August 23, 2022 – Tuesday
2 Timothy 2:1 NIV
1 You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
Comments
When I read the above, I was sure I knew what it was saying. I thought it was saying our strength comes from the unearned abilities we have through our believing in Him and claiming Him as our Lord and Savior. What ability we have to be strong without His grace would be negligible in comparison.
The Believer’s Bible Commentary said much the same thing, the verse means to be courageous with the strength which His grace provides, to go on faithfully for the Lord with the undeserved ability that comes through union with Him. But Paul doesn’t stop there as the Expositor’s Bible Commentary tells us, “After exhorting Timothy to be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, Paul sounds his frequent note in the Pastorals about preserving and transmitting the tradition of truth (1:13-14). As Paul had entrusted the Gospel to Timothy, he tells Timothy in the next verse,And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.”
But why is Paul writing to Timothy in the first two verses of this chapter, You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. The answer may be found, at least in part, in verse 15 of chapter 1, You know that everyone in the province of Asia has deserted me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes. Everyone deserted Paul, walked away from the faith, even two he had trusted Phygelus and Hermogenes. Then, like today, there was much opposition to the faith, and one had to be able to stand strong in the faith. But it would be useless stand on one’s own strength alone, thus Paul’s exhortation to be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
We live at a time today in our own country where Paul’s instructions to Timothy would apply to each and every one of us as we seek to stand firm in the faith while it is attacked from many parts of the culture that surrounds us. There may come a time when friends, relatives, and even loved ones will desert us as well when we simply stand firm in our faith, not budging from the truths revealed in the Bible. Clearly Paul is speaking from his own experiences and his words carry common parallels to our own everyday life.
Bottom Line: As we stand on our faith, sooner or later, we will need the strength of Christ’s grace to continue.
Prayer: Almighty God, Give us the strength through Jesus’ grace that we will be able to stand firmly in the faith in our times of testing. – In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
RileyD, nwJ
Riley D. Driver – Pastor
Calvary Chapel of Dayton
in Beavercreek