“The word and the witness”

By Rev. Michael Stonhouse

Meditation – Sunday, October 16, 2022

2 Timothy 3:14 – 4:5 (Forward, p. 79) CEV p. 1251

Here’s something to think about: suppose you knew that you only had a few hours, or perhaps as many as a few days or months to live, what would your passing message be—to your family and loved ones, or to your closest and most esteemed colleagues, your most trusted co-workers?

For the apostle Paul this is simple. In this present letter to his co-worker and ‘son’ in the faith, a man he had chosen and mentored for years, his answer is obvious: keep to the word, the Holy Scriptures, and keep on sharing it with others. And, keep on sharing it, teaching it, preaching it, regardless of the reception he receives.

What he says about the Holy Scriptures is most worthy of note, not just for Timothy, but for all of us:

“Keep on being faithful to what you were taught and to what you believed. After all, you know who taught you these things. Since childhood, you have known the Holy Scriptures that are able to make you wise enough to have faith in Christ Jesus and be saved. Everything in the Scriptures is God’s Word. All of it is useful for teaching and helping people and for correcting them and showing them how to live. The Scriptures train God’s servants to do all kinds of good deeds” (chapter 3, verse 14-17).

The Good News Bible describes this task in a slightly different way. In verse 6, it suggests four things, two that have to do with content and two with conduct:

“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching the truth, rebuking error [content], correcting faults, and giving instruction for right living [conduct]”

Verse 17 then goes on to sum it up rather nicely:

“So that the person who serves God may be fully qualified and equipped to do every kind of good deed.”

And so Timothy is instructed to keep to the word and to keep on preaching it: “I solemnly urge you to preach the message, to insist upon proclaiming it (whether the time is right or not), to convince, reproach, and encourage, as you teach with all patience” (chapter 4, verses 1b-2).

The Contemporary English Version says that he is to do this ‘even when it isn’t the popular thing to do”.

And indeed, he is warned most candidly and pointedly that this is exactly what will happen in times to come:

-the time is coming when people won’t put up with, won’t listen, to good teaching, to sound doctrine;

-instead, they will look for teachers who will please them by telling them only what they want to hear. They will follow their own desires and will collect for themselves more and more teachers who will tell them what they are itching to hear.

-they will turn away from the truth and eagerly listen, pay attention, to senseless stories.

In light of this, Timothy has quite a task cut out for himself: “You must stay calm and be willing to suffer. (You must keep control of yourself in all circumstances.) You must work hard to tell the good news and to do your job well and perform your whole duty as a servant of God” (chapter 4:5).

I’m afraid that Paul’s instructions, and warnings, seem all too relevant and appropriate for today. Bible literacy and Bible knowledge, we are told, are at an all-time low. And myriads of self-proclaimed ‘experts’ are scrambling to make their ‘version’ of the Bible and its truths available—quite often, in fact, for a price, or at very least, in order to raise up a devoted ‘following’. While this was true on occasion with television ministries in the past, this is even truer in this day of social media and You Tube videos. And yes, far too often, they are giving people what they want to hear rather than the plain, unvarnished truth—take, for instance, the health and wealth gospel that was so popular several years back, and which still rears its ugly and destructive head from time to time.

So, Paul’s challenges to Timothy are also those for us today—to remain embedded and faithful to the Scriptures, taking the utmost care to study and know them and expound them well and correctly, to encourage others to do the same, and to faithfully share that and teach and preach the same. But just ‘how’ are we to do that today? What are the best routes to ‘get people’ into the Bible in the first place? And, how do we facilitate an ongoing, systematic and disciplined study of the same? And, how do we teach and preach it effectively, convincingly and engagingly in a world that is now accustomed to minute ‘sound bites’ of information? The task is ever before us—as it was for Timothy—and is perhaps ever more daunting for us as it was for him. But, I am convinced that God has a plan, a method, which He will reveal, if only we pay attention, listen, and follow. Amen.

Forward notes: “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (chapter 3 verse 16).

“I took a class on the Old Testament last year, and among my many learnings was appreciating that God inspires all scripture. Some passages and stories may be easier to read than others; some words may instantly connect with us, bathing us in comfort. Other words jar and even offend. Yet, as this passage from 2 Timothy reminds us, scripture is ‘useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.’

“Our Old Testament professor often suggested that a particular story might not be intended to glorify some action but to warn readers, then and now, of behaviors and situations to avoid. We might imagine ourselves as the victim and wonder what help might rescue and sustain us. And perhaps, along with visualizing ourselves in the story, we might draw inspiration for helping others.”

Moving Forward: “What stories in the Old Testament bring you comfort? Which ones are hard to hear? What lessons can you draw from both?”