Stick to the Plan

By way of reminder (following some recent articles from the book of 2 Timothy in the Bible), the book of 2 Timothy is a letter from the apostle Paul to a younger pastor named Timothy. Paul is writing to a son in the faith who was near and dear to him. He offers advice and counsel for Timothy’s current situation, as well as reminders of what Timothy had learned in the past. In addition, Paul may have been anticipating that his own time on earth was about done. As a result, although Paul wrote a lot of letters, he may have been thinking even more in this one about leaving a legacy.

Let’s learn a little more about what Paul sought from Timothy. At least as described in the following verses, it wasn’t a personal reward, or even gratitude from Timothy to his mentor…

What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.

2 Timothy 1:13-14 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/2ti.1.13-14.NIV

Here, we find Paul telling Timothy to stick to what Paul had taught him. Now, not every teacher’s teaching is something we should follow exactly. For instance, I had a junior high English teacher who was into astrology, but I do not intend to build my life around my zodiac sign. (After all, I serve the God who made the stars in the first place, and don’t need to let His creation tell me what to do, since He knows best and I can talk with Him directly.)

However, in the case of this first-century mentoring relationship, Paul knew that he had taught Timothy the truth about Jesus Christ: truth to which Paul was an eyewitness. Paul also understood the importance of this particular teaching, and how critical it was for Timothy to stick to the truth.

This “sound teaching” was “healthy” or “hygienic” teaching, in contrast to the false doctrine (mentioned in an earlier article on 2 Timothy) that was compared to gangrene [Ref. Moss, p. 198, 37]. That is, the alternative to the truth was pretty ugly, and Paul didn’t want Timothy to get sucked into that world.

The teaching that Timothy was to hold on to or keep was in (or with) “faith and love in Christ Jesus”. Timothy’s words alone – while they could be valuable and powerful – weren’t enough to change lives. The true power of transformative life change comes from Jesus, where faith and love apply at multiple levels:

Paul taught and modeled truth to Timothy out of Paul’s own faith and love, as Paul had learned from Jesus.
Timothy must continue to minister, teach, and serve others in faith and love, walking with Jesus and caring for those whom he served.
Of course, Jesus Himself modeled faith and love in His ministry and sacrifice, for our benefit and for the benefit of all humankind.
And, those to whom Timothy was teaching and ministering must be taught and shown how to have faith in Jesus and love for both God and others.

In fact, I think that this truth is what Timothy is guarding in verse 14, with none other than the Holy Spirit Himself helping him do so.

So, Paul had faith and love in Jesus because Jesus first modeled faith in His Father, and Jesus modeled love for God the Father and love for other people. Then, Paul passed along this legacy to Timothy: sharing the good news, mentoring Timothy, and looking out for him. Now, it was time for Timothy to pass that legacy (which ultimately traced back to Jesus) on to others, including practices like the following:

Evangelism (sharing the good news about salvation through faith in Jesus, out of a love for the lost)
Discipleship (helping followers of Jesus grow in faith and love – for God and for each other – out of love for them)
Correction (ensuring the preservation and integrity of the truth in the church, even when that meant calling out false teaching and trying to guide people back to the truth: aiming to preserve an accurate faith in the church while showing love even to those who had been led astray)

And, it would be the obligation of those who Timothy taught and led in his church to continue that legacy for future generations. After all, how could we know Jesus if the truth about Him hadn’t been passed on and preserved by those who loved Him and who loved those who would come after them (like us)? Certainly, the restorative guidance of the Holy Spirit has had a key role in this throughout history. However, God (for His own reasons) also decided to use His people – the church – as part of the process to preserve this legacy.

Let’s keep looking at more from 2 Timothy in later articles, but for today, I’d like for you to consider your own legacy: where you received it from, and who you are passing it along to. And, why is that important to you?

From Sunday School lesson prepared for April 6, 2025

References:

Share this:

Related

Leave a comment Cancel reply