A Family Tradition

A Family Tradition

2 Timothy 1:1–14 NKJV

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus,

To Timothy, a beloved son:

Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day, greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears, that I may be filled with joy, when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also. Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.

Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.

There was a song written by Hank Williams Jr. titled “It’s a Family Tradition.” In it he answers the charges that he drank and smoked too much. His answer is that he did these things because it was a family tradition. He was the son of Hank Williams Sr., who was a well-known country singer. Hank Sr. was a very talented musician. Many of his songs were on the rowdy side, but he also wrote “I Saw the Light.” I can only hope so. But Hank Sr. died at a very young age from alcoholism. This is the “tradition” he passed onto Hank Jr. Hank Jr. would have been better served to have disposed of these family traditions and held to the musical talent of the family.

When we read of traditions in the Bible, we sometimes get a negative attitude towards them because Jesus attacked many of the traditions of the Jewish leaders, especially the traditions of the Pharisees. In addition to this, we who are Protestants also disagree with many of the traditions handed down from Catholicism. But we should not see traditions as being totally negative. We do have to criticize any tradition which is contrary to the Word of God. But there is such a thing as positive tradition. We see an example of this in the text we read from 2 Timothy this morning.

2 Timothy was probably the last letter Paul wrote before his martyrdom. He was in tight custody awaiting execution. Philippians also dates from around this period, but Philippians still shows that Paul had some hope for release but was fully prepared to embrace death as he would then be with Christ which is the greatest gain. Paul was compelled to write Timothy to prepare him for what was about to happen. He is interested in passing down of the Christian tradition to Timothy, his son in the faith. Paul is passing the torch of the Gospel to the next generation. Timothy was a good man, but was subject to timidity and needed to be encouraged. Paul did not know whether he would ever have opportunity to see Timothy. He does ask him to come before winter and to bring Mark with the parchments.

How many times I wished I had asked more questions to my parents and grandparents while they were alive about the family history and traditions. I am happy for the ones i did learn, but there is much that now remains silent. Perhaps, some of these traditions were important and some are best forgotten. At any rate, any opportunity to know them is gone.

Paul had a much more important tradition to pass on to Timothy. We understand tradition as something passed down from generation to generation, a part of one’s inheritance. What Paul is passing to Timothy and the next generations is the Gospel. The Scriptures are the God breathed and profitable in every way. These things are written for our instruction and admonition. This is not to say that Scripture contains every word God has spoken or what He has done. All the books ever written would not be sufficient for this as the Apostle John tells us. Paul wrote epistles to churches which are now lost. This doesn’t mean that they were not important and authoritative to the recipients. What is does mean is that everything God wanted to pass down to us is recorded in the Bible. I certainly would like to know what his epistle to the Laodiceans said if it could be found. But what has been passed down is sufficient for our rule of faith and of salvation.