2 TIMOTHY 2: 14 - 26
Ques What is the force of “in Christ Jesus” in this epistle?
I think it is a subjective thought, everything for us is available for us in Christ. It is what is within your reach, grace, or faith, or love, or salvation (2 Timothy 1: 9 - 13 and 2 Timothy 2: 1 - 10). Everything is thus available for us in that Man — in Christ Jesus. If we get away from the man that is here, from self to that Man, you find everything in Him, the Man of God’s purpose: “according to his own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages of time” (2 Timothy 1: 9). Everything is expressed in Him, but then we have to reach Him, and we find everything available for us in Him; the point is how to get at it. It is there in Christ Jesus, but you have to get near Him to appropriate it and to enjoy it. If we get near Him we must get apart from the man here. We find all in Him, eternal life and all is in Him, but the question is how to get near Him?
Well, I think the great thing is to get away from all that is not suitable to Him. If people get under the power of discouragement, it is a proof they are not near Him. Everything is available for us in Him. No [p. 473] one could carry out the injunction of this epistle without being in the reality of eternal life in Christ; then it is you are able to be here a servant of the Lord. The great point in chapter 1 is that life and incorruptibility are brought to light in the gospel. If we live with Him we must be dead with Him; you must take both sides: you cannot have the one without the other. If we suffer we shall reign. If we believe not, yet He abideth faithful, He cannot deny Himself. He may deny you, but He cannot deny Himself.
Ques What is the force of deny?
He will not own you, He will deny you before the angels. ‘Deny’ supposes an apostate. Peter was overcome in a moment of weakness, but he confessed Him very boldly afterwards. I do not believe it is God’s way to deal with a man according to what he has been for a moment in weakness. In result Peter was extremely faithful. If we are to prove all the good that is in Christ, it necessitates our being near to Him, and if we are near to Him we must part company with the man here — and we have not far to go to part company, for we find it is to part with ourself. If a man hate his life he will keep it unto life eternal. Now we get a tendency (verse 14) which people are carried away by sometimes, that is, by extravagances, putting out things beyond the truth, extra spiritual. Now I hear there is someone putting forward, that if you have faith for it, you body will be quickened now. I do not believe that the truth will ever shock common sense. In my recollection there were people who promulgated that they were in resurrection bodies. Common sense may not be able to understand the truth, but the truth is so intensely moral that it never shocks common sense.
In contrast to profane and vain babblings you get the foundation of God standeth sure (verses 16 - 19). The babblings will pass away, but the foundation of God standeth sure. I do not believe in hyper-spirituality, I believe it is fleshly. Christianity is all simple.
[p. 474] Forbidding to marry is another extravagance. There is a vast number of people amongst us who are ready enough to be carried away by any ridiculous extravagance, ‘death to nature’ for instance. It leads to spiritual pride and leads people to think they can be something above the ordinary. The foundation is very sure, and it is bound to come out in practice. Practice is really the test of God’s foundation.
“The Lord knows those that are his” (verse 19), that is inside. You get the consciousness of that, then “Let every one who names the name of the Lord withdraw from iniquity” (verse 19), is the outside. There is a mass of profession, but the Lord knows them that are His. If we are conscious of this we own our part is to withdraw from iniquity — the two must go together. I have not to trouble so much about other people but about myself. I believe the foundation is in people’s souls, and the evidence of it is that people withdraw from iniquity. If you are in the consciousness that the Lord knows those that are His, you must withdraw from iniquity — they are bound to go together.
Now these extravagances lead to ungodliness (verse 16), and for this reason, that these extravagances bring reproach upon the truth. In Luther’s time while there was that which was of God, yet we find springing up at the same time the Anabaptists. It is an effort of the enemy to bring what is of the Spirit of God at the time into reproach. The obligation lies upon everyone who names the name of the Lord to withdraw from iniquity, but then the way you carry out the obligation is by having the consciousness that the Lord knows those that are His; you would not deny the Lord.
The foundation of God is not doctrine, it is living. If you want to know the foundation of God you must find the people who withdraw from iniquity. People who remain in System, in Popery, in Dissent, connect the Lord’s name with these systems. In Dissent there is more looseness, while in Popery you get the high [p. 475] ritual. The Lord is not a reality to people; people believe in Him and in a way confess Him, but they do not live as if the Lord were a reality to them. One striking feature of this epistle is the great reality that the Lord is to the apostle. “The Lord stood with me and gave me power” (2 Timothy 4: 17), and that when no man stood by him, He was a reality to the apostle. The early believers were called upon to cleave to the Lord with purpose of heart. I think we want to know more of this. It is the great check on man’s will. You are in the place where man’s will has no place. In all the detail of life (in the least as well as the greatest things) we should refer to the Lord: not only about religious things, but all the detail of life. There is nothing in a Christian’s life that cannot be referred to the Lord, unless it be that people have taken up things which they at the bottom of their hearts feel the Lord would not sanction. Many Christians connect the Lord with the present scene (not so much amongst us) and they would quote the Lord going to the marriage at Cana of Galilee to prove it. They do not entertain the thought of Christ being rejected.
Verse 20, “great house” is not the house of God, it is used as a figure, to give a picture of the general state of things here. The condition for being a vessel sanctified and meet for the Master’s use, is purging yourself from the vessels to dishonour. This epistle does not contemplate change of ecclesiastical position, it is all moral. We cannot change our position, we cannot get out of the great house. Gathering cannot be by what is negative — departing from iniquity. You must have something positive. “Pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace, with those that call upon the Lord out of a pure heart” (verse 22). It begins with righteousness because you have to separate from iniquity, but then you must have divine light. So the next thing you get is faith — pursue faith. We could not stop at righteousness, you must have faith. Fellowship is formed in doctrine. “And they persevered in the teaching and fellowship of the apostles, in breaking of bread and prayers” (Acts 2: 42). It is a great thing to get away from ecclesiastical corruption to the Lord. That is the exercise of the present day, beyond all manner of doubt. Things had gone very much to the bad in the apostle’s day it is very evident.
Ques In what sense is the servant of the Lord not to strive?
He is not to strive at all. No good is done in that way, for the effect even if successful, is only convincing people mentally. If people are to be touched it must be God who does it. “If God perhaps may sometime give them repentance to acknowledgment of the truth”. (2 Timothy 2: 25.) God only can touch the man. If you find yourself in controversy, the sooner you get out of it the better. Nothing is done by it for God. The servant of the Lord should be so furnished by the truth that he has a kind of moral superiority, because he is to confront them with the truth, not with argument. To “contend” is more what you do with your spirit. Contend earnestly, that is, in his own spirit — that is judging all in his own spirit as to what is contrary. The object of this exhortation to Timothy is to make him feel his dependence upon God. “If God perhaps may sometime give them repentance ...” If people take up a crotchet they will cling to it more tenaciously than they will cling to the truth. The secret of having taken up a crotchet is that in some way or other they have been careless and been deceived, and have fallen into a snare of the enemy. God only in that case can give repentance. End of verse 26 “(who are) taken by him”, is a parenthesis and connected with the devil, but “for his will” at the end of the verse is for His will, for God’s will. The great thing is to understand truth, then you can handle truth, you handle it in the spirit, not in the letter — when you are in the full measure of understanding. People are often clever at quoting [p. 477] Scripture accurately, who do not understand the spirit of it. It is important to quote Scripture accurately, but one who has a spiritual understanding will give you the real force of the passage — he will quote intelligently if not accurately. Mr. Darby always did. The letter of truth is a very great guard, for if you have the spirit of truth you will not transgress the letter. Cutting in a straight line you do not cut jagged. When the apostle speaks of the great house it is merely an analogy, but he had, no doubt, christendom in his mind.