After Paul offered a somewhat counter-intuitive invitation in 2 Timothy 2:3, he offers three examples of what it looks like to serve Jesus Christ. The first example continues (like in verse 3) with that of a soldier.
No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer.
2 Timothy 2:4 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/2ti.2.4.NIV
In the kingdom of God, as people exchange a life of self-seeking purposelessness for a better life with Jesus Christ, success requires some focus and getting rid of certain distractions.
As a starting point, though, what would it look like for a soldier to get “entangled” in something outside of the job? Maybe that would include running a side hustle, focusing too much on leisure (instead of training), or not showing up for duty altogether (i.e., “going AWOL”).
And, focusing on the job isn’t an arbitrary expectation of a soldier. When soldiers takes their eyes off of the mission, their focus is divided, their mission could be compromised, and – in the worst-case scenario – people could get killed.
So, while considerations like that are important for those in the military, we might think that this isn’t for us. However, there is a battle taking place daily in the spiritual realm, and every human being is engaged in that battle. If (since?) we don’t want to lose even a skirmish in that battle for eternal destinies, what does it look like for a Christian to get “entangled in civilian affairs”? Here are some possibilities:
- Getting distracted by pop culture, news, and other noise.
- Spending too much time on things that won’t last, and neglecting our calling.
- Making too many commitments to things that we’re not called to, so that our ability to minister (in the way that God created each of us to serve) becomes constrained.
Now, I do not think that this means Christians can’t (or even shouldn’t) be involved in our respective cultures, governments, or communities. Jesus went to social events, after all, and God has used government officials to spread the gospel throughout history.
Instead, I see this as a difference between “engagement” and “entanglement”. Ministry often means engagement with a lost world, but when the world’s pursuits drown out our service to the kingdom of God, we’ve probably put the wrong thing first and gotten entangled with things that merely slow us down or disqualify us in the race to do what is most important (see also 2 Timothy 2:5, 4:7). This “test” is a key differentiating factor when we ask ourselves whether or not something is right for us; however, if we’re not sure whether a new opportunity in this fallen world will provide healthy engagement or dangerous entanglements, we have access to God Himself, and can pray for His answer.
And, let’s not forget the reason that Timothy should remain focused: He is expected “to please his commanding officer”. Spoiler alert: I don’t think that Paul is Timothy’s “commanding officer”. Instead, Jesus is who Timothy was following and obeying. Even Paul was trying to follow God’s plan, rather than his own.
A desire to please Jesus is a key element in why His followers remain focused on His will, His kingdom, and His commandments. If we’ve taken our eyes off of Jesus, maybe what we need is to spend some time focusing back on him, and remembering why we serve God in the first place (e.g., out of respect for His sovereignty, out of gratefulness for His love shown to us, etc.). After all, if you’ve been in the church for a while, the old hymn taught us that: “Turn your eyes upon Jesus…”
So, today is a good day to evaluate each of our lives (for ourselves, that is: this isn’t a call to judge others who themselves are directly accountable to God). Let’s try to understand a couple of things: Are we engaged with the world around us for the spread of the good news about Jesus Christ, or are we entangled with a fallen world that is keeping us away from our mission? And, are we serving God because we want to please Jesus Christ out of love and respect for Him, or are we doing so like a soldier who is only begrudgingly following the rules to avoid punishment? (If the latter is true for you, see 1 John 4:17-18 for some encouragement and perspective.)
From Sunday School lesson prepared for March 23, 2025
References:
- 1717 Bible Studies, 2 Timothy, © 2025 Christian Standard Media.
- Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
- The College Press NIV Commentary – 1, 2 Timothy & Titus, by C. Michael Moss. © 1994 College Press Publishing Co.
Those Who Sin Differently 