II TIMOTHY 2:11-13 NKJV
This is a faithful saying:
For if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him.
If we endure, we shall also reign with Him.
If we deny Him, He also will deny us.
If we are faithless, He remains faithful;
He cannot deny Himself.
OBSERVATION: Are there any certainties in life, or is life just an endless cycle of change? It does not take long for one to realize that change happens whether we like it or not. Yet, there is something within each one of us that longs for some certainty. We need an anchor in this life to keep us from drifting off with every change in the tides of life.
Paul, in his second letter to young Timothy, gives him such an anchor. He wants Timothy to have the firm assurance that there are some things that will never change. It is this sense of certainty that will carry him in both his ministry and his personal life of faith. Paul begins with these words, “This is a faithful saying…”
“For if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him.”
The power in the believer’s life is the assurance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The empty tomb reminds us that, where there is death, by faith in Jesus Christ, there will always be life. Paul is not speaking of physical death. He is speaking of the daily death we experience as we follow Christ. We are dying to our old way of life and daily being raised up in newness of life. The suffering we experience in life will always be followed by the power of His life working in and through us. Paul writes in Romans,
Romans 8:28: “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” NKJV
“If we endure, we shall also reign with Him.”
To finish the Christian life, endurance is needed! Have you ever wanted something that you needed to save your money to buy? When I was a child, I wanted a slot car set more than anything else in the world. I began to save my money. However, as I started doing this, I found that there were many things along the way that I was tempted to spend my money on. If I did this, I would never reach my goal. Paul reminds Timothy of the goal.
We shall reign with Him!
As Paul writes in his letter to the Romans,
Romans 8:18: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.“
Sometimes the battle of life makes us weary. However, if we endure, if we walk by faith and not by sight, we are assured of the promise of glory. As Christ now sits at the right hand of the Father, we too will be seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. We will reign over all the struggles of life, both in this life and in the life to come – through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Then Paul pivots to remind Timothy of two certainties that face all those who are faithless. Heaven is not the general destination for all those who live. It is a gift to all those who believe. As certain as the gift of grace is to those who believe, so is the promise of judgment to those who reject the grace of God and the gift of life in His Son, Jesus Christ.
“If we deny Him, He will also deny us.”
Jesus said the same.
Matthew 10:32-33: “Therefore, whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.” NKJV
Yet, lest we misunderstand the grace of God and begin to rebuild the foundation of works-based righteousness, Paul closes with the most important certainty of life.
God never changes!
“If we are faithless, He remains faithful. He cannot deny Himself.”
It is not our good works or human effort that brings us the certainty of life and life eternal. It is the very nature of God Himself. Our failure to believe does not change God’s nature. God never changes. His love never changes. It is His unchanging love that moved Him to send Jesus to die in our place. And, it is His unchanging love that will complete the good work that He has begun in our lives, through faith.
Philippians 1:6: “Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” NKJV
Finishing the race set before us is not contingent upon our performance. If it were, no one would ever reach the goal of the prize of the high calling in Christ Jesus. We all trip and fall along the way. Yet, we have the blessed promise of His continued forgiveness and cleansing when we repent (1 John 1:8-9). It is His unchanging love and power working in us that gives us the assurance that we will complete this journey –
“…until the day of Jesus Christ!”
What a blessed hope! What blessed assurance! We begin this walk with Christ by grace through faith, we continue it by grace through faith, and we cross the finish line by grace through faith. It is God’s work, His unchanging nature, His unfailing love, that takes us from the beginning to the end. In this, we are anchored from the ever-changing tides of life and our momentary failures along the way.
May these certainties bring you joy and strength in the wonderful Christmas Season! The gift of Jesus Christ is the gift of life, both now and forevermore! Of this we can all be certain!
I Thessalonians 5:23-24: “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.” NKJV
Merry Christmas!
In Jesus’ Name!
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