaking of the vessel that the light shines out brighter. If “we have this treasure in earthen vessels” (2 Cor. 4:7), then God may allow that vessel to be broken, so that the light shines out the more. A healthy vessel might unwittingly attract to itself, while a broken vessel is more apt to attract to Christ.
When we see men like Paul and Timothy having been allowed to have such physical infirmities, we can be encouraged to seek help from the Lord and not to use such limitations as an excuse not to use our gift for the Lord. Both Paul and Timothy were mightily used of the Lord, in spite of physical limitations; in our day we too can seek grace to overcome such hindrances, and, again, the Lord then gets the glory.
Steadfast Devotion
Fourth, Timothy continued on steadfastly to the end. Many others were connected with Paul in his pathway of service to the Lord, but some did not prove to be as trustworthy and devoted as they might have appeared at the beginning. John Mark turned back partway through the first missionary journey of Paul and Barnabas (Acts 13:13), while Demas, whom Paul once called a fellow laborer, eventually forsook him, “having loved this present world” (2 Tim. 4:10). More than this, when Paul wrote his final epistle to Timothy, he had to tell him that “all they which are in Asia be turned away from me” (2 Tim. 1:15). Finally, when Paul was called before the Roman authorities, he had to record that “no man stood with me, but all men forsook me” (2 Tim. 4:16). But Timothy remained faithful, along with Luke and some others. His unwavering course was no doubt a great encouragement, not only to Paul, but also to others.
In the pathway of each believer, steadiness and an unfaltering devotedness to the Lord are of great value. Many start out well in the path, but often resemble the man in Luke 14:28, who purposes to build a tower, but does not count the cost. Then, when he is not able to finish, “all that behold it begin to mock him” (Luke 14:29). So it is still today; the world mocks when a believer fails in his walk for the Lord and destroys his testimony. At the end of Paul’s life, he could say, among other things, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith” (2 Tim. 4:7). Timothy likewise walked in Paul’s footsteps, so that Paul, as he came to the end of his course, could commit to him what was on his heart, with an assurance that Timothy would carry on the work.
Facing the Failure
Finally, Timothy was called to face difficulties that would test him — difficulties that were occasioned by the failure of the church and the ultimate giving up of Paul’s doctrine. In the first part of Timothy’s life, events had no doubt moved along smoothly, with an ongoing tide of blessing, as new converts in large numbers were added to the church. What a privilege it must have been to be connected with all this and to experience the freshness and power as the work of the Lord expanded! But later, as declension came in, Timothy would have to cope with a different situation. Opposition might well come from within the “great house” of Christendom, as well as from the world. More care would be needed to separate from vessels to dishonor and to guard against false doctrine and evil practices. Some would turn away from the truth and would not endure sound doctrine. Timothy might well have shrunk from all this, and especially in view of his naturally sensitive and reticent character. But Paul had confidence in him, and surely the Lord would give the needed grace to meet these new circumstances. For this reason, Paul, after having mentioned that “all in Asia” had forsaken him, tells Timothy first of all to “be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 2:1).
So, again, it is in our day. We are in the “last days” of 2 Timothy 3 and have to cope with increasing worldliness and giving up of the truth. Also, if we are honest, we must admit that the tendencies are in our own hearts, if we do not keep close to the Lord. Perhaps it is for this reason that Paul could close 2 Timothy with the words, “The Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit” (2 Tim. 4:22). We may have a great deal of knowledge, but in these last days our spirit is most important — a spirit of grace. With all the failure around us, it is most important to separate from evil and maintain the truth as God gave it at the beginning. But all must be done in a spirit of grace.
W. J. Prost
Paul and Timothy
The Apostle Paul had fervent affection for his beloved child in the faith; it is revealed in the expression he wrote to Timothy: “Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy” (2 Tim. 1:4). Recalling Timothy’s affection inflames his own, and while expressing it, consolation is doubtless ministered to his own heart. It was no common tie that knit together the hearts of these two servants of the Lord. The occasion of Timothy’s tears is not revealed, but it was probably at the time of some separation, when bidding Paul farewell. It may have been when leaving him in captivity, as Timothy departed to his own service. Whenever it might have been, it plainly shows that the affection of Paul was fully reciprocated. It was the recollection of this parting, combined with his own ardent love, that led him to desire to see Timothy, that he might be filled with joy, for to him the Apostle could unburden his heart and be refreshed in the enjoyment of Timothy’s love and fellowship. Many a servant, in times of declension, has thus learned the sweetness and encouragement of real heart fellowship concerning the work of the Lord.
Unfeigned Faith
Then, putting Timothy in this respect in a similar position to his own in relation to his ancestors, he adds, “When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded in thee also” (vs. 5). The position is similar, but it is not, as in Paul’s case, a “good conscience,” but “unfeigned faith,” for Timothy had no Jewish ancestry; his father was a Greek. And hence, though his mother was a Jewess, he was unclean according to the Jewish law. He is thus traced back only to the commencement of the Christian faith in his family, which dated from his grandmother.
It is a beautiful picture, drawn for our instruction, for we learn from this same epistle that Timothy from a child had known (no doubt through the teaching of these pious women, or at least his mother) the Holy Scriptures. Both the grandmother and the mother, as well as Timothy, had embraced the Christian faith, and the Apostle seems to regard this fact as proving the greater reality of “the faith” in Timothy’s soul and as laying him, as will afterward be seen, under all the more solemn obligation of faithfulness to the Lord in this loose and corrupt epoch of the church. The reflection surely reminds us that it is a priceless blessing to have godly parents, who seek to bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
The judgment seat of Christ alone will reveal how much Timothy was indebted, in the grace of God, to the instructions of his mother Eunice. May such parents ever abound in the church of God!
The Gift of God
The expression of the Apostle’s heart to Timothy, as well as his longing desire to see him, is preparatory to the appeal contained in verses 6-8. It is indeed the groundwork on which he builds up his exhortations. He thus drew the heart of Timothy to himself, to prepare him to receive his message. “Wherefore,” he says, “I put thee in remembrance, that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands” (vs. 6).
Unappreciated Gift
Previously he had been warned not to “neglect” it (1 Tim. 4:14); now he is more urgently exhorted on the same subject. This points to a common danger. When there is a real action of the Spirit of God among the saints, when His power is demonstrated in edification and restoration or in conversion, the ministry of the Word is welcomed and appreciated. But in times of coldness, indifference and apostasy, the saints will not endure sound teaching, but after their own lusts they will heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears, and they will turn away from the truth (1 Tim. 4:3-4).
Then comes the danger to the servant of the Lord. Seeing that his ministry is no longer received, he is tempted to retire, to lapse into silence, or to resolve with Jeremiah not to speak any more in the Lord’s name to the people (Jer. 20:9). As knowing the heart and the tendency of Timothy, Paul provides against this snare by urging him to rouse himself and to stir up by constant use the gift he had received for the correction and edification of the Lord’s people. The greater the confusion and departure from the truth, the greater the need for a real and living ministry, but in order to maintain this, the servant must learn to draw his strength and courage, not from the faces of the people, but from abiding and secret communion with the Lord.
Power, Love and Sound Mind
If the Lord, through His apostle, summons Timothy to more diligent service, He also draws his attention to the source of his power. “For,” continues the Apostle, “God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (vs. 7). The first clause, which might be rendered the spirit of “cowardice,” reveals Timothy’s special weakness. He evidently was a man, like Jeremiah, of a timid, shrinking spirit — one who, unless under the sway of the Holy Spirit, found difficulty facing dangers and opponents. But while the servant of the Lord “must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient” (ch. 2:24), he must be also as bold as a lion in the defense of the truth and in maintaining the honor of his Lord. Timothy is therefore taught that the spirit God gives is not one of fear or cowardice, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
These are three remarkable words, and they require a little examination. First, it is a spirit of power, for if God bestows gift, He gives also the power to exercise it, if there is the state of soul for its use. It is important to remember the connection between state of soul and the power of the Spirit. The gift may abide even in one who is unfaithful or indifferent, but the power to use it will not be present unless its possessor is walking in dependence upon God, acknowledging that the power is outside of himself, and he is in the realization of his own utter weakness. This is the Apostle’s point. “God,” he says, “hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power.” If therefore Timothy was animated with fear or timidity, he should know that this is not the spirit God gives, for His Spirit is one of power.
These two things are to be noted — the source of the power and the character of the spirit given — “of love.” The Apostle follows in this the same order as in 1 Corinthians. In chapter 12 he speaks of spiritual manifestations in the assembly, and, at the end of the chapter, of workers of miracles, gifts of healing, and speaking with tongues — all of which are connected with displays of power.
And then in the next chapter, he proceeds to speak of love, teaching that if anyone spoke with the tongues of men and angels and had not love, he would become as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal, for, in truth, divine power can only be wielded by the Spirit, through a divine nature, for love is the expression of that nature. The flesh, man’s sinful nature, can never be used in the Lord’s service, and thus power and love — divine, holy love — can never be dissociated. There will also be, as a consequence of love, a sound mind, or, as it has been translated, a “wise discretion,” for when governed by the Spirit of God, the servant will always exhibit divine wisdom in his work and be kept in quiet control in the presence of God. He will know when to speak and when to be silent, when to be in season and when to be out of season, for he will be maintained in communion with the mind of his Lord.
E. Dennett, adapted
Some Thoughts for Young People
Note: The following article was originally written in the 1960s, during the early days of student activism. However, the warnings given are surely applicable today.
Young people today are facing a different world than the adolescent of ten years ago. Educational curricula are undergoing a change that will have an effect on the outlook of students in the future, but even now the influence is evident. The “Inquiry Approach” that is being implemented in the biological, chemical and physical science fields encourages students through a process of discussion and peer group evaluation to seek to arrive at correct conclusions. In the social sciences and in the arts this discussion system is also being used, and the instructor is working more in the role of a coach and referee than a lecturer. Many Christian young people may benefit in their secular education from these methods, but there is a danger of trying to project the sound learning practices of the world into the assembly where the Spirit of God teaches.
Rebellion and Pride
Many young people go through a period in life where they assess their role in their local assembly as well as the role of their older brethren. They try to reconcile what they think Scripture says with what is practiced by their brethren. With the “Inquiry Approach” being used in education, this assessment will most likely arise at an earlier age and will come from a wider range of people, since every young person will be exposed to this new methodology from primary school to university. We hasten to say that there is nothing wrong with young people having an attitude like that of the Bereans, who “searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:11). Those who have done this down through the history of the church have been greatly enlightened, and many found out that they were, in fact, connected with doctrine and practices that were not according to Scripture. However, such searching of the Scriptures must be done in humility and dependence on the Lord, not in a spirit of rebellion or pride. It is this spirit of pride and rebellion that necessitates a warning.
We can see some negative results of this philosophy already. In the past year students in many places have rebelled against authority, and “student activism” has become a household cliché. Many students have set aside authority, and if the Christian student is not careful, he may find himself influenced by such lawlessness. The smashing of a two-million-dollar computer center at Sir George Williams University in Montreal may seem like a horrendous example of student willfulness, but can the world expect anything else from a group of young people who have been socialized in an era when many would have God dead and the Bible a fable? Some of the student grievances may be valid, but their method of “setting the situation right” is not in accordance with the Word of God.
Paul, a Student
The Apostle Paul testifies in Acts 22:3 that he was brought up at the feet of Gamaliel. In Acts 5 we find that Gamaliel stood up among his fellow citizens and students and told them to leave these men who talk of Jesus to themselves. He said that others, such as Theudas, boasted themselves to be something but were brought to nothing, and if these men who were followers of Jesus were not of God, their work could come to nothing. Gamaliel knew that if the teaching of these men was of God, no man could overthrow it. Did Paul obey his instructor’s advice? No, he was in effect a student activist. The next time we read of Paul (Saul), we find that he was consenting to the stoning of Stephen (Acts 8:1). He was persecuting the Christians with great zeal.
God spoke to Saul (Paul) on the road to Damascus (Acts 9) in a miraculous but solemn way. He accepted Christ as his Saviour and immediately began to serve the Lord. What did Paul say of the days when he was a student activist? In 1 Timothy 1, after delineating what he was characterized by before he was saved, Paul refers to himself as the chief of sinners. He realized that what he had been doing as a result of his independent, youthful ideas led him to a place of deep transgression against God.
Submission to Authority
Surely we young people can learn from Paul’s experience. Granted, Paul was unsaved when he acted on his own counsel, and the circumstances in which he lived were unusual, but if we resent authority and do not bow to the Word of God by leading “a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty,” we will find that God will speak to us. If we accept the word of one in authority only when it coincides with our own thoughts, then there is no authority. Authority implies that our own will is kept passive. We have the authority of the Word of God, and we are called to bow to it. The Apostle Peter says, “Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5).
It is one of the hardest things to realize our complete nothingness before God, but if we read the Scriptures more and seek to study them, the Lord will speak to our hearts. There is a very real danger of traditionalism and legality among the Lord’s people. The Roman system is a great departure from the truth as found in Paul’s letters, but it began among the assemblies of God. The only safeguard against such declension is to know the Scriptures and in communion with the Lord discern God’s will.
Timothy
Paul gives many exhortations to a young person in his letters to Timothy, and, when we read them, the affection between the two is easily observed. In the first letter, Paul gives Timothy directives as to proper order in the assembly. Timothy was a godly young person, desiring to please the Lord, and Paul knew that he could be a help. He commended him as being one “nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine.” Could you or I be described by these words? Timothy knew the Scriptures and sound doctrine. As a result, Paul could say, “Let no man despise thy youth.” If we do not have Timothy’s measure of godliness, then how can we openly criticize a state which to our mind is not correct and expect that the Lord will bless us for it? If we do judge others and are not in a position to do so because of our walk, then the Lord will test us. Paul tells Timothy how to walk in order that no one would despise his youth. He was to be an example to believers in what he said, in his walk in the assembly, in his love to others, in his spirit and faith, as well as in his purity of life. Paul encouraged Timothy to read the Word, and then, when he had knowledge and wisdom derived from the Word of God, he would be able to exhort the brethren and maintain the doctrine that Paul had taught him.
In Paul’s second letter to Timothy, the state of things in the assembly had deteriorated, and yet he urged him to “hold fast the form [outline] of sound words,” and there was no hint of his giving up in discouragement. May we seek to follow Paul’s charge to Timothy: “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15).
Christian Truth, adapted
The Family of Faith
2 Timothy 1:3-6
The faith of the three generations of Timothy’s house is an example of how the home may be the privileged place of blessing. God regards the “houses” of His people and looks upon those in a home as attached to the head of that house. This sphere of privilege is clearly seen from the Scriptures since the days of Noah, if not even before. It is a sphere of blessing into which God brings His child and in which He surrounds him with wife and children, in order that the light which He has lit up in the head of that house may shine out brightly and carry, by His grace, the knowledge of God into the hearts of those in the house around him.
All this does not alter the nature of those thus privileged with the outward blessing of God. The nature is just the same ruined, undone thing as in the rest of mankind around. But He instructs the parents to “bring them up” for Him (as Jochebed brought up Moses for Pharaoh’s daughter) “in the Lord’s nurture and admonition.” I think there is much involved in “the Lord’s nurture and admonition.” He exercises it over and over with us, and we are to observe a similar course with our children. His tender patience and persevering love never casts off its object until the end is gained. His faithfulness never flatters but deals with us so that we may disallow practically all that savors of our evil nature and the world around us. The training of children involves the disallowance of the flesh and of all that is of the old Adam nature, on the one side, and brings the children into complete conformity to the Son of God on the other. As we grow conversant with the Lord’s ways towards us, we learn the sort of dealing we are to pass on to our children, under Him. We must seek to show them the tendencies of their own wills and what the consequences are. We must disallow them in our children, as the Lord does in us, seeking to draw their minds and hearts to the Lord Jesus, and thus, with patient grace and persevering love, discipline and admonish them for their good.
The Seeds of Faith
The family circle is the normal place for the conversion of children. My observation, too, is that children brought up in Christian homes seldom remember when they were converted, though it is true that these children or their parents may be able to look back to some moment when the faith and life which had been already in their soul took definite shape and burst forth into activity and energy. It is often like the bursting forth of the flower, when the sun and the gentle showers of the rain cause it to open its petals for the first time.
How lovely was the unquestioning faith of Hannah! Her son, the fruit of her prayer, was brought up to Shiloh, along with the offerings of faith which she and her husband presented. This was done at an early age, as early as his weaning time. Even before living faith could work in the soul of her child, she said to Eli, “Oh, my lord, as thy soul liveth, my lord, I am the woman that stood by thee here to pray to Jehovah. For this I boy prayed; and Jehovah has granted me my petition which I asked of him. And also I have lent him to Jehovah: all the days that he lives, he is lent to Jehovah” (1 Sam. 1:26-28 JND).
The contrast, too, in the case of Eli’s house is solemn and instructive; it also illustrates the linking of the saint and his house in the sight of God. “In that day [said the Lord to Samuel] I will perform against Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his house: when I begin, I will also make an end. For I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not” (1 Sam. 3:12-13).
Timothy’s Training
Returning to the case of young Timothy, we see that he is an example of the conversion of the child of a saint. In the normal state of things, children of Christian parents are converted at an early age. Timothy was brought up “from infancy” in the knowledge of the holy Scriptures, which were able to make him wise unto salvation, through faith which is in Christ Jesus, and he was trained by a pious, believing mother and grandmother, who had unfeigned faith. The aged Apostle speaks of them in a most touching manner. The blessed knowledge of the Word of God was thus imbibed at an early age into Timothy’s young and impressible heart. It paved the way for that moment when the life it brought to his soul burst forth into the liberty of grace and knowledge of Christ through the Apostle Paul when at Lystra, who names him his “own son in the faith.”
This is a true example of the conversion of the child of believing parents. He has the priceless boon of being in the circle where the name of Jesus is a household word and the great circumstance and business of the lives of his parents. His parents (at least his mother) feel that they have received him back from the Lord to be brought up under the yoke of Christ from the earliest moments of his existence. They feel, too, that the One who has directed them to do this will honor them for the quickening of soul which he needs. They do it in faith that he will live indeed. They bring him up in the faith of Christ, never for a moment casting a doubt across his young and impressible heart before they know that he is the Lord’s. They teach him the way that God forgives and saves through the precious blood of Jesus Christ; they explain how the grace of God is received; they show the little one the awful results of unbelief and of the rejection of Christ. They explain how real faith is known from the false and hollow profession around; they teach him that obedience to the Lord and the desire to please Him under whose yoke he is brought up are the true way in which the life of God displays itself in man. And thus by these teachings, the conscience is awakened, and when failures in these things are seen, the necessity and meaning of the confession of sins and the unburdening of the soul to Christ are pressed and encouraged. The desire, too, to make known to the Lord the needs of the heart for self or others are directed to their proper outflow — prayer. All these things lead the child onward to a confidence in God, and he grows up to Christ, as he does by the food of infancy by which his natural powers have been gradually developed.
While all this training goes on, a truehearted parent will wait on God in secret, on behalf of the child, for that sovereign quickening power which belongs to Him alone.
The Authority of the Lord
Remember, too, that it is in the “nurture [discipline] and admonition of the Lord.” This implies reverence for and owning the authority of the One who is over the child. It does not imply a relationship as a son with the “Father” or as a “member of Christ’s body.” This relationship is even more important because, while none can truly please Him but those who are in relationship with Him, still those that are responsible to Him as “Lord” are near Him and in the place of favor and blessing.
To treat children in any other way is, in my mind, to injure their souls and hinder the work of God’s grace as far as we can do it. If a child finds his parent habitually treating him as outside the pale even of external relationship with God (compare Deut. 14:2 with Eph. 2:3; also 1 Cor. 7:14) and hears him praying for him as one outside, he grows up in the thought that this is so. He is led to look at conversion as something to come to him someday, or perhaps not. Instead of fixing the eye on Christ and wholly away from himself, he turns it inwards, and thus is injured and hindered in his soul. Thrown back in darkness, which occupation with self must do, such a soul may remain for a long time, while, if dealt with otherwise, he might, through grace, have been enjoying the favor of God which is better than life.
Come Thou and All Thy House
God’s provision is that all be, as with Noah of old, in the same place of blessing. “Come thou and all thy house into the ark” tells this blessed way of God’s goodness and mercy. “Thee have I seen righteous before Me” tells of the head of the house being blessed in soul, and even his son, who afterwards dishonored his father, entered with him into the place of safety.
Surely a wise parent will not regard his child as a child of God before he sees the signs of a quickened conscience and the fear of the Lord in him, but he seeks to lead his heart to Christ in practice, conversation and ways, and thus dependence on God, thankfulness of heart for His mercies, and obedience to His will are impressed upon his heart, and the faith of a parent will be answered of God in giving living faith to his child. I believe we ought to count on God for our children — every one of them — and where there is true faith in a parent as to this, He who gave it will answer it in making them His own.
F. G. in Words of Truth, 7:36,
adapted
In View of Eternity
O child of God, so weary with earth’s toil
And ceaseless strife,
Thy Master chooseth thee for high behest
And fruitful life;
Oh, gladly wait
Beside the portal of the Master’s gate,
To do His bidding, for the day grows late.
Take thou His message, and then hasten back
To His dear feet;
And He will greet thee with His tender love
And comfort sweet;
Then gladly wait
Beside the portal of the Master’s gate
For the next message, as the day grows late.
And mourn not sorely, if thine errand seem
All fruitless now;
The message was thy Master’s, and His mark
Is on thy brow;
And thou didst wait
Beside the portal of the Master’s gate,
As the shades gathered and the day was late.
Not now the time of reckoning; it will come
To thee at last,
And thou wilt smile to think of weary hours
That shall be past,
When thou didst wait,
Beside the portal of the Master’s gate,
To do His bidding, ere it was too late.
From “To Every Man His Work”