Gospel of John [17:17-18]. The Lord's priestly prayer; part 33. 2Ti 2; Practical Sanctification.

Title: Gospel of John [17:17-18]. The Lord's priestly prayer; part 34. 2Ti 2; Practical Sanctification.

 

2TI 2:10 For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory.

 

2TI 2:11 (a) It is a trustworthy statement [faithful is this word - vs. 10]:

 

What comes next enforces the teaching.

 

2TI 2:11 (b) For if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him;

 

If we died with Him is an aorist indicative, meaning this is not a hypothetical but a past fact, we died with Him. The aorist reveals that this is not a present condition. My old nature is not in the process of dying. It is dead. In reality, judicially, it was crucified 2,000 years ago at Cavalry, which was applied to me the moment I believed in Christ as my Savior.

 

If we have died with Him, and every believer has, then we shall also live with Him now and into eternity.

 

2TI 2:12 If we endure [hupomeno = remain patiently under suffering until the Lord delivers], we shall also reign with Him [in the Millennial kingdom]; If we deny Him, He also will deny us;

 

2TI 2:13 If we are faithless, He remains faithful; for He cannot deny Himself.

 

There are two interpretations to this which both fit and do not contradict.

 

Interpretation 1: The deniers and the unfaithful are the unbelievers that Paul is using as an example of those who cannot endure so that we will not collapse and succumb as they do.

 

Yet, Paul may also be motivating the believer who is tempted to deny the Lord (example Peter) and can become faithless. In this interpretation the meaning of "for He cannot deny Himself" is that He cannot deny us who are in Him, even when we are faithless. Whatever is not of faith is sin. At isolated times we are all faithless and sometimes those faithless periods are not so isolated and lengthy. A reversionistic believer is in Christ forever and to the same extent as a faithful believer. Under this interpretation, His denying us who deny Him in verse 12, would refer to Him denying the announcement of our new name or title before the Father and His angels, which is a reward for the overcomer.

 

MAT 10:32-33

"Everyone therefore who shall confess Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. "But whoever shall deny Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.

 

REV 3:5

'He who overcomes shall thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name [new name] from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father, and before His angels.

 

And so this interpretation fits as well. Both are of the truth and so there is no conflict. One cannot be determined 100% over the other and so there should be no bickering or wrangling over words. In situations like this, maybe God wants us to search out both so that we come to know both interpretations deeper and so we know the truth deeper.

 

Interpretation 2: The deniers and unfaithful are believers who are behaving as unbelievers. Paul motivates by showing that a lifestyle of this will cause Christ to deny rewards, yet He can never deny the believer.

 

I will not detail the third interpretation that is a bit less common than these but still common enough, which falsely teaches that the deniers who are faithless believed but didn't have a true faith and so were never saved and cannot be saved. I believe this to be a subtle and terrible evil because they conclude that the believer cannot know that he's saved unless there is evidence by his holy living and this is just a more subtle form of salvation by works and not by faith.

 

So whether it is the motivation of our position or the loss of rewards, practical sanctification is vital to the fulfillment of each of our earthly ministries, just as it was to Paul and Timothy.

 

2TI 2:14 Remind them of these things, and solemnly charge them in the presence of God not to wrangle about words, which is useless, and leads to the ruin of the hearers.

 

When it comes to the significant importance of life and death, time and eternity, there is no point in contending with one another over trifling matters.

 

The world bickers over such trifling things but we are not of the world, but a house of believers, the body of Christ, the royal family of God. We do not compromise the truth, but we also do not bicker with one another over conjectured, minor views. When we do we look just like the world. But when we operate in love, forgiveness, compassion, gentleness, and so unity, we are sanctified from the world and that becomes a tremendous testimony for the gospel.  
 

This is why he is commanded to remind them of the grave and real matters of the first paragraph and the example of vv. 11-13 because we can all become wranglers [to fight, quarrel, or dispute] over matters of  doctrine that do not involve life and death.

 

Paul describes quarreling words as unprofitable or useless. And it actually has a real and negative impact [Greek: katastrophe = overturn, overthrow, throw down] on those who hear it.

 

This word we have transliterated into catastrophe. It is used in the Septuagint for the overthrow of men and cities.

 

This is then another area that believers should sanctify themselves from or set themselves apart from, the arguers of trivial and conjectural matters.

 

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

 

"Be diligent" - spouda,zw[spoudazo; aorist active imperative] = study diligently, to hasten to do a thing, to exert oneself, to endeavor.

 

Presenting myself to God for service is another way of stating sanctification in the truth.

 

Common uses of this word are found from the time period and in each case there is effort to do something. Examples: anxious to send a letter, hurrying to make something, making haste to do something, to do one's best, to take care to do something.

 

"make haste, do your best, give diligence to show yourself approved [dokimos (adj.) - testable, to put to the test for the purpose of approving] to God"

 

The verbal form of dokimos means "to put to the test for the purpose of approving, and finding that the person or thing meets the specifications laid down, to put one's approval upon that person or thing."

 

We think of "approved" as meaning to impress, but we are not to impress God, but to be testable, someone who can be put to the test.

 

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.

 

The words, "to God," are to be understood with the verbal form, "to present." It is, "Do your best to present yourself to God, approved."

 

"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.