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The foundation (3:10,11)
The foundation (2:19)
Gold, silver, wood, etc. (3:12)
Gold, silver, wood, etc. (2:20)
The trial, dokimazo (3:13)
The approval, dokimos (2:15)
Reward, or suffer loss (3:14,15)
Show (paristemi) the judgment seat
(2:15)
Work abides (3:13,14)
Workman that need not be ashamed
(2:15,21)
He himself shall be saved (3:15)
The Lord knoweth them that are His
(2:19)
Resurrection doubted (15:12)
Resurrection doubted (2:18).
Most evidently the apostle intended to bring all the encouragement that
he could to bear upon Timothy to enable him to `stand' and for this purpose
found nothing so powerful as that which had ever been before his own eyes:
`I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the
faith: henceforth ... a crown' (2 Tim. 4:7,8).
As a redeemed and justified sinner, Timothy could look forward without
a tremor to that future presentation which will result from the death of
Christ, when he would be `holy, unblameable and unreproveable'. In 2 Timothy
2:15, however, he is seen here not so much as a saved sinner, but as a
responsible servant, and while nothing he did or omitted to do could make any
difference regarding his blessed hope, the question of the prize or crown, of
reigning or being denied, of being ashamed here or unashamed there, is raised
with Timothy in his capacity of workman. Ergates, `workman', means primarily
a labourer or artificer, the meaning being retained unchanged today. We find
service in the gospel among believers is often denominated `work'. Timothy
is exhorted to do the `work' of an evangelist (4:5) and the equipment, by the
Word of the man of God, is a thorough outfitting `unto all good works'
(3:17). So also, under the figure of a `vessel', the separated servant is
meet for the Master's use and prepared `unto every good work' (2:21). As an
example of the difference between the approval of God and the approval of
men, compare the joyous consciousness of the Lord's approval in 2 Timothy
4:7,8 with the estimate
of man in 2 Timothy 2:9, `I suffer as an evil worker kakourgos', and, in
contrast to the suggestion of denial and shame of 2 Timothy 2:12 and 15, see
the confidence of 2 Timothy 4:18, `The Lord shall deliver me from every evil
work'.
While Timothy might be expected to perceive the necessity of right
division, Paul is anxious that he should not be left to his own inferences.
How then shall the apostle best put the principle that is vaguely seen at
work right through chapter 1? Shall he once more go back in mind to the
child Timothy at his mother's knee? Shall he visualize the teaching of those
holy Scriptures that had made Timothy wise unto salvation? Does he remember
that a Jewish mother would most certainly teach her boy some of the Proverbs?
and that Timothy's father, being a Greek, and living in Galatia, would most
certainly have read the Greek version of the Old Testament, known as the
Septuagint? We cannot tell, but this we do know, that Timothy needed no
explanation of the term `right division'. We can dismiss all attempts made
by commentators to discredit this fact and feel perfectly safe in doing so,
because we shall be `comparing spiritual things with spiritual'. In the
Bible used by Timothy occurs the following verse:
Pasais hodois sou gnorize auten, hina orthotome tas hodous sou
(Paroimiai 3:6).