Gospel of John [17:17-18]. The Lord's priestly prayer; part 35. 2Ti 2; Practical Sanctification.

Title: Gospel of John [17:17-18]. The Lord's priestly prayer; part 35. 2Ti 2; Practical Sanctification.

 

 

2TI 2:15 Be diligent [hasten, exert, endeavor] to present yourself approved [testable] to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth.

 

A workman approved is a workman who has been put to the test, and meeting the specifications, has won the approval of the one who has subjected him to the test.

 

"does not need to be ashamed" - a workman who has no cause for shame when his work is being inspected.

 

If the one and only perfect God inspected the work, would He approve? Remember, HEB 10:17 "And their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more." Forget about sin and ask yourself what God would think of your system of thinking, your motivation, your objectives, your purposes, your desires, your goals, your loves. Are you testable or would you crumble under tests of undeserved suffering? There is no guilt or condemnation in this at all. If I find I answer those questions negatively then I conclude something in humility: I need to know more of Him. We cannot change ourselves. Only God's word and God the Holy Spirit can change us.

 

"Rightly dividing" is orthotomeo, which literally means to cut straight. The gospel and all truth must be handled rightly, without abridging it, not with strife (v. 14), and without falsification.

 

Moulton and Milligan suggest that it might be a metaphor derived from the stone mason's art of cutting stones fair and straight to fit into their places in a building. They quote Sophocles, a Greek writer, using it to mean, "expound soundly." Vincent defines the word, "to cut straight," as paths, 'to hold a straight course, to make straight, to handle rightly." He says: "The thought is that the minister of the gospel is to present the truth rightly, not abridging it, not handling it as a charlatan, not making it a matter of wordy strife (v. 14), but treating it honestly and fully, in a straightforward manner." One expositor suggests, "Since Paul was a tentmaker and knew how to cut straight the rough camel-hair cloth, why not let that be the metaphor? Certainly plenty of exegesis is crooked enough (crazy-quilt pattern) to call for careful cutting to set it straight."

 

2TI 2:16 But (contrast to v. 15) avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness,

 

"avoid" - peri?,isthmi[periistemi] to turn one's self about, to give a wide berth.

 

As long as the world goes on there will be worldly and empty chatter, but we should turn from it, akin to sanctification, and give it a wide birth, in other words, let it go right by you rather than step in its path and get involved with it.

 

"worldly" - be,bhloj[bebelos] = lawful to be trodden down, common, as opposed to that which is set apart to God, holy.

 

This word has the nuance of that which is common, common to the world system from which every believer has been delivered and in Christ, has overcome.

 

"empty chatter" - kenofwni,a[kenophonia] = lit. empty voice. Emptyness of good, but since man's soul is never empty, it is a voice of evil. Discussions of vain and useless matters.

 

This doesn't mean discussions about the weather or other fairly non-vital things are evil. This is the babbling of an evil mind that seeks his own glory through lies, deceit, flattery, or any other means by which to fill his self-indulgent ego.

 

"In contrast turn away from unholy and evil chatter, for it will lead to more ungodliness."

 

Ungodliness is a description of an attitude towards God just as is godliness which means to be well devoted to God. The emphasis is not so much on character but attitude.

 

2TI 2:17 and their talk will spread [grow and increase] like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus,

 

Our word gangrene is a transliteration of gaggraina in the Greek, which means an eating sore. Thayer defines it as follows: from the verb, "to gnaw, eat"; "a disease by which any part of the body suffering from inflammation becomes so corrupted that, unless a remedy be seasonably applied, the evil continually spreads, attacks other parts, and at last eats away at the bones." Unholy and evil chatter can ruin a person's life or soul in the same way a virus or lack of blood flow can destroy bodily tissue. Hence the need of sanctification in the truth.

 

Hymenaeus, a false teacher and opponent of the apostle Paul in Ephesus, was delivered over to Satan.

 

1TI 1:18 This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may fight the good fight,

 

1TI 1:19 keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith.

 

Here we see that these men taught that faith didn't need a good conscience or what would be holy and divine standards and priorities to live by. Being Gnostics they would have taught that the body was evil, as all matter is, and that the Christian should give his body whatever it desires so long as the head was learning knowledge. This appealed to some in the Church and they suffered destruction or shipwreck.

 

1TI 1:20 Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have delivered over to Satan, so that they may be taught not to blaspheme.

 

Since one of Satan's attacks is the destruction of the flesh, as we see with Job, it may be [conjecture] that this man developed some type of gangrene, which adds great weight to Paul's warning.

 

1CO 5:5

I have decided to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

 

2TI 2:17 and their talk will spread [grow and increase] like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus,

 

2TI 2:18 men who have gone astray from the truth saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and thus they upset the faith of some.

 

It is likely that these men were Gnostics who taught that the resurrection was only something mystical and not bodily. Saying it already took place means that they were teaching the Gnostic heresy that the only resurrection was the one in which man separates his spirit from all things physical through understanding of knowledge and that there was no physical, bodily resurrection. In their heresy, all matter was evil and so there could not have been a bodily resurrection of Jesus or any other person. As we have noted, if these things, like the person of Christ, His power, His miracles, and His physical resurrection are not real then all of Christianity becomes just another myth that no one should be willing to suffer for. Hence these men upset the faith of some, causing shipwreck in some of those to whom Paul revealed the truth. The workers for the gospel must be sanctified and willing to stand on the reality of Christ's truth no matter what.   

 

2TI 2:19 Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands [perfect tense: stands forever], having this seal, "The Lord knows those who are His," and, "Let everyone who names the name of the Lord abstain from wickedness."

 

It is most likely that Paul is referring to the Church when he states that the firm foundation of God stands. All the attacks, all the false doctrines, all the worldly and evil chatter will destroy individuals who reject the truth but they will not ever destroy the Church, the body and bride of Christ.

 

1TI 3:14 I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long;

 

1TI 3:15 but in case I am delayed, I write so that you may know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.

 

The seal on the Church is that the Lord knows those who are His. There is a portion of them that do not pursue practical sanctification in the truth but they are never taken out of His and the Father's hands. Yet since He has provided surpassing grace and power to abstain from wickedness, there will always be a remnant of believers who pursue practical sanctification in the truth and they will be useful to Him as workers of His gospel and truth. They will be witnesses of Him and they will glorify Him and the Father in the midst of a world that God has allowed Satan to rule for a short time longer.

 

MAT 16:18

"And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it.

 

The seal on the Church and so on every believer as a member of the organic body that is the Church has two inscriptions; security and purity.

 

The seal: Security and Purity.

 

The Lord knows those who are His = security of our position in Him.

 

Let everyone who names the name of the Lord abstain from wickedness = the right of every believer to be sanctified by means of the truth and God the Holy Spirit.

 

pic: American seal

 

EPH 1:13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation —  having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,

 

EPH 1:14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory.

 

Looking at the seal in this way should give further understanding to the ministry of the Holy Spirit in sanctifying the believer experientially.

 

EPH 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

 

Every believer will be resurrected on that day whether they constantly grieved the Spirit or not, but if we look at both aspects of the seal, we see that it is that security but also the right and qualification to live in purity, which can only be accomplished by the ministry of God the Holy Spirit in the believer's life. A life of grieving the Holy Spirit would deny the second part of the seal.