Our relationship to Jesus now affects our relationship with him in the future: “For if we be dead with him [by baptism and by mortifying ourselves], we shall also live with him: if we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us”.vs.11-122 Timothy 2:11-12XWaiting for response Therefore the apostle exhorted: “Study [meaning, give diligence] to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth”.v.152 Timothy 2:15XWaiting for response Many people wrest the scriptures, dividing the word wrongly. They take passages out of context and apply meaning to the words not intended by God, and they apply statements to the wrong people or the wrong times, undermining God’s truth. Some said “the resurrection is passed already” and overthrew some disciples’ faith.v.182 Timothy 2:18XWaiting for response Such teaching was like a cancer in the Christian body,v.172 Timothy 2:17XWaiting for response and there have been many such cancers since, such as “immortal soul possession”, “heaven and hell going”, “the trinity”, “a supernatural evil devil”. The only way to deal with a cancer in the body is to cut it out, and this is what the faithful disciples did: they withdrew fellowship from false teachers and delivered them to the adversary that they might learn not to blaspheme. It is the flesh and the thinking of the natural mind which is at enmity with God and leads men astray. This is a false accuser who has many traps v.262 Timothy 2:26XWaiting for response to capture those who do not keep faithfully to the word of God. The only antidote is to teach them the knowledge of the truth as revealed in God’s word.v.252 Timothy 2:25XWaiting for response
Verses 1,3-4,8-10
2 Timothy 2:1,3-4,8-10XWaiting for responseThe apostle used the figure of a disciplined Roman soldier to encourage Timothy in the face of persecution and the faithlessness of other disciples. He exhorted Timothy to “be strong”,v.12 Timothy 2:1XWaiting for response to “endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ”,v.32 Timothy 2:3XWaiting for response to keep separate from the life of the world as a soldier does of civilian life “that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier”.v.42 Timothy 2:4XWaiting for response He was to be encouraged by remembering “that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to Paul’s gospel” v.82 Timothy 2:8XWaiting for response for which the apostle endured,vs.8-92 Timothy 2:8-9XWaiting for response that the word of God might be published and that others might “also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory”.v.102 Timothy 2:10XWaiting for response