In the second letter to his young protégé, Timothy, the apostle Paul offered both a challenge and words of encouragement. He recognized that ministry in the real world is never easy, and it rarely involves neat and tidy circumstances where pat answers are useful. How can we continue to stand against the onslaught of immorality, fear, rebellion, and scorn which the world heaps on everyone who tries to live faithfully as a Christian and serve God? Paul answers plainly, and his answer echoes throughout the entire letter: God’s word must be central to the life and ministry of the church.
Near the end of the first chapter Paul says, “Hold on the pattern of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit through the Holy Spirit who lives in us” (2 Tim. 1:13-14). He compares the sound or healthy teaching of God’s word to a deposit that has been entrusted to the church, and specifically to those who are in leadership. It is imperative that godly men of every generation commit to hold firmly to the truths which they have been taught. Popular fads will come and go, but people who are devoted to the truth will remain unmoved through it all.
The older apostle continues the theme in the second chapter, giving Timothy a ministry pattern he ought to follow. “You, therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2:1-2). It was not enough for Timothy to know the Scriptures and be grounded in sound doctrine, rather, he needed to actively engage in training those men in the congregation that were themselves found faithful.
And those faithful men to whom Timothy entrusted sound doctrine were also to be engaged in identifying others who would faithfully receive and hold firmly to the truth. So each man was to be both the recipient and the giver of truth from one generation to the next. And this is to be the pattern by which the NT church is sure to have godly men (and women) who will stand firm in the face of the world’s hostility and temptations.
If possible, the focus on God’s word only intensifies in the third chapter where Paul again encourages Timothy to be strong and keep a firm grasp on the truth. He warns him that “evil people and impostors will become worse, deceiving and being deceived.” But Timothy is to “continue in what you have learned and firmly believed. You know those who taught you, and you know that from infancy you have known the sacred Scriptures, which are able to give you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (v.13-15).
And it is at this point that Paul makes that grand statement concerning the divine origin of the Bible: “All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (3:16-17). Clearly, the role of God’s word cannot be overestimated in the life of the man or woman who would live godly and serve the Lord without fail.
And among the charges Paul gives Timothy in the final chapter of the letter we find: “Preach the word…rebuke, correct, and encourage with great patience and teaching. For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine.”
One seemingly obvious application of all of these statements concerns the role and responsibility of the pastor to his congregation. He must be committed to the healthy doctrine he has received and hold tightly to it without compromise. Not only this, but he must teach it and preach it with regularity. While there may be other important elements of his ministry in the local church, the pastor must never forget the central place of the Bible in his calling.
But do these instructions from Paul to Timothy teach us anything about our own commitment to read and study God’s word? And do they offer any support for the idea that we should read God’s word together as a congregation in 2021 and beyond? I think so.
First of all, it is not just pastors or other church leaders who are called to hold fast to the truth. It is certainly our responsibility, and we will be judged by God for any failure on this score, but Paul is quite clear that Timothy is to identify faithful men to whom he may entrust sound doctrine. Church leaders must be faithful, but we are not the only ones. Every believer is called to be a faithful student of God’s word and to hold firmly to good teaching by which we can identify and reject everything that is false.
Second, all believers are to be involved in teaching the truth to the next generation, not just pastors and those in church leadership. This is clearly the intention of Paul’s pattern for ministry in 2:1-2, that Timothy would teach faithful men who would in turn teach others also. Church life must be more than simply everyone showing up on Sunday morning to hear the “Bible expert” share what he has prepared for the congregation. It should be an ever-widening circle of sound teaching spreading out from the leaders to the congregation and beyond. By committing to read God’s word together as a church body, we may greatly enhance our efforts to teach sound doctrine to the whole body from head to toe.
And finally, since “All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable…” we need to take steps to ensure that nothing is neglected when it comes to teaching sound doctrine to one another. What better way to do so than to read through the entire Bible alongside your brothers and sisters, to share what you are learning along the way, and to encourage each other to hold firmly to the truth?
Near the end of the first chapter Paul says, “Hold on the pattern of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit through the Holy Spirit who lives in us” (2 Tim. 1:13-14). He compares the sound or healthy teaching of God’s word to a deposit that has been entrusted to the church, and specifically to those who are in leadership. It is imperative that godly men of every generation commit to hold firmly to the truths which they have been taught. Popular fads will come and go, but people who are devoted to the truth will remain unmoved through it all.
The older apostle continues the theme in the second chapter, giving Timothy a ministry pattern he ought to follow. “You, therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2:1-2). It was not enough for Timothy to know the Scriptures and be grounded in sound doctrine, rather, he needed to actively engage in training those men in the congregation that were themselves found faithful.
And those faithful men to whom Timothy entrusted sound doctrine were also to be engaged in identifying others who would faithfully receive and hold firmly to the truth. So each man was to be both the recipient and the giver of truth from one generation to the next. And this is to be the pattern by which the NT church is sure to have godly men (and women) who will stand firm in the face of the world’s hostility and temptations.
If possible, the focus on God’s word only intensifies in the third chapter where Paul again encourages Timothy to be strong and keep a firm grasp on the truth. He warns him that “evil people and impostors will become worse, deceiving and being deceived.” But Timothy is to “continue in what you have learned and firmly believed. You know those who taught you, and you know that from infancy you have known the sacred Scriptures, which are able to give you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (v.13-15).
And it is at this point that Paul makes that grand statement concerning the divine origin of the Bible: “All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (3:16-17). Clearly, the role of God’s word cannot be overestimated in the life of the man or woman who would live godly and serve the Lord without fail.
And among the charges Paul gives Timothy in the final chapter of the letter we find: “Preach the word…rebuke, correct, and encourage with great patience and teaching. For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine.”
One seemingly obvious application of all of these statements concerns the role and responsibility of the pastor to his congregation. He must be committed to the healthy doctrine he has received and hold tightly to it without compromise. Not only this, but he must teach it and preach it with regularity. While there may be other important elements of his ministry in the local church, the pastor must never forget the central place of the Bible in his calling.
But do these instructions from Paul to Timothy teach us anything about our own commitment to read and study God’s word? And do they offer any support for the idea that we should read God’s word together as a congregation in 2021 and beyond? I think so.
First of all, it is not just pastors or other church leaders who are called to hold fast to the truth. It is certainly our responsibility, and we will be judged by God for any failure on this score, but Paul is quite clear that Timothy is to identify faithful men to whom he may entrust sound doctrine. Church leaders must be faithful, but we are not the only ones. Every believer is called to be a faithful student of God’s word and to hold firmly to good teaching by which we can identify and reject everything that is false.
Second, all believers are to be involved in teaching the truth to the next generation, not just pastors and those in church leadership. This is clearly the intention of Paul’s pattern for ministry in 2:1-2, that Timothy would teach faithful men who would in turn teach others also. Church life must be more than simply everyone showing up on Sunday morning to hear the “Bible expert” share what he has prepared for the congregation. It should be an ever-widening circle of sound teaching spreading out from the leaders to the congregation and beyond. By committing to read God’s word together as a church body, we may greatly enhance our efforts to teach sound doctrine to the whole body from head to toe.
And finally, since “All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable…” we need to take steps to ensure that nothing is neglected when it comes to teaching sound doctrine to one another. What better way to do so than to read through the entire Bible alongside your brothers and sisters, to share what you are learning along the way, and to encourage each other to hold firmly to the truth?