How to Be Strong

Looking through the Bible, we find that, while Timothy’s mom and grandma passed on their faith to him (i.e., their legacy), Timothy’s biological dad was Greek and we don’t know whether his dad ever put his trust in Jesus. However, Paul spiritually looked out for Timothy, referring to him in 2 Timothy 2 as a son (or child).

You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.

2 Timothy 2:1-2 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/2ti.2.1-2.NIV

Just as a dad might give some parting words to a son who was going out for the evening or heading off to college, Paul challenged Timothy to be strong.

Now, Paul didn’t tell Timothy (at least, not in this passage) to work out and exercise a lot, so that he could be physically strong. Specifically, Timothy was to “be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” Since grace is getting something good that we don’t deserve, and (as a song says) “they are weak but He is strong”, this doesn’t seem to be as much about Timothy’s accomplishments, either, as much as it is about Timothy letting God work through him. (By the way, the next few verses give the illustrations of an athlete, soldier, and farmer, which we studied a few weeks ago. Paul didn’t just tell Timothy to “be strong”; he gave him some examples.)

And, Timothy wasn’t just expected to build up his own spiritual “muscles”. He was expected to pass along what Paul had shared with him onto others. (By the way, note how this passage confirms that Paul’s words were shared out in the open, in front of witnesses, so that others could vouch for what Paul had taught in the first place.) And, Timothy wasn’t just to share the good news to others merely for their own benefit. At least some of those recipients were to faithfully pass it along to others.

The accuracy of this truth was also important for Timothy (and his own students) to preserve. In churches where false teachers would sometimes get in, having the truth preserved accurately was really important (which it still is today). In fact, for those who follow Jesus today, we still have the same legacy, having been entrusted to Timothy by Paul, which Timothy was to pass along to those who could pass it along – accurately – to others.

In all of this, we remember why it is important to leave a legacy. Not to put too fine a point on it, but there comes a time when each of us will be gathered to Jesus’ side, and others will take over the process of sharing the good news in this world. Don’t get me wrong, I’m rooting for Jesus to return soon, but even then, I think that truth, along with our love for God and for each other, will continue for eternity. What we must do while still on this earth (i.e., what we cannot continue to do from our eternal home), though, is to share God’s love, grace, and truth with those who need to hear it…while they have time to accept those things, including salvation through Jesus Christ.

It has been said that the gospel of Jesus is one generation away from being lost. Now, I don’t think that God will actually let that happen, but He does use His church to pass the truth along from one generation to the next, and that process has been a primary way of getting the good news out to a lost world now for a hundred generations. We have an obligation to keep that going. Therefore, if you’ve heard the good news – the truth about God and His good goal for humanity – I hope that you will share it accurately with others today. If you haven’t heard that good news, I sincerely hope that you can learn it from those who know the truth. If you don’t have anyone in your life today from whom you can learn more about God, you can learn from Him by reading the Bible. Or, reach out to me if you have any questions, so that we can dig into God’s truth from the Bible together!

From Sunday School lesson prepared for April 6, 2025

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