2 Timothy 2:23-26 - "But refuse foolish and ignorant
speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels. The Lord’s bond-servant must
not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged,
with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may
grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may
come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held
captive by him to do his will."
Here at the end of Second Timothy chapter 2, and just about at the end of the life of the apostle Paul, he gives Timothy instruction concerning his interaction with a lost world.
Unbelievers, whether they realize it or not, are being held in the snare of the devil. They have been taken captive by him, this verse says, to do his will. Satan is using the lost, the sons of disobedience, in order to work against the Lord and to turn the world away from the one and only way of salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ. I tend to get frustrated with people because of their foolish sinful decisions and the lifestyle that goes along with that, but that's not right. You can't get mad at a blind person for not seeing, and that's what the lost are, they're blind. In 2 Corinthians 4:4 Paul is talking about those who are perishing, the lost, and he says of them - "in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." Satan, the god of this world, the prince of the power of the air, is actively working in this world to blind people to the light of the gospel. We read in 1 John 5:19 - "We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one." Satan is the god of this world and the whole world lies in his power. When Paul talks about being blind to the things of God he had firsthand experience. Paul was a very religious person before the Lord saved him. He had all the requirements of a good Jew, he was educated in the laws of Judaism, and he was so zealous for his beliefs that he was a persecutor of the church of God. Paul was standing by when Stephen preached the gospel and was stoned because of it. Not only was he present when this happened, but we're told in Acts 8:1 - "Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him to death." And it didn't stop here, but he sought permission to hunt down the believers who had scattered because of persecution, and bring them bound to Jerusalem in order that they might be tried as criminals. Saul was blinded by Satan and was being used by him to oppose God. But by the grace of God his eyes were opened and God saved him and used him as a mighty tool to accomplish His work. And we were the same way. We may not have been seeking to put Christians to death, but before the Lord opened our eyes to the light of the gospel we were blinded by the devil and he was holding us captive and using us to accomplish his will. We read in Ephesians 2:1-2 - "And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience." That was our state, and that's the state of everyone who has yet to bow the knee to Christ, and it's important to keep this in mind. When we forget this we tend to get mad at the world for their foolish decisions and their pursuit of darkness, but they are just blind captives, blinded and held captive by the devil. They are not our enemies, they are just held captive by him. We read in Ephesians 6:12 - "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places." We can't see our enemy. He works through people, they're held captive by him to do his will, but they are not our adversary. They need to be saved just like we did. We wrestle against spiritual forces of blinding darkness, and the way we combat the darkness is with the light. The Lord Jesus said in John 8:12 - “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” Christ is the light, and we must allow Him to shine His light through us. In Acts 26:18 when Paul is recounting his conversion, he tells us that the Lord sent him to the gentiles and gave him this mission - "to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me." And we each have that same mission. We are sent to a world that is perishing to open the eyes of the blind that they may turn from darkness, from the dominion of Satan, to the light of Christ and His kingdom.
That's why at the end of his life Paul is instructing Timothy concerning his conduct toward unbelievers. If we are argumentative and judgmental we will turn them away from the message of Christ. In 2 Corinthians 6:1-10 the apostle Paul shows us what the life of a servant of Christ looks like - "And working together with Him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain— for He says, “At the acceptable time I listened to you, And on the day of salvation I helped you.” Behold, now is “the acceptable time,” behold, now is “the day of salvation”— giving no cause for offense in anything, so that the ministry will not be discredited, but in everything commending ourselves as servants of God, in much endurance, in afflictions, in hardships, in distresses, in beatings, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in hunger, in purity, in knowledge, in patience, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in genuine love, in the word of truth, in the power of God; by the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left, by glory and dishonor, by evil report and good report; regarded as deceivers and yet true; as unknown yet well-known, as dying yet behold, we live; as punished yet not put to death, as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing yet possessing all things."
2 Timothy 2:23-26 - "But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels. The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will."
Here at the end of Second Timothy chapter 2, and just about at the end of the life of the apostle Paul, he gives Timothy instruction concerning his interaction with a lost world.
Unbelievers, whether they realize it or not, are being held in the snare of the devil. They have been taken captive by him, this verse says, to do his will. Satan is using the lost, the sons of disobedience, in order to work against the Lord and to turn the world away from the one and only way of salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ. I tend to get frustrated with people because of their foolish sinful decisions and the lifestyle that goes along with that, but that's not right. You can't get mad at a blind person for not seeing, and that's what the lost are, they're blind. In 2 Corinthians 4:4 Paul is talking about those who are perishing, the lost, and he says of them - "in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." Satan, the god of this world, the prince of the power of the air, is actively working in this world to blind people to the light of the gospel. We read in 1 John 5:19 - "We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one." Satan is the god of this world and the whole world lies in his power. When Paul talks about being blind to the things of God he had firsthand experience. Paul was a very religious person before the Lord saved him. He had all the requirements of a good Jew, he was educated in the laws of Judaism, and he was so zealous for his beliefs that he was a persecutor of the church of God. Paul was standing by when Stephen preached the gospel and was stoned because of it. Not only was he present when this happened, but we're told in Acts 8:1 - "Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him to death." And it didn't stop here, but he sought permission to hunt down the believers who had scattered because of persecution, and bring them bound to Jerusalem in order that they might be tried as criminals. Saul was blinded by Satan and was being used by him to oppose God. But by the grace of God his eyes were opened and God saved him and used him as a mighty tool to accomplish His work. And we were the same way. We may not have been seeking to put Christians to death, but before the Lord opened our eyes to the light of the gospel we were blinded by the devil and he was holding us captive and using us to accomplish his will. We read in Ephesians 2:1-2 - "And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience." That was our state, and that's the state of everyone who has yet to bow the knee to Christ, and it's important to keep this in mind. When we forget this we tend to get mad at the world for their foolish decisions and their pursuit of darkness, but they are just blind captives, blinded and held captive by the devil. They are not our enemies, they are just held captive by him. We read in Ephesians 6:12 - "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places." We can't see our enemy. He works through people, they're held captive by him to do his will, but they are not our adversary. They need to be saved just like we did. We wrestle against spiritual forces of blinding darkness, and the way we combat the darkness is with the light. The Lord Jesus said in John 8:12 - “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” Christ is the light, and we must allow Him to shine His light through us. In Acts 26:18 when Paul is recounting his conversion, he tells us that the Lord sent him to the gentiles and gave him this mission - "to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me." And we each have that same mission. We are sent to a world that is perishing to open the eyes of the blind that they may turn from darkness, from the dominion of Satan, to the light of Christ and His kingdom.
That's why at the end of his life Paul is instructing Timothy concerning his conduct toward unbelievers. If we are argumentative and judgmental we will turn them away from the message of Christ. In 2 Corinthians 6:1-10 the apostle Paul shows us what the life of a servant of Christ looks like - "And working together with Him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain— for He says, “At the acceptable time I listened to you, And on the day of salvation I helped you.” Behold, now is “the acceptable time,” behold, now is “the day of salvation”— giving no cause for offense in anything, so that the ministry will not be discredited, but in everything commending ourselves as servants of God, in much endurance, in afflictions, in hardships, in distresses, in beatings, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in hunger, in purity, in knowledge, in patience, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in genuine love, in the word of truth, in the power of God; by the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left, by glory and dishonor, by evil report and good report; regarded as deceivers and yet true; as unknown yet well-known, as dying yet behold, we live; as punished yet not put to death, as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing yet possessing all things."
2 Timothy 2:23-26 - "But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels. The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will."
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