2 TIMOTHY 2:3-7 Meditations on Self Denial and Eternal Reward

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1 1 2 TIMOTHY 2:3-7 Meditations on Self Denial and Eternal Reward (2:3-7) Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. It is the hardworking farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything. (ESV) DOES THE THOUGHT OF ETERNITY MAKE YOU EXCITED? In his very helpful and exciting book on Heaven, Randy Alcorn tells a story of a pastor who had become bored with the idea of eternity with God. He writes: A pastor once confessed to me, Whenever I think about Heaven, it makes me depressed. I d rather just cease to exist when I die. Why? I asked. I can t stand the thought of that endless tedium. To float around in the clouds with nothing to do but strum a harp it s all so terribly boring. Heaven doesn t sound much better than Hell. I d rather be annihilated than spend eternity in a place like that. Later in the book, Alcorn offers these piercing words to confront this kind of misplaced boredom: Our belief that Heaven will be boring betrays a heresy that God is boring. There s no greater nonsense. Our desire for pleasure and the experience of joy come directly from God s hand. He made our taste buds, adrenaline, sex drives, and the nerve endings that convey pleasure to our brains. Likewise, our imaginations and our capacity for joy and exhilaration were made by the very God we accuse of being boring. Are we so arrogant as to imagine that human beings came up with the idea of having fun? (Randy Alcorn, Heaven) BECOMING OCCUPIED WITH ETERNITY Over the course of the past several months, I ve been wrestling with Jesus call to His disciples in Matthew 16, Mark 8, and Luke 9 for them to take up their crosses and follow him. I ll read Matthew s account. If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what shall a man give in return for his life? For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. (Matthew 16:24b-27 ESV) I don t know about you, but I find this call absolutely startling. To be judged on the basis of whether or not I have denied myself, taken up my cross (or my electric chair, to put it in modern terms), and followed Jesus is a thought that is difficult to bear. Perhaps your asking, How does this relate to how I think of eternity?

2 2 Really, what Jesus is saying in this text is, If you are not willing to face public repudiation and perhaps even execution for my sake, then you are not worthy of following me. But look at how Jesus motivates his disciples to be willing to follow Him in the face of public rejection; For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what shall a man give in return for his life? For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. The way Jesus encourages them to let go of their life here on earth is by filling their minds with thoughts of eternity. Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it! For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. Jesus put within his disciples the willingness to suffer for His sake by teaching them that there is great reward for those who do so! Essentially, that is exactly what Paul is doing here in this first half of 2 Timothy, chapter 2; encouraging Timothy to suffer for Christ, by pointing to the glorious reward that is in store for those who do so. So, that is exactly what I want to do. Over the course of the next few weeks, I want to invite you to ponder with me the call of the Cross to self denial, in the light of the glories of eternity that are in store for those who take up their cross and follow Jesus. My desire is that we become a little extra preoccupied with eternity, as we examine a passage of Scripture that ends up culminating in the thought of living and reigning with Jesus! Perhaps you ll find over the next few weeks as I already have, that some of our ideas about heaven and reward are just not biblical. That s ok. But hopefully, as we consider some of Paul s thoughts here through verse 13, our vision will be corrected significantly for the purpose of helping us capture the reality that we do not exist merely for this life. We were not made to put all our chips in on this life. All of our dreams and desires were not meant to be fulfilled in this life. We were made for much more. As we become increasingly convinced of these truths, my prayer is that we begin to live as if our citizenship is truly in heaven; becoming more open and more willing to undergo serious hardship for the Gospel; becoming less concerned with building lives of material gain for ourselves here on the Old earth; becoming more willing to invest ourselves in the lives of people, sharing in the sufferings of others; becoming more interested with becoming ambassadors for Christ, rather than sinners who are simply saved. My prayer is that as we become more consumed with eternity, we will become more intent on making these 50, 60, 70, or 80 years count for something that will last. The promise of reward has not been given so that we will sit around waiting for the Lord to return, it has been given so that we will get busy doing things that matter until He does. So, let s consider what Paul has to say in verses 3-7 of chapter 2. THE OVERARCHING COMMAND: Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. (2:3a ESV) Here Paul uses the same verb that he used in 1:8. There he said, Do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the Gospel by the power of God. The verb is an imperative, meaning to suffer with someone; to undergo hardship with another person. The idea behind the command is really to join Paul in suffering. Paul is calling Timothy to lay aside his own agenda so that he

3 3 might come to him and share Paul s hardship with him. He is not just calling Timothy to suffer for his own faithfulness to Christ; he is calling him to suffer along with Paul, for Paul s faithfulness to Christ. This call is at the foundation of the analogies that follow. What I mean by that is that the pictures Paul gives of a soldier, an athlete, and a farmer are not meant to communicate different points, but instead build off of one another, supporting and even clarifying what was meant in the previous analogy, all for the purpose of supporting the original command; to share in suffering. Interpreting these analogies are difficult, to say up front. I really think they are much more proverbial than they are symbolic. What I mean by that is this: In these analogies, Paul is presenting general principles, or proverbs, not symbols for Timothy to figure out what the soldier is, or what the crown of verse 5 is, or what the fruit is in verse 6. He is simply presenting principles for the purpose of encouraging Timothy to share in suffering. We ve talked a lot about the root of the issue in this call to suffer with one another, namely, the root issue of our pride. In the call to suffer with one another for the sake of the Gospel, there is the call to abandon the urge to live for the glory of our own reputations. The call to suffer with one another for the sake of the Gospel is essentially the call to live for the reputation of Christ. It s a call that deals deeply with our affections; our motivations; it s a call that deals directly with the driving force behind each of our lives. But, it s more than that. The call to share in suffering, or as one commentator translated it, to accept your share of hardship, is more than a call to examine one s affections. It s more than a call to live the same way, but with the right motivation. It s so much more than just the addition of a right attitude. Paul is calling Timothy to something tangible; something visible; something unmistakable. He s calling Timothy to something that can not only be seen by Timothy in his own heart, but something that can be observed by onlookers. Sharing in suffering is a life of selflessness; one that people can see. It s a life of self-denial; one that others benefit from. It s a life of self-sacrifice; not for the purpose of saving oneself, but for the purpose of leading others to salvation. It s letting the needs of people intrude on our comfort. It s living in the community of saints and treating others who have been bought by the blood of Christ as we have, as if they are truly brothers and sisters. Think for a second on what exactly Paul was commanding Timothy to do. It is likely Paul is in Rome, over 800 miles away from Timothy, who is pasturing a church in Ephesus. As if there is not plenty for Timothy to do in his own church, Paul has the gaul to say in 4:9, Do your best to come to me soon, and in 4:11, Get Mark and bring him with you, and in 4:13, When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments, and in 4:21, Do your best to come before winter. Either Paul is being extremely selfish, or he is simply expecting of Timothy what any follower of Christ should be willing to do: Lay it all aside to minister to a suffering brother. I would opt for the latter. So, instead of Paul calling Timothy to throw himself at persecution, seeking to be crucified or beheaded; what he is actually doing is simply calling Timothy to the life of self-denial that is required of any obedient follower of Christ. WHAT SELF DENIAL IS NOT At this point I want to make a few things clear, in order to help us think rightly on these analogies and how we can apply the principles within them. I want to help us see what this kind of self-denial is not. There are really

4 4 two things that should be addressed on this point, probably more, but we ll focus on these 2, so that when we arrive at verse 7; Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything, we will be able to think rightly on what we are being called to here in these very difficult analogies. 1. Self-denial is NOT self punishment. Self-denial is not the rejection of all earthly pleasure. Paul warns against this kind of thinking harshly in 1 Timothy 4:1-5. Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer. (ESV) Paul says that this way of teaching people to deny what God created for the pleasure of His people is the teaching of deceitful spirits and of demons (4:1b). Sharing in suffering is not causing suffering for ourselves. This is a teaching called asceticism, and it is not at all what Paul is getting at here in 2 Timothy 2. And just to eliminate any continued thought that enjoying earthly pleasures are bad, consider what Randy Alcorn says on this matter. God isn t displeased when we enjoy a good meal, marital sex, a football game, a cozy fire, or a good book. He s not up in Heaven frowning at us and saying, Stop it you should only find joy in me. This would be as foreign to God s nature as our heavenly Father as it would be to mine as an earthly father if I gave my daughters a Christmas gift and started pouting because they enjoyed it too much. No, I gave the gift to bring joy to them and to me if they didn t take pleasure in it, I d be disappointed. Their pleasure in my gift to them draws them closer to me. I am delighted that they enjoy the gift. (Randy Alcorn, Heaven) There is nothing wrong at all with enjoying what God gives. In fact, enjoying what God gives is the only right response to his giving. The call to share in suffering is not the call to abstain from any earthly pleasure; rather, it is in many ways the call to not allow our thirst for pleasure to cause us to abstain from being obedient followers of Christ. 2. Self-denial is NOT forsaking one s family for the sake of ministry. I want you to be aware of an idol that every person giving their life to serve Christ faces at some point or another, that is, the idol of ministry. Denying self to live at the disposal and command of Christ is not rejecting people who have been entrusted by Christ to your care. If we must leave our father and mother at some point, people who have been entrusted with caring for and nourishing us, in order to follow Christ that is one thing. But leaving and forsaking and neglecting people who have been entrusted to our care and our nourishment, for the sake of following the call of Christ, that is wholly another. Christ does not call us away from that which He has already called us to. If we are husbands, we called to love our wives, as Christ love the church and gave himself up for her (Eph. 5:25 ESV). If you are a wife, you are called to submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord (Eph. 5:22 ESV). If we are parents, we are called to train up our children in the way they should go (Prov. 22:6 ESV). There will be no satisfactory excuses when we are judged by Christ for our works, when it comes to forsaking those we have been called to care for and to nourish, even if our excuse is that we were too busy with ministry.

5 5 Christ wants us to care for our spouses and our children. When we deny self, we are doing so to commit ourselves to His priorities, which do not always include formal church ministry. Consider Paul s words of counsel to Timothy in choosing who to ordain as an overseer/elder/pastor/shepherd. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God s church? (1 Timothy 3:4-5 ESV) Please examine yourself, to see if you might be guilty of holding up the idol of ministry. Denying self is not forsaking those whom Christ has entrusted to our care for the sake of ministry. That is what self-denial is not. Now let s try to understand what it is. WHAT SELF-DENIAL IS As we explore the analogies that Paul gives; that of the soldier, the athlete, and the farmer, I think we will see with increasing clarity what exactly Paul means in commanding Timothy to share in suffering. In verse 3, in the form of an imperative, Paul calls Timothy to share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. Picturing Christian ministers as soldiers is really no new thing with Paul. In Philippians 2:25 he calls Epaphroditus, my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier In Philemon, verse 2 he calls Archippus our fellow soldier In 1 Corinthians 9:7 he uses the motif to make an argument that Christian workers ought to be paid by their congregations. In Ephesians 6, Paul presents the Christian as a soldier who must put on the whole armor of God to stand in the power of God against spiritual forces of evil. In 2 Corinthians 10:3-4 he uses the idea to challenge the Corinthians to oppose false doctrines, which are invented by evil powers. Here, the analogy of the soldier is brought up to strengthen Paul s overarching command, to share in suffering. Paul is describing Timothy as a soldier for the purpose of getting him to suffer like a soldier, at the command of his commander and chief; Christ Jesus Himself. Share in suffering as a good (outstanding/praiseworthy) soldier of Christ Jesus. In verse 4, Paul elaborates on this analogy significantly. What does it mean to be a good soldier of Christ Jesus? The answer is in verse 4. THE SOLDIER: No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. (2:4 ESV) I really prefer the NASB (Updated) translation of this verse, No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier. There are two things we need to notice about good/outstanding/praiseworthy soldiers of Christ Jesus. This first is what they do not do. Paul says, No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life Good soldiers are those who put their lives on hold for the call to serve. The idea behind the word entangle here is actually used literally in later writings of a sheep getting caught up in a thicket. The good

6 6 soldier does not get caught up in things that would prevent him from freely serving where his commander calls him to serve. For Timothy, this analogy should spur him on to not get caught up in things that would prevent him from freely serving at the command of Christ. But what does this mean? Does it mean that Timothy should not work at a secular job? Does it mean that all Christian ministers or maybe even all Christians should seek to make money in ministry only? In 1 Corinthians 9, Paul uses the analogy of the soldier to support his case for churches paying their ministers. He writes in 9:7, Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Paul s point there is to say that just as soldiers are taken care of while they are serving actively, so Christian workers should be financially supported by their churches while they are actively serving to the benefit of that particular church. But look at where Paul goes from there; picking up in verse 12. If others share this rightful claim on you, do not we even more? Nevertheless, we have not made use of this right, but we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ 15But I have made no use of any of these rights, nor am I writing these things to secure any such provision. For I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of my ground for boasting. For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward, but not of my own will, I am still entrusted with a stewardship. What then is my reward? That in my preaching I may present the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel. (1 Corinthians 9:12, ESV) Do we see what Paul just did in that text? Paul uses the analogy of the soldier to support his case for Christian ministers having a right to expect that their churches support them financially, but then says of himself, I have not made use of this right. But why? He writes, We endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ. Though Paul effectively made the case for Christian ministers to be paid by the churches who benefit from their ministry, he said that he has not taken advantage of that right, so that the gospel might not be hindered. So, here in 2 Timothy 2, Paul is not calling Timothy away from the secular world to make money only in ministry. Besides the fact that the whole idea is completely foreign to the context of 2 Timothy, Paul himself would have been wrong to work as a tent maker, if in fact good soldiers of Christ Jesus only made money from their ministries. But do not be mistaken, the idea here in verse 4 does have to do with making money and gaining livelihood, but not in the way you might expect. Let me paraphrase this half of verse 4 if I may. No praiseworthy soldier in active service distracts himself from his service by trying to build a comfortable life for himself when he ought to be serving. To Timothy, Paul is saying this; No praiseworthy Christian worker distracts himself from ministry by serving his own interests. Let me put this in more direct, specific terms. No honorable Christian puts more effort into making money than he does making disciples. No praiseworthy follower of Christ cares more for earthly comforts than he does eternal pleasures. No exemplary Christian distracts himself, with himself. No outstanding Christian distracts himself from doing what is best for the Gospel, with anything. No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life Consider Luke 8:14. Near the end of the

7 7 parable of the soils (parable of the hearers), Jesus lets his audience know about the seed that had fallen among the thorns. And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. (ESV) Paul is saying something that we would do well to hear in our context; no outstanding Christian has the same commitment to earthly things as non-believers. If we are as concerned about our homes and cars and clothes and status as non-believers are, there is a serious problem. No good soldier entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life. That is what a good soldier of Christ Jesus does not do. Let s take a look now at what they do. Paul writes No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier. I love this definition of the Gk. word translated please here in verse 4; To accommodate oneself to the opinions, desires, and interests of others. 1 It s expressing interest in meeting the needs of another. It s exerting effort to make sure that the desires on someone else are satisfied. Paul says the good soldier does not get entangled in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may accommodate himself to the opinions, desires, and interests of the one who enlisted him as a solder. Soldiers understand the chain of command. Good soldiers do not go into battle with their own strategies and their own plans; they go into battle with the strategy of their commanding officer. That is the picture Paul paints of an outstanding Christian worker; a person who does not entangle himself with making money, gaining livelihood, and attaining status, as if he were off duty, so that he might accommodate himself to the opinions, desires, and interests of Christ. Still, it is not a bad thing to make a lot of money or to be a person of status! Listen to that again. It is not a bad thing to make a lot of money or to be a person of status! You can be a good soldier of Christ Jesus even though you might have a very impressive portfolio. But Paul has a warning and a piece of divine advice to give you. First, the warning: Those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. (1 Timothy 6:9-10 ESV) And next, the advice: As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life. (1 Timothy 6:17-19 ESV) Please notice that the warning is against the pursuit of riches, not the possession of riches. There is nothing wrong with being blessed by God financially; but there is something wrong with making those riches a goal. 1 Thayer s Greek Lexicon

8 8 Still, I do not want to get caught up on whether or not it is wrong to be rich. There is a principle that we cannot miss. Christian workers ought not to devote themselves to pursuing riches and pleasure and status, so that they can devote themselves to Christ s priorities; which might well involve the suffering of verse 3. If we are devoted to pursuing riches and pleasure and status, we will not accept the opportunity to share in suffering for the sake of the Gospel, because suffering often includes poverty and pain and repudiation. If we desire to be rich, we will not willingly suffer poverty. If we desire to be comfortable, we will not willingly endure the pain of persecution. If we desire to be important, we will not willingly loose our reputation, even if it is for the sake of the Gospel. Paul is the prime example of a good soldier of Christ Jesus. Think about how he decided what he would do for a job. In 1 Corinthians 9, Paul describes how he decided to work at a job supporting himself. We endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ. The way Paul decided to work at a secular job was because he was convinced that it was best for the gospel. We ought to be much more mindful of what Christ wants as we go about making money and gaining livelihood. The question ought not to be What do you want to be when you grow up? But, What does Christ want you to be when you grow up? The question is not, How can I make the most money? But, How does Christ desire that I make my living? We are not called either to ministry or to the secular world. We are called either to ministry or to ministry. You will find the line between our jobs and our ministries no where in Scripture. Life is ministry for the Christian. There is no such thing as a personal life as opposed to a spiritual life. We love to compartmentalize our lives, saying that each part is fully independent on fully unrelated to the other parts. But that kind of thinking is not biblical. Our spiritual lives are our lives. From God s perspective, every part of our lives are the direct outflow of our aim to accommodate ourselves to the opinions, desires, and interests of Christ. There are no parts of our lives untouched by our relationship with Christ. And if there are, we may not truly know Him at all. No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier. Now, the reason I spent so much time on this one analogy is because it is Paul s primary analogy. Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. Paul s main point is verse 3. The athlete and the farmer or merely supplementary analogies; they are not Paul s primary picture. But the athlete and the farmer introduce an idea related to denying self and sharing in suffering that is not contained in the analogy of the soldier, that is, the idea of eternal reward! Now Paul elaborates on the motivation to deny self, which in verse 4 is the pleasure of Christ. Here in the motivation is extended into eternity, which essentially is the outpouring of Christ s pleasure on his people. That is the crown Paul speaks of in verse 5.. THE ATHLETE: An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. (2:5 ESV) This is a really difficult analogy to sift through, but I think Jerome Quinn had it right who said that this analogy shows that suffering alone, is not enough. 2 The kind of suffering ( competing ) that Christ is pleased with and thus pours out reward because of is suffering that is for his sake ( according to the rules ), and as Quinn says, not for his own bad manners or bad theology. 3 Christ is not pleased with just any kind of suffering. I think this is an essential principle for Paul to communicate in the context of calling Timothy to share in suffering. He is not calling him to hardship; he is 2 Jerome Quinn, The First and Second Letters to Timothy, in Critical Eerdmans Commentary, Eerdmans, (p. 639) 3 Ibid

9 9 calling him to accept hardship on account of Christ. Christ was not the Messiah because He suffered; He suffered because he was/is the Messiah. In the same way, suffering does not prove to us that we are following Christ; following Christ proves to us that we will suffer. This is a difficult line to draw for some people. Some feel that their ministries or their theology is validated if it is opposed. I ve heard this called a messiah complex. Do not assume that just because people are opposing your ideas and your lifestyle that you are doing something right. Christ does not wish us hardship, but he is pleased when we face hardship on account of him. He rewards out of His pleasure those people who suffer truly for His sake. Eternity will be largely the outpouring of reward on those who compete according to the rules, suffer for the sake of the Gospel. Consider the tender promise of Jesus to his people. Matthew 5:10-11 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Luke 6:22-23 Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for their fathers did to the prophets. If you are suffering right now for the sake of Christ, rejoice, for there is a great reward waiting for you in the presence of Christ. If you are afraid to suffer for the sake of Christ and the Gospel, think long and hard about the reward that Jesus has promised. Imagine what it would be like to stand one day in the presence of Christ and be lavished with His pleasure. One thing is certain; he will pour it out on those who labor for His sake. And it will be reward like none have seen. But just in case the presence of Christ does not excite you; and just in case you have this assumption that heaven will be nothing like what we know on earth, and Christ s pleasure will a boring monotonous thing to observe, consider the principle of the farmer in verse 6. THE FAMER: It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. (2:6 ESV) In verse 6, Paul expands even further on the concept of reward, by describing a hard working farmer who out to have first share of the crops. I feel that hard-working does not do justice to the example of the farmer. The idea is of a farmer who wears himself out to bring about a fruitful crop. Farming as it was known in the 1 st century and even now, is exhausting and thankless. It can be boring when a crop is not even showing signs of harvest. The bottom line in this picture of the farmer is that farming is extremely tiring and difficult labor. The farmer who wears himself out to bring about a fruitful crop has all more rights than anyone else in the world to enjoy that crop when the harvest comes. There s something I want us all to be aware of when it comes to understanding the crops Paul is speaking of. Even when you see Paul or any other writer in Scripture use crops figuratively, something earthly is intended. When Paul speaks of the Christian minister as a hardworking farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops, he is saying that the Christian minister who wears himself out to bring about a fruitful harvest from the seed of the Gospel; he will be rewarded in a very earthly manner.

10 10 So, this could mean that he will be given the joy of seeing people come to Christ. Paul does use this kind of language to refer to his converts in Romans 1:13, but is that the sense here? I think there is far more behind this principle. We have to view this principle in light of what Paul has already communicated, and as we ve seen, at least from verses 3-5, that Paul builds off of himself from one analogy to the next. The same should go in understanding verse 6. Paul is in fact building off of the idea of eternal reward, but what we ought to notice is that he is doing so with earthly terminology. This brings up a theological point on eternity that is often overlooked, which is that we are going to live here, on earth, for eternity. This is what John teaches in Revelation Consider these words. Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. (Revelation 21:1-4 ESV) What we often miss is that eternity will be on this earth. The earth will not be destroyed, it will be redeemed, restored, and resurrected; and God will bring down His dwelling place to earth and His people will have full and complete and unhindered access to His physical presence, having all their tears wiped away and their pain consoled fully and completely and forever. The Christian worker who wears himself out to bring about a fruitful harvest from the seed of the Gospel; he will enjoy the crops of the new earth like no one else. I don t know about you, but knowing this makes me ready to work. If what John describes is truly in store for those who faithfully plow along, sharing in the suffering of other saints, denying-self, taking up their cross, and following Jesus; then I m all in. THE APPLICATION: Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything. (2:7 ESV) The same Lord, who gives grace in 2:1, now gives understanding to His people to accurately understand and thoroughly apply the principles wrapped up in the analogies of the soldier, the athlete, and the farmer. Paul says, Use great care to think over what I have just said, and the Lord will help you comprehend what I am saying, for the purpose of encouraging you to share in suffering. Essentially, Paul just tells Timothy to meditate on what he has just read. This is my challenge to you this week: To think hard on how you might share in suffering, based on the analogies of Paul in this text. I ve not made a lot of specific applications this week for a reason and that is, to give us as much room as possible to think hard and carefully consider how we might apply what Paul has written here. As you consider these analogies this week, keep in mind the context; 2:11-12a. The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; (2 Timothy 2:11-12a)