Faithful Til The End

2 Timothy 2:10–13

10 Therefore, I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.

11 Here is a trustworthy saying:

If we died with him,

we will also live with him;

12 if we endure,

we will also reign with him.

If we disown him,

he will also disown us;

13 if we are faithless,

he remains faithful,

for he cannot disown himself.

The Bible teaches us about so many truths, but this particular series of verses (v. 10–13) tells us the simplest of truths about our faith and our assurance of Salvation in Christ.

The chapter begins with Paul’s warning to Timothy regarding the difficulties of the ministry, which gives us an idea of what had been happening to the early Christians in Rome.

The word that struck me the most in this chapter was “faithful”. Just like some of the simplest of truths in the Bible, the word doesn’t convey too a fancy of a thought, but is strongly tied to an action, which is to endure. Enduring, though painful and inconvenient, is something, we as Christians, must accept to be a part of our earthly life.

Paul’s words of instruction and encouragement to Timothy were beautiful and uplifting that it did not even cross my mind that he was writing this in fear of losing his life. I mean, how could he be afraid? He was talking about hope and the faithful Christian’s reward in Christ Jesus. Even more stunning was the fact that he had not yet tasted any of these “rewards” in his earthly life, but is so certain of it that he’d even put his life on the line. What boldness!

Now I want to talk about rewards in the context of the Christian life. The lives of the apostles reflected it so perfectly. That if we are in Christ, there is nothing else we need. That Christ is enough. But can we so boldly say it as Paul did in his letters, fully knowing that his time on earth was about to end?

The answer to the question is a mystery to all of us. Perhaps, if we found ourselves at the point that there really is nothing in this life for us, that we will choose to look forward to Christ.

We embrace so much baggage — the pressures and desires of this life, that we become grounded too much to the world. But this is not to say that we mustn’t live in the here and the now. Our time will ultimately matter with the way we live today, but in the context of eternity.

Dear Jesus, we thank you for your Word. Thank you that even the simplest of truths can give us so much hope, life, and heavenly joy to look forward to. Forgive us, Lord, for resigning ourselves to constant pain of wanting to belong to this world marked by our daily choices. Teach us to seek Your presence in everything we do, and help us to be fully dependent on You, just like Paul was, even in the direst times of his life, as we are living right now. We thank You for Your love and grace, dear Lord. We commit to You our decisions for today and the rest of our lives. Thank You, Jesus. All these things we pray, in Your mighty name. Amen.