After a harsh treatment of the false teachers throughout this letter, and in 1 Timothy and Titus, here Paul seems to hold out a bit of hope for them nonetheless. Though their teaching may be contrary to the truth, Paul still holds hope that they may repent and turn away from the false teaching.

You can find this amazing hope in 2 Timothy 2:25-26:

There is a bit of a question with this passage. Just who is Paul referring to here? Is he referring to the false teachers? Or is he referring to someone else, perhaps those who have followed these false teachers and gone astray?

There are some who suggest that it isn’t the teachers that Paul is speaking about here, but the ones who have been taught. This idea is based upon Titus 3:10, where Paul instructs Titus to warn such teachers twice, and then avoid them. In fact, Timothy is given similar instructions in verse 23 of this chapter, being told to avoid such situations.

On the other hand, context is king. In looking at the rest of the chapter, you can see that the ones who have followed the false teachers are not the subject of Paul’s instructions, the false teachers are themselves. If that is the case, even though Timothy is not to continually be caught up in struggling with these people, he still can hold out hope for a change of heart.

That seems to be the case when you look at the first phrase of this week’s passage. Timothy is to “gently instruct” those who oppose him. The idea Paul is conveying here is one of controlled strength, such as teaching a child, or a doctor who removes the cancer with minimal pain and intrusion. Timothy is to counter the false teachers in such a way so that he may continue to speak into their lives. He is not likely to convince them of where they are wrong if he makes them angry.

Instead, Paul and Timothy hold out hope that they may recognize the error of their ways and return to the truth. Repentance is something that man must do on his own. This is not something that God will do for us. However, when God “grants” repentance, he is giving an opportunity for repentance to occur. The decision to repent is completely within our hands, but even so, it is rooted in God’s grace and action and opportunity.

When such repentance occurs, Timothy is to be ready to extend the knowledge of the truth to them, which he has been teaching to the church in Ephesus continually. This is his role as a minister and as a believer. As he continually instructs his flock, he offers the invitation for the wayward sheep to come into the fold. This is perhaps one of the best parts of being a minister: you get to witness people turning their lives over to Christ and making decisions to follow his truth. That is the hope that Paul has for these false teachers.

After all, they have been snared by the devil, and have been deceived by his lies. These false teachers, even though they may be set in their ways, and even though they may show little hope of ever repenting, are still humans loved by God. And while they live, there is still the opportunity to repent and return to the truth. This is the amazing thing about repentance. When there is a change of heart, there is a change of masters. Where there is repentance, the grace of God is seen most clearly.

With this exhortation, Paul finishes up the second chapter, full of illustrations that describe what the servant of God looks like. From here, Paul transitions from Timothy’s relationship with the false teachers to the future, and how these false teachers will be affected by the last days. That begins chapter three.

Do you know someone who needs to know that the grace of God is still offered to their lives? What can you do to show them that grace, and the need for repentance? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.