Preach the Word
With his days on earth drawing to a close, the Apostle Paul remained steadfast. The year was approximately 64 AD, and the Emperor Nero was on a blood-thirsty mission to murder Christians, with Paul as the primary target of his fury. Yet, while sitting in the cold, dark prison cell, awaiting his inevitable execution, the Apostle to the Gentiles did not allow himself to be swallowed up by despair. Instead, in what would become his final letter recorded in Scripture, Paul demonstrated his great love for the church of Jesus Christ and his profound affection and concern for his spiritual son in the faith, Timothy.
Therefore, with the urgency of eternity as the backdrop, Paul’s words in 2 Timothy 4:1-5 carry with them a particular weightiness. Just before his final greetings and personal instructions, Paul provides his beloved Timothy with a final, divine charge. And yet, the foundation of that charge is, first, established upon the sufficiency of Scripture.
Continue in the Steadfastness of Sound Doctrine
Although chapter and verse divisions can often be helpful, Paul’s exhortation to Timothy in this section actually begins at the end of chapter 3. As seen in verses 14–17, the charge of chapter 4 is anchored to the nature of the sacred writings. Paul writes to Timothy, saying:
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
Paul’s desire for Timothy was clear. In contrast to those who were deceiving others and being deceived, the Apostle was calling his protégé, Timothy, to be consistent and resolute. And yet, in light of Timothy’s struggles, Paul wants to make it abundantly clear that the source for his steadfastness is not found within himself, but rather, in the God-breathed truth of Scripture. Therefore, appealing to Timothy’s godly heritage, and strong profession of faith, Paul commands him to continue in the steadfastness of sound doctrine.
This is an important truth for us to recognize as well. God has spoken His Word. He has breathed it out through His Prophets and Apostles, onto the pages of Scripture. And it is good and infinitely valuable for helping us to understand the truth of who God is and what He has done, for challenging us in our inconsistencies, for replacing our wrong thoughts about Him with right ones, and ultimately, for making us into the people He has called us to be.
And there’s no other way that God has ordained for this to happen. He does it all through His Word. Therefore, if we truly care about the sanctification and growth of God’s people; if we genuinely care about discipleship, then we must understand that the preaching of God’s word is the God-ordained means by which God transforms lives.
Preach the Sufficient Word of God
Upon this foundation of the inspired Word, the Apostle reaches the crescendo of the divine charge to Timothy, in verses 1–2, declaring:
I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word;
The gravitas of this charge should not be overlooked. Reflecting common language used in judicial proceedings of the first century, Paul invokes the presence of One far greater than any Roman magistrate or judge.[1] He reminds Timothy that this divine charge is being issued before the presence of the majestic God, and upon the authority of the eternal Judge, Jesus Christ. Then, sealing the solemnity of this charge upon Timothy’s heart, the Apostle Paul specifies the seriousness of the task. With the One, true, and living God as his witness, he declares that the imminent return of Christ and the consummation of His Kingdom is on the horizon.
Thus, with the magnitude of the circumstances clearly established, Paul issues the divine charge: Preach the word. This word “preach” comes from the Greek word “κηρύσσω” (kēryssō), which means “to herald, or proclaim.” But notice that the message Timothy is called to proclaim is “the word.” He is not being called to be an innovator of modern philosophies, or to pontificate on worldly ideologies. Rather, he’s simply called to preach the God-breathed, Spirit-inspired word of God.
Therefore, the role of preaching is like that of the medieval town crier. Before the days of newspapers or modern media, it was the job of the town crier to stand up among the citizens of the town square and proclaim the news given to him by the king. It was the town crier’s job to deliver the news of victorious military battles, royal decrees, and the like. And yet, the church has been called to herald the greatest news ever known to man.
However, instead of serving faithfully as the town crier, many churches today often prefer to act as the court jester, entertaining the city guests and telling jokes and stories to the townspeople. Rather than delivering the good news from the king, many churches today have abandoned the divine charge. In hopes of gathering a crowd to keep them coming back for more, many have replaced evangelism with entertainment, all the while neglecting to tell the citizenry about their lost condition and the only hope for eternal life.
In contrast, a healthy church is no fool. Healthy churches desire to obey their king. Rather than alter the message or abdicate their calling, healthy churches faithfully proclaim the word. Instead of preaching sermons saturated with quaint stories and fluffy anecdotes, a healthy church honors God by proclaiming, “Thus saith the Lord.” Instead of bouncing around the Bible and picking out random passages, a healthy church says, “Give me the whole counsel of God’s Word.” When a church walks through the Bible together, book-by-book, chapter-by-chapter, and verse-by-verse, the agenda of preaching no longer revolves around the opinions of the preacher, but rather on the guidance of our God.
Fulfill the Spirit-Empowered Ministry
With the preeminent mandate to Timothy delivered, the Apostle Paul continues, in verses 2–5, to provide his spiritual son with several clarifying exhortations, saying:
be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
It is important for us to understand that these imperatives are not arbitrary. Rather, each of them are directly connected and anchored to the nature of Scripture. This can be clearly seen when comparing these exhortations to the description of God’s Word found in chapter 3, verses 14–17.
Pastors are called to be prepared at all times to preach the word with the aim of:
Reproving: This means to convict or call to someone to account for their error in doctrine. Why? Because Scripture is valuable for doing the work of reproof (2 Tim 3:16).
Rebuking: This is a strong expression of disapproval for one’s sinful conduct. How is this carried out? Through the preaching of God’s Word that is effectual for correction (2 Tim 3:16).
Exhorting: This means to encourage and strengthen someone toward godliness. The same word that reproves and rebukes, also builds up and trains for righteousness (2 Tim 3:16).
Teaching: With Paul’s use of the word “patiently,” this is a reference to explaining the meaning of God’s word in a way that demonstrates a loving, gentle disposition. The preacher can do this with confidence, not primarily because he is a great teacher, but because the word is profitable for teaching (2 Tim 3:16).
Evangelizing: This refers to sharing the good news of the gospel. It isn’t the job of the preacher to presume upon the spiritual condition of his hearers. Instead, he is to do the work of an evangelist, for as he speaks to men about God, it is the Lord who uses His Word to make men of God (2 Tim 3:17).
Enduring: This means to persevere through the hostility experienced by those who hate the truth. Not only is the word sufficient for the hearer, but it is also sufficient for the preacher, as he too is being made complete (2 Tim 3:17).
Fulfilling: The ultimate goal of every preacher must be to complete the mission he’s been given. The success of a preacher’s ministry is not determined by results of fruitfulness, but by a testimony of faithfulness. And by God’s grace, faithfulness is possible, because the word equips the man of God for every good work (2 Tim 3:17).
As Paul prepared to end the final chapter of his own ministry, he sought to prepare Timothy for the path of ministry that was before him. In doing so, he wanted his dear friend to entrust his confidence in ministry to the all-sufficient word of God. Following Paul’s example, may we too place our confidence in this all-sufficient word, that we might fight the good fight, run the race, and keep the faith. For, when we do, there will be prepared for us a crown of righteousness, which Christ the Lord, our righteous judge, will award to us and to everyone who have loved his appearing (2 Tim 4:7–8).
References:
[1] John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: 2 Timothy (Moody Publishers: Chicago, IL. 1995), 168.