2Ti 1:9 | KingComments | STEP | . After the command that Paul gave his young friend Timothy, and through which he also exhorted you, two verses with a great content follow. What is written in these verses is great because its content is fully about what God has done to you in Christ Jesus. It is not about you and your feebleness or failures. Nor is it about the decay that could discourage you that much and neither about the hostility that may frighten you to testify. No, these verses lift you up above all hardships and tell you about the purpose that God already had before the world existed, “from all eternity”. His purpose stands therefore apart from the whole problem of sin and its consequences that exist only after the worlds were created. In His purpose He also thought of you. He had the purpose to “save” you. And it did not stop with a purpose. He also carried it out. When we plan to do something we often have to admit afterwards that it didn’t stand or that something is still missing. That is impossible with God. He has saved you. This is a deed of God that was perfectly accomplished ( ) and cannot possibly be undone ( ). He has performed that deed by calling you. By saving you God completely redeemed you from all your sins and the power of sin and from the power of the world ( ). He also has a goal with your life. He has given you a “holy calling”. He has called you to live holy for Him, separated from everything He has saved you from and to be fully consecrated to Him. Indeed a powerful change has happened in both your position and the goal of your life. Regarding your position, you have changed from someone who was under the wrath of God into someone who is saved. You do not have to fear God’s judgment anymore. Regarding the goal of your life, you have changed from someone who lived only for himself and whose prospect was to end up in hell into someone who lives for God and who will live forever with Him. You understand that this happened without any contribution from your side. God also didn’t ask you too, for you were absolutely not able to. Your works only asked for judgment on you. No, that great change you owe to God’s “own purpose” alone. And you have received part of it through “the grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus”. Grace reminds you that you couldn’t apply any right from your side on these blessings. It points at God’s sovereign plan. For the execution of His purpose and to make you able to partake of that grace, God, to His great joy, has in Christ Jesus an unshakable foundation. In Him He could also realize His counsel to you. The reason for each blessing that God gives to whomsoever, is in no way because of who that person is, but because of Who Christ Jesus is. In His purpose He was led by Whom Christ Jesus is. God values His Person so highly that He has connected His whole purpose to Him. The only way that you could partake of His purpose was because He saw you in Christ Jesus. Can you understand that you have taken part of that? As for me, I cannot. But it doesn’t depend on your or my understanding whether it is true. It is true because God has done that and as it is said already, “from all eternity”. That at the same time guarantees that nothing that has happened since creation, can change anything, even the slightest thing, on this purpose of God. . Still we would not have been able to know anything of God’s plan if He had not revealed it through the appearance of our Savior Christ Jesus. The purpose of God was hidden in His counsel, but God revealed His purpose when Christ Jesus appeared in Whom He could give you that great grace to partake of His purpose. But take note! It was not without a reason that Paul precedes the name ‘Christ Jesus’ by the name ‘Savior’. It is about His appearance at His first coming to earth. Then He came as ‘Savior’. Do you see through Whom God was able to save you? The name ‘Savior’ reminds us of His work on the cross. The work He accomplished there was the way for God to carry out His purpose, in order to save you and to call you with a holy calling. The only way for you to be able to partake of that was if the Savior would abolish death. Death, the wages of sin ( ), formed the barrier against the carrying out of God’s purpose. That hindrance was robbed from its power by our Savior by going into death Himself and rising from it again. In His resurrection He “brought life and immortality to light”. The power of ‘life’ that characterized Him was proven by His resurrection. His life has triumphed over death. Not death but life is conqueror. You wouldn’t have known that if the Lord had not died and risen. You have received eternal life, for the Lord Jesus, the Son of God, is eternal life. He who has the Son has life ( ). The Son is the true God and eternal life ( ). You believe in the Lord Jesus; you have the Son as your life. Something else that was brought to light was ‘immortality’. That refers to the body. The body you now have is not immortal. The older you get the more you notice how it is declining, how its power dilutes and how it loses its youthful beauty. But when the Lord Jesus comes you will receive a body that will not be affected by the test of time. That body remains in all its freshness and purity through all eternity. That is also the result of the victory that the Lord Jesus has achieved over death. You see that they all are truths, facts of the faith that has been established completely outside of you. That goes for both the purpose of God and what the Lord Jesus has done when He appeared on earth. Now there is still a question that has to be answered and that is: What did God do to enable you to see His purpose and that you would accept the work of the Lord Jesus as being accomplished for you? He did that “through the gospel”. The gospel is the means through which you have heard about God and what the Lord Jesus has accomplished and how necessary His work has been for you. When you accepted the gospel you got saved by it and you could partake of all these awesome things. . God has appointed Paul to preach this gospel. He not only preached this good news (that is the meaning of the word ‘gospel’) to the Jews. This purpose of God dates back from before the foundation of the world and stands apart from the distinction between Jews and Gentiles. The ministry of Paul in the gospel extends to all people from all nations. For this ministry as “a preacher” he obtained an appointment from God. You can hereby think of a herald, a messenger who is clothed with a formal authority, in order to pass on formal messages from e.g. kings or city councils, without changing anything about the message. This is how Paul preaches the gospel. God also appointed him “an apostle”. That has got more to do with a certain position. God has sent him and he who rejects him rejects God, his Sender. Finally he is also “a teacher”. He teaches the content of the gospel. That content is Christ Jesus. Paul explains Who He is and what He has done. . Paul wholeheartedly believes in the gospel. When he preaches he puts his whole heart in it. That’s not what people, and particularly the Jews, are waiting for. This zealousness of Paul in the gospel is the reason of the suffering he is going through. But that doesn’t cause any change in his conviction. He has exhorted Timothy not to be ashamed ( ). He can do that because he himself is not ashamed. No adversity can confuse him. That’s because he doesn’t believe in a dogma, a doctrine, but in a Person. He knows “whom” he has believed. He lives from a living relationship with that Person. He knows the power of that Person. He has already had so many experiences with that God that it caused him to now have a deep-rooted conviction about Him. He has experienced many times what God is able to do. God has not been pushed away from the throne but He has all power. To Him Paul has entrusted what he had received, namely, the gospel that God had entrusted him (cf. ; ). He is imprisoned and is not able to freely travel around anymore and to work with that what was entrusted to him, but God remains and Paul knows that He will continue to work with what was entrusted to him. In that way the gospel is still being preached and also his letter is still being read as you are doing now. Just like Paul is laying the results of his ministry in the hands of the Lord you can do that also. We do not have to keep the developments in our control. It is not our case, it is the church of God. We can be sure that whatever we give Him to guard will be safe with Him. Robbery or loss is impossible. The certainty of this ‘guarding’ has a validity “until that day”, which is the day of the appearance of the Lord Jesus. It is the day that the Lord Jesus will reward everything. For the measurement of the reward the Lord doesn’t consider the success you have achieved, but whether you have been faithful to what He has ordered you to do. Then you will, like Paul, find back with Him everything that you have entrusted Him to guard for you. This is the attitude you can only get if you know in Whom you have believed. Now read 2 Timothy 1:9-12 again. Reflection: What do you learn in these verses about the purpose and the grace of God?

‏ 2 Timothy 1:9

God’s Own Purpose

2Tim 1:9. After the command that Paul gave his young friend Timothy, and through which he also exhorted you, two verses with a great content follow. What is written in these verses is great because its content is fully about what God has done to you in Christ Jesus. It is not about you and your feebleness or failures. Nor is it about the decay that could discourage you that much and neither about the hostility that may frighten you to testify. No, these verses lift you up above all hardships and tell you about the purpose that God already had before the world existed, “from all eternity”. His purpose stands therefore apart from the whole problem of sin and its consequences that exist only after the worlds were created.

In His purpose He also thought of you. He had the purpose to “save” you. And it did not stop with a purpose. He also carried it out. When we plan to do something we often have to admit afterwards that it didn’t stand or that something is still missing. That is impossible with God. He has saved you. This is a deed of God that was perfectly accomplished (Eph 2:5) and cannot possibly be undone (Jn 10:28-29). He has performed that deed by calling you. By saving you God completely redeemed you from all your sins and the power of sin and from the power of the world (Gal 1:4).

He also has a goal with your life. He has given you a “holy calling”. He has called you to live holy for Him, separated from everything He has saved you from and to be fully consecrated to Him. Indeed a powerful change has happened in both your position and the goal of your life. Regarding your position, you have changed from someone who was under the wrath of God into someone who is saved. You do not have to fear God’s judgment anymore. Regarding the goal of your life, you have changed from someone who lived only for himself and whose prospect was to end up in hell into someone who lives for God and who will live forever with Him.

You understand that this happened without any contribution from your side. God also didn’t ask you too, for you were absolutely not able to. Your works only asked for judgment on you. No, that great change you owe to God’s “own purpose” alone. And you have received part of it through “the grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus”. Grace reminds you that you couldn’t apply any right from your side on these blessings. It points at God’s sovereign plan. For the execution of His purpose and to make you able to partake of that grace, God, to His great joy, has in Christ Jesus an unshakable foundation. In Him He could also realize His counsel to you.

The reason for each blessing that God gives to whomsoever, is in no way because of who that person is, but because of Who Christ Jesus is. In His purpose He was led by Whom Christ Jesus is. God values His Person so highly that He has connected His whole purpose to Him. The only way that you could partake of His purpose was because He saw you in Christ Jesus.

Can you understand that you have taken part of that? As for me, I cannot. But it doesn’t depend on your or my understanding whether it is true. It is true because God has done that and as it is said already, “from all eternity”. That at the same time guarantees that nothing that has happened since creation, can change anything, even the slightest thing, on this purpose of God.

2Tim 1:10. Still we would not have been able to know anything of God’s plan if He had not revealed it through the appearance of our Savior Christ Jesus. The purpose of God was hidden in His counsel, but God revealed His purpose when Christ Jesus appeared in Whom He could give you that great grace to partake of His purpose. But take note! It was not without a reason that Paul precedes the name ‘Christ Jesus’ by the name ‘Savior’. It is about His appearance at His first coming to earth. Then He came as ‘Savior’.

Do you see through Whom God was able to save you? The name ‘Savior’ reminds us of His work on the cross. The work He accomplished there was the way for God to carry out His purpose, in order to save you and to call you with a holy calling. The only way for you to be able to partake of that was if the Savior would abolish death. Death, the wages of sin (Rom 6:23), formed the barrier against the carrying out of God’s purpose. That hindrance was robbed from its power by our Savior by going into death Himself and rising from it again.

In His resurrection He “brought life and immortality to light”. The power of ‘life’ that characterized Him was proven by His resurrection. His life has triumphed over death. Not death but life is conqueror. You wouldn’t have known that if the Lord had not died and risen. You have received eternal life, for the Lord Jesus, the Son of God, is eternal life. He who has the Son has life (1Jn 5:12). The Son is the true God and eternal life (1Jn 5:20). You believe in the Lord Jesus; you have the Son as your life.

Something else that was brought to light was ‘immortality’. That refers to the body. The body you now have is not immortal. The older you get the more you notice how it is declining, how its power dilutes and how it loses its youthful beauty. But when the Lord Jesus comes you will receive a body that will not be affected by the test of time. That body remains in all its freshness and purity through all eternity. That is also the result of the victory that the Lord Jesus has achieved over death. You see that they all are truths, facts of the faith that has been established completely outside of you. That goes for both the purpose of God and what the Lord Jesus has done when He appeared on earth.

Now there is still a question that has to be answered and that is: What did God do to enable you to see His purpose and that you would accept the work of the Lord Jesus as being accomplished for you? He did that “through the gospel”. The gospel is the means through which you have heard about God and what the Lord Jesus has accomplished and how necessary His work has been for you. When you accepted the gospel you got saved by it and you could partake of all these awesome things.

2Tim 1:11. God has appointed Paul to preach this gospel. He not only preached this good news (that is the meaning of the word ‘gospel’) to the Jews. This purpose of God dates back from before the foundation of the world and stands apart from the distinction between Jews and Gentiles. The ministry of Paul in the gospel extends to all people from all nations.

For this ministry as “a preacher” he obtained an appointment from God. You can hereby think of a herald, a messenger who is clothed with a formal authority, in order to pass on formal messages from e.g. kings or city councils, without changing anything about the message. This is how Paul preaches the gospel.

God also appointed him “an apostle”. That has got more to do with a certain position. God has sent him and he who rejects him rejects God, his Sender.

Finally he is also “a teacher”. He teaches the content of the gospel. That content is Christ Jesus. Paul explains Who He is and what He has done.

2Tim 1:12. Paul wholeheartedly believes in the gospel. When he preaches he puts his whole heart in it. That’s not what people, and particularly the Jews, are waiting for. This zealousness of Paul in the gospel is the reason of the suffering he is going through. But that doesn’t cause any change in his conviction.

He has exhorted Timothy not to be ashamed (2Tim 1:8). He can do that because he himself is not ashamed. No adversity can confuse him. That’s because he doesn’t believe in a dogma, a doctrine, but in a Person. He knows “whom” he has believed. He lives from a living relationship with that Person.

He knows the power of that Person. He has already had so many experiences with that God that it caused him to now have a deep-rooted conviction about Him. He has experienced many times what God is able to do. God has not been pushed away from the throne but He has all power. To Him Paul has entrusted what he had received, namely, the gospel that God had entrusted him (cf. 2Tim 1:14; 1Tim 6:20). He is imprisoned and is not able to freely travel around anymore and to work with that what was entrusted to him, but God remains and Paul knows that He will continue to work with what was entrusted to him.

In that way the gospel is still being preached and also his letter is still being read as you are doing now. Just like Paul is laying the results of his ministry in the hands of the Lord you can do that also. We do not have to keep the developments in our control. It is not our case, it is the church of God. We can be sure that whatever we give Him to guard will be safe with Him. Robbery or loss is impossible.

The certainty of this ‘guarding’ has a validity “until that day”, which is the day of the appearance of the Lord Jesus. It is the day that the Lord Jesus will reward everything. For the measurement of the reward the Lord doesn’t consider the success you have achieved, but whether you have been faithful to what He has ordered you to do. Then you will, like Paul, find back with Him everything that you have entrusted Him to guard for you. This is the attitude you can only get if you know in Whom you have believed.

Now read 2 Timothy 1:9-12 again.

Reflection: What do you learn in these verses about the purpose and the grace of God?