Unchain the Gospel!
2 Timothy 2:8-15
This letter by Paul to Timothy along with his letter to the Philippians were probably the last two letters he ever wrote. We find Paul chained in prison. As a Roman citizen before his condemnation to death, he had been given some liberty to receive friends and visitors. Now only Luke who might have made himself Paul’s slave so that he could conduct business for him in prison was left. As a slave, he would have liberty to go in and out. He could bring in food and drink. As a physician, he could care for Paul’s broken body. We know Paul is now condemned because now he is chained. Death row in Rome was a very sort stay unlike America, so Paul knew his time was very short at this point. He probably sent these last letters out through Luke either in oral form in which Luke remembered and wrote down, or if he had paper, written. Second Timothy is particularly touching and shows Paul’s great affection and pride in his adopted son. Timothy and others would have to carry on the torch of the gospel. Paul’s race was coming to its end, and now he was awaiting his transport to eternal glory in Christ’s kingdom.
Besides some touching reminisces of their time together along with Timothy’s mother and grandmother, Paul also needed to give final instructions to Timothy. Timothy was a man of some ability, but he tended to be timid. The future Timothy would face required great boldness in the faith. Paul could shield Timothy somewhat while he was alive, but now he would be on his own, although he would not be alone as the Spirit would be with Timothy. He reminds Timothy that hands had been lain on him. He was set aside for Christ’s service. He had been prepared for it by his mother and grandmother at first and then discipled by Paul himself.
In this part of the letter, Paul begins by reminding Timothy that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead, a core belief of the Christian faith. There is no Christianity without the resurrection. By telling Timothy this, he reminds him as well as himself that even though the executioner’s axe would soon sever his head, that this is just the beginning of the story and not the end. The same God who raised Jesus from the dead would raise Paul also. And not only Paul, but Timothy as well. There is nothing to lose and everything to gain for the Gospel.
Paul realizes the chains that restrain his aging body, but it is his earnest desire that in spite of this, the Gospel must not be chained. His desire that his chains might preach his final sermon. He tells Timothy he suffers these chains as if he were the chief of sinners. But he was not in this Roman condemnation for the sins he committed in his youth. The Christians he persecuted were not the reason he stood condemned before this court. And he would stand uncondemned by the one who called him into ministry only because of God’s wonderful grace. But the one who called him reminded Paul that he would suffer great things for the Gospel. He had endured all kinds of toils and snares for those who would believe the Gospel through his preaching. Now there was only more thing to endure in this life.
Paul now characterizes the Gospel that is to be unchained through one of his “faithful sayings” as he had just also pressed the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. The beginning of this saying reinforces the resurrection. Because he arose, we will also arise. Also, Timothy needed to get used to suffering. And when he would suffer, he needed to be reminded that he would also one day reign with Jesus. We also see this in the 12th chapter of Hebrews about Jesus looking beyond the pain and shame of the cross and seeing the joy at the other end of His suffering. Jesus arose and sits at God’s right hand. He shall reign for ever and ever, and we with Him. But we must remain faithful to carry our crosses.
Paul warns Timothy to be steadfast in the difficulties he would face. He must not deny Jesus. To apostate from the faith means to be denied before the Father. It is a terrible thing to consider these words being said: “Depart from me; I never knew you!” The final determiner of relevance shall before the judgment seat of Christ. One can be irrelevant to this world, but that doesn’t matter in the long run. But if one should fail to believe, this in no way changes the reality of who Christ is. When pressed, Jesus affirmed who He was, before both the Sanhedrin and then, Pontius Pilate. He cannot deny Himself.
Although Paul does not describe all the other details of the Gospel here, he does emphasize the cost of disicipleship the Gospel demands. There has been much talk over the centuries of the badge of election. How does one know they are elect? One must be a little careful not to fall into over-confidence or substitute human evaluations for that of Christ. But there are two things which stand out. It isn’t a matter of being liked or respected in this world. It isn’t good works that follow salvation that serves as a reliable barometer. Some can do good works after salvation even though they have left their first love. But if one suffers for the sake of the Gospel and not their own foolishness, it demonstrates true Christian character. The other badge is joy, even in that suffering. Joy is to be found in the world in joyful situations, but Christian joy is real in that it is able to be expressed even in suffering. One sees this of Paul in the Epistle to the Philippians. In many ways, Philippians is the most joyful of Paul’s writings, even though he was in chains awaiting execution. We can also see an example of this in Acts where Peter and John who had been threatened with death and suffered a painful beating counted it joy that they were found worth to suffer for the name.
Paul goes on to remind Timothy of what the Gospel is not. It is not about disputes and philosophical/theological wranglings. It is not about advancing one’s pet theories which cause division and strife. There can be no substitutes to the Gospel. How often is the powerful words of the Gospel chained by the ideas of men!
Instead, Paul tells Timothy to be diligent in his work. In this context, Paul is talking about the study of Scripture, the basis of the Gospel. He, of course, is to be diligent in faithfully proclaiming the Word of the Gospel. It is in this, Timothy will find God’s approval of his ministry. He would be known as one who rightly divides the Word of Truth. No greater honor is to be sought than this. Paul does say that the minister is to be financially supported, but one has to be faithful in the discharge of ministry even when one is in total want. One has to remain faithful even then the Demas’s of this world desert you or even betray you. Timothy is also called to be diligent to find those whom he can disciple as well, ones who would be able to disciple others. Someday, Timothy would face his last breath, and as tradition holds, martyrdom. Timothy needed to prepare the next generation of Timothy’s to continue to proclaim the unchained Gospel, the one which unchains sinners.
Timothy was to oppose people like Hymenaeus and Philetus with the truth of the Gospel. These stand as examples of those whose teachings chained people rather than free people. Many years earlier, Paul wrote to the Galatians to warn against those who tried to put the chains of Judaism upon the believers. Paul told the Galatians that their “Gospel” was not a Gospel at all. The true Gospel cannot be chained even when its proclaimers are chained, not by God, but by those who oppose the Good News.
So what are we to make of these words today? At least here in America, there is not one I know of who is in chains for the Gospel. There are many of our brethren in this world who are, and we should pray diligently for them. We do pray that if it be God’s will that they might be released. But we must all the more pray that in their chains and suffering that they remain true to the Gospel. There is great temptation to deny Christ. In some places, if the chained Christian would deny Christ of proclaim some other god, the might find worldly freedom. But no one escapes the fact that he shall die save the Lord’s return. After this comes the judgment. One will either hear the words: “Well done, good and faithful servant….Enter into the joy of the Lord!” Or they will hear as we noted before: Depart from Me!”
We also need to preach the unchained Gospel. As Paul notes: “Preach it whether it is convenient of not. Preach it even if it leads to chains. There are far to many who wish to escape the offense of the cross preach another Gospel. There are too many who water down the message. Only the Gospel has the power to liberate people from the thralldom of sins. When the Gospel is proclaimed, the dungeons are flamed with light. The chains fall off. People are set free. People rise from the dead to follow Thee.
