2 Timothy 1:8-9

Summary retelling of 2 Timothy 1:8-9

Paul tells Timothy to not be ashamed of the testimony of Jesus Christ.  Paul also tells Timothy to not be ashamed that he is in prison.  Rather, Paul tells Timothy that the time has come for him to share in the suffering through the power of God.  It is God who saves us and calls us to a holy calling for His purposes; it is not our own works that enable us to be saved and called.  God has called us to this mission for a long time – far before the coming of Christ.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Paul makes it clear that the circumstances of ministry should not make us ashamed.  We should not be ashamed that Jesus was arrested.  We should not be ashamed that Jesus was crucified.  We should not be ashamed of all the other martyrs in the faith who were arrested, put in prison, and died.  It seems to make perfect sense to say this, but in the context of society it is much more difficult to practice this.  Paul wrote this letter from prison – probably his last time in prison just before actually being executed.  It would have been normal for Timothy to feel shame when someone would ask him, “Where is this Paul, who taught you these things?”  But Paul says that we must not feel shame.  We shouldn’t feel shame because the world does not understand God and the world will persecute God and His followers. Persecution is to be expected, not shamed.

Why is it so hard to accept that persecution will come from the world?  Why is it so easy to want to try and explain away persecution rather than talk about the nature of persecution?  Why is it so easy to want to avoid persecution?  What happens when we try to avoid or explain away persecution because we are ashamed?

Second Thought:

The second clause in verse 8 is an incredibly powerful one.  Paul tells Timothy that the time has come for him to “share in the suffering.”  In other words, Paul is telling Timothy that he’s matured enough to be accountable and responsible for his responses in the faith.  The time has come for him to put on his “big boy pants” and do legitimate ministry in the world.  The time has come for him to decide if he’s really going to follow God – and thus likely experience his share in persecution – or continue to be timid and hide from the hard opportunities in life.  Paul tells Timothy another very important teaching.  Nobody who makes the hard decision and follows God in spite of persecution does so by their own power.  People who truly follow God fully always do it through His power.  Without God, we don’t have the power to look the world in the face and choose persecution.

Is it helpful to hear Paul’s challenge to Timothy to step up to the plate and begin to treat ministry like an adult?  What benefit is it to you to hear this?  Think about all the Christians in the world around you – how many of them genuinely have taken this step?  How many Christians do you know who have embraced persecution and chosen to follow God regardless of what the world may think?  Who are they and how can you be strengthened by them?

Third Thought:

Paul tells Timothy that God’s people have been called to be holy.  The word holy literally means “separate” or “different.”  We are to be different from the world.  But this difference is guided and directed.  We are to be different for God’s purposes.  We are called to be different according to His grace and according to His plan.  It is not up to us to decide how we want to be different in this world.  We are to be different than the world according to His purposes.

Why is it important to realize that we are to be different than the world?  Why must we also realize that we are to be different, or holy, according to His ways and for His purpose?  Do you know people in this world who are different but for the sake of their own purposes?

Passage for Tomorrow: 2 Timothy 1:10-11