they had heard of Paul among many witnesses and the necessity to `hold fast'

a form of such sound words was enjoined upon them, particularly in view of

the prophetic statement that the day would come when men would not endure

`sound doctrine'.

While the special truth entrusted to the apostle has well -nigh

perished from the earth, it is still the will of God that those who do

treasure the testimony of the Lord's prisoner should willingly and eagerly

obey this injunction.  As a means to that end we ask every reader to give

this command and its implications the most serious attention, for in the

agreement or disagreement of our teaching with these `sound words' uttered by

the inspired apostle will be found the dividing line between acceptable

service and shame, between the exultant cry `Henceforth ... a crown' and

salvation that is `so as by fire', between being able to say `I have kept the

faith' and becoming involved in the departure of the last days.

`Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in

faith and love which is in Christ Jesus' (2 Tim. 1:13).

`Hold fast'.-- The Greek word echo, here translated `hold fast', is

mostly rendered `to have'.  Like the English word, the Greek means,

primarily, `to possess', but never with the thought of a mere possession,

lying idle and unregarded, but rather to possess with some sense of value;

hence the synonymous phrase, `to have and to hold', more truly expresses the

nature of the `having' or `possessing' here implied.  A person may `possess'

a book containing the most blessed teaching, but unless he `holds' that

teaching to be true, unless he `counts' that book to be of value, its mere

possession may but condemn him.

As we have said, echo is usually rendered `to have'; in fact Dr. Young

has listed 607 such occurrences.  These we will not examine but, what will be

more useful, note some of the other ways in which echo is translated, because

each new rendering will give further insight into its meaning.

`To count'

(Matt. 14:5; Mark 11:32; Acts 20:24; Philemon 17), to count

as a prophet; to count one's life dear; to count as a

`To hold'

(Matt. 21:26; 1 Tim. 1:19; 3:9; Rev. 6:9) to hold as a

prophet; to hold the faith; to hold the Mystery; to hold a

testimony, even unto death.

`To keep'

(Luke 19:20); to keep, as did the servant, the pound laid

up in a napkin.

`To retain' (Rom. 1:28); to retain God in one's knowledge.

We can now see that it would not have been a satisfactory translation

had the A.V. read simply, `Have a form of sound words' for much more than

mere possession is implied.  Timothy was instructed both to possess, and then

retain, as of supreme value, this `form of sound words'.

It is not without interest to observe that in 2 Timothy 3:5 we read of

some `having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof', a salutary

warning that mere possession of a Pauline vocabulary may mean less than

nothing, even as Paul himself has written:

`Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not

charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal' (1 Cor.