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Iconium (Acts 13:; II Tim. 3: 11); from stoning to shipwreck, from riot to Rome, and
leaves him at last, battered, scarred, bearing in his body the marks of the Lord Jesus, but
already with joyful anticipation, looking up to where Christ sitteth on the right hand of
God, his hope, his crown, his reward.
"That I may win Christ" was his prayer, and the blessed answer is recorded by his own
pen in the epistle we are studying.
No.39.
The Crown of Righteousness (4: 8).
pp. 134 - 139
We have now arrived at the last member of this great section (II Tim. 3: 10 - 4: 8).
It may refresh the reader's memory if we give the two corresponding members of the
structure, the whole of which was set out on page 169, Volume 36:
C | 4: 1. The Judgment of Quick and Dead at Appearing.
g | 1. The Judge.
h | 1. His Appearing.
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C | 4: 8. The Judge of Paul and others at Appearing.
g | 8. The righteous Judge.
h | 8. His appearing.
What had Paul, what has any believer, to do with Christ as a "Judge"? The answer
depends upon what the word "Judge" signifies. If we think of a Judge sitting in a
criminal court, with prisoners before him, who have all been "brought in guilty"
(Rom. 3: 19) then blessed be God, the answer is: Neither Paul nor ourselves, nor any
believer can have anything to do with or to fear from such a Judge. Sin has been
condemned in the Person of the Son of God (Rom. 8: 3) and we are in the glorious
position of being able to say: "Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect?" (33),
and to have no fear respecting the answer that must be given.
It will profitable for us, not only in connexion with the verse immediately before us
(II Tim. 4: 8), but with regard to the teaching of the apostle generally, if we take this
opportunity of becoming acquainted with the whole family of words of which krites
"judge", is one.
Krino, the verb translated "to judge" in II Tim. 4: 1, "judge the quick and the dead",
means primarily, to divide, to separate, to discern, to make a distinction, to come to a
decision, and is akin to the Latin cernere "to sift" (Cremer). "Not merely sentence of
condemnation, but also a decision in any one's favour" (Dr. Bullinger). The translation
"to esteem" one day above another (Rom. 14: 5), shows that discernment, not
condemnation, is the root idea of the word. The word then becomes associated