Summary:

We know the “youthful lusts” Paul told Timothy to “flee” must include fornication, for he told the Corinthians to flee this as well (ICor.6:18), and there aren’t many things Paul says to flee. It’s only called a “youthful” lust because it is strongest in our youth, but it can be a problem at any age.

But Paul told Timothy to flee youthful “lusts” plural, so he was also thinking of other lusts, like the lust for vengeance (Ex.15:8,9). This lust is also strongest in our old age, but we must resist it at every age (Rom.12:19).

We also must resist the lust for things beyond what God has already given us (Num.11:4-6), and the lusts of the devil (John 8:44). These include the lust for power and glory and prestige (Isa.14:13,14). Pastors like Timothy must especially guard against this lust (Jer.45:5).

It will help us all overcome these lusts if we “follow” the things Paul says to follow, like “righteousness” (2:22). This may be best defined by studying what the Bible calls “unrighteousness” (Rom.1:29). Like lying (Ex.23:1), or be-ing dishonest (Deut.25:13-16). In those days they weighed things they bought and sold, and it was dishonest to use a different set of weights when buying than when selling.

Such unrighteousnesses will make it harder for the Lord to use us, which is the context here (IITim.2:21). But to be used of the Master you also have to follow “faith” (v.22), which comes by hearing and following the Word (Rom. 10:17). The most moral, righteous pastor on earth doesn’t do anyone any spiritual good if he’s not following faith.

But you can be righteous and faithfully follow the Word, but you must also follow “charity” as you do it (2:22). We know that’s true for all Christians because Paul said the same thing to the church Timothy pastored (Eph.4:15).

Paul also said to follow “peace” (2:22). He told the Romans that just doing the righteous thing that was true to the Word, like eating idol meat and observing idol holidays, wasn’t enough. They had to follow charity in do-ing so and not flaunt their liberty in front of others, for only that would make for “peace” (Rom.14:15-19).

Timothy had to follow those things with those who called on the Lord “out of a pure heart” (2:22). The “end” or goal of the law was love out of a pure heart (ITim.1:5), love for God and others (Mt.22:37-40). That’s what Paul is saying in 2:22, love God by following righteousness and faith in His Word, and love others by following charity and peace.

But to be meet for the Master’s use you must also avoid foolish questions (2:23), like questions about the law (Tit.3:9). Teachers of the law didn’t know what they were talking about (ITim.1:7,8), so would naturally ask foolish questions. The Galatians were “foolish” (3:1) for following the law, and asked foolish questions (2:17; 3:21). The Corinthians asked foolish questions that displayed a lack of understanding of a basic principle of (ICor.15:35,36), making their question an “unlearned” one (2:23).

Foolish questions gender “strifes” (2:23), which means to contend for superiority (Lu.22:24). Young pastors contend doctrinally with others to show their superior knowledge of the Word. But “the servant of the Lord must not strive” (2:24). Paul picked that phrase because Moses was “the ser-vant of the Lord” (Joshua 1:1), then Joshua (Josh.24:29). Paul was the servant of the Lord (Rom.1:1) and now Tim-othy was, and “must not strive,” like that other servant of the Lord (Mt.12:18-20). The Lord could have striven, He could have contended for superiority, for He was superior to others, but didn’t. Armed with the grace message, we too are superior to others in the Word, but mustn’t strive.

Pastors must also be gentle (2:24). God taught David to make war, but His gentleness made David great (Ps.18:34, 35). The grace message teaches us to war against opponents of Paul’s gospel, but our gentleness will help us win. When men oppose Paul’s gospel we are apt to strive with them, but Paul says we should be “apt to teach” them instead (2:24). And we must be “patient” (2:24). You won’t last long in the Lord’s work if you are impatient.

Summary:

The only other “great house” in the Bible is the temple that Solomon built for God (IIChron.2:5,9). Today God lives in a new great house, “the church, which is His body” (Eph. 1:22,23). Since the word “ye” is plural, Paul was telling the Corinthians that the church collectively is “the temple of God” in this dispensation (ICor. 3:16).

In calling the Body of Christ a great house, Paul means to compare it to Solomon’s. For example, every great house needs a great foundation. Solomon’s temple had one (I Kings 5:17). It was built on “great stones,” and the church today is built on the great stone of Christ (ICor.3:11). He was a “costly” stone because laying Him as our foundation cost God the death of His Son.

You know Paul’s thinking about our foundation because He just finished saying that “the foundation of God” is that men are saved and should depart from iniquity (IITim.2:19). When you strip away all the advanced doctrines of the church, that’s what lies at the foundation.

Inside the great house of the church are “vessels” (v.20), more comparisons to Solomon’s temple (IKings 7:48). Each of the items of furniture in the temple had its own vessels. The brazen altar had some (IIChron.29:18) to remove the ashes (Ex.27:1-3). The table of shewbread had some (IIChron.29:18) to bring the bread in (Lev.8:26). The candlestick needed oil (Ex.35:14) which had to be brought in vessels (cf.Mt.25:4). The mercy seat and the altar of incense had to be sprinkled with blood from a vessel called a basin (Ex.24:6; Lev.4:7) and the laver would need the water replaced that was lost due to the priests washing in it and evaporation. So all the vessels of God’s old house were used to serve the Lord (IChron.28:13,14;Heb.9:21).

But today we don’t have a priesthood like that, so God doesn’t need vessels like that, He needs the people kind of vessels (Hos.8:8). When Israel got too sinful to bear God’s name before the Gentiles, God raised up another vessel to replace them (Acts 9:15), and all of us vessels since him.

It used to be true that Gentiles were unclean and couldn’t serve the Lord, but the Lord showed Peter a “vessel” to convince him otherwise (Acts 10:10-16). Many of Solomon’s vessels were of gold and silver (IIChron.24:14), and Paul says there are gold and silver vessels in our great house as well (2:20). Paul says these vessels are “unto honor” (v.20), the honor of being “meet for the Master’s use” (v.21). Vessels of wood and earth are “to dishonour” though (v.20).

If you are a vessel unto dishonor whom the Lord can’t use, you don’t have to stay that way. You can “purge” yourself, a word that is used of being purged from sin (Ps.65:3) and sinners (Ezek.20:38). In the context, Paul is talking about the sinners of Hymenaeus and Philetus (2:17,18) and their doctrinal sins. We know it is just as important to purge ourselves of doctrinal sinners and sins as it is to purge ourselves from carnal sins of the flesh because Paul speaks of how purging ourselves from doctrinal sins will makes us “sanctified” vessels unto “honour” (v.21), and then he uses those same two words “sanctified” and “honour” in speaking of the importance of purging ourselves from fornication (IThes.4:3,4).

If you want to know how God feels about the holy vessel of your body being used for unholy purposes, remember when Belshazzar used the holy vessels from Solomon’s temple for the unholy purpose of a drunken feast (Daniel 5:1-7). He lost his kingdom and was slain the same night (v.26-30). Now in the dispensation of grace, God won’t slay you for using the holy vessel of your body for fornication or to teach error, but that passage in Daniel lets you know how He feels about it when you do.

Aren’t you glad He has chosen to react to it today in grace! Doesn’t His grace make you not want to presume upon His grace? Don’t you want to be a vessel unto honor, meet for the Master’s use, “prepared unto every good work”?

Summary:

“Profane” (v.16) means unholy (Ezek.22:26), and “holy” means set apart to God (Ex.20:8). If the Jews didn’t keep the sabbath holy, God considered it profane (Ezek.22:8). So what kind of profane babblings was Paul telling Timothy to shun?

Well, since verse 16 begins with a “but,” and the previous verse speaks of rightly dividing the Word, the profane words he has in mind are words that aren’t rightly divided. We saw in Verse 14 he has the words of the law in mind. The words of the law were holy for the Jews, but unholy when placed on us since we’re not under the law. For instance, we don’t have to keep the sabbath (Col.2:16), so putting Exodus 20:8 on us is unholy.

Some parts of the law are interdispensational, of course. It is always wrong to take God’s name in vain (Ex.20:7) because His name is holy (Lu.1:49). When the Jews didn’t treat it as holy, God considered it profane (Ezek.36:20). “In vain” means for no reason, no purpose, so when Paul says to shun “profane and vain babblings” (2:16) it is because the law serves no purpose for us.

When he says the words of the law will increase unto “more ungodliness,” that must mean the words of the law are ungodly in and of themselves. Religion always is! (IITim.3:5). When the Galatians messed with the Law they were “removed” from God (Gal.1:6). That’s ungodly!

Paul says these profane babblings will “increase” because sin always increases! Carnal sin spreads like leaven (ICor.5:6) and so does legalism (Gal.5:9). The only way to keep it from spreading is by rightly dividing the word and paying heed to Paul’s gospel (ITim.6:19,20).

Speaking of things that spread, Paul says that unrightly divided words will eat like a canker (2:17). The Greek word is gaggraino, from which we get gangrene. Gangrene is dead flesh that eats up living flesh and spreads, like the words of Hymenaus and Philetus. Hymenaeus was sailing along with Paul, teaching what he taught, when he “made shipwreck” of the faith (ITim.1:19,20) when he stopped teaching what Paul taught. Here we learn he did so by teaching the resurrection was past (2:18).

Paul called that erring from the faith because he is thinking of how the Lord said that to deny the resurrection was an error (Mark 12:18-27). Some of the Corinthians were denying the resurrection (ICor.15:12) and it was overthrowing their faith (v.13-19). But misplacing the resurrection will overthrow faith just as much! And the word “overthrow” means the complete destruction of something (cf.Ex.14:27; Jer.49:18).

The resurrection for us is the one associated with the Rapture (ICor.15:51-53), and if you thought it was past and you were still here, you’d think you’re not saved! Paul’s answer to this is to insist the Lord knows them that are His (2:19). He has always known His own (Nahum 1:7,8; John 10:4), and always seals His own (John 10:27,28). And now He knows you (Gal.4:9), and has sealed you (Eph.1:13). The fact that He knows us is our seal (2:19).

Old Testament seals identified a document with the king (Esther 8:8), and our baptism into Christ identifies us with Him (Rom.6:3-5). That means not even God can reverse your seal (cf.Esther 8:8; Daniel 6:17). Job could be confident of his salvation (Job 19:25-27) because God sealed his sins (Job14:17). Jeremiah bought some land and the seal was evidence of his purchase (Jer.32:10,11), and the Spirit is the evidence that your body is His purchased possession (Eph.1:13,14). You’re sealed with the same Spirit the Lord was (John 1:33,34; 6:27). We know God never loses any that He seals because He will seal 144,000 on earth (Rev.7:3,4) and all make it to heaven before God’s throne (Rev.14:1-5). Not even the devil can break our seal (cf.Rev.20:1-3).

Religion says you can’t tell men they are sealed and can’t be lost, they’ll live in sin, but Paul says we should “depart from iniquity” (cf.Eph.4:30).

Summary:

The “things” Paul told Timothy to put them in remembrance of were the things of his gospel that he told Timothy himself to remember in v.8. If a grace pastor re-minds his people of Paul’s gospel it will keep them from “words to no profit.” Those words “no profit” are asso-ciated with idolatry (Isa.44:9,10; Jer. 2:8-11; 16:19,20).

The spiritual Ephesians to whom Timothy ministered wouldn’t bow to idols of wood or stone, but Paul is talking about “words to no profit.” That’s a reference to religion (Jer. 7:8-10), the religion of Judaism. Since Paul is talking about words of no profit that “subvert” the soul, we know he was talking about the law (cf.Acts15:24). The Jews of the circumcision were subverting believers with the law in those days (Tit.1:10,11; 3:9-11). So Paul was warning Timothy about striving about the words of the law.

“You can make an idol out of the law?” The Jews did! They trusted in the law of Moses (John 5:45) rather than in the God of Moses (II Sam.22:31). They rested in the law of Moses (Rom.2:17) rather than in the God of Moses (Ps.37:7). When the Lord tried to introduce the New Covenant, they made a god out of the Old Covenant. It happens whenever God changes things (IIKi.18:1-4). We know the Galatians made a god out of the law for Paul compared their worship of idols to turning to the law (4:8-10). Keeping Paul’s gospel in remembrance prevents this.

We know this is important, for Paul charged them not to fall for the law, a word he only used for important things (IThes.2:11,12;5:7). And the “they” of v.14 refers to the “faithful men” of v.3, so this warning was very important.

After telling Timothy what to warn the faithful men about, he tells him to study to show himself approved to God (v.15). The solution to the law is rightly dividing the Word! The Law is in the Word, just not in the part of the Word that is written to us. That makes it of “no profit” to us. “All Scripture is…profitable” (3:16), but only if it is rightly divided!

“Study” (2:15) can mean to “do your best,” as the context shows it does in IThessalonians 4:11. But the context in Ecclesiastes 12:12 shows that “study” there means to study books, as it does in II Timothy 2:15. If you don’t study the Word, you’ll think it is all written to you. Only those who study it notice the dispensational differences and so know to rightly divide it. You can’t be “approved” of God if you think you are still under the law (cf.Lamentations 3:36).

But you have to do more than just study, you have to work as a “workman” to be approved of God (2:15 cf. Phil.4:9). And the work we should be involved in is building up the Body of Christ (Eph.4:12). Paul uses the word “workman” because the only workmen in the Bible either built the tabernacle (Ex.35:35) or idols (Isa.40:20). If you build the law today, you’re building an idol. If you are building up the Body of Christ, you are building the house of God.

If you build up the law, you’ll be “ashamed” because you’ll be minding “earthly things” (Phil.3:18,19). When God doesn’t make you prosperous when you’re good as He did under the law, you’ll be ashamed of Him. There were probably healers glorying in their supposed ability to heal, and ashamed when they couldn’t heal people. Paul says our conversation is in heaven, from whence we look for the Lord to heal us (Phil.3:20). No one will be ashamed then!

We don’t rightly divide the Word to throw any away (cf.Jer.36:23). Wise students of the Word teach old things of Israel’s program as well as new things from our program (cf.Mt.13:52). Of course, you won’t get famous rightly dividing the Word, but you’ll be as approved as Apelles (Rom.16:10), an unsung hero who rightly divided the word. It all boils down to whether you want the approval of God or men. Ishmael lived and died “in the presence of his brethren (Gen.16:12; 25:18), not for God’s approval.

Some say rightly dividing isn’t important, but that phrase “the word of truth” is used for the very gospel of salvation itself (James 2:18; Eph.1:12,13). Since the Bible presents more than one way to be saved, even the word of truth of the gospel must be rightly divided!

Summary:

Paul was in prison, but the word of God was “not bound” (2:10) because Paul could still write letters to the churches. So he was willing to “endure” prison for “the elect.” Christ is God’s elect, chosen by God to judge the Gentiles in the kingdom of heaven on earth (Isa.42:1 cf. Mt.18:18). Who else would He have chosen, an adulterous murderer like David. He demands rulers be just (cf.IISam.23:3).

But if God couldn’t choose sinners to rule in the kingdom, why’d the Lord tell the 12 they’d rule with Him (Mt.19:28) as well as other Tribulation overcomers (Rev.2:26)? Well, once they got saved they were as just as He was, and will be able to rule as justly as He will (Rev.3:21).

But God also chose Christ to rule the heavens, and us with Him (ICor.6:3). We’re not worthy to be chosen to rule either, but God chose us “in Him” (Eph.1:4). Now that we’re saved, we’re as just as he is (IICor.5:21) and can rule as justly as Him.

Paul was willing to endure prison so the elect could obtain salvation (2:10). The only other place that talks about obtaining salvation is a reference to the salvation of the Rapture (IThes.5:9 cf. Rom.11:13). Paul had to endure prison so they could obtain the Rapture “with eternal glory” (2:10), the kind we’ll get for suffering the sufferings of this present time with Christ (Rom.8:17,18). Suffering includes the light suffering of mocking (Gal.4:29 cf. Gen.21:9), light affliction that God plans to reward us for (IICor.4:17) if we keep our eye on the “unseen” glory we’ll receive (v.18) and so react to suffering in a godly and spiritual manner.

This suffering also includes the “pain” kind that Paul went on in Romans 8 to speak about (22,23). We don’t live under the law, when they had the chance to be spared pain and sickness (Deut.7:12-15), so God plans to reward us with glory for suffering pain. Since we all suffer pain, we’ll all be rewarded to some degree (ICor.4:5), if we keep our eyes on the unseen glory and react well to it.

To do that we need Paul’s epistles, and that’s why Paul was willing to suffer, to keep writing those epistles. He was ready to die earlier, but chose to stay because it was more “needful” for the saints for him to stay and finish his epistles (Phil.1:23-25). Once he knew he’d written them all he was “ready” to die (IITim.4:8).

To be eligible for glory you have to be saved though, so Paul reminds Timothy of this in 2:11, speaking about our identification with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection (cf.Rom.6:3-8).

If you are saved, you are eligible for the glory of reigning with Christ (2:12). We’ll all reign to some extent (ICor.4:5), but just as “one star differeth from another star in glory” (ICor.15:41), so some of us will shine brighter for the Lord. We have the opportunity to rule more angels, just as the Jews had the chance to rule more “cities” in the kingdom (Lu.19:17,19).

If that makes you uncomfortable, remember God has always wanted to glorify His people (Jer.30:19). Ultimately glorifying us glorifies Him (Phil.1:11). Just as every one of the stars glorifies its Creator no matter how strong or weak it shines, so will we.

We don’t have to suffer for the Lord, but if we “deny Him” our suffering, He’ll “deny us” the privilege of reigning with Him (2:12). Paul knows that some might think He means that He’ll deny us salvation, so He says that even if we get to the point where we don’t believe any more, we’re still saved (2:13). Think about that! The only thing you did to get saved was believe, and even if you stop doing that, “He cannot deny Himself.” You are part of Him (Eph.5:30) so to deny you He’d have to deny Himself.

If you think a true believer would never deny Him, you’re underestimating what the hard knocks of life can do to a believer’s faith. And what a lack of rightly dividing the Word can do! If you thought God promised you that you wouldn’t get sick if you were good (Deut.7:12-15), if you were good and got sick, it would shatter your faith too!