Images of a Faithful Teacher

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Adding to the soldier, athlete, and farmer illustrations from the preceding verses, Paul introduces three more metaphors to describe the nature of ministry. They each highlight aspects of teaching in particular: (1) the unashamed workman (vv. 14-19), (2) the clean vessel (vv. 20-22), and (3) the Lord's servant (vv. 23-26). Paul speaks of the act of teaching (e.g., "remind them," "able to teach," "correcting opponents"), the character of a faithful teacher (e.g., "a worker," "holy," "patient"), and the danger of false teachers and their teaching (e.g., "their word will spread like gangrene," "deviated from the truth").

Paul enters this subject with the charge, "Remind them of these things" (v. 14). The phrase "these things" occurs several times in 1 and 2 Timothy. It probably refers to the previous section most directly, where Paul urged Timothy to pass on the gospel (2:1-13), but it may also refer more generally to Paul's entire instruction to Timothy. In either case Timothy is not to make up his content. He is simply urged to tell and retell what he received from Paul, who himself received it from Jesus.

As faithful teachers, our job is always to preach and teach these things (sound doctrine) not our things (personal opinions). We are commissioned with the task of reminding people over and over of God's Word (see also Rom 15:15; Phil 3:1; Jude 5; 2 Pet 1:12-15; 3:1-2). When you are preaching something that is from God, rather than simply a word from man, it is worth repeating! Paul constantly reminded people of the crucified and risen Christ (1 Cor 2:1-5; 15:1-5). This does not mean we should172 say it the same way every time but only that we must keep repeating the same gospel. As John Newton put it in his hymn "Amazing Grace," "Redeeming love has been my theme, and shall be till I die."

The unacceptable alternative to teaching and reteaching "these things" is quarreling over "words" (v. 14). Timothy is told to avoid such practice because it is not profitable and it will "ruin" the hearers.

The teacher who abandons Scripture as the primary source of instruction will end up damaging people and creating division. This is because once a teacher leaves biblical revelation for human speculation the final court of authority has been removed. People will fight over all kinds of issues if they have no common source of authority for evaluating experiences, opinions, and traditions.

Now that the substance of Timothy's content, the true gospel, has been explained, Paul provides three metaphors to describe the character of a faithful teacher.

Image 1: The Unashamed Workman

Image 1: The Unashamed Workman

2 Timothy 2:15-19

In these verses there is sharp contrast between two types of teachers or two types of workmen. There are good workmen and bad workmen. The good workmen are devoted to "the Word of truth." The good workmen are also "approved," having been tested like metals or coins, being recognized as "sterling" (Stott, Message, 66). In contrast the bad workmen are not devoted to the truth (vv. 16-18). They are not approved because they fail the test of authenticity. Consequently, the good workmen stand unashamed whereas the bad workmen should be deeply ashamed.

Timothy is to stand as a model for the unashamed workman (if he followed Paul's instruction) who handled the Word of truth rightly and was thus approved by God. Hymenaeus and Philetus were examples of those who were unapproved because they were not devoted to the Word of truth and their teaching damaged people. Let's look a little deeper into these two contrasting types.

The Good Workman (2:15-16)

Paul alluded to three marks of an unashamed workman. First, the good workman is a hard worker. Like the "hardworking farmer" analogy in verse 6, this metaphor pictures the ministry as something that will173 require spiritual sweat. Paul says, "Be diligent" (v. 15). There is no room for slackers in the ministry, especially those who are giving the words of life! It has been said, "Holy shoddy is still shoddy!"

Word work is hard work. Any teacher that is worth his (or her) salt will toil in the preparation and delivery of God's Word. Before there is success in the classroom or in the pulpit, there must be diligence in the study.

Paul told Timothy earlier that those who "work hard at preaching and teaching" are "worthy of an ample honorarium" (1 Tim 5:17). Several things make biblical teaching labor intensive. It is hard work to rightly understand the teaching of Scripture and then present it in a way that is clear and understandable to the hearers. Teaching is also difficult because oftentimes your product is invisible. You cannot always see results from your teaching. It is also work because you are handling material that is by its nature controversial. A teacher is not handling ideas that are mere topics for small talk but rather the Word of God that is death to some and life to others (2 Cor 2:15-17). This reality will cause the teacher to feel the burden of sermon/lesson preparation weekly, and critics will arise because of the bold truth claims that have to be made by the faithful teacher.

Next, the good workman is God centered. The internal warfare experienced by a biblical teacher never goes away. There is constantly more to be done, more questions to answer, more critics to silence, and more waves of discouragement to endure. For these reasons and more, a faithful teacher must keep eternity in view. He or she must live for the approval of God and not of people. God-centered workmen desire to stand unashamed before their God as ones who rightly taught His Word. Teachers must keep in mind that God places them in ministry positions and they must give an account to God. This God-centered vision will sustain teachers in difficult times because it will place their trials in proper perspective. God-centered teachers want to be faithful, not flashy or famous.

Finally, the good workman is careful and accurate in his teaching. The Greek word orthotomeo, translated as "correctly teaching" or "rightly handling" (ESV), is a word that means to "cut straight." The "straight" part is a word from which we get words like "orthodontist" and "orthodoxy." The orthodontist is one who realigns teeth, and orthodoxy is teaching or belief that rightly aligns with Scripture and the historic Christian faith.

But what is Timothy metaphorically to cut straight? Commentators suggest several options, such as "a father slicing bread for children,"174 "a stonemason cutting stones to fit a building," "a surgeon making an incision," or from Paul's own trade, "a tent-maker cutting leather." Perhaps the best description (though not certain) is "a road-maker cutting a straight path." Timothy is to keep the hearers on the way of truth by clearing out a straight path on which they may walk. The idea of road-making or plowing a straight furrow seems to fit the verses in Proverbs where this same word is used (Prov 3:6 and 11:5). The idea is clear: Timothy must teach the Word carefully and clearly to help the hearers stay on the path of life.

Faithful teachers are unlike Elymas, who was guilty of "perverting the straight paths of the Lord" (Acts 13:10). There is plenty of perverse or crooked Bible teaching today! We need an army of accurate handlers of God's Word. Perverse teaching leads people down a dead-end path. And those who teach false doctrine will not receive God's approval but rather God's judgment.

The teacher has neglected his path-giving assignment if he exchanges careful exposition for "irreverent, empty speech" (v. 16). Timothy is charged to "avoid" the temptation to get caught up in irreverent and irrelevant distractions because such things would damage his hearers. Paul said that they would "produce an even greater measure of godlessness." Faithful teachers have the goal of godliness, not godlessness. Godliness is cultivated as the Word of God is taught and changes people from the inside out. Godlessness comes when people exchange the beauty and truth of God's Word for the pettiness and falsehood of merely human ideas.

The Bad Workman (2:17-19)

The word picture for the bad workman was taken not from road construction or agriculture but from archery (Stott, Message, 68). The truth was likened to a marksman's target. Hymenaeus and Philetus were among those who had been led into empty talk and had thus "deviated from the truth" or "swerved from the truth" (v. 18 ESV). The word for "deviate" or "swerve" is the Greek verb astocheo, which is the negated verbal form of the noun stochos meaning "target." Bad teachers miss the mark.

These particular teachers deviated from one specific truth: the resurrection. They taught that "the resurrection [had] already taken place" (v. 18). Of course, Jesus has risen from the dead, and those who are true believers have been raised up with Christ (Eph 2:6). But the175 resurrection of believers' bodies, along with the glory of the new heavens and new earth, is still a future expectation (Acts 17:32; Rom 8:18-25; 1 Cor 15:12-58). These false teachers were leading others down the wrong path by denying a future bodily resurrection. They could have been early Gnostics who taught that the body was basically evil, and therefore a bodily resurrection was unnecessary and counterproductive. For them hope was found in losing our mortal bodies. Similarly, some today simply want to believe in the idea of the resurrection but not an actual bodily resurrection. Paul says these had all missed the mark. The resurrection, both Jesus' and our own, is no small thing. It is foundational to our faith (1 Cor 15).

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.

This is different from the modern worldview. Today is the age of "tolerance" and "relativism." "Whatever is true for you, is true for you," people say. 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.

What should Christians do in light of the presence of false teaching? They should "avoid irreverent, empty speech" (v. 16). They should stay on the path of truth, revealed in Holy Scripture. And they should do one more thing: they should avoid despair. Despite living in a world filled with Hymenaeuses and Philetuses who deny the Christian essentials, Paul reminds us of the comforting truth that "God's solid foundation stands" (v. 19).

The "foundation" probably refers specifically to the church as a whole. Paul is saying, "Do not despair, Christian! The church will go marching on because God alone is sovereign, and He has a people for Himself!" We know God has a people for two reasons, one invisible and the other visible. First, drawing on the story of the rebellion of Korah,176 Dathan, and Abiram in Numbers 16, Paul reminds us, "The Lord knows those who are His" (2 Tim 2:19). God knows the hearts of people. He knows who His true people are. As awful as the episode of Korah's rebellion was, it did not totally destroy the people of God. And as destructive as the false teaching is, it will not ultimately devastate the church. God has a people that He has chosen for Himself, and no false teacher will ultimately steal away the church of God.

Second, while we cannot see the hearts of people, we can see the lives of believers. Those who claim to be believers are urged to "turn away from unrighteousness." This exhortation reflects the sentiment of Psalm 34:14 and Proverbs 3:7. God's action in salvation results in a life of fruitful obedience. His people avoid wickedness and bear fruit.

Both of these realities, the doctrine of election and the fruitfulness of God's people, are glorious and mysterious, and they also remind us that God's church will endure. Christians should fear false teaching and run from false teachers, but they should not think the church would ever crumble, for no false teacher has that kind of power. The truth of God's sovereignty and the testimony of true believers tell us otherwise. This subject of godliness leads to the next image of a faithful teacher.

Image 2: The Clean Vessel

Image 2: The Clean Vessel

2 Timothy 2:20-22

Paul moves to household images to describe the lifestyle of responsible Bible expositors in these three verses. The illustration is simple enough. Houses are filled with utensils. There are pots and pans, cups and glasses, forks and dishes, and more. The gold and silver vessels are "for honorable use." The wood and clay vessels are used for "ordinary" or "dishonorable" use. The Master of the house uses the honorable vessels for special occasions. The dishonorable vessels are used for other menial tasks (and sometimes thrown away with their contents).

This "large house" (v. 20) seems to be the visible church ("God's household," 1 Tim 3:15). These "bowls" seem to be two types of teachers, not two types of believers (see Stott, Message, 71). Paul himself was described as a chosen "vessel" or "instrument" set apart for the special purpose of making Christ known among the Gentiles (Acts 9:15). These two types of vessels represent two types of teachers present in the first-century church at Ephesus and also in the church today. There are the good workmen and bad workmen or honorable vessels and dishonorable177 vessels, the Timothys and the Hymanaeuses. Faithful teachers are honorable vessels used by the Master of the house.

What then characterizes such privileged individuals? Paul says there is one indispensable condition: he must purify himself (v. 21). If the vessel is clean, it will be an honorable vessel used for special purposes.

The cleansing in view here is of both life and doctrine. Paul says, "If anyone cleanses himself from these things" (v. 21 NASB; emphasis added), and in this passage "these things" seems to refer back to the corrupt teaching of Hymenaeus and Philetus and the consequent result: "godlessness" (vv. 16-18). Paul also shows the connection between impure doctrine and impure living (see 1 Tim 1:19-20; 6:3-5). Another clue that a pure life (not just pure teaching) is in view is that the clean vessel metaphor is sandwiched between two verses that speak of personal holiness: "turn away from unrighteousness" (v. 19) and "flee from youthful passions, and pursue righteousness" (v. 22). To be an honorable vessel, one must pursue pure doctrine and pure living. This charge is consistent with Paul's qualifications for pastor-elders (1 Tim 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9). A clean vessel heeds the exhortation, "Pay close attention to your life and your teaching" (1 Tim 4:16).

While God has chosen impure vessels for His purposes in redemptive history (such as Nebuchadnezzar and Cyrus), we should remember that these were exceptional cases. The consistent command and expectation of God is for His people to be holy as He is holy (Lev 11:45; 1 Pet 1:16).

Paul gives three descriptions of this clean vessel. First, it must be "set apart" from unrighteousness and for righteousness. Second, clean vessels must be "useful to the Master," knowing He owned them and may do with them as He pleased. Third, clean vessels are also "prepared for every good work," meaning that they were willing and eager to be used of God for His glory.

In verses 22-23, Paul tells us specifically how to purify ourselves. He states both the negative and positive elements. Negatively, we must "flee from youthful passions." Often this phrase "youthful passions" is interpreted as sexual sin. While Scripture indeed teaches we must avoid this type of sin (see 1 Cor 6:18), the command in this context is not limited to sexual sin. What are these youthful passions, then? If we glance at verses 23-25, it seems best to understand these desires as the temptation to quarrel, be unkind, or be harsh. The remaining words in verse 22 also point us in this way, as we note how Timothy was to pursue love178 and peace. Young leaders have the temptation to indulge the flesh in a variety of ways including impatience, arrogance, stubbornness, recklessness, harshness, and unkindness.

I am personally challenged by this command because it is not just limited to sexual passions. It would be easy for a young leader to think that he is growing in maturity if he is abstaining from one particular temptation. But Paul will not allow us to reduce sanctification to abstaining from looking at pornography or engaging in adultery. Honorable vessels are clean vessels. Clean vessels flee from all that is not Christlike.

Positively, Paul tells Timothy to "pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart" (v. 22). The contrast could not be greater. The word "flee" is the term pheugo, from which we get our word fugitive. Paul is saying, "Run like Harrison Ford away from youth's passions!" But the term "pursue" (diako) is about running in the opposite way—toward something. (Paul makes the same "flee/pursue" challenge in 1 Tim 6:11.)

While believers are urged to flee certain things like idolatry, materialism, and sexual sin, they are not simply to say no to sin. They are also to say yes to God! They are to turn their minds away from sin and to meditate on the person of Christ and on their position in Christ. They must savor the Savior. They must delight in Jesus' finished work. And as they behold the glory of Christ, they will grow in godliness and experience His peace.

Do you want to be useful to the Master? By Christ's grace and through His power, you must pursue practical holiness. To a young ministerial student, the Scottish Pastor Robert Murray M'Cheyne (young himself!) said,

I know you will apply hard to German, but do not forget the culture of the inner man—I mean of the heart. How diligently the cavalry officer keeps his saber clean and sharp; every stain he rubs off with the greatest care. Remember you are God's sword, His instrument—I trust, a chosen vessel unto Him to bear His name. In great measure, according to the purity and perfection of the instrument, will be the success. It is not great talents God blesses so much as likeness to Jesus. A holy minister is an awful weapon in the hand of God. (Bonar, Memoirs, 95)179

If we neglect the priority of being a clean vessel, we will forfeit the privilege of being used by God. Still, many fail to take this call seriously. I have watched friends fall every year because of moral failure (mostly sexual sin). These were gifted men. They were theologically bright. They could teach systematic theology, parse Greek words, define "contextualization," provide a philosophy of multisite churches, and preach great sermons. Yet they failed to take care of the inner man.

Remember, the condition for usefulness is not skillfulness but holiness. Spurgeon said, "But let a man once become really holy, even though he has but the slenderest possible ability, and he will be a fitter instrument in God's hand than the man of gigantic accomplishments who is not obedient to the divine will, or clean and pure in the sight of the Lord God Almighty" (Spurgeon, Soulwinner, 41). Are you fleeing from sin and pursuing Christ?

Image 3: The Lord's Servant

Image 3: The Lord's Servant

2 Timothy 2:23-26

Paul's final word picture is a "slave" or servant (doulos). Before getting to it, notice again that Paul mentions the need to avoid word battles. This time Paul refers to them as "foolish and ignorant disputes" (v. 23). The word for "disputes" (zetesis) occurs once in each of the three Pastoral Epistles, with 1 Timothy 6:4 and Titus 3:9 being the other two. Paul seems to be alluding to foolish debates about speculations, myths, and genealogies (see 1 Tim 1:4). Of course, pastor-teachers must not avoid all controversy. In fact, they cannot escape it if they are teaching the Bible since everything a faithful teacher presents is by its nature controversial! These controversies refer to things that do not deserve time and energy. Senseless arguments only breed division and quarreling. Faithful teachers must be devoted to preaching revelation, not debating man's speculations.

The character of the Lord's servant is contrasted with false teachers who wished to quarrel about speculations. Fundamentally, the Lord's servant is to be gentle. Paul mentioned this twice in verses 24-25: "The Lord's slave must not quarrel, but must be gentle to everyone... instructing his opponents with gentleness" (emphasis added). Paul mentions this trait in his list of pastoral qualifications elsewhere (1 Tim 3:3). The faithful teacher is not to be hot tempered or violent (Titus 1:7). The easy road, the way of the flesh, would be to take our frustrations out on180 people with rash words or with a right hook! But the Lord's servant must pursue Christ, who by the Spirit produces the fruit of gentleness (Gal 5:23). Paul said to the Thessalonians that "we were gentle among you, as a nursing mother nurtures her own children" (1 Thess 2:7). What an image!

But do not miss what else Paul says. He does not tell Timothy to shrink back. That would be inconsistent with what has already been said in this letter. No, the Lord's servant was also charged to be "instructing his opponents" (v. 25). Gentleness does not mean timidity. It is strength under control. Timothy was called to correct his opponents but to do so gently.

The goal of such an attitude and such an approach is the opponents' salvation. Paul expresses the heart of an authentic evangelist with this phrase: "Perhaps God will grant them repentance leading them to the knowledge of the truth." Paul tells Timothy that the Lord's servant is not out to win arguments but to win souls. Faithful teachers want to see people turn from sin and to Christ ("repentance") and lay down their false doctrines for the truth of the gospel ("to know the truth").

Behind this is the belief that the real enemy is not the false teachers but the Devil, who has captured them to do his will. Paul wanted Timothy to share his desire in seeing that these opponents "may come to their senses and escape the Devil's trap." Notice the warfare. Those who oppose the gospel are in the grip of the evil one. They desperately need to come to the truth. Their hope is in the gentle gospel witness of the Lord's servant and in the Lord of grace, who may "grant them repentance," opening up their eyes to the person and work of Christ (cf. 2 Cor 4:4-6).

Who Is Sufficient for These Things?

Who Is Sufficient for These Things?

The call in this chapter is weighty. Faithful teachers, as unashamed workmen, must be diligent in Bible study and accurate in Bible teaching. They must work hard to keep the hearers on the right path. Faithful teachers, as honorable vessels, must maintain purity in both life and doctrine if they want to be used by the Master. They must flee youthful passions and pursue Jesus. Faithful teachers, as the Lord's servants, must avoid foolish controversies. They must gently speak truth to their opponents, praying that God may grant them repentance.181

These challenges make us cry out with Paul, "Who is sufficient for these things?" (2 Cor 2:16 ESV). Remember, "our competence is from God" (2 Cor 3:5). While we will fail at these tasks, we should take heart in the fact that there is One who fulfilled them all, and in Him and through Him we live out these exhortations faithfully.

Jesus was the ultimate unashamed workman, who perfectly taught God's Word. He taught with authority and not as the scribes, leading us on the path of eternal life. He could stand before the Father with no shame because He perfectly fulfilled the Father's will.

Jesus was the ultimate honorable vessel. He was set apart for the special occasion of rescuing sinners. Because of His perfect fulfillment of God's righteous requirements and His substitutionary death for sinners, we can be made righteous and are given the power to live out His character.

Jesus was the ultimate Lord's servant. He said He was "gentle and humble in heart" and that we can find rest if we come to Him (Matt 11:29). He is portrayed as both meek and majestic in the great Servant Songs of Isaiah. The suffering Servant endured the flogging of evil men and the mocking of sinners. He went to the cross like a sheep led to the slaughter (Isa 53:7). The Lord's Servant was wounded for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities (Isa 53:5). "He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth.... He bore the sin of many and interceded for the rebels" (Isa 53:7, 12). Jesus Christ, the Lord's Servant, is not only the model for all teachers, but He is also the person who gives us power to accomplish our mission of teaching the Word.

Reflect and Discuss