Pictures of the Disciples We are to Be and to Build - Part 2

In 2 Timothy 2:1-26, Paul gives seven metaphors for being and building disciples who reproduce. In our previous study we looked at four of those metaphors: a son, a soldier, an athlete, and a hardworking farmer. In this study we will look at three more of the pictures that reveal the disciples we are to be and to build.

Growing up in the hills of middle Tennessee, I recall a refreshing stream of water that used to continuously pour out of the side of a hill right next to the highway. Many times, traveling on the tractor to the fields, I would stop and get a cool, refreshing drink from the spring. But after leaving the area, years later while visiting family, I passed by the spring and stopped to get a drink only to discover a sign warning not to drink the water because it had been contaminated. Someone had discovered that the source of pollution began to occur when the people living on the top of the hillside above the spring started dumping their garbage and trash into an old abandoned well. Unbeknownst to them, the pollutants had made their way into the underground aquifer that was the source of the spring. The once refreshing life-giving stream had become a potentially deadly source of harm.

What happened to that stream is what can happen to the church or a Christian life when false teaching, quarrels, and ungodly behavior are allowed to spread unchecked. Paul warned Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:14–26 to guard the truth, avoid foolish arguments, and pursue righteousness, because just like that stream, false teachers can dump perversions of the gospel into the believer’s heart and mind that contaminate it and make them non-reproductive disciples, unfit, unclean, and unavailable for their Master’s use.

Let your eyes swept down this section in 2:14-26 as I apply the spring illustration:

• Verse 14 – avoid quarreling about words (don't pollute the stream with useless talk),
• Verse 15 – rightly handle the word of truth (keep the stream pure),
• Verses 16–18 – avoid irreverent babble (which spreads like gangrene),
• Verses 20–21 – be a vessel for honorable use (not a contaminated one),
• Verses 22–26 – pursue righteousness, peace, and teach with gentleness (be a source of healing, not harm).

1. Seeing Discipleship Through the Pictures Given Us – 2:1-6
2. The Devotion of a Son – 2 Timothy 2:1
   2. The Dedication of a Soldier - 2 Timothy 2:3-4
   3. The Discipline of an Athlete - 2 Timothy 2:5
   4. The Diligence of a Farmer - 2 Timothy 2:6
3. Suffering Hardship to Make Disciples by Remembering the Examples Given to Us – 2:7-13

III. Safeguarding Leadership to Prevent Deviation from the Great Commission Given to Us – 2:14-26

5. The Directness of a Workman - 2 Timothy 2:15

“Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (KJV)

 "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth." (ESV)

A. The good workman

Like Paul’s disciple, Timothy, we and the disciples we are building must develop the traits of a good workman. Notice some of those traits:

1. A good workman labors to cut the truth straight - The word for “rightly dividing” is the Greek word orthotomeo and is derived from two words: orthós, which means right, standing upright, or continuing in a straight direction; figuratively it means right, true, of ethically correct behavior, and témno, which means to cut or divide, thus to make a straight cut, cut straight (of a craftsman cutting a straight line, farmer plowing a straight furrow, mason setting a straight line of bricks, workmen building a straight road. Metaphorically as used here it speaks of carefully performing a task.

Two things in cutting straight the Word of God:

(1) "Right interpretation of the gospel. "Here the primary contrast is between the rightness of the gospel as interpreted by Paul and Timothy and the wrongness of what is taught by the opponents arguing about words.

(2) "Right behavior in line with the gospel." Here the emphasis is on Timothy's behavior, that it be in line with the gospel and that it be in contrast to the opponents.

The preaching of the bodily resurrection is a central element in Paul's theology. To deny the bodily resurrection is to deny Christ's resurrection, and if Christ is not raised, then the gospel message is empty (1 Cor 15:12-17). To deny the resurrection is to deny the truth of the gospel.

B. The bad workman

The metaphor Paul employs to describe the bad workman is taken neither from civil engineering nor from agriculture but from archery. So now the truth is likened not to a to road being built or a furrow being ploughed but to a target being shot at". The verb in 2:18, means to “miss the mark” and so to 'deviate' from something. It occurs three times in the Pastoral Epistles:  “Certain persons by swerving from these (genuine love, a good conscience and sincere faith) have wandered away into vain discussion' (1Tim.1:6). For by professing it ('what is falsely called knowledge') some have missed the mark as regards the faith' (1 Tim. 6:21). “Who have swerved from the truth”, or as in the New English Bible, “shot wide of the truth” (2 Tim. 2:18).

We are now in a position to grasp the alternative which Paul sets before every Christian teacher entrusted with the word of truth, and which determines whether he will be a good or a bad workman.

The word of truth is a target. As he shoots at this target, he will either hit it or miss it.

The word of truth is a road. As he cuts this road through the forest, he will make it either straight or crooked.

As a result of what he does, that is, how he teaches, others are bound to be affected, for better or for worse. If he cuts the road straight people will be able to follow and so keep in the way. If, on the other hand, he misses the mark, the attention of the spectators will be distracted from the target and their eyes will follow the arrow and lead them to miss keeping the main thing the main thing.

What is the result of such heretical teaching? Paul says false teachers, such as Hymenaeus and Philetus, were "overturning the faith of some" (v. 18). The result of false teaching is deadly. It leads people away from God. Moreover, false teaching spreads throughout the community with ravaging effects. The illustration used could hardly be more graphic and appropriate. He said false teaching spreads like gangrene, which is the decay of tissue in a part of the body where the blood supply is blocked due to an injury or disease. The decay spreads continually. Just as gangrene progressively spreads throughout the body bringing death, so does erroneous teaching. It will slowly eat through the individuals and the body of Christ.

Our world today is one of "tolerance" and "relativism." People assert that all truth is relative. "This my truth” or “whatever is true for you, may not be true for anyone else.” Really? Paul shouts in our ears today: there is a true path and a false path; there is a mark you can hit or you can miss; there is truth that can nourish; and there is falsehood that kills.

Paul's instruction to Timothy about such bad workmen or false teachers is to 'avoid" them: '.. . charge them before the Lord to avoid disputing about words, which does no good, but only ruins the bearers' (14). 'Avoid such godless chatter, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, and their talk will eat its way like gangrene' (16, 17).

The damage caused by such false teaching is double. It is both 'godless' and ‘gangrenous’. That is, in the first place, it leads people away from God. What verse 16 literally says is that those who hold such teaching 'advance into more and more ungodliness.

A good workman lives to labor, not loaf, in the ministry of the truth - Pastor Stephen Cole says, “So many Christians are haphazard and lazy rather than diligent in their approach to God’s Word. They don’t systematically read, study, or memorize it. If they read it at all, they jump from passage to passage, pulling verses out of context.”

A good workman learns how to convey the truth to others – 2 Tim. 2:2 – He teaches his disciples how to interpret scripture; how to impart the Word into others; how to incarnate the Word into their own lives.

6. The Dependability of a Vessel - 2 Timothy 2:20-22

The simple message of 2 Tim. 2:20-22 is that God uses cleansed people, who are defined by two characteristics: (They flee sin and pursue godliness.

Paul uses the illustration of a large house that has different kinds of vessels. The gold and silver vessels are kept clean so that they may be used for honorable purposes, such as dinner parties. The wood and earthenware vessels are used for dishonorable purposes, perhaps in the kitchen or to carry out garbage or human waste. They often get broken and are cheaply replaced.

It would be easy to misapply Paul’s point here. If you took his illustration to its logical conclusion, you could say that the dishonorable vessels serve a legitimate function and thus are just as necessary as the gold vessels. But that’s not his point. Rather, the large house represents the professing or visible church. Some who associate with the church are truly born again. Others, such as the false teachers Hymenaeus and Philetus, are probably not born again. They are the vessels for dishonor. Paul is saying that no one should be a vessel for dishonor.

To put it another way, he is saying that God isn’t going to use a garbage pail life to serve the pure gospel to a hungry world. Can you imagine being a guest at a wealthy home, where you’re seated around a magnificent table? The kitchen door swings open and the cook comes out with a garbage pail and starts dishing the food out of the pail. Even so, God isn’t going to use dirty lives to serve the good news of Christ to the world.

What are the traits of a good vessel? 

A good vessel represents a disciple as being a clay pot container of Jesus - 2: Cor 4:7, “But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.”

A good vessel represents a disciple as being valuable because of whom they contain - The purpose of Paul here is, to show that it was by no excellency of his nature that the gospel was originated; it was in virtue of no vigor and strength which he possessed that it was propagated. Quite to the contrary, as it had been, of design, committed by God to weak, decaying, and crumbling instruments, in order that it might “be seen” that it was by the power of God that such instruments were sustained in the trials to which they were exposed, and in order that it might be manifest to all that it was not originated and diffused by the power of those to whom it was entrusted. The idea is that they were altogether insufficient of their own strength to accomplish what was accomplished by the gospel.

A good vessel represents a disciple that is set on the Master's shelf with the top open to Heaven, ready to be filled up and poured out - A vessel is a hollow object intended to contain something or someone. As Christians, we are intended to contain and convey the very life of Christ Himself. What does a good vessel do? It sits on its master's shelf, empty and available, and waits for him to fill it if he wishes.  (The Christian disciple never has to wonder whether his Master wants to fill him or not. Ephesians 5:18).  When it is filled, it waits for him to pour it out.  It simply waits for him to employ it as vessels are normally used.  So should it be with a Christian disciple.

7. The Duties of a Bondslave - 2 Timothy 2:24

“And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, …”

The terms slave, serve, servant, minister, and other terms that mean the same are used 1452 times in the Bible. Despite the pervasiveness of its presence in the Bible, it is seldom taught in modern-day churches and discipleship groups. The reason is obvious, this is the day of the Christian celebrity and not the Christian servant.

We should note that Paul didn't teach a "serve me" pathway to leadership. He taught a "serve with me" model. Notice how Paul described his multi-generational leadership relationship with Timothy. "But you know Timothy's proven worth, how as a son with a father he has served with me in the gospel" (Philippians 2:22). The key word is "with," not "serve." Paul said Timothy "served with me" and not that "Timothy served me." Serving a leader is very different than serving with a leader. Leaders/disciplers should raise up other leaders/disciples to serve with them.

What are the traits of a good bondslave?

A good bondslave is unchangeably possessed by his Master - Several Greek words are translated as slave or servant. The one used in our text in 2:24, is “doulos” or a bond-slave. A bond-slave is one who has no will of his own, no schedule of his own, no rights of his own, and no property of his own. He is completely at his master's disposal. However, he is not lacking in resources. His master's checkbook endows any assignment the slave may receive.  And so it is with a Christian disciple.

The position of a bond-slave is gladly and freely embraced by: Jesus - Phil 2:7  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: Apostle Paul - Rom 1:1  Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ,; James 1:1  James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,; 2 Pet 1:1  Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ; Jude 1:1  Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James,; Apostle John - Rev 1:1  The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John.

A Christian bondslave is inalienably possessed by God. In the ancient world a master possessed his slaves in the same sense as he possessed his tools. A servant can change his master; but a slave cannot. The Christian inalienably belongs to God.

A good bondslave is unquestionably at the disposal of his Master - In the ancient world the master could do what he liked with his slave; he had even the power of life and death over him. The Christian has no rights of his own, for all his rights are surrendered to God.

To call the Christian the doulos of God means that he owes an unquestioning obedience to his Lord. A master’s command was a slave’s only law in ancient times. In any situation the Christian has but one question to ask: “Lord, what will you have me do?” The command of God is his only law.

A good bondslave is constantly in the service of his Master - To call the Christian the doulos of God means that he must be constantly in the service of God. In the ancient world the slave had literally no time of his own, no holidays, and no leisure. All his time belonged to his master. The Christian cannot, either deliberately or unconsciously, compartmentalize life into the time and activities which belong to God, and the time and activities in which he does what he likes. There is no secular/sacred division in the Christian life.

A good bondslave is absolutely provided for by his Master - Although the bondslave had no rights of his own and no possessions to call his own, nevertheless he was totally and more than adequately provided for by his master. Whatever his assignment may have been, his master was responsible for providing the resources to accomplish the job. He never wanted for food, clothing, shelter or protection.

A good bondslave is affectionately committed to his Master

Living for Jesus Who died in my place,
Bearing on Calv’ry my sin and disgrace;
Such love constrains me to answer His call,
Follow His leading and give Him my all.

Refrain:
O Jesus, Lord and Savior, I give myself to Thee,
For Thou, in Thy atonement, didst give Thyself for me;
I own no other Master, my heart shall be Thy throne;
My life I give, henceforth to live, O Christ, for Thee alone.