A pastor at the church I attend is open about his love of kitchen gadgets. Sometimes, my wife and I will be at a store, and think about him as we browse the wide array of tools that are available for purchase (even if some of them are meant to only perform one culinary operation). We have our own collection (stored across multiple drawers and cabinets), but my wife tends to avoid single-use appliances, so perhaps we haven’t reached to the level of this pastor’s gadget collection…yet.
In 2 Timothy 2, Paul (writing to Timothy) uses household goods as part of a metaphor. Perhaps the pastor I mentioned above will bring this up in a future sermon, but let’s remember that there are multiple times that we find household goods used as examples in the Bible, so let’s be sure that we’re not mixing other illustrations with this one!
In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for special purposes and some for common use. Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.
2 Timothy 2:20-21 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/2ti.2.20-21.NIV
Here, there are special, fancy household goods for honorable purposes, and there are ordinary, common, dishonorable ones for dishonorable purposes. I suspect that many of us can relate to that.
In our house, we have some fancy “china” dishes that we received as a wedding gift, and we take good care of that set. Some people probably put those out for guests, but we use it for Thanksgiving dinner when it’s just our immediate family. However, when guests come over to our house, they might see serving dishes and glasses, rather than the pots where the food was cooked in and our favorite plastic cups.
Also in our house, we have things that we don’t set out for guests. The toilet bowl cleaner goes in the closet, and the plunger goes back under the sink. The burned and stained hot pads probably stay in the drawer. These are important tools in our house, but they don’t get top billing. (Let’s be frank, in the first century, some of the wood or clay pots mentioned in the passage above may have served as the toilet itself.)
Of these two types, our goal is to be a holy, sanctified “article” [NIV] or “implement” [NASB]: one that God can put in front of others (or even Himself), we might say, without bringing embarrassment to His name. So, if we are considered as “containers”, what are we a vessel of? What are we carrying around that is so important to God?
- In context here, I believe that we should carry the truth, not only to guide our own choices, but also for us to pass along to others.
- Along with that, we have been given the love of God, which we didn’t deserve, but are expected to pass along to others, both in the church and outside of it (even to others who may not deserve our love).
- And, the Holy Spirit dwells in us, once we’ve accepted Jesus and given our life to Him, so that is no small responsibility that we carry with us.
Note also that we need to be prepared. We aren’t holy articles in God’s household by coincidence or luck (or even through just following a bunch of rules so that we “aren’t sinning”). No, we must be prepared for good work: whatever good work God calls us to do at the time.
So, how do we make sure that we’re prepared? Not to overuse a common phrase, but I suggest the “Big 3” to start with: 1) read your Bible, 2) go to church and, 3) pray. However, along with those three things, I suggest also, 1) doing what we learn from the Bible that God wants us to do, 2) getting to know and showing love to others in the church, and 3) making sure that our prayers include listening to God, too.
And, if we think of ourselves as vessels of God’s truth, love, and the Holy Spirit Himself, let’s remember that we cannot pour out these things to others if we are not first filled with them. So, let’s seek to learn God’s truth, understand what God’s love looks like, and welcome the Holy Spirit into our hearts and minds.
Let’s pursue the things that will help us be prepared as a valuable vessel for God to use in His plan, His kingdom, and His creation.
From Sunday School lesson prepared for March 30, 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.
- Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Copyright by The Lockman Foundation.
- The College Press NIV Commentary – 1, 2 Timothy & Titus, by C. Michael Moss. © 1994 College Press Publishing Co.
Those Who Sin Differently 