Two Ingredients for A Faithful and Enduring Ministry: Retain the Word of God and Rely on the Spirit of God
2 Timothy 1:13-14
2 Timothy 1:13-14
Follow the pattern of sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.
If you want to make/bake a good cake, there are certain ingredients that are absolutely essential. Ingredients such as a binding agent to provide structure for the cake, a leavening or raising agent to avoid a two-dimensional cake, or a sweetening/flavoring agent to make the cake taste appealing and appetizing, are all cake baking non-negotiables, prerequisites for true baking success. Without them your cake will be unattractive, unappetizing, and an absolute disaster. You simply can’t have a good cake without them.
As we’ve been studying and seeing, the book of 2 Timothy is an exhortation given from Paul to Timothy, an exhortation to endure in suffering for the sake of the gospel. And in a sense, just like they are key ingredients that are necessary for baking a cake, there are certain key ingredients, or principles that are necessary to faithfully and enduringly suffer for the sake of the gospel. To persevere in long-time gospel ministry, which we are all called to do in various ways, there are certain essential practices and vital principles, certain agents that are needed to accomplish the goal of ministry longevity. In our verses for today, Paul highlights for Timothy and for us two principles or ingredients that can help us bake the cake of perseverance in suffering for the sake of the gospel. Let’s read our verses before we learn the first principle.
2 Timothy 1:13-14 reads, “Follow the pattern of sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.” The first principle we see Paul telling Timothy in these verses is this: hold fast to gospel doctrine– with the character of Christ.
The word follow, seen at the beginning of verse 13, is translated from the Greek word echō, which means to have, hold, or retain. In this verse, Timothy is being told to have, hold, and follow the pattern of the sound words he has heard from the apostle Paul. He is being told to follow the truths of Paul’s overall teaching and instruction. In 1 Timothy 6:3-4a, Paul tells Timothy, “If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing.” For Timothy’s long-term endurance in gospel ministry, he must stay true to the words of God. He must hold fast to gospel doctrine.
In the second half of verse 12, however, Paul is intentional to note that Timothy must hold fast to gospel doctrine with the character of Christ. (v12b). Paul is concerned not just that Timothy holds to gospel doctrine, but also how he holds to it as well. Paul wants the practice of firmly holding to gospel doctrine to be complemented and accompanied with gracious, loving, and seasoned words. (Colossians 4:6, Titus 2:10). He is calling Timothy to exercise grace and truth, and wants him to hold fast to gospel doctrine with Christlike character.
“Paul is concerned not just that Timothy holds to gospel doctrine, but also how he holds to it as well… Paul is calling Timothy to exercise grace and truth, and wants him to hold fast to gospel doctrine with Christlike character.”
The second principle Paul teaches Timothy in our verses for today is guard carefully your good deposit– by the power of the Holy Spirit. (v13). Earlier in chapter 1, Paul makes abundantly clear that Timothy has been given a gift. (v6). And notice a key word Paul uses. Entrust. This word entrust highlights how Timothy has been privileged in receiving this gift. It also highlights the responsibility that comes with that privilege. The responsibility to cultivate, steward, and guard the divine deposit he has been given.
Similarly to the previous principle however, Paul doesn’t just stop at telling Timothy to guard his deposit, but guides him in how. He says that Timothy is to guard his good deposit, “by the Holy Spirit who dwells within us”. In other words, Timothy is to guard his good deposit by having a heart posture that recognizes the limits of what he can accomplish according to his power, and the infinite possibilities of what the Holy Spirit can accomplish through him. (Ephesians 4:20). He is to guard his deposit by being a man characterized by prayer, that is, a man who expresses his dependence on God by frequently and fervently coming to his knees in adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication. He is to guard his deposit by abiding in Christ, finding his strength in Christ, and centering his doctrine on the gospel of Christ– all by and through the power of the Holy Spirit.
As has been the pattern in 2 Timothy, we too can and should take application from the exhortation Paul gives to Timothy. So, like Timothy would have likely asked himself, we too must assess and ascertain, how are we holding fast to the sound words of Scripture, and are we holding fast to gospel doctrine with Christlike character? Do we recognize the divine deposit that has been entrusted to us, and are we seeking to guard that deposit in total reliance and dependence upon the Holy Spirit?
The title of today’s devotional article highlights two points of application from the heart of today’s passage. If we want to bake the cake of faithfully suffering for the sake of the gospel, we need the essential ingredients of retaining the Word of God for sound gospel doctrine, and relying on the Spirit of God for guarding our good deposit. Just like Timothy, we need to hold fast to, follow, and retain the words of God given to us, while also depending on, relying on, and living in the power of the Spirit of God that lives in us to guard the gifts that He has given to us. If we want to endure, we need to abide in the words of God, and abide in the Spirit of God. We need to hold fast to gospel doctrine, and carefully guard our good deposit.
“Without immersing ourselves in the Word of God and casting ourselves upon the Spirit of God, we as Christians are totally powerless, utterly helpless, and ultimately faithless in enduring suffering for the sake of the gospel.”
John 15:4-5 says, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” How clearly this passage confirms our need to retain God’s Word and rely on His Spirit for faithful endurance! For without immersing ourselves in the Word of God and casting ourselves upon the Spirit of God, we as Christians are totally powerless, utterly helpless, and ultimately faithless in enduring suffering for the sake of the gospel. Therefore, to come full circle from the opening analogy, let us not miss these two essential ingredients. Today, may we retain God’s words in order to hold fast to gospel doctrine, and rely on His Spirit to guard our good deposit– all to the praise of His glorious grace. Amen!