One of the strong features of the pastoral letters of Paul is his use of “trustworthy sayings.” He uses this phrase in 1 Timothy 1:15, 3:1, and 4:9. He uses it again in Titus 3:8. These brief summaries of Paul’s doctrine could easily be memorized and used in sharing the gospel with unbelievers.
You can see this trustworthy saying in 2 Timothy 2:11-13:
There has been some discussion about what exactly Paul is referring to with the phrase “trustworthy saying.” Is he referring to the passage just previous? Or is he referring to the poetic verses he is about to share?
Some have suggested that with this phrase, Paul is talking about the previous verses. This doesn’t seem to make much sense, because in that passage Paul is talking about his being chained and enduring suffering for the sake of the gospel. This hardly fits the description of a “trustworthy saying.”
That leaves us the passage to come, the poetic stanzas in this week’s passage. This is much more likely to fit the description of a “trustworthy saying,” but it raises its own set of questions. Is this a fragment of an early Christian hymn? Or did Paul pen these words himself? Most of the commentaries on my shelf agree that these are likely Paul’s own words.
The poetry can be broken down into four parts, or strophes. The first two are positive, while the last two are negative. Let’s take a look at it line by line.
If we died with him, we will also live with him
While some think this refers to actual, literal death, it’s more likely to be in line with what Paul write in Romans 6:8, about the conversion experience and baptism of the believer. And while this is most likely the case, a broader application would definitely include martyrdom, which Paul was facing, and which posed a real threat to Timothy and other believers of the time as well. The promise here is clear, if we died with him, then life with him is the result.
If we endure, we will also reign with him
Paul’s purpose in this entire section of his letter is to encourage Timothy to endure, just as Paul was enduring for the sake of the gospel. In verse 10, Paul referred to his own suffering and endurance. But once again, the promise here is clear. If we endure, we won’t just live with Christ, we will reign with him, taking part in the kingdom of the Messiah!
If we disown him, he will also disown us
Paul shifts from the positive to the negative, from endurance for the cause of Christ to the opposite, denial. This language is strongly similar to that of Matthew 10:33, where Jesus states quite clearly, that if we deny or disown him, he will do the same before the Father. And at that point, the judgment is final! This statement gives us a double incentive for staying strong in our faith. We have the hope of reigning with Christ, and also the knowledge that if we deny him, by not enduring faithfully, he will deny us.
If we are faithless, he will remain faithful
This final description is both negative and positive. It’s negativity corresponds with the poetic structure of this passage, two positives followed by two negatives. But it contains a surprise ending. Our faithlessness cannot be matched by God, because he is the epitome of faithfulness, and his nature does not change, no matter how unfaithful we are.
Some have suggested that Paul’s reference to “faithfulness” does not refer to our faith in Christ and his resurrection, or in biblical doctrine, but rather to letting suffering and hardships cause us to abandon opportunities to minister and share the gospel. This seems to be a bit of a stretch to me, since Paul’s use of the word “faith” never conveys this thought anywhere else in any of his letters.
“Faithfulness” is just what we think it is. It’s our ability to stop walking with Christ and be lured away by the world and its desires. But in spite of our faithlessness, God responds with faithfulness, always remaining true to his nature. God will in no way be rendered faithless in his promise of our salvation, even though we are faithless. His offer still stands, and will continue to stand as long as necessary, until Christ returns.
This is not to say that we can live however we want, and that he will save us regardless. For a Christian to become faithless and to live in habitual sin, unrepentant sin, cannot end well. Did Paul not just say that if we deny him, he will deny us? Christ has not made an open-ended promise to blindly save us. A life change is required on our part as well, and he will even help us effect the change!
For he cannot disown himself
In the first three stanzas, the conclusion clause is the result of the if clause. But in this final stanza, the opposite is the case. The conclusion clause is the opposite of the if clause. And this final phrase tells us why.
When we prove faithless, Christ remains faithful. Why? Because to be anything less would be contrary to Christ’s very nature and his promises to his people.
Whether this is a phrase that Paul quoted or wrote himself doesn’t really matter. The point is clear: Timothy and his church in Ephesus have been called to endure suffering for the sake of the gospel, just has Paul has been. As Timothy leads that church through perilous times, these words can be a stable reminder of God’s faithfulness, and encourage them to stay strong and faithful as well.
It holds the same power today. In a world that is less than tolerant, less than encouraging to Christianity, we can endure and stay strong, because we know that the One who called is faithful.
Question: What do you do to stay strong and faithful to the message of the gospel? You can leave a comment by clicking here.