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#31. Paul's early independent ministry (3: 10, 11).
His faith, longsuffering, charity and patience.
pp. 183 - 187
The doctrine, manner of life and purpose that occupied our attention in our last study,
might be called the major factors in Paul's witness. These are followed by lesser virtues
which the apostle desired Timothy to emulate, lesser only in the sense that they form part
of the threefold whole already expressed. If preferred, we might speak of general and
special terms. "Faith, longsuffering, charity, patience" (II Tim. 3: 10). These four, when
taken together with his doctrine, life and purpose reveal a sevenfold subdivision, a
glorious rainbow of faith. The persecutions and afflictions that are mentioned in
verse eleven were what the apostle endured at the hand of others, and must be kept for
the time being distinct. "Faith" pistis a conviction based upon trust. In his Lexicon
Dr. Bullinger says of pisteuo the verb "to believe":
"The N.T. conception of faith in (i) a fully convinced acknowledgment, (ii) a self
surrendered fellowship, (iii) a fully assured and unswerving confidence."
Pistis is derived from pepeistai, the perfect passive of peitho "to be persuaded".
When we hear the apostle's triumphant confidence in II Tim. 2: 12, "Nevertheless I am
not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed (pisteuo), and am persuaded (peitho)",
we may appreciate that the apostle referred to something deeper than a mere belief when
he spoke of his "faith". Without this "strong conviction" his work as an apostle would
have been impossible.
"He counted me faithful (pistos) putting me into the ministry; who was before a
blasphemer . . . . . I did it ignorantly in unbelief (apistia) and the grace of our Lord was
exceeding abundant with faith (pistis) and love which is in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful
(pistos) saying" (I Tim. 1: 12-15).
Faith and faithfulness were the very stuff of Paul's life and ministry. Elsewhere the
apostle has placed "love" above even faith and hope (I Cor. 13: 13), why did he alter the
order of the words here? When we "know even as we are known" we shall learn that
love comprises every grace. During this present life such a truth if misunderstood or
misapplied, might be dangerous. We have, in No.27 of this series, spoken of a notice
outside a meeting place which read "God is Love, and Nothing Else". Now either the
folk responsible were an age ahead of all others, and expressed the full orbed truth that
most of us must wait until resurrection to appreciate or, as we sadly fear, they expressed a
dangerous perversion of truth. To-day, such a statement might cover the denial for the
necessity of the Atonement, or for the possibility of judgment on sin. To one of
Timothy's nature, so far as we can gather from these epistles, to have put love first may
have been unwise. Strong conviction, unwavering faith, full assurance, utter faithfulness,
these were his urgent need; and not Timothy alone, but we to-day are in the same age
with the same opposition, and the same snares. We need to have before us at all times the