Theology of Suffering
2 Timothy 3:10-13P. G. Mathew | Sunday, May 22, 2016
Copyright © 2016, P. G. Mathew
We want to speak from 2 Timothy 3:10-13, “The Theology of Suffering.” We read much about suffering in the New Testament. Paul spoke about it in Acts 20: “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace” (Acts 20:22–24).
Jesus gives us eternal life and calls us to follow him even to death. He said, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Matt. 16:24). We can follow him to death because he has destroyed our death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel (2 Tim. 1:10). We are called to suffer for the gospel because death cannot destroy those who are in Christ.
Elsewhere Paul writes, “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” This is not an exaggeration. He continues, “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life . . . nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:36–39).
In fact, we are to rejoice in our sufferings by the Holy Spirit because we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him (Rom. 8:28). Suffering is part of the Christian life. Jesus was crucified. Stephen was stoned to death. James was beheaded. Peter was crucified, and Paul was thrown into a dungeon from where he was writing this letter, and later was beheaded.
Our Christian Life
What type of lives must we live if we claim to be Christians? Beginning in 2 Timothy 3:10, Paul again appeals to his son and disciple Timothy directly, contrasting him against the wicked false teachers who opposed the gospel, just as the sorcerers Jannes and Jambres opposed God’s servant Moses. Every true minister of the gospel encounters such opposition.1
Unlike the false teachers known for their vices listed in 2 Timothy 3:1–5, Timothy was a man of God who was characterized by godliness as a disciple and follower of the apostle Paul. He had long personal association with his spiritual father. Paul spoke about him to the Corinthians, “Therefore I urge you to imitate me. For this reason I am sending to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church” (1 Cor. 4:16–17). He wrote to Timothy, “If you point these things out to the brothers, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, brought up in the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed” (1 Tim. 4:6).
This type of exhortation was not limited to Timothy. Paul wrote to the Philippian church, “Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you” (Phil. 3:17). What about you? Do you live the life that we preach from the Scriptures to you? It is not a matter of mere agreement with what is preached. Saving faith is trust (fides est fiducia), which must be demonstrated by obedience to the word of God.
Timothy followed Paul as Paul followed Jesus Christ himself. And Timothy learned from Paul all he needed to know to become an effective pastor. He learned the apostolic doctrine and lived a godly life. In the same way, we should live godly lives, obedient lives, holy lives, consecrated lives, which the gospel demands. Association with a godly father or pastor means we will be learning continually and therefore living godly lives.
The false teachers were teaching the doctrines of demons (1 Tim. 4:1–2) and living immoral lives (2 Tim. 3:1–9) as many modern pastors do. But Timothy emulated Paul in doctrine and life in the power of the Holy Spirit. Timothy knew all about Paul’s doctrine and holy life, to which Paul alludes in verses 10 through 11: “You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings.” Timothy was to follow Paul in these nine aspects:
1. “FOLLOW MY TEACHING”
Timothy was to follow Paul’s teaching as the first believers did: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (Acts 2:42). The apostles’ teaching is always first; then we must live the lives that God demands us to live.
Paul’s teaching was sound teaching, meaning teaching that gives health and salvation to sinners. Paul writes, “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound [healthy] doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear” (2 Tim. 4:3). People often want to follow the teachings of anyone but their own pastor. Jesus said, “My sheep will hear my voice.” We should pay heed to the shepherds God has put over us. Then, when we can, we should read other writings, especially those of godly men in the history of the church, such as the Puritans of the seventeenth century.
Paul’s teaching pointed to Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Messiah. The Old Testament scriptures promised the Messiah, the son of the virgin Mary, the Son of David who fully kept God’s law. He was crucified for our sins and raised for our justification. Paul taught that all who trust in Jesus will be saved, justified, adopted, and glorified. Such people will live godly lives in the power of the Holy Spirit, in spite of persecutions and severe sufferings.
Paul’s teaching was the opposite of the teaching of the false teachers about whom he wrote. He told the Philippian believers, “For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things” (Phil. 3:18–19). He exhorted Timothy, “What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound doctrine, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us” (2 Tim. 1:13–14).
Paul’s teaching was based upon all the God-breathed Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, that clearly pointed to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All other teachings are of the devil, who always contradicts the truth. He is the liar and the father of all lies.
2. “FOLLOW MY CONDUCT”
Proper teaching is always first. Then Paul exhorts, “Follow my conduct,” meaning his behavior, his way of life. In other words, doctrine should never just be theoretical. A person can go to seminary and excel in his studies, but that does not guarantee he will live a life pleasing to God.
Paul not only believed and preached the gospel, but he also lived out the gospel and suffered for it. Our ethics are a reflection of our beliefs and convictions. A true Christian will live a holy life. Throughout the Bible, the Lord commands, “Be holy, for I am holy.” God’s true children will be like Jesus Christ in both doctrine and life.
Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “For this reason I am sending to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church” (1 Cor. 4:17). A true pastor should preach the gospel and live out the gospel so he can say, “Follow me, as I follow the Lord” (1 Cor. 11:1). Every father should also be able to say that. Paul also says, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity” (1 Tim. 4:12). We must set an example for others. Fathers, are you an example to your sons? Mothers, are you an example to your daughters?
Timothy must follow Paul’s teaching and live a godly life as Paul lived. All pastors must follow the examples of Paul and Timothy. Paul says, “If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, he is conceited and understands nothing” (1 Tim. 6:3–4).
3. “FOLLOW MY PURPOSE”
The third point Paul makes is that Timothy should follow Paul’s purpose. The apostle had only one purpose: to glorify God by obeying his will by preaching the gospel. He spoke of this earlier: “And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day” (2 Tim. 1:11–12). Paul committed his life to Christ, knowing that God himself was able to guard it. He also stated his purpose to the Romans: “Through [Christ] and for his name’s sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith” (Rom. 1:5).
4. “FOLLOW MY FAITH”
“Faith” here refers to trust in Jesus Christ in every situation, including being arrested, flogged, imprisoned, stoned, and even beheaded. It is a lie to tell people that if they believe in Jesus, they will experience no trouble. That is not the true gospel. Paul wrote to the Corinthian church, “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us” (2 Cor. 1:8–10). The Christian life includes suffering.
5. “FOLLOW MY PATIENCE”
Patience (makrothumia) is a fruit of the Spirit. It is the ability to get along with people who annoy us and at times fail us. It is a quality of Jesus himself. Paul wrote of the patience Christ showed to him: “But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life” (1 Tim. 1:16). Paul says such patience ought to be our character too: “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction” (2 Tim. 4:2). We are to do this with our children.
6. “FOLLOW MY LOVE”
Paul is speaking about agapê (sacrificial) love. Jesus loved us and died for us. In the same way, husbands are to love their wives and die for them, and so we are to love our fellow believers. John writes, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?” (1 John 3:16–17). We cannot be unaffected by our brother’s plight.
Such love is the fourth mark of the church, which we added to the Reformers’ marks. We are to live a life of love and community in the church. Thus, if our brothers do not have food, we are to give them food.
Agapê love takes the initiative. It communicates with other, sacrifices for them, and gives generously. It fellowships with others and disciplines them, when needed. Such love will never forget us or divorce us. It is a fruit of the Spirit, and we are to pursue it daily. Paul writes, “But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness” (1 Tim. 6:11).
7. “FOLLOW MY ENDURANCE”
Paul uses the word hupomonê, (endurance). It means to stand under severe pressure, afflictions, temptations, and even martyrdom without rejecting Christ. We can endure hardship by the power of the Holy Spirit. Paul wrote earlier in this epistle, “If we endure, we will also reign with him” (2 Tim. 2:12). Elsewhere he said, “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it” (1 Cor. 10:13). We see this exemplified in the life of Joseph. When he was tempted, the Holy Spirit told him to run, and he ran to get away from the temptation. He was able to endure despite severe pressure.
At the end of this epistle, Paul writes, “At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone abandoned me. . . . But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength” (2 Tim. 4:16–17). When we pray and ask the Lord to help us, he will give us grace, strength, and power at the point of our trouble so that we can honor God by not yielding to temptation.
8. “FOLLOW MY PERSECUTIONS”
Notice the plural: persecutions. As Christians, we will experience persecutions one after another. And such persecutions will not end until we die. We will be hunted down like wild animals because we believe in Jesus. But God will help us.
Paul wrote 2 Timothy from a dungeon. He was experiencing persecution for the sake of his faith. To undergo such suffering, we must know that nothing in all creation can separate us from the love of God, and that no one can snatch us out of God’s hand. We are in Christ, and God the Father loves us as he loves his eternal Son. He is committed to save us; thus, we can be very secure. We do not fear those who can only kill the body.
9. “FOLLOW MY SUFFERINGS”
Notice again Paul’s use of the plural. If Christ is dwelling in us through the Spirit, then we have grace coming to us, and we should be able to stand up under trouble. So Paul is saying, “Follow my sufferings as they come, one after another.”
Sufferings are the effect of persecution. Suffering registers in our minds and our bodies, and naturally we do not like it. But as believers in Christ and having taken up our crosses, we are to follow him to death.
Consider this very partial list of the sufferings endured by Paul:
Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. (2 Cor. 11:23–29)
Yet in relation to his suffering, Paul wrote, “[The Lord] said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor. 12:9–10). He told the Colossian believers, “Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church” (Col. 1:24). He says, “Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces . . . character” (Rom. 5:3–4).
Our Lord Will Deliver Us from All Our Troubles
Timothy knew very well the persecutions and sufferings Paul had endured, especially at the beginning of his ministry in Pisidian Antioch, in the Roman province of Pisidia (Acts 13). There the Jews forced Paul and his companions to leave the city and were planning to stone them. So we read, “But the Jews incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region” (Acts 13:50). The apostles fled to Iconium, in the Roman province of Galatia (Acts 14:1–5). Even there, the Jews wanted to stone them. So they fled to Lystra, the hometown of Timothy. There the Jews, together with others, stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city and left him for dead (Acts 14:6–20).
Paul was left for dead under a pile of stones. But God raised him up, and he went back into the city to preach the gospel. Paul cites this stoning in 2 Corinthians 11:25. (PGM) By the grace of God, he endured all these persecutions and sufferings, and, by God’s grace, he established churches in all these places. In Acts 14:21–23 we read, “They preached the good news in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. ‘We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,’ they said.”
Paul always remembered Jesus Christ raised from the dead. That is all we need to know: Jesus Christ raised from the dead. The resurrection is the reason for rejoicing in suffering. Christ is raised from the dead, and he will raise us from the dead.
The One who by his atoning death defeated the devil and destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel is raised from the dead. This victorious Christ is with us always. He will never leave us nor forsake us.
The Lord Jesus, who is always with us as our good shepherd, will deliver his people from every trouble. There are three ways he will deliver us. First, he will deliver us from troubles by keeping us from them. Second, he will deliver us through the troubles. For example, when Paul was stoned so severely that he was left for dead, God kept him from dying so that he could continue to minister the gospel. Third, he will deliver us through death itself and bring us safely to his heavenly kingdom. This is what finally happened to Paul when he was beheaded. Anticipating that, he wrote, “Everyone abandoned me. But the Lord stood at my side.” Then he said, “The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen” (2 Tim. 4:16–18). Paul knew that through death God was going to bring him to heaven. He also said, “For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure” (2 Tim. 4:6). He knew he was going to be killed.
If we are Christians, we must have a Christian view of death. In 2 Timothy 1:1, Paul used a unique expression that we also can take comfort in: “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus.” He knew he was going to be beheaded, so he used the phrase “according to the promise of life.”
There are five things we must know about the death of a Christian:
- It is precious in the sight of the Lord, the death of his saints (Ps. 116:15).
- Blessed are the dead who die trusting in the Lord (Rev. 14:13).
- To live is Christ and to die is gain (Phil. 1:21). Do we have that conviction? If not, we are not trusting in Christ.
- To die in Christ is better (Phil. 1:23).
- To die is to be present with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8).
Friend, can you truly say these positive things about death? If you can, then you are a Christian.
Every Believer Will Be Persecuted
Paul writes, “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (v. 12). Every elect of God, who is born of God by the Spirit, will repent truly and believe savingly in Jesus Christ. Such a person will experience persecution in this world.
True faith in Jesus Christ will lead to godliness and persecution. A worldly Christian is double-minded, but, in truth, he is single-mindedly serving the world. He has a form of godliness but he hates Jesus and loves the pleasures of sin. Such a person will suffer no persecution.
Everyone who purposes to live a godly life in all of life will be persecuted. Such a person will hate sin and love Jesus. And by the power of the Spirit of grace, he will live a godly life. Paul writes, “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age” (Titus 2:11–12).
The grace that saves us will also enable us to live a godly life. So we will suffer persecution because we are united with Jesus Christ. The world will treat us as it treated Jesus who taught, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for me will find it” (Matt. 16:24–25).
As Christians, we died with Christ, we were buried with Christ, and we are raised with Christ to live a new life, different from the world. The world is darkness, but in Jesus Christ, we are the light of the world. The world is dead in sin, but we are alive in God. The world hates God’s children who are in Christ Jesus.
Every minister who preaches a gospel without suffering, a gospel of health, wealth, power, pleasure, a gospel of antinomianism, is worldly and an agent of the devil who is the god of this world. William Mounce says, “The opponents [of the gospel] are not being persecuted because they are pursuing evil.” He says that verse 12 “hammers the final nail into the coffin of any aberrant gospel that preaches an abundant life devoid of persecutions2 A gospel without suffering is false. Yet how many mega-churches preach that type of nonsense!
Jesus spoke much about the persecution his disciples would experience. He said, “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved” (Matt. 10:21–22). He also warned, “They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God” (John 16:2). And at the end of the beatitudes he declared, “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matt. 5:10–12).
Peter also spoke about it: “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed” (1 Pet. 4:12–13). Paul spoke similarly throughout his epistles. For example, he said, “For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him” (Phil. 1:29). Suffering is gift. When God gives us the gift of faith, he also gives us the gift of suffering. Note the paradox: suffering is a gift. And our suffering for the name of Christ will prove that we are truly God’s children.
The Progress of Evil
Paul concludes, “while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived” (v. 13). Look at the decay of culture in the Christian countries of the world. Look at the decay of churches in this country. This scripture is being fulfilled before our eyes: things are going from bad to worse.
Evil men and seducers like Jannes and Jambres, agents of demons, will go from bad to worse in their promotion of evil and false gospels. Such people are described in 2 Timothy 3:1–9 and elsewhere in this epistle. Look at many Christian churches in the world where false teachers preach a false gospel. They are going from bad to worse in their preaching of lies from the devil. They are deceived by the devil, and so they deceive those who are non-elect. Jesus warned us about them: “For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible. See, I have told you ahead of time” (Matt. 24:24–25).
Paul is saying the same thing in this verse. And John warned, “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). Such false prophets have also gone out into today’s churches.
What can true believers, children of God, do in such circumstances? We must be filled with the Spirit and with the holy Scriptures. We must be vital members of God’s holy church where God’s gifted and pious ministers preach the true gospel. Yes, there are multitudes of swindlers, deceivers, and cheats in today’s churches. And it is true that they will go from bad to worse until Christ comes to judge all the enemies of the gospel who are trapped by the devil to do his will.
But we can take heart in knowing what will happen when our Lord Jesus Christ comes: “All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you” (2 Thess. 1:5–10).
Application
In the name of Jesus Christ, I am offering you the gospel. I beseech those who have not believed on the Lord Jesus Christ to do so today, by the mercies of God, and be saved. God commands all people to repent (Acts 17:30), to believe in God’s Son Jesus Christ (1 John 3:23), and to love one another. Eternal life is found only in Christ (1 John 5:11). He alone is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). And he is coming again to punish those who refuse to believe the gospel.
For those who are believers in Jesus, study and know the nine things that Paul listed, so that you may live by them: doctrine, godliness, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, endurance, persecutions, and sufferings. All of these prove our obedience to Jesus Christ.
Finally, be filled with the Spirit and with the word of God so that you may declare to the world that Jesus saves. Jesus saves sinners—only sinners—who will come to him and repent and say, “Lord, have mercy upon me a sinner.” And may God give all of us the grace to stand for him in the midst of persecution and suffering until our death, that we may enter the kingdom of God.
1 Consult my previous sermons on church apostasy at: http://www.gracevalley.org/sermon/the-church-apostasy-part-one/
and
http://www.gracevalley.org/sermon/the-church-apostasy-part-two/.
2 William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, Word Biblical Commentary, vol. 46 (Nashville: Nelson, 2000), 560.
Thank you for reading. If you found this content useful or encouraging, let us know by sending an email to gvcc@gracevalley.org.
Join our mailing list for more Biblical teaching from Reverend P.G. Mathew.