Saturday, February 14, 2015

2 Timothy 1.13-18

Paul continues to exhort Timothy to hold fast to the pattern of sound words, the doctrine which Paul the Apostle to the Gentiles has conveyed to him. Paul is explicit that the purity of the Gospel and by implication the sound or healthy Christian life is tied to 'words'... to ideas, doctrines and concepts rooted in true reality given to us via revelation. Knowing God through His Word is the route to holiness as opposed to human wisdom or unreliable emotion. This is not to say we do not 'feel'. By no means does it suggest that but the criteria for knowing Truth is through the Word and it is the sound and solid Word which produces sound and solid Christian living.

Paul would not understand those who seek to downplay the importance of doctrine. Those that root the Christian life in feeling and sentimentality are not being loyal to the Gospel taught here by Paul. At the same time... and it is worthy of a conversation in and of itself Paul would no doubt be frustrated the philosophically rooted speculative theology that developed in later ages of the Church and still haunts it and divides it today.

Our stand regarding Biblicism is derided as simplistic, naive, even childish and blind. Yet, in reality it is the only option for the Christian who would remain faithful to the Gospel which Paul preached. It is an act of humility to come to the Scriptures in meekness and faith and acknowledge that without revelation we are lost in terms of the spiritual world and thus in discerning reality itself... the world, the universe as it truly exists. Biblicism stands over and against the confidence in man's reason and ability as exemplified by the theology of the Scholastics.

Again, sound words are healthy words that produce healthy doctrine and right Christian living. Unsound, sickly or diseased words and doctrines generate cancers within the Church, lead to division and destruction. Doctrines or more properly theology built on unsound footings will also lead to houses (or systems) that topple when put under stress.

Though it sounds arrogant to our modern ears Paul is insisting that he has been given the Gospel Commission directly by Jesus Christ. His credentials are not a boast but a proclamation to the Gentile world that in the post-Ascension/Apostolic interim it is Paul who is the preeminent prophet.

The other Apostles no doubt engaged in great deeds. We only have hints and traditions concerning them and their martyrdoms but it is Paul who takes the center stage in both New Testament history and in the formation of the canon itself.

Rome boasts that we would have no Bible if it were not for the Church. In truth we would have no Church if it were not for the Bible. Once the Apostolic period ended it was the Bible alone which could guide the Church to discern the Church. It is the Bible that enables to be complete in our formation of Christian thought. We do not need (or desire for that matter) the authority of Popes or a Magisterium.

Do you want to know where the true Church is? Look to Paul and his Gospel. Rome was not faithful to it. She turned away long, long ago. Paul's Gospel is the lens through which we discern the Right and True Church of Jesus Christ.

Loyalty is an overarching consideration in this passage. Paul ties in Gospel fidelity with loyalty to him. Again, this is not hubris, but Paul crying out to the Gentile world that he is the true Apostle. His entire ministry has been plagued by false teachers and false apostles who seek to countermand his claims and teachings.

As in our own day, the Gospel which proclaims a Christian life of self-denial and suffering was unattractive. The false converts quickly become manifest and when the chips are down a massive apostasy ensues. Thus it has always been and I am confident we are seeing and will continue to see this pattern in the days ahead.

Paul cites the Christian population of Asia as an example, Asia here referencing the Roman province of Asia in today's Turkey. Onesiphorus is praised while the names of Phygellus and Hermogenes live in infamy as those who turned their backs on Paul in his hour of need.

It is not clear whether Paul is referencing 'Asian' Christians in Rome or speaking of news he received from Asia in reference to his arrest. It would seem plausible that Paul was arrested at Troas and since we don't know the full history here, there may have been a preliminary trial and imprisonment in Asia Minor... and thus a reference to the 'turning away' at that time. Or again it could reference an Asian community in Rome, or simply news Paul received regarding the fallout of his arrest among the Asian Christian community. I think the latter is most likely.

Paul exhorts Timothy to faith and love and ties this in with his concept of sound doctrine. He exhorts Titus in a similar way in chapter 1 verse 9. We are also reminded of his word to the Philippians (1.9-10) that their love would abound through a growth in knowledge and discernment. That's quite a different understanding that how we often hear it expressed today.

As we've talked about before, love is other-orientation. It is the opposite of self-focus. It is not about an experience that makes you feel good. It is an outward passion and devotion, a great outpouring of emotional energy into something outside you. For Christians it is Christ Himself who is the object of our love and devotion and it is our devotion to Christ that helps to hold fast and keep the truth and aids us in applying it to others... even in how we deal with those who speak lies or have harmed us.

In verse 14 we are reminded it is only the Holy Spirit that can help us in this awesome and seemingly impossible charge. Timothy is likewise exhorted to maintain this word through the Spirit's power. It is only by walking with God, living in His Word and in prayer that we can hope to accomplish this. But take comfort it is the Holy Spirit, the Living God that dwells in us.

How dull we are! We think of the glory of the Shekinah dwelling in the Tabernacle and Temple and how wondrous it would be see that light, to see the cloud and fiery pillar, the presence of God guiding his people. How dull we are in that we fail to rightly understand the Spirit's presence within us... both as individuals and as corporately as the Church of Jesus Christ.

As we read the New Testament we encounter the names of many individuals that we know next to nothing about. Phygellus and Hermogenes are on this list. Apart from their mention here we know nothing about them. Why then are they included in God's Holy Word?

The epistles are not philosophical treatises or systematic theologies. They are letters, real letters to real people. The names remind us of the community of believers who lived almost two thousand years ago. They lived real lives and had real struggles. Reading the list of names at the end of the epistles we are reminded of this and I have often thought of how wonderful it will be to meet this people in eternity. What a blessing to have you name included in Holy Writ.

But not so for Phygellus and Hermogenes. Their names are associated with shame, both in their stumbling at Paul's suffering and their turning away from him. And we are reminded of those today who know nothing of the Gospel and who instead teach you can have your best life now. They too would quickly turn from Paul. His message would hardly be an encouragement to them!

Onesiphorus diligently sought out Paul. Rome was a chaotic city, it still is in fact and Onesiphorus must have had to work to find Paul. He did not have directories and information offices at his disposal, let alone a telephone or computer. He would have had to search diligently and with zeal in order to locate Paul. Even the prison system was not an organized institution akin to what we have today.

And for Paul the ministries of a brother would have meant a great deal. The prison might provide bread and water, perhaps some gruel but beyond that it was up to family and friends to provide for the prisoner. This was not the house-arrest of Acts 28, this is something more dismal and desperate and without help Paul would have been among those prisoners in a truly destitute state.

Some believe by the way the passage is worded that Onesiphorus was dead at the time Paul wrote 2 Timothy. I don't believe that's entirely clear but it is possible. Regardless those who would distort the Apostle's words and suggest that he's advocating prayers for the dead are guilty of reading something into the passage that isn't there. It's an expression not a prescription and if Onesiphorus isn't dead, it's simply an expression of affection for a friend that meant much to him. Blessings on him and his family is the sum of what Paul is saying and that Onesiphorus (as it were) would earn an extra crown on that Day for the service he did Paul.

I realize the language here concerning the Judgment will make some uncomfortable, not to mention that exhortation to 'keep' the good thing in verse 14. There are many who have formulated a doctrine of Justification that leaves no room for works and faithfulness, no possibility of true growth or regression and no possibility of subsequent reward or punishment. They will encounter many such 'problem texts'. If we have problem texts it is we who have the problem and it is we who need to adjust and expand our understanding and bring it into conformity with God's Word.

Standing in Rome many years ago I often thought of Onesiphorus. A friend and I would read Romans and often 2 Timothy while there, especially as we walked among the ruins which were evocative to say the least. Despite the toppled columns and crumbling edifices the city still possesses a vibrant and chaotic quality. Even while wandering among the grass-grown ruins you can hear the pulse of the nearby traffic. It isn't too hard to imagine what it was like.

There's a prison near the ruined forum at the base of the Capitoline Hill where supposedly Paul was kept. It's mere tradition. The Papists have even designated a piece of column as the very one (according to tradition) Paul and Peter were chained to.

Despite that nonsense one cannot be moved to stand there among the ruins and think of Onesiphorus seeking out the Apostle. Just as today as the world races by, cars speeding along, honking, people talking on their mobile phones and jets whistling overhead... despite the differences it is very much the same.

Today just as then the lost world is running about chasing after vapors, things that are meaningless, things that will burn in the fire of judgment. No one would have guessed that a prisoner and a man seeking him in the turbulent city were in fact representatives of the Kingdom of God and doing Kingdom work. Onesiphorus' task was of far greater eternal importance that the great political and mercantile concerns of the city. People would have been concerned with the latest news from this or that frontier, the weather and its affect on shipping, the latest political maneuver or promotion... things which don't matter.

Onesiphorus a nobody, a nothing in the eyes of the world had the right focus and by demonstrating his loyalty to Paul he proclaimed his loyalty to Jesus Christ. May we have such keen and determined focus in these confusing, distracted and deceptive days in which we live.