விரிவுரை தற்போது ஆங்கிலத்தில் மட்டுமே கிடைக்கிறது. தமிழ் மொழிபெயர்ப்பு நடைபெறுகிறது.
2 Timothy 2 — Endure Hardness as a Good Soldier
Paul urges Timothy to be strong in grace and to entrust the truth to faithful men who can teach others. He gives three images of the dedicated life — the soldier who pleases his commander, the athlete who competes by the rules, the farmer who works for the harvest. Timothy must rightly divide the word of truth, shun vain babblings, and be a vessel fit for the Master's use, gently instructing those who oppose.
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
— 2 Timothy 2:15
- v.1-7 Soldier, athlete, farmer
- v.8-13 A faithful saying; endure for the elect
- v.14-19 Rightly dividing the word of truth
- v.20-26 A vessel fit for the Master
Endure hardness as a good soldier. The Christian life, especially in ministry, is warfare requiring endurance. A soldier expects hardship; he does not resent it as an intrusion. So the believer.
The next verse adds — a soldier does not entangle himself with the affairs of this life, aiming to please his commander. Singleness of purpose marks the good soldier. Distraction and softness undermine the campaign.
A staggering assurance — Christ's faithfulness does not depend on ours. When our faith falters, His does not. He remains faithful because faithfulness is His very nature; he cannot deny himself.
This is not license to be faithless, but comfort for the faltering. The believer's security rests not on the strength of his grip but on the unchanging character of Christ. God will not become unfaithful, for that would be to contradict His own being.
Study — be diligent, give effort. The aim is to be approved unto God — God's approval, not man's, is the standard. The image is a workman whose work can bear inspection without shame.
Rightly dividing the word of truth — handling Scripture accurately, cutting it straight (the Greek suggests a straight cut). Mishandling God's Word is shameful work; handling it rightly requires study and care. The interpreter is accountable to God for accuracy.
The foundation of God standeth sure. Despite false teachers and those whose faith fails, God's foundation is unshaken. It bears a two-sided seal.
The seal's two sides — God's side: the Lord knoweth them that are his (security, election, His knowledge of His own); our side: let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity (the evidence of belonging is a life turning from sin). Divine sovereignty and human responsibility stamped on one seal.
Take verse 2 personally: whatever spiritual truth you have received, you are meant to pass on to someone faithful who will pass it on again. Who taught you? And whom are you teaching? If the chain stops with you, the pattern Paul commands is broken. Find one person you can entrust the truth to — by teaching, mentoring, or simply living it before them — so that what was given to you keeps multiplying.
At the heart of the chapter is the faithful saying — if we died with Him, we shall live with Him; if we suffer, we shall reign; and even if we are faithless, he abideth faithful, he cannot deny himself (vv.11-13). Christ's unshakeable faithfulness is the ground beneath the soldier's endurance, the workman's diligence, and the believer's hope. We are called to be faithful, but when we fail, He does not — and that is finally why the foundation of God stands sure.
The principle of discipleship across generations. Four links in one verse — Paul → Timothy → faithful men → others. The truth is passed hand to hand, generation to generation.
The qualification for receiving the deposit is faithfulness, and the goal is reproduction — able to teach others also. Sound teaching is not meant to terminate in the hearer but to multiply through them. Every disciple is to become a discipler.