What the Gospel Meant to Paul: 2 Timothy 1:11,12(

2 Timothy 1:11,12: for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher.  For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.


Paul had responded to Timothy's spiritual fatigue and timidity from a place of personal experience. The obstacles, challenges, and failures Timothy had met face-to-face were not unique. Paul knew them all, inside and out, front and back. Paul was a veteran of the spiritual wars that continually swirled around those champions of Christ who, clothed in his righteousness, were roaming the darkness as agents of light and life. Yes, he had been rescued from the domain of darkness and transferred into the kingdom of God's dear Son, in whom he had redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:13, 14). But now, outfitted with the armor of God and the Gospel, Paul had been commissioned back into the realm of brokenness as an agent of rescue. And that commission was the stuff of life-long commitment.

Timothy was at the front end of such a commitment, and the inner cry to quit and run was increasingly powerful. For whatever reason, he was losing his courage, and could not see the honor of suffering for a gospel of which he was increasingly ashamed. But not so the Apostle. Paul believed he had a divine appointment. Having been rescued by the Gospel he was now convinced both of its power and his charge to be its messenger. You can hear his voice fill with honor as he shouts "of this Gospel I have been appointed a preacher, and an apostle and a teacher." In great contrast to Timothy's increasing desire to throw off the obligations of such a calling, Paul stands tall and declares the nobility of being a spokesman for Jesus Christ.

Paul knew no greater honor that to be a preacher, a spokesman, a herald. The Greek word translated preacher (kerux) denoted a man employed by a government or military official to whom was entrusted the task of taking official news out to those in the surrounding territory. This herald had a very simple task: take the message of his master, and deliver it without compromise in the authority of the master.

Paul revelled in the fact that, though he considered himself of all men most sinful, he had been called not only to life in Christ, but to a position as Christ's herald. He now spoke for the King who had rescued him from the sin and wrath he deserved. He was now a highly placed recruiter for the very beliefs he once persecuted to the death.

Unlike Timothy Paul saw suffering as part of the package. Did his call as a herald put him in situations where the audience would not appreciate his message? So be it! Paul was neither ashamed of his master, nor the message entrusted to him. Did it invite reprisals and even persecution? Bring it on! No amount of suffering could dissuade him from his absolute commitment to the One whose grace had eternally changed the trajectory of his life. Once bound for God's wrath, he was now saved by God's grace, and was passionate about being used for God's glory.

But there was one more thing Paul wanted Timothy to chew on. The message  Timothy was increasingly ashamed of was the very one in which he had placed his eternal hope. Jesus Christ was the safe into which Paul and Timothy had deposited their lives. And despite all the challenges and heartache and suffering connected with the gospel ministry, Paul needed Timothy to understand one thing: the Jesus they preached was also the Jesus in whom they had invested everything. Is he able to fulfill the promise of eternal life? Is he trustworthy? or was Timothy thinking that maybe another offer held more promise?

Paul finishes the argument with a solid declaration: Jesus Christ can and must be trusted! Paul knew Christ. He didn't just know about him; he knew him. And what he had come to know and experience gave him a rock solid assurance that Jesus Christ was able to keep all his promises. No need to be ashamed of Jesus. No need to look elsewhere for salvation. No need to abandon the gospel to avoid suffering. Jesus Christ, the Lord of All, had their lives firmly in his hands. He is the Able One. And we are to find our rest in him.

And so ends Paul's brief but powerful admonition to young Timothy. From here the letter goes on to encourage the young pastor to be strong, an unashamed workman that cuts the Scriptures straight, fully prepared to stand firm during the bad times which are just around the corner. But all of this was predicated on the renewal of Timothy's soul. To do this, Paul took his cue from the God of Elijah, in 1 Kings 18 and 19.

You'll remember that Elijah came on the scene when the northern kingdom of Israel was at its lowest, most wicked point. The culture had been taken over by idolatry and paganism. God's people had forsaken him for Baal. They had come to worship what Baal allowed them and had left their God behind. To demonstrate their folly, and the validity of Yahweh Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal to an amazing duel (1 Kings 18) on top of Mt. Carmel. When God sent fire from heaven Elijah considered that he had won the biggest battle of his life. He had just watched his God accomplish the greatest miracle of the day. It was to be Elijah's finest hour.

But the next day found Elijah running south, all the way to the Negev, afraid for his life. God found him there, and listened to his pathetic wishes to die since he felt he was no better than his fathers. He had failed to unite the tribes. He had failed to rid the land of idolaters. He had failed to incite the people to throw off the wicked reign of Ahab and Jezebel. But God had other plans.

In an amazing demonstration, God took Elijah back to the basics. He took him to Sinai. It was on Sinai that God first revealed to Moses his glory and his truth. It was on Sinai that Moses really came to know God, to see him in all his glory, and power, and grace. It was on Sinai that Moses was transformed from a goat herder to God's leader, the great prophet who would communicate the law of God to the people of God. And so it was on Sinai that God brought Elijah back to the basics, back to a reliance on his power and a commitment to his plan.

In a similar way Paul took Timothy back to the mountain. In this case, the mountain of beginnings was the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is in the gospel that we first see God revealed in all his glory and truth. It is in the gospel that we really come to know God and his Son Jesus. It is through the gospel that our blind eyes are opened and we come to see the reality of our sin and the unimaginable beauty of grace. It is through the gospel that God's life is imparted and our souls are set on the path of transformation. The gospel is the mountain that clarifies everything. Paul took Timothy to the mountain, and like Elijah, he heard the still small voice of God calling him back to trust, back to diligence, back to the vitality needed to accomplish the mission.

The mountain of the gospel is still standing, still powerful, still available. Take your weary soul up the mountain, and find rest in the garden of grace that is the gospel.

Hope this helps,

David