"Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. The saying is trustworthy, for:If we have died with him, we will also live with him;
if we endure, we will also reign with him;
if we deny him, he also will deny us;
if we are faithless, he remains faithful—
for he cannot deny himself."
The call is clear, “share in suffering”. (See verse 3)
Paul emphasized again and again throughout his letters and in his ministry that he suffered for the cause of Christ, and he suffered well.
Paul pleads with Timothy to remember, the Greek word (μνημονεύε) has a deeper meaning: Paul not only wants him to remember, but to keep thinking about this, recalling it constantly, having a thirst to remember and respond, remember and be forced to mention.
It forces me to think of Jeremiah when he said that the word of God was in his, “heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot.” (Jeremiah 20:9)
Paul wants that for Timothy, that there is a hope beyond the chains and the suffering. He concludes this point with the bold statement that “the word of God is not bound!”
Preaching the good news about the crucified but resurrected Son of David was what had landed Paul in a Roman jail. With every move as he wrote or dictated this letter, the iron chains around his wrists and ankles reminded him that he was chained like a criminal “κακοῦργος” literally meaning “evildoer”.
Though he was chained, God’s Word is not chained.
God would continue to use it through Timothy, and those to whom Timothy entrusted it.
Paul’s self-testimony continues with vs. 10 giving the reasoning behind his willingness to
undergo suffering, a reason strong enough that he impresses it upon Timothy.
“Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.”It is for the sake of those whom God would call to salvation that he suffers, and if Timothy is called to suffer for the same sake, it is worth it. All this suffering however pales in comparison to the glory of resurrection awaiting everyone in Christ.
Afflictions do not merely precede the glory; they help produce that glory.
This leads us to one of Paul’s famous faithful sayings, or as the ESV translates, a trustworthy saying.
Both words convey a faithful assurance in what follows:
“If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself.”
The ‘ifs’ in this saying are not hypotheticals, but rather the ‘if’ of a fulfilled condition. The word ‘because’ would fit better.
The aorist tense (a Greek past tense) that is used here proves this to be a past fact, not a present condition. It is with the faithful sayings of Paul that we glean a little more of who he was as a person.
The reason he looked death so calmly in the face was because he already was dead. Because Jesus died as us, as well as for us, we will also live with him. Paul’s identity was in the death of Jesus therefore he also identified with the risen Jesus. Paul had of course taught this to Timothy before but was giving him one last reminder that the believer has nothing to fear from death. All decisions should be influenced by the fact that death has been dealt its final blow by Christ.
He suffered because he had his eyes on the reward, we will reign with Jesus. The Greek highlights the kind of reigning we will do implying an act of reign like a king. Paul was looking toward the day when he would be reigning with Jesus, and the man who was waging war against him, Emperor Nero, would be made a footstool for Christ’s feet. (Hebrews 1, Psalm 110)
These verses also give us a look into the judgment day, and the attitude Christ will have when judging. Paul flips the coin on what he just said, the opposite of those who died and live with Christ and those who stay true to the end. He offers a warning and a promise, “if we deny him, he also will deny us”
Rewards have to be earned.
(That's why we speak of salvation as a GIFT, not a reward.)
Faithfulness to Christ, our love for Him, are factors that will determine the rebukes and rewards that will be at the judgment seat.
Those who deny him will be denied their rewards at the throne of Jesus.
This word does not refer to the loss of salvation; this refers to those who have been saved but wasted their life. This denial relates to rewards, not salvation, and salvation is not the same as rewards at the throne. Peter denied Jesus through vows and oaths and yet Christ restored him. This is also one of the verses that gets muddied up by the debate over the loss of salvation. The overarching theme throughout these verses though is one of endurance. And it is often used when the task of communicating the Gospel is in view.
The sad fact is that most believers are unfaithful.
It’s probable that “if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself” was a foreshadowing of his discussion on Demas in 4:10. This warning is different than the one above it, the tone has switched and it has within it the treachery of apostasy (walking away from the faith) in view.
This is the conscious decision to not endure and reject the call.
In one swift move, Paul warns Timothy sternly and attacks the false teachers that Timothy was to fight the good fight against. It is the change of wording from denial to faithless that constitutes the severity and difference of interpretation per verse.
The life of a Christian, following and chasing after Christ, denying themselves on a daily basis is a life of entrusting and endurance.
Paul has fought the fight, finished the race and is now calling Timothy to the same life. And if we believe that Scripture is alive and moving... Paul is also calling us to the same life.
Are we willing to suffer for the Gospel? Are we willing to endure no matter what for the sake of the Gospel? Will we remember?
From Paul’s experience the salvation found in Jesus remains the driving force for a life well lived.
The completion of the Gospel spreading to the ends of the earth involves our response to faithfully endure what can only be deemed a struggle. The choice to fall away from it carries with it grave consequences both relationally with people and with God and eternally when having to face Christ on “that day”.
When entrusted with the Gospel, we must endure to the end.
Will you?
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Nathan Bryant
Christ's Kingdom is bigger than our causes.
Christ's Kingdom is bigger than our boundaries.
Follow him on Twitter: Follow @nathanpbryant
Nathan's Website
Follow him on Twitter: Follow @nathanpbryant
Nathan's Website
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