"THE SECOND EPISTLE TO TIMOTHY"
Chapter Two
OBJECTIVES IN STUDYING THIS CHAPTER
1) To appreciate the need for endurance and faithfulness to the will of
Christ
2) To note the warnings against profane and vain babblings, foolish and
ignorant disputes
3) To consider how the servant of the Lord can be a vessel for honor,
useful for the Master and prepared for every good work
SUMMARY
Paul continues with exhortations to Timothy in this chapter, with an
emphasis on endurance and diligence. Encouraging him to be strong in
the grace that is in Christ Jesus, Paul then charges Timothy to commit
what he has learned to faithful men who can pass it along (1-2).
Using the illustrations of a soldier, athlete, and farmer, Paul exhorts
Timothy to endure hardship, to be faithful, and to work hard. Writing
of his own endurance in hardship, Paul stresses the need to be true to
the Lord (3-13).
The last half of the chapter is devoted to telling Timothy how to be
"useful to the Master", a worker who does not need to be ashamed. With
warnings to shun profane and vain babblings, and avoiding foolish and
ignorant disputes, Paul reminds Timothy of things he should flee
(youthful lusts) and what he should pursue (righteousness, faith, love,
peace). Properly handling the word of truth, and correcting others
with gentleness and humility, Timothy can truly be a servant of the
Lord who is prepared for every good work, especially when dealing with
those who have been ensnared by the devil (14-26).
OUTLINE
I. EXHORTATION TO TRANSMIT THE TRUTH TO OTHERS (1-2)
A. A PLEA TO BE STRONG (1)
1. Directed to Timothy as his son (1a)
2. To be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus (1b)
B. COMMIT WHAT HE HAS HEARD TO FAITHFUL MEN (2)
1. Those things he heard from Paul among many witnesses (2a)
2. Commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others (2b)
II. EXHORTATION TO ENDURE HARDSHIP (3-13)
A. AS A SOLDIER, ATHLETE, AND FARMER (3-7)
1. Endure hardship as good soldier of Jesus Christ (3)
a. Not entangled with the affairs of this life (4a)
b. That he might please the One who enlisted him (4b)
2. As an athlete, follow the rules of competition in order to win
(5)
3. It is the hard-working farmer who will be the first to partake
of his crops (6)
4. May the Lord give him understanding as he considers what Paul
is saying (7)
B. THE EXAMPLE OF PAUL HIMSELF (8-13)
1. Remember that Jesus was raised from the dead, according to the
gospel (8)
a. For which Paul suffered trouble as an evildoer, even to the
point of chains (9a)
b. Yet the word of God was not chained (9b)
2. Paul endured all things for the sake of the elect (10a)
a. That they might obtain the salvation in Christ Jesus with
eternal glory (10b)
b. A faithful saying to encourage us to endure hardship
(11-13)
1) If we died with Christ, we shall live with Him
2) If we endure, we shall also reign with Him
3) If we deny Him, He will also deny us
4) If we are faithless, He remains faithful for He cannot
deny Himself
III. EXHORTATION TO DILIGENCE AS A SERVANT OF THE LORD (14-26)
A. INSTRUCTIONS RELATED TO HIS WORK (14-19)
1. Remind others, charging them not to strive about words (14)
a. Words that do not profit
b. Words that only produce ruin of the hearers
2. Be diligent to present yourself approved to God (15)
a. As a worker who does not need to be ashamed
b. As a worker who rightly divides the word of truth
3. Shun profane and vain babblings (16-18)
a. For they only increase to more ungodliness (16)
b. For their message will spread like cancer (17a)
1) Hymenaeus and Philetus are example (17b)
2) Who have overthrown the faith of some by saying the
resurrection is already past (18)
4. God's solid foundation stands, having this seal:
a. The Lord knows those who are His (19a)
b. Let those who name the name of Christ depart from iniquity
(19b)
B. INSTRUCTIONS FOR BEING USEFUL TO THE MASTER (20-26)
1. A great house has all kinds of vessels, some for honor and
some for dishonor (20)
2. If anyone cleanses himself from things of dishonor, he will be
a vessel of honor (21)
a. Sanctified and useful for the Master
b. Prepared for every good work
3. Instructions that will make one a servant useful to the
Master:
a. Flee youthful lusts (22a)
b. Pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who
call on the Lord out of a pure heart (22b)
c. Avoid foolish and ignorant disputes that generate strife
(23)
d. Do not quarrel, but be gentle to all, able to teach,
patient (24)
e. In humility correct those in opposition (25-26)
1) Perhaps God will grant them repentance, so that they may
know the truth (25)
2) Perhaps they may come to their senses and escape the
snare of the devil who has taken them captive to do his
will (26)
REVIEW QUESTIONS FOR THE CHAPTER
1) What are the main points of this chapter?
- Exhortation to transmit the truth to others (1-2)
- Exhortation to endure hardship (3-13)
- Exhortation to diligence as a servant of the Lord (14-26)
2) In what did Paul want Timothy to be strong? (1)
- The grace that is in Christ Jesus
3) What did Paul want Timothy to do with the things Paul had taught
him? (2)
- Commit them to faithful men who would teach others
4) What three illustrations does Paul use to encourage Timothy to
endure hardship and to work hard? (3-6)
- Those of a soldier, an athlete, and a farmer
5) What did Paul want Timothy to remember? (8)
- That Jesus Christ was raised from the dead
6) What did Paul suffer in behalf of the gospel? Did it hinder the
gospel? (9)
- Trouble as an evil doer, even to the point of chains
- No
7) Why was Paul willing to endure all things? (10)
- For the sake of the elect, that they also might obtain salvation
with eternal glory
8) What encouragement is given by "a faithful saying"? (11,12a)
- If we died with Christ, we shall also live with Him
- If we endure, we shall also reign with Him
9) What warning is given by "a faithful saying"? (12b)
- If we deny Him, He also will deny us
10) What was Timothy to charge others? (14)
- Not to strive about words to no profit
11) What was Timothy to be diligent in doing? (15)
- Presenting himself approved to God, a worker who does not need to
be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth
12) What was he to shun? Why? (16)
- Profane and vain babblings; because they lead to more ungodliness
13) What two individuals had been guilty of spreading such things? (17)
- Hymenaeus and Philetus
14) What had they taught? What was the effect of their teaching? (18)
- That the resurrection was already past
- It overthrew the faith of some
15) What is the "seal" of God's solid foundation? (19)
- "The Lord knows those who are His"
- "Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity"
16) What will a "vessel of honor" be? (21)
- Sanctified and useful for the Master
- Prepared for every good work
17) What was Timothy to flee? What was he to pursue? (22)
- Flee youthful lusts
- Pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace
18) What was he to avoid? Why? (23)
- Foolish and ignorant disputes
- They generate strife
19) List what must be true of a servant of the Lord (24-25a)
- Must not quarrel
- Be gentle to all
- Able to teach
- Patient
- In humility correcting those who are in opposition
20) Why must a servant of the Lord be this way to those in opposition?
(25b-26)
- Perhaps God will grant them repentance, so that they may know the
truth
- Perhaps they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the
devil, for they have been taken captive by him to do his will
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