After Paul’s diversion onto the topic of three individuals, two who abandoned the faith, and one who stayed strong, he returns to his plea for Timothy to “endure hardship” and stay faithful to the message, and to Paul.

You can see this week’s passage in 2 Timothy 2:1-3:

Over the next few verses, Paul will encourage Timothy to stay strong in the faith. He will use a series of illustrations to make his point throughout this chapter. He will use the image of a son (verses 1-2), a soldier (verses 3-4), an athlete (verse 5), a farmer (verses 6-13), a workman (verses 14-19), a utensil (verses 20-23), and as a servant (verses 24-27).

Paul’s words throughout this chapter paint a vivid picture of how a believer, and a minister, should live.

Paul starts off with the phrase “you then.” This is an emphatic link to the previous chapter. Some believe that it links back to verses 6-14, connected by the repetition of the call to endure hardship and suffering. Others feel that it serves as a contrast to the three men mentioned in the last verses of the preceding chapter, calling Timothy to be more like Onesiphorus and not like Phygelus and Hermogenes. If this is the case, Paul may be calling Timothy to leave Ephesus and come to Rome. I’m not certain this is the case, because too much of this letter lends itself to the instructions Timothy would need to continue in ministry there.

So that means that Paul has come back to his point after digressing on the matter of those three other men. Paul exhorts Timothy to stay strong in the face of opposition. How is he to do that? Only by the grace of Christ is that possible.

Also, Timothy is to take the sound teaching (of 1:13) that he has received from Paul and pass it on to others who are reliable and faithful. This may be why Paul mentioned Onesiphorus earlier. Timothy is to find like minded men who are faithful and reliable to facilitate the spread of the gospel message. Some see this as a further indicator that Paul was calling Timothy to Rome. More likely, Paul is restating the Great Commission here, instructing Timothy to spread the message to others who can spread the message to still others.

The word “entrust” here in verb form is directly related to the noun translated as “deposit” in verses 12 and 14 of chapter one. Paul is teaching Timothy that the gospel is a sacred trust that must be passed on. Much like the Olympic torch bearer who carries the flame for a distance, and then passes it on to another, Timothy is to find and train others to carry the message of Christ forward.

In these first couple of verses, Paul uses the imagery of a son. This is the vaguest of the illustrations found in this chapter, but it’s there to see if you look closely. There are a few things that stand out about the image of a son that bear mentioning.

1. A son carries the nature of his father. Paul refers to Timothy as his son in the faith. Timothy’s acceptance of Christ, and his subsequent growth as a believer and as a minister has been cultivated by Paul. He loves Timothy as he would love his own children. In fact, the term used here, translated as “son”, comes from the verb that means to give birth or to bear a child. Paul considers Timothy to be family. As such, Timothy is growing to look more and more like Paul in terms of ministry and service.
2. A son grows stronger as time goes on. Paul states that Timothy is to be strong in the grace of Christ. As a child grows by being nurtured by his parents, so Timothy will grow in the grace of Christ, and by living out the message that Paul has passed on to him.
3. A son is taught by his father. Parental guidance is a necessity for a child to grow. And Paul is passing on that instruction to Timothy in order to help him grow and then replicate the process in the lives of others. This is true of every believer. Paul taught the truths of the gospel to Timothy. Timothy passed those truths on to others. That succession has continued to grow and spread, right down to today and to you and me. We have received the deposit from our spiritual parents. And now, like Timothy, we are to pass it on to others.

Paul finishes the illustration of a child and moves to the imagery of a soldier. Much of this will be discussed in next week’s passage, but it begins here. Paul uses military imagery often: 1 Corinthians 9:7; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5; Ephesians 6:10-17; and Philemon 2. Paul tells Timothy here that just as a soldier expects to endure hardship, so should a minister of the gospel. It will happen.

The point here is simple. If the soldier, just like the son, is going to pass on the teachings of the gospel message, it will cost him something. No one expects a military life to be easy. It requires discipline, effort and sacrifice. And the same things are required for a minister. In order to be the best we can be at passing on this message to others, we must be willing to sacrifice and endure hardship. More on that in the next few verses.

What are you doing to pass on the gospel to other reliable people who can take the message on? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.