JOTGES 1:1 (Autumn 88) p. 21-33
Secure Yet Scrutinized
2 Timothy 2:11-13
—
Brad McCoy
Pastor
Fellowship Bible Church Shreveport, Louisiana
I. Introduction
Salvation from hell is a free gift received through faith alone in the Lord Jesus Christ.1 The regenerate person is secure in his possession of eternal life from the moment of saving faith because of the faithfulness of God to him.2 In stark contrast, true, vibrant discipleship involves a costly commitment of a believer’s life, expressed through steadfast obedience to Jesus Christ.3 The enduring disciple is promised special reward in Christ’s future kingdom because of his faithfulness to God.4
These fundamental truths are proclaimed by the Apostle Paul in 2 Tim 2:11–13. This passage revolves around four problematic conditional clauses (if… [then] constructions). In these verses Paul maintains that a believer in Christ is secure in his ownership of eternal life, yet his Christian life will be scrutinized by the Lord and special privilege and reward will be conferred on him only if he is found to have been faithful.
II. Secure Salvation
(2 Timothy 2:11)
Introductory Formula
Every Christian who at times has doubted his own salvation should memorize and meditate on this comforting verse. Verse 11 begins with the introductory formula, “It is a trustworthy statement:” (pistos ho logos).5 It has often been noted that this attestation, unique to the
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Pastoral Epistles (1 Tim 1:15; 3:1; 4:9; 2 Tim 2:11; Titus 3:8) focuses special attention on the series of conditional clauses that follow in vv 11–13.6
Conditional clauses are made up of two major subclauses—an “if clause” and a “conclusion clause.” These two subclauses are technically termed the “protasis” and the “apodosis” respectively. This article will proceed by separately considering the if clause (the protasis) and the conclusion clause (the apodosis) of v 11.
The “If Clause” of Verse Eleven
The conditional clause of v 11 begins with the subclause, “For if we died with Him … “7 The verb translated “we died with Him” (synapethanomen) is in the aorist tense. The aorist tense here may be regarded as culminative in aspect. Dana and Mantey define this category as follows: “The aorist is employed in this meaning when it is wished to view an event in its entirety, but to regard it from the viewpoint of its existing results.”8 Specifically, here in 2 Tim 2:11 this verb refers to the believer’s identification with the death of Christ at the moment of salvation.9 Paul expresses the same basic idea in Rom 6:5: “For if we
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have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection.” Similarly, Paul says in Rom 6:8: “Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him.” The verb synapethanomen here in 2 Tim 2:11 could perhaps better be rendered “we have died with Him.”10 At the moment of the new birth, the old self, i.e., the person one was before salvation, ceases to exist; “he died.” Regenerate people are transformed into new creatures in Christ (2 Cor 5:17).11 Their old selves are dead and their new lives are now “hidden with Christ in God” (Col 3:3). Like Paul, all believers “have been crucified (i.e., “have died”) with Christ” (Gal 2:20).
The “Conclusion Clause” of Verse Eleven
The conditional clause of v 11 concludes with the subclause, “We shall also live with Him.” The verb syzēsomen is a predictive future, affirming that this life with Christ will surely commence at some time in the future. The person who has trusted Christ as Savior (and who has thus died with Him) will ultimately live in Christ’s presence.12 For Paul this future life with Christ began at the moment of his physical death. The anticipation of living in Christ’s presence was never far from Paul’s consciousness (see 2 Cor 5:5–7; Phil 1:23; 1 Thess 1:10) and was clearly a major motivating factor for him to remain steadfastly faithful to the Lord despite the many difficulties and stresses he had to face in his Christian life.
Summary
If we have died with Christ—and every believer has—then we will
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also live with Him! Verse 11 is an uncompromising statement of the absolute certainty that every believer possesses of living with Christ in the future. Nothing in the remainder of this passage (or any other passage of Scripture, for that matter) will contradict this clearly stated axiom.13 Therefore, any interpretation of the following three conditional clauses which denies complete assurance to all believers of future life in the presence of Christ must be recognized as unbiblical.
III. Scrutinized for Possible Reward
(2 Timothy 2:12)
While v 11 was a statement of certainty, v 12 is a statement of contingency. The Christian will definitely live with Christ in the future. However, he may or may not receive special commendation and reward from the Lord at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Verse 12, correctly understood, is motivational, designed to encourage Timothy (and by application, every believer) to be consistently faithful to the Lord in his Christian life. In context, Paul has been exhorting his friend to be a good “soldier,” “athlete,” and “farmer” for the Lord (2 Tim 2:3–6), following the ultimate example of Christ Himself (2 Tim 2:8) and the immediate example of the Apostle Paul (2 Tim 2:9, 10). Verses 11–13, but especially v 12, fit nicely into this contextual setting in affirming that the quality of a believer’s Christian life on earth will affect the quality of his future eternal experience with Christ.14
The two conditional clauses of v 12 describe opposing extremes of Christian conduct, endurance for Christ and denial of Christ. To be properly understood it is imperative that these two statements be interpreted in light of the immediately preceding declaration of v 11. The sinner who has trusted Christ, has died with Him, and will also live with Him in the future. Verse 11 thus makes it absolutely clear that the future destination of believers is not in doubt. The issue of a believer’s living a life of enduring fidelity to his Lord, however, is very much in question. Will the Christian steadfastly live in submission to Christ or will he consistently deny Christ’s Lordship and its implications over his or her life? The Word of God is clear that not all believers faithfully live for their Lord while on earth (Acts 19:18–19; 1 Cor 3:1–3; 11:30; Gal 5:16–21; 1 Tim 1:19–20; 2 Tim 2:17–18; Heb 4:1–2, 11).15
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Only those Christians who demonstrate an enduring, persistent faithfulness to the Lord in this life will receive special reward in the next. Carnal believers who live selfishly, denying Christ’s Lordship over their lives, will be denied special commendation when their Christian experience is evaluated by the Lord.
The First Conditional Clause of Verse Twelve
“If we endure, we shall also reign with Him.” Surely this is one of the grandest promises of the entire Bible. The verb rendered “we endure” is in the present tense. The present tense here has a gnomic or customary force—making a basic general statement describing the overall character of a believer’s life. It does not have in view a life of perfect sinlessness, which is, of course, impossible (1 John 1:8, 10). Rather it refers to a life of consistent faithfulness.
Clearly the concept of endurance mentioned here (“if we endure”) is a crucial one in v 12 and in this entire passage. An appreciation of its overall Pauline and NT usage is vital in order to fully understand its function here in 2 Tim 2:12.
The verb hypomenō (“to endure”) and the related noun hypomenē (“endurance”) are often used in exhortations to believers. In Rom 12:12 Paul encouraged the believers in Rome to be “persevering [i.e., enduring] in tribulation.” Interestingly, this exhortation is preceded by the injunction to “rejoice in hope.” This is not surprising, because hope and steadfast endurance are of necessity linked (1 Thess 1:3 and Jas 5:11). A believer’s confident expectation of one day being in the presence of Jesus (his hope) is the basis of steadfast endurance in the midst of the difficulties of this present life on earth. This same interrelationship between hope and endurance is found in 2 Tim 2:11, 12. Verse 11 affirms the believer’s secure hope, and then v 12 calls the believer to a life of endurance for Christ here and now while on earth.
Endurance is an essential component of a “worthy walk” (Col 1:11; Rom 5:3, 4; Jas 1:3, 4). It is a demonstration of the Christian’s love for the Lord (compare 1 Cor 13:7 with Jas 1:12). Endurance involves the believer following the example of the life of Christ, who endured, remaining faithful to the Father’s will even to the point of going to the cross (1 Pet 2:20–23; Heb 12:2, 3; see also Phil 2:8). Endurance is often seen and commended in the NT. Good examples of steadfast endurance include Paul himself (2 Tim 2:10; 3:10), older men in the local church (Titus 2:2), the Ephesians (Rev 2:2, 3), the Thyatirans (Rev 2:19), the Philadelphians (Rev 3:10), and Tribulation martyrs (Rev 13:10; 14:12).
Special commendation and reward is promised to believers who faith-
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fully endure for the Lord. James 1:12 mentions “the crown of life” which will be bestowed upon Christians who endure for Christ in the face of especially difficult trials. Matthew 16:24–27 (cf. Mark 8:34–38 and Luke 9:23–26) can be best understood if taken in reference to future acknowledgment and reward for the believer who “saves his life” from the degradation and temporal death-dealing effects of personal sin.16 Second Peter 1:5–7 lists several character qualities, including endurance, which if manifested in the Christian’s life will cause his entrance into Christ’s Kingdom to be “abundantly supplied” (i.e., richly rewarded). Heb 10:36 (see also 6:12) teaches that endurance is necessary in order to receive “the promises which, according to the argument of Hebrews, has to do with promises that steadfastly faithful believers will be special partners (metachoi) of Christ during His millennial reign on the earth.17 Examining carefully, then, the NT data, one becomes aware of the basic principle that endurance for Christ in the life of the believer will lead to that believer’s receiving special reward over and above the experience of eternal life with Christ. 18
Second Timothy 2:12a echoes this basic truth, because it states that the believer who is faithful “shall also reign with Him [Christ].” While all believers will enter Christ’s Kingdom (v 11, “we shall live with Him”), only those who are consistently faithful in their Christian experience will also reign with Jesus. The verb symbasileusomen, rendered “we shall also reign with Him,” means “to rule as king with someone.”19 It refers to possessing a special place of authority in Christ’s millennial administration. This exciting possibility is the same truth taught in the parable of the minas by Jesus Himself (Luke 19:11–27). The Lord used this story to illustrate the principle that faithful service for the Master will ultimately result in His conferring various levels of governmental authority upon reliable believers, consistent
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with the individual’s level of faithfulness, when He returns to establish His Kingdom. In Matt 19:29 the Lord Jesus promised Peter that he and the other disciples who had left everything to steadfastly follow Him: “in the regeneration [Millennium] when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne you also will sit upon twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” In the next verse Christ affirmed the general principle that every believer who has displayed an enduring commitment to walk with Him will receive “many times as much” in rewards (see also Luke 22:24–30; Matt 16:27). Likewise, in Rev 2:26, Jesus declared that believers “who keep” His “deeds to the end” will receive special millennial “authority over the nations.20
The Second Conditional Clause of Verse Twelve
“If we deny Him, He will also deny us.” The second conditional clause of v 12 describes what will happen to the Christian who fails to live a consistent life of faithful endurance for Christ. If a believer “denies Christ” by not remaining steadfast for Him, he will in turn be denied the reward of “reigning with Him.” The verb rendered “(if) we deny Him” is a present tense form of arneomai.21 Like its polar opposite “(if) we endure” in the first conditional clause of v 12, it has a gnomic or customary force. It describes the general overall character of a believer’s experience. Link and Tiedtke, in The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, delineate the meaning of this verb as follows: “Generally arneomai means to fall back from a previous relationship with him into unfaithfulness … . The opposite of this denial is ‘to hold fast’ (Rev 2:13), or ‘to be faithful’ (2:10).”22 They further state that it is used to describe a “failure in discipleship. “23
That it is possible for believers to “deny Christ” is clear in the NT. Peter and the other Apostles (see Matt 26:35) on one infamous occasion blatantly denied their Lord (Matt 26:70; Mark 14:68, 70; Luke 22:57; John 18:25, 27).24 Denial of Christ by a believer need not be limited
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necessarily to such dramatic settings, but can involve simple refusal to shoulder one’s biblical responsibilities in any area. This is illustrated in I Tim 5:8, which warns that the believer who neglects to provide for his own family has in effect “denied the faith, and is worse than an unbeliever” Specifically in 2 Tim 2:12b the denial in view is not a single act of denial of sinful selfishness but is rather descriptive of a general failure or breakdown in discipleship.25
If we fail to live a consistent life of discipleship then “He also will deny us.” In describing the Lord’s denial of the unfaithful believer, Paul again uses a form of arneomai here meaning “to refuse, to disdain.”26 How will Christ deny the unfaithful believer? Or to put the question another way: What and how will He refuse the unfaithful believer? First the interpreter must remember that this passage has already established the fact that every believer will live with Christ (v 11). Additionally, Paul has also affirmed that those believers who faithfully endure in their Christian experience will receive special rewards and prerogatives in Christ’s Kingdom (they “will reign with Him”). In context then, the denial spoken of here has to do with the Lord’s denying the unfaithful believer the privilege of intimate, high-level interaction with Him in governing the millennial state.27 First Corinthians 3:15 sheds additional light on the negative consequences of such denial because it indicates that the unfaithful, unfruitful believer will be denied reward at the Judgment Seat of Christ, “but he himself shall be saved” (i.e., the unrewarded believer will still “live with Christ”).28
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Summary
The warning given in v 12 to believers who fail to endure in a life of fruitful fellowship is a solemn one indeed, but it should not be made more somber than it actually is. This caution does not threaten the unfaithful believer with loss of future life with Christ. It does, however, warn that the consequences of unfaithfulness in the Christian life include the forfeiture of future reward. As always, the principle of evaluation (not salvation from hell) according to works comes into play (see Matt 16:27; 1 Cor 3:13; 2 Cor 5:10; Rev 22:12). Shameful living as a child of God will be recognized as such when the Lord personally assays the quality of each believer’s life on earth (Rom 14:10–12).
IV. Still Secure in Spite of Scrutiny
(2 Timothy 2:13)
Verse 13 is a reaffirmation of the comforting and foundational truth of this passage that “we shall live with Him” (v 11). The solemn reference to possible major failure by the Christian (“if we deny Him”) and the serious consequence (“He also will deny us”) in the previous verse demands a reassuring word. Many commentators have erroneously interpreted v 13 to be merely a restatement of the second conditional clause of v 12.29 Thus they understand v 13 as meaning, “If we are faithless” (i.e., if we deny Him), He stays “faithful” in the sense that He will certainly carry out the threat of v 12 (“He will deny us”). This writer agrees with Barrett that it is inconceivable that Paul would appeal to God’s faithfulness as the basis of a threat!30
Correctly understood, v 13 is designed to give assurance to (even fallen) believers without encouraging them to fall (or to stay fallen).31 This verse affirms the pivotal truth that the believer is both saved and secure based on God’s faithfulness to him, not based on his faithfulness (or lack thereof) to God. While it is important to remember that v 13 does nothing to dilute the stern warning of v 12, it primarily functions
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to affirm the absolute security of all believers based on the absolute fidelity to them of their saving God.
The “If Clause” of Verse Thirteen
The conditional clause of v 13 begins with the subclause, “If we are faithless …” It is crucial to recognize that the verb rendered “(if) we are faithless” in this context describes unfaithfulness in the lives of regenerate people, not a lack of saving faith.32 This same verb is found in ancient secular documents describing “disloyal soldiers” (i.e., not soldiers who disbelieve their sovereign but rather those who disobey him).33 Here in a broad context in which Paul has specifically exhorted Timothy to be a faithful “soldier” for Christ (2 Tim 2:3, 4), the use of this verb is especially appropriate. Paul well recognized that on the battlefield of spiritual combat it is possible for soldiers of Christ to go AWOL.
The “Conclusion Clause” of Verse Thirteen
The conditional clause of v 13 concludes with the subclause, “He remains faithful; for He cannot deny
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Himself.” The wonderful truth of this portion of Scripture is that even the unfaithful believer, who is a disloyal soldier of Christ, is assured of future life with his ever-faithful Commander-in-Chief. The Christian’s security rests not in his own word, promises, or performance, but rather on God’s Word, God’s promises, and God’s performance. The unfaithful believer is assured that despite his failures, “He remains faithful; for He cannot deny Himself.” The contrast here could not be more graphic! While it is (regrettably) possible for the believer to be unfaithful to Christ, Christ cannot be unfaithful to the believer.34 Christ remains faithful to His promise that the one who believes in Him possesses eternal life securely (John 3:15–18; 6:39, 40; 6:47; 10:26–29). This fidelity is in no way predicated upon the believer’s worthiness, either before or after receiving eternal life. It is based solely upon Christ’s inherent faithfulness to His own nature and character. Hodges has well said:
If we Christians were “faithless,” this in no way affected His loyalty to us. Every guarantee that had been made to us in grace would still be ours, regardless of our lack of faith or fidelity… . “The gifts and the calling of God” were still “irrevocable” (Rom 11:29).
For Him to act otherwise toward us, whatever form our faithlessness might take, was unthinkable. Our Lord always remained faithful to us precisely because anything else would be an act that “denied” His own nature and character As the prophet had said long ago: “Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, and faithfulness the belt of His waist” (Isa 11:5).35
Summary
Verse 13 is a remarkable (re)affirmation of the absolute security of every believer. Working in tandem with v 11, it serves as a bedrock verse in the Bible’s doctrinal teaching concerning assurance that every believer will “live with Christ.” Moreover, v 13 affirms the foundational truth that salvation is of the Lord. It is the work of God for man, rooted in the character of God Himself.
V. Conclusion
Faithfulness to Christ is vital in order that the believer might glorify God and bear much fruit. However, steadfastness for the Lord is not to be motivated by the mistaken idea that endurance is necessary to obtain, or to retain, eternal life and the assurance of future life with Christ. While there is a very real price to be paid for failure in the
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Christian experience, that price will never involve consignment to the lake of fire.36
Second Timothy 2:11–13 teaches the cardinal truth that the believer’s assurance of eternal life, and ultimately, actual life in His presence, is the basis upon which he is to build a steadfastly faithful Christian life. Sadly, many in evangelical circles today teach just the opposite. They deny that a believer can have complete assurance of salvation until and unless he demonstrates consistent and ongoing faithfulness. This erroneous idea that faithfulness is the basis of assurance confuses grace and works, and actually undermines both assurance and faithfulness, because it insidiously works to weaken believers, not only theologically, but also psychologically.37
Designed to be both comforting and motivating, the passage begins (v 11) and ends (v 13) with definitive statements of assurance of future life with Christ for all believers.38 Building on this absolutely assured status, v 12 seeks to motivate believers to a life of steadfast endurance with an offer and a warning. Believers should realize that faithful endurance on earth will result in special privilege in the future. Believers should also soberly understand that those who deny Christ’s Lordship in their Christian experience will cause Christ to deny them reward.
The truths of this often misunderstood passage must be meticulously maintained in our thinking, living, witnessing, preaching, and teaching. Yes, all believers are secure in their basic relationship with Jesus Christ; they will definitely live with Him in the future. Yes, all believers will have their Christian lives evaluated and scrutinized. Those who have been steadfastly faithful will receive wonderful rewards and special prerogatives. Those who have been unfaithful will have such reward and prerogatives denied them. And yes, even the inconsistent, unfruitful believer remains secure in his basic relationship with the Lord. His
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security is based solely on the gracious, immutable faithfulness of Christ Himself. Man’s works are not that upon which his salvation depends. And yet his works as a Christian will be evaluated, and this evaluation will determine either the presentation or the denial of reward.39 In short, 2 Tim 2:11–13 teaches that the believer in Christ is secure yet scrutinized!
VI. An Interpretive Paraphrase
(2 Timothy 2:11-13)
This is an especially important statement:
If we have died with Him (and every believer has)—
then we will live with Him (in His presence after death/the Rapture).
If we are faithful/endure for Him through the course of our lives—
then we will also reign/govern with Him in His Kingdom.
If we deny Him/are unfaithful to Him—
then He will deny us the privilege of reigning/governing with Him.
But even if we are unfaithful (forfeiting the privilege of reigning/ governing with Him)—
Even then He remains faithful to us—we will live with Him—
For He cannot deny Himself.
