Gospel-Centered Bravery

This teaching is a powerful encouragement, for there is great freedom and joy in this salvation. Charles Spurgeon—in a sermon entitled "Salvation Altogether by Grace" from this one verse (v. 9)—said when Paul wanted to encourage Timothy he did not "attempt to persuade him by mere appeals to feelings" but rather by "remind[ing] him of solid doctrinal truth, which he knew Timothy believed" (Spurgeon, Grace, 31-32). To be sure, feelings are important. But feelings follow the facts of the gospel driven deeply into our minds and hearts. Because of this, we need to work the grace of God into our hearts regularly. Remind yourself daily—especially in your suffering—that you were chosen by grace, you are kept by grace, and you will see the Savior one day by grace.

The ground of our salvation (1:10). Our great salvation is rooted in the person and work of Christ. Paul shows us that Christ appeared in His incarnation and then "abolished death and... brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." Not only did God give us grace in Christ before time began but also in the historical appearing of Jesus. Paul said that the Savior "abolished death," meaning He overthrew death. He defeated death. He rendered our physical death powerless (cf. 1 Cor 15:54-57). Though we will all die physically (unless Christ returns first), we do not all have to die ultimately. Instead, as believers, when we die we enjoy the presence of God forever (see 2 Cor 5:6-8; Phil 1:21).

This is no vain wish. Our hope is rooted in human history. It is grounded in the person and work of Christ, the Messiah who lived, died, and was raised on our behalf to the glory of God the Father.

Such hope is crucial for believers. In Eric Metaxes's wonderful biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the last hours of this martyr's life are particularly moving. Evidently, just 24 hours before Bonhoeffer was executed, he performed the work of a pastor. He gathered some prisoners152 and held a worship service. He chose Isaiah 53 and 1 Peter 1:3, two passages that speak of God's glorious salvation and the perfect work of Christ, as his texts for reading and exhortation. Almost immediately after his closing prayer, two men came and said, "Prisoner Bonhoeffer. Get ready to come with us." All the prisoners knew what these words meant: the scaffold. Bonhoeffer told his friend, "This is the end. For me the beginning of life" (Metaxas, Bonhoeffer, 527-28). Jesus, our atoning sacrifice and risen king of Isaiah 53, took the sting out of death so that we too can face our death—even if by hanging—with a sense of indescribable peace.

As Bonhoeffer told his friend in prison on that day, so Paul, the Lord's prisoner, told Timothy that death is only the beginning because Christ "brought life and immortality." The communion with God that Bonhoeffer and other believers shared in this life only continued in the next; indeed, it got sweeter. As Paul pondered death, he was reminded that there really is no such thing for the believer. As John Stott quips, "The proper epitaph to write for the Christian believer is not a dismal uncertain petition, 'R.I.P.'... but a joyful and certain affirmation 'C.A.D.' ('Christ abolished death')" (Stott, Message, 39).

Paul says this glorious good news was "brought... to light." This implies that we must make it known so people can hear and believe in our gracious Savior. In this one passage we can observe how God has not only ordained the end of salvation but also the means. While salvation is all of grace, it is also experienced through the presentation of the gospel. God saves people through, not apart from, the proclamation of the good news. Paul brought the gospel to light by living out his appointment as "a herald, apostle, and teacher" (v. 11). As a herald, Paul announced the gospel. As an apostle Paul was sent with the gospel. As a teacher Paul explained the gospel. While we know there are no apostles today who measure up to Paul, we want to maintain the idea that all believers are sent into the world to herald and teach the good news of salvation by God's grace alone in Christ alone. Through faith we share this same commissioning and this same message. We are to shine this gospel light in this dark world.

We are most likely to suffer for the gospel when we proclaim it. While it is important to live out the gospel in deed, it is absolutely153 essential that we speak the gospel in word. And in the speaking of the good news, we should expect opposition. We do not go looking for suffering, but we should not be surprised by it when we give verbal witness.

Paul says, "That is why I suffer these things" (v. 12). Paul suffered because he spoke boldly, and he spoke boldly because he believed the gospel was worth it!

Exhortation 3: Guard the Gospel

2 Timothy 1:12b-18

In addition to the duty of standing tall and suffering for the gospel, in these verses Paul urges Timothy to guard the gospel.

Before Paul charges Timothy with this responsibility, he reminds the young pastor that God Himself is the ultimate guardian of the gospel. Paul says, "But I am not ashamed, because I know the One I have believed in and am persuaded that He is able to guard what has been entrusted to me until that day." The word for "guard" here is a military term used of a soldier on watch. Paul is saying that God is watching His gospel and no one can match the power of this Guardian! Paul reminds Timothy to trust His security.

Paul was confident that because of God's faithfulness, not only was his personal future certain but also was the preservation of the gospel. Paul believed that "the good thing" (the gospel, v. 14) would be guarded until that day because his confidence was this: "I know Him." Christ had entrusted the gospel to Paul, and Paul was certain Christ would see to it that it was passed on through the generations. Now Paul was passing on the gospel to Timothy, and he wanted Timothy to be reminded that Christ is faithful to His servants. Timothy was not left to himself in guarding this gospel. Not only is verse 14 true—namely that we guard the gospel "through the Holy Spirit who lives in us"—but it is also true that we guard the gospel with the sure promises of God that He will keep what has been entrusted to us until that day. Stott says,

In light of this rock-solid confidence, Timothy is charged to "hold on to the pattern of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Guard, through the Holy Spirit who lives in us, that good thing entrusted to you" (1:13-14). The word choice in these two verses shows us how precious and unchanging the gospel is and why we must guard it faithfully. Notice these words and phrases: "the pattern," "sound teaching," and "the good thing."

The word "pattern" in verse 13 can be translated as "outline." Just as an architect might sketch a pattern before adding the details, or as an artist might sketch the design of a painting before completing it, or as a writer may start with an outline of a paper before writing the manuscript, so Timothy was to follow Paul's outline—and then expound and apply it. Timothy was not told to make up his own outline, add to it, or take away from it. He was to take what Paul taught and teach it to others. There is no other gospel than the one Paul passed along to Timothy: the gospel contained in the Word of God. While we may apply its implications in various ways to our people today, we may not adjust the message of the gospel. Our outline is written with the red blood of Jesus.

The word for "sound" means "healthy." The gospel makes spiritually sick people whole in Christ. Just as I try to give my kids healthy food so they can grow, Timothy was to give God's people healthy teaching so they can grow up in the faith. Timothy was also told to stay true to this pattern "in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus." Here is the wonderful balance of this passage. Timothy was to be unashamed, bold, and brave in gospel ministry, but he was also to be faithful to the gospel in love and faith. Paul was not just interested in what Timothy preserved but also in how he preserved it. This faith and love come only from being "in Christ."

The gospel is not just healthy words and the outline for all our teaching, but it may also be thought of as the "good deposit" (v. 14 ESV).155 The word for "good" can also be translated as "beautiful." The gospel is beautiful, and it is to be "guarded" with such care that it is not damaged. The word for "guard" is used of protecting a palace from intruders and possessions from thieves (Luke 11:21; Acts 22:20). Because of the presence of heretics, Timothy was called, like us, to protect this beautiful gospel.

In the The Archer and the Arrow, Jensen and Grimmond illustrate this sacred trust of protecting the gospel with the Mona Lisa painting. This most famous painting resides in a purpose-built, bullet-proof case in the Louvre. It is considered so valuable that it has only been exhibited outside the Louvre on two occasions in the last century. Jensen and Grimmond ask about those who would have transported it: "Can you imagine what might have happened if those responsible for delivering the painting decided that the Mona Lisa was a little short in artistic merit? What if they had whipped out a brush in transit and added a nice floral pattern to the border or updated the dress to duck-egg blue fashion of the day?" The authors rightly say, "Their job was not to improve the painting, but to deliver it in its original condition. How much more the Word of God!" (Jensen and Grimmond, The Archer, 13).

For those who are called into ministry, this passage is especially relevant. We have been called to protect this gospel. We must protect the gospel from intruders, wolves, and heretics who want to add to or take away from the purity of it. We must keep studying the gospel; we must keep exemplifying the gospel; and we must keep teaching the gospel, all so that our people may know it and communicate it to a world that so desperately needs to receive it.

This task is humbling. Where do we find strength to stand for the gospel in the face of suffering and protect it from marauders? Paul's words are encouraging here: we stand "through the Holy Spirit who lives in us" (v. 14). Once again we are not alone in our mission. God is with us, in us, and for us. And if God is for us, then who can be against us (Rom 8:31)?

The connection of verses 15-18 with the preceding passage is clear. Paul provides negative and positive examples in order to reinforce his exhortation to Timothy to be unashamed. To begin, he mentioned two men who "turned away" from him in Asia, "Phygelus and Hermogenes" (v. 15). We know nothing else about these two men because they are not156 mentioned anywhere else in the New Testament. Perhaps they were leaders of a particular group within the church. Whoever they were, they obviously disappointed Paul. They also represented others who turned away from the apostle. Paul says, "All those in Asia have turned away from me." Asia was the name of the Roman province in which Ephesus was located, and apparently many from there had abandoned Paul.

In contrast to the deserters, Paul mentions his refresher, Onesiphorus. Paul longs for the Lord to "grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus" because he refreshed Paul often and "was not ashamed of [his] chains" (v. 16). He actually prays for him to receive mercy again in verse 18: "May the Lord grant that he obtain mercy from Him on that day!"

Clearly Paul loved this servant. He represented a host of people for whom Paul was grateful. Though Paul was a scholar, a preacher, and a missionary, it seems he was also a relational individual. He knew the value of godly friendships. In the final chapter of Romans, Paul's closing comments include 33 names. He prayed for his friends constantly, recognizing that they were gifts of grace.

Why did he admire and pray for Onesiphorus? Onesiphorus refreshed Paul, was unashamed of Paul, and searched earnestly for Paul. The refreshment that he brought refers mainly to his presence. He may have met some of Paul's physical needs, but undoubtedly he refreshed Paul by his loyal support. And notice that he refreshed Paul "often." Onesiphorus was not a fly-by-night guy; he was a loyal friend.

He was unashamed of Paul's chains, which again points us to the previous section. If this guy could do it, so could Timothy. Hearing the stories of bold Christians helps inspire and motivate others to equally bold witness. Onesiphorus was one such bold Christian. Even when Paul was bound up with a chain, he was not ashamed to come to Paul.

Finally, Paul says, "He diligently searched for me" (v. 17). The language suggests that Onesiphorus searched with the singular intent of finding Paul. This prison situation seems to be worse than the one described in Acts 28:23, 30-31 since it was necessary for him to search for Paul diligently. Paul was grateful to his friend for his steadfast pursuit. Now he prays for Onesiphorus, the one who found him, to "obtain mercy." We can believe that he did, if we keep in mind Jesus' words: "The merciful are blessed, for they will be shown mercy" (Matt 5:7).

The merciful and faithful servant, Onesiphorus, illustrates what unashamed, sacrificial service looks like. This passage leaves us with the question, Which example are you? Do you line up with Phygelus and157 Hermogenes, who are ashamed of the gospel? Are you quick to flee when faithful obedience and boldness are required? Or are you a loyal servant, like Onesiphorus, who works hard to refresh others? We are reminded here that all types of faithful servants are needed in the kingdom: the Pauls and Timothys (leaders) as well as the Onesiphoruses (encouragers). May our sovereign God, who saves us and calls us, raise up an army of such faithful kingdom servants.