It is worthy of remark that the moment you get out of the epistles to the churches, you get catholic [or, general] epistles and others which treat the Church as in the "last days." In John there were many antichrists. In Peter, "Judgment must begin at the house of God." In 1 Timothy, "In the latter times some shall depart from the faith." In 2 Timothy, "In the last days perilous times shall come." In Jude, "Certain men are crept in unawares." In 2 Peter, "There shall be false teachers among you."
It is at such a time that God specially commends us to His Word; and He has taken care that we should have in Scripture what would guide us in the last days, when He commends us to it. After Paul's departure grievous wolves would come in, not sparing the flock. He commends us to God and the word of His grace. (Acts 20. See also 2 Tim. 3:1414But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; (2 Timothy 3:14).17.) We need the grace of endurance in such a day. And when one goes through the trial with God beforehand, he meets the enemy and the actual trial when it comes, and the distressing effect upon the heart is gone. God helps and sustains us in it and through it.
One is struck in reading the second epistle to Timothy, by the way in which Paul goes back from dispensational glory (as in Ephesians, etc.) down to natural and Jewish relationships of private and personal character: "I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience," and "When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice."
There is nothing he insists on more than not to lose personal courage in a time of ruin, no matter how great the ruin may be: "For God bath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." It is always thus. "In nothing terrified by your adversaries." "Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord [that is, the gospel and the testimony generally], nor of me His prisoner." Satan is to be met with confidence as a beaten enemy. This gives steady firmness to the soul. One has the truth, and knows one has it; and this gives quiet consciousness, and keeps one in the midst of the attacks of the enemy in an evil day. He is to be thoroughly courageous when all the evil was coming in, and was there; to "be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus"; to "endure hardness." It was when the power of evil had come in that he expects courage.
This is not the tide of blessing which carries on others; but the ebb had come, and individuals were standing and stemming it, and carrying on the testimony of the truth. It was not like the tide of the gospel at the first when "a great door and effectual... opened," but rather "be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God." It is then we require the power of God and personal courage more than ever. All this is "truth for the times" in which we live. (There is truth for eternity as well.) Chapter 1:9, 10: "Not according to our works"; that is, our responsibility. The history of the responsible man ended with the cross. There atonement was made, and God's eternal purposes came out. The cross maintained the responsibility of man and the authority of God. Through it we get out by redemption into the state where it was His purpose and grace to put us before the world began. The Church has nothing to do with this earth except to go through it.
The tide of the gospel had gathered a crowd of people into this wonderful calling, but the tide began to ebb, and all were going back again (chap. 1:15). Positive power is needed in such a time, as well as having the truth. There are two things that are worthy of notice: first, that we now have only the power of good in the midst of evil, but the evil is never set to rights till the Lord comes; and the instant the power of good is not there, you get away down the stream; and second, how the good that God set up failed so fast. But this has always been so. The counsels of God as to what He set up were made known, and the power of evil came in at once to frustrate the counsels.
Verse 12. "For the which cause," etc. He was a prisoner for having carried the testimony to the Gentiles. But he had entrusted his happiness to Christ, and He would keep it for him against that day.
In verses 13 and 14 he passes on the testimony to Timothy who would commit "the truth" to faithful men who could teach it to others. The Church had ceased to be a guarantee for the "the truth"; that is, the doctrines of Christianity and of Christ.
Defection was the order of the day (see chapter 1:15), and in view of such, as of the general state of things, Timothy was to be "strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus." The Apostle now takes up the case of a soldier, an athlete, and a husbandman. He must not be entangled with the affairs of this life, but be entirely at the disposal of Him who had called him to be a soldier. Striving in the games, he must do so lawfully; and laboring first, be a partaker of the fruits of it.
Paul's gospel and Paul's doctrine are positive things for the last days. We are walking and laboring in the midst of an immense network of systems in which Paul's ministry is totally unknown. For it he suffered as an evildoer unto bonds.
How like to Christ's own words are those of the Apostle in verse 10 of chapter 2!
We now get corruption of doctrine (chapter 2:16, etc.). There had been falling away. Thus (v. 19) individual responsibility (coupled with God's faithful knowledge of His own) to depart from iniquity. In verse 20 we have ecclesiastical apprehension.
Supposing a persons says, "I do not see that so and so is wrong," when Scripture forbids it; this, those walking in the truth cannot allow. You cannot take the conscience of the individual for the rule of the Church. Scripture is its guide. Thus we have to walk with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. At the beginning of Christianity we did not find this expression. It was more general—"all that... call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours." Now it is all "that call on the Lord out of a pure heart." The Church should have been the witness for the glory of Christ on high, and is now mixed up with all that witnesses against Him here below.
In chapter 2, verse 24, "patient" should be "forbearing." "In meekness setting right those who oppose" (see N. Trans.) that they might be recovered to God's will from the snares of the devil.
The profession of Christianity has become the reproduction under the name of Christ, of all the horrors and wickedness of heathenism. (Compare chapter 3:1-4 with Rom. 1:29-3129Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: (Romans 1:29‑31).)
We are never able to judge rightly as to what we have to do and to meet in the last days unless we are conscious that we have to do with Satan's power actually; the "Jannes and Jambres" referred to were mere instruments of Satan. But their folly will be shown up, perhaps now, perhaps by and by.
The expression "silly women" is applicable to men of effeminate mind as well as to women. It is the turn and bent of the mind of the persons who are thus beguiled.
We here get Paul's doctrine (v. 10) and the manner of life which flowed from it. "Thou hast fully known"; that is, had perfect understanding of it. It is a like expression to that in Luke 1:33It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, (Luke 1:3): "Having had perfect understanding," etc. He had fully followed up his teaching, as having learned it thoroughly. The manner of life goes with it.
In verse 12 the emphasis is on "godly"; they will suffer. Things would get worse and worse. It was the old story with the world—either deceiving itself or being deceived.
He now casts us upon Scripture specially. In verse 15 it is the Old Testament scriptures which Timothy had known. In verse 16 he embraces "all Scripture. Scripture is the point—that which was written. Peter stamps Paul's writings with the authority of the other scriptures. He says they are Scripture (see 2 Pet. 3:1616As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. (2 Peter 3:16)). The man who could do this was conscious he was writing Scripture himself.
One may say, "How do you know that Scripture is the Word of God?" I reply, "How do you know that the sun shines?" If you: say, "It does not," you manifest the: ground you are on, as denying it, If you say, "It does," you admit it, God has spoken so as to make Himself known, and to make people know He is speaking.
In the New Testament the Holy Ghost comes down and vitalizes all the circumstances through which the new man has to pass. He takes up the little things of everyday Christian life. It is a mistake to suppose the Holy Ghost only engages Himself with great ecclesiastical things. As there is nothing too great for God to give us, so there is nothing too little for God to take up and interest Himself in for us. There is nothing so common as eating and drinking and dress. These things are here taken up most strongly. Even these things become an opportunity for the glory of God. God would never have us to act as a man but always, by the power of the Holy Ghost, to act as a Christian. Thus the Holy Ghost enters upon the circumstances of daily Christian life, and vitalizes them When the Apostle wrote of these things therefore, the words in which he wrote are the words of the Holy Ghost (1 Cor. 2:1313Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. (1 Corinthians 2:13)) as much as when the prophet of old uttered his magnificent strains with "Thus saith the LORD," and then sat down to study his own prophecies to see what they meant and of whom they spake. (See 1 Pet. 1:10-1210Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: 11Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. 12Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into. (1 Peter 1:10‑12).)
The man of God is prepared unto every good work in his having departed from iniquity and purged himself from the vessels of dishonor. In chapter 2 he is equipped; in chapter 3 he is furnished unto every good work; in chapter 4 he goes to war. He is to "reprove, rebuke, exhort." This shows the signs of failure which the wisdom of the Spirit foresaw. It was not so much evangelizing as preaching the word" among professing Christians who would not endure sound doctrine. All this was to be done in view of His appearing and His kingdom. Then faithfulness would be manifested.
We should be more earnest than ever in living to Christ, as we are now in the shaking of all things, and the Lord may come at any time now. Worldliness among us is a sign and a source of weakness. It must be "with all long-suffering and doctrine." These are the elements that must give character to our service. If men were left to their own responsibility they would never come in.
So he concludes, "I am already being poured out" (v. 6, N. Trans.). In Phil. 2 it had been "If... I am poured out" (N. Trans.). Things have gone further here. "My release" is the thought because he had been in the combat as an athlete. He can say, "I have fought a good fight,... I have kept the faith." It was the finishing of his race and wrestling of 1 Cor. 9:24-2724Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. 25And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. 26I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: 27But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. (1 Corinthians 9:24‑27). The Lord would preserve him to His heavenly kingdom if he was not to be preserved on earth (v. 18). Earlier his desire was that he might finish his course with joy (Acts 20). Here he has done it—have finished my course, I have kept the faith."
May we covet the same grace!