2Ti 2:24-25 | KingComments | STEP | . Before you rush out to “pursue …”, it is being made clear to you what you should really be aware of: you have to deal with “youthful lusts”. You may think that this refers to sexual lusts. That surely have to do with it, but that is certainly not limited to it and I also do not think that that’s the main point. It is the lusts that are characteristic to youth. Here you have to think about assertiveness, wanting to be heard, desiring to be of importance. One of the clear marks with young zealous believers is a sharp eye for other people’s faults, while they themselves have only a very limited knowledge of their own heart. If you notice that assertiveness determines your actions you must flee, leave the situation before you make mistakes (cf. ; ; ). Recognize that you do not yet know yourself very well and that you do not have the spiritual maturity to say or do something in certain cases, even if you should have the right view in a situation. With this mind you may do something positive. To abstain on the one hand is essential, but negative. Therefore you should on the other hand pursue what is in accordance with the Lord: 1. In the first place that is “righteousness”, that is a way of doing what is right before God and men. 2. Also “faith” or confidence of faith is a crucial characteristic when everything around you is in confusion and the only hold are the Lord and His Word. 3. To this is added “love”. Without love in your heart righteousness and faith become expressions of a legalistic spirit. 4. Finally it is said that you should pursue “peace”. You do not seek to quarrel, but you want to be a peace maker. And in case you may think that you have to do all this by yourself alone, then you hear at the end of that that is a mistake. You will never in Scripture find the command to be a Christian on your own. Abstaining from vessels to dishonor is essential. If you limit yourself to that, it will lead you to Pharisee-ism, an attitude of ‘I am holier than you are’. Therefore you should join “those who call on the Lord from a pure heart”. With the help of the Lord you will be able to discern whether the other person has a pure heart, just like the other is to discern whether that is also the case with you. Therefore you should talk with one another. Let Christ and His work and Word be the subject and it will become clear whether He is being called on from a pure heart. . After having spoken about calling on the Lord from a pure heart you can certainly sense that “foolish and ignorant speculations” are clearly the opposite of that. Discussions and disputes are being organized for amusing of audiences that even chose a winner for that. Most of the time that doesn’t bring people closer together, but makes the gap even bigger. The disputes are not settled, division only increases more and more. These disputes are often about nothing. It is just useless, undisciplined squabbling. Such questions do not come from a pure heart, but from someone who follows his own thoughts and will. Don’t expose yourself to them, don’t even listen to them, but “refuse” them. If you enter into disputes you will participate in producing quarrels. . Producing quarrels and quarrelling yourself is just something you as a bond-servant of the Lord ought not to do. Instead of feeding an arguing spirit you ought to be “kind” and meek to all without distinction. If you are kind you will not repulse people, but on the contrary attract them. Kindness is an attitude that arouses confidence. It is also important that a bond-servant of the Lord in a position like that of Timothy is able to teach others. A bond-servant of the Lord gives clear teachings, it is not difficult to understand him and he doesn’t use fuzzy or mysterious words. Another significant characteristic of a bond-servant of the Lord is his ‘patience’. He endures the wrong that people cause him or speak about him, without becoming impatient or rebellious. . That he rejects quarrels doesn’t mean that he rejects the person. The opponent of the truth is a person that is to be won for the Lord. Therefore he will not want to correct the opponents in a snappy tone, but “with gentleness”. This is a characteristic of the Lord Jesus ( ) and therefore has nothing to do with softness or weakness, but on the contrary with steadfastness. The important means through which people come to conversion is definitely through this characteristic. He who is gentle resembles the Lord Jesus. God grants people repentance “leading to the knowledge of the truth”, by bringing them into connection with His Son. Paul uses the expression “if perhaps”, because he knows that only God can grant repentance and is sovereign in it. He leaves the result to God. Again you see that the responsibility of the servant and the sovereignty of God don’t exclude one another. In the Lord Jesus, Who is the truth ( ), it is seen what the truth is about both God and man. He who gains insight into Him, gains insight into the truth. . By bringing Him to attention the opponents may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil. Here it is not about unbelieving people in general, but about those who profess to know God, but have been taken captive in the snare of the devil. They participate in distorting God’s Word and teach wrong things about the Lord Jesus. As captives of the devil they do his will. They seek to proclaim the lie. They are blinded by the devil in such a way that they think are telling the truth (cf. ). Here it is about the conversion of professing Christians. Only when they repent they will acknowledge the full truth and reject the verisimilitude that they have preached. Up till that moment they live in an infatuation, an illusion, while they think that they bring the right doctrine. Through repentance they will “come to their senses”, so that they may see and think clearly to do the will of God. Now read 2 Timothy 2:22-26 again. Reflection: Which positive and which negative orders do you receive here?

‏ 2 Timothy 2:24-25

Flee, Pursue, Correct

2Tim 2:22. Before you rush out to “pursue …”, it is being made clear to you what you should really be aware of: you have to deal with “youthful lusts”. You may think that this refers to sexual lusts. That surely have to do with it, but that is certainly not limited to it and I also do not think that that’s the main point. It is the lusts that are characteristic to youth. Here you have to think about assertiveness, wanting to be heard, desiring to be of importance.

One of the clear marks with young zealous believers is a sharp eye for other people’s faults, while they themselves have only a very limited knowledge of their own heart. If you notice that assertiveness determines your actions you must flee, leave the situation before you make mistakes (cf. Gen 39:12; 1Tim 6:11; 1Cor 6:18 ; 1Cor 10:14). Recognize that you do not yet know yourself very well and that you do not have the spiritual maturity to say or do something in certain cases, even if you should have the right view in a situation.

With this mind you may do something positive. To abstain on the one hand is essential, but negative. Therefore you should on the other hand pursue what is in accordance with the Lord:

1. In the first place that is “righteousness”, that is a way of doing what is right before God and men.

2. Also “faith” or confidence of faith is a crucial characteristic when everything around you is in confusion and the only hold are the Lord and His Word.

3. To this is added “love”. Without love in your heart righteousness and faith become expressions of a legalistic spirit.

4. Finally it is said that you should pursue “peace”. You do not seek to quarrel, but you want to be a peace maker.

And in case you may think that you have to do all this by yourself alone, then you hear at the end of 2Tim 2:22 that that is a mistake. You will never in Scripture find the command to be a Christian on your own. Abstaining from vessels to dishonor is essential. If you limit yourself to that, it will lead you to Pharisee-ism, an attitude of ‘I am holier than you are’. Therefore you should join “those who call on the Lord from a pure heart”.

With the help of the Lord you will be able to discern whether the other person has a pure heart, just like the other is to discern whether that is also the case with you. Therefore you should talk with one another. Let Christ and His work and Word be the subject and it will become clear whether He is being called on from a pure heart.

2Tim 2:23. After having spoken about calling on the Lord from a pure heart you can certainly sense that “foolish and ignorant speculations” are clearly the opposite of that. Discussions and disputes are being organized for amusing of audiences that even chose a winner for that. Most of the time that doesn’t bring people closer together, but makes the gap even bigger. The disputes are not settled, division only increases more and more. These disputes are often about nothing. It is just useless, undisciplined squabbling.

Such questions do not come from a pure heart, but from someone who follows his own thoughts and will. Don’t expose yourself to them, don’t even listen to them, but “refuse” them. If you enter into disputes you will participate in producing quarrels.

2Tim 2:24. Producing quarrels and quarrelling yourself is just something you as a bond-servant of the Lord ought not to do. Instead of feeding an arguing spirit you ought to be “kind” and meek to all without distinction. If you are kind you will not repulse people, but on the contrary attract them. Kindness is an attitude that arouses confidence.

It is also important that a bond-servant of the Lord in a position like that of Timothy is able to teach others. A bond-servant of the Lord gives clear teachings, it is not difficult to understand him and he doesn’t use fuzzy or mysterious words. Another significant characteristic of a bond-servant of the Lord is his ‘patience’. He endures the wrong that people cause him or speak about him, without becoming impatient or rebellious.

2Tim 2:25. That he rejects quarrels doesn’t mean that he rejects the person. The opponent of the truth is a person that is to be won for the Lord. Therefore he will not want to correct the opponents in a snappy tone, but “with gentleness”. This is a characteristic of the Lord Jesus (Mt 11:29) and therefore has nothing to do with softness or weakness, but on the contrary with steadfastness. The important means through which people come to conversion is definitely through this characteristic. He who is gentle resembles the Lord Jesus.

God grants people repentance “leading to the knowledge of the truth”, by bringing them into connection with His Son. Paul uses the expression “if perhaps”, because he knows that only God can grant repentance and is sovereign in it. He leaves the result to God. Again you see that the responsibility of the servant and the sovereignty of God don’t exclude one another.

In the Lord Jesus, Who is the truth (Jn 14:6), it is seen what the truth is about both God and man. He who gains insight into Him, gains insight into the truth.

2Tim 2:26. By bringing Him to attention the opponents may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil. Here it is not about unbelieving people in general, but about those who profess to know God, but have been taken captive in the snare of the devil. They participate in distorting God’s Word and teach wrong things about the Lord Jesus. As captives of the devil they do his will. They seek to proclaim the lie. They are blinded by the devil in such a way that they think are telling the truth (cf. Jn 16:2).

Here it is about the conversion of professing Christians. Only when they repent they will acknowledge the full truth and reject the verisimilitude that they have preached. Up till that moment they live in an infatuation, an illusion, while they think that they bring the right doctrine. Through repentance they will “come to their senses”, so that they may see and think clearly to do the will of God.

Now read 2 Timothy 2:22-26 again.

Reflection: Which positive and which negative orders do you receive here?