2 Tim. 2 2 Tim. 2:1–14 Timothy is exhorted to constancy and perseverance in the discharge of his duty, as a good soldier of Christ, looking for a certain reward of his fatigues and sufferings. 2 Tim. 2:15–16 to divide the word of truth rightly, and to shun profane and vain babblings. 2 Tim.

The sense is either: Show thyself a stout and valiant man, not being affrighted at the dangers that threaten thee in the publishing and defence of the gospel which brings the glad tidings of the grace of Jesus Christ: or: Be thou strong through the gracious influence of Christ Jesus, without which…

And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses; the doctrine of the gospel which thou hast heard from me, confirmed by the testimony of many of the prophets of old, or, which thou heardest from me committed to thy trust, there being many witnesses present, when thou wert ordained.

Endure hardness; in the Greek it is, suffer evils, that is evils of affliction, expect them, and encounter and patiently eudure them. As a good soldier of Jesus Christ; remembering that the life of a minister is not a life of ease and pleasure, but the life of a soldier, whose life is a life of…

Having told Timothy that his life was to be the life of a soldier, in which he would be exposed to many difficulties, and dangers, and hazards, he here mindeth him of the law and custom of soldiers, who being once entered in the muster-roll, use to sequester themselves from other employments in…

And look as it is in the public games in use amongst you, where divers strive by wrestling, fighting, racing, where there is a crown proposed as the prize for those who are the conquerors in the game; they have not that crown set upon their heads, unless they keep to the laws of that game wherein…

As the apostle had before compared the minister of the gospel to a soldier, and from thence concluded his duty not to entangle himself unnecessarily in secular employments; and to those that exercised themselves in their public games, and from thence concluded the obligation upon him to keep to the…

Consider what I say; weigh these things with thyself in thy own thoughts. And the Lord give thee understanding in all things; but thou wilt not effectually understand them without a Divine influence, opening thy mind to a comprehension of them, and thy heart to a reception of all these things, and…

The apostle passeth from his former discourse, wherein he had armed Timothy against the afflictions of the gospel, to a discourse about the doctrine of the gospel; and here mentioneth two principal heads of that doctrine, the incarnation of Christ, and his resurrection, which he instanceth in, as…

Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil-doer, even unto bonds; that is, for which I suffer affliction, as if I were an evil-doer, to that degree that I am put in chains.

Therefore I endure all things; that is, all things which I do endure, reproach, imprisonment, &c., for he had not yet resisted to blood. For the elect’s sakes; as for Christ’s sake, to imitate his example, and testify my love to him; so for the sake of those whom God hath chosen to eternal life,…

It is a faithful saying: see the notes on 1 Tim. 1:15, 1 Tim. 4:9, where we had the same phrase. For if we be dead with him: we are said to be dead with Christ two ways: 1. By our dying to sin, as he died for sin, Rom. 6:5. 2. By our suffering in testimony of the truth, 2 Cor.

If we suffer, we shall also reign with him; that is, if we suffer for his name’s sake, for a constant owning and adherence to his doctrine of faith, or discharge of any trust he hath reposed in us, we shall reign with him in glory.

If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful; whether we believe or believe not, or whether we be faithful to our trust or be not, yet God will show himself faithful, either to his promises made to them that believe, or to his threatenings denounced against those that believe not.

Of these things put them in remembrance; that is, put other teachers in remembrance of all these things which I have given thee in charge. Charging them before the Lord; charging them as in the sight of God, who most certainly observeth and taketh notice of them, and will call them to an account.

Study to show thyself approved unto God; let it be thy study, not to please men, to get their hum and applause for speaking quaintly, learnedly, or smoothly, but to approve thyself to God, who is thy Master in this work, and whom thou oughtest to serve.

But shun profane and vain babblings; by these dishonourable terms the apostle defameth all impertinent discourses in discharge of the ministerial office, such as he had called fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, 1 Tim. 1:4; profane and old wives’ fables, 1 Tim.

And their word will eat as doth a canker; in the Greek it is: And their word will have pasture (or place to feed upon) as a gangrene: we have ill translated the word a canker, for it signifieth a gangrene; both our English word gangrene and the Latin word are derived from the Greek.

Who concerning the truth have erred; these two he saith had already erred as to the doctrine of faith, giving heed to profane and vain babblings. Saying that the resurrection is past already; their particular error was in the business of the resurrection, which they said was past.

Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure; notwithstanding that these two men (possibly of some note in the church of Ephesus) have fallen from the faith, and have been ill instruments to subvert the faith of others, yet God hath a number in the world, who are built upon the rock Christ…

Look as it is in a great house, there are several vessels, made of several materials, and for several ends and uses; some are made of gold, some of silver, some of wood, some of earth; some made and bought for more noble and honourable uses, others for more vile, base, and dishonourable uses: so it…

If a man therefore purge himself from these; from these wicked men that subvert the faith of others, or from their wicked opinions and courses. He shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use; God will honour him; and he will by it be set apart, and made fit for Christ’s…

Flee also youthful lusts: by youthful lusts he means such sinful desires, propensities, and inclinations of mind as are most incident to youth, whether they be lusts of the flesh, or spiritual lusts, such as are the vices of the mind ambition, ostentation, pride, vain-glory, contempt of others, &c.

It is a precept or caution of the same nature with those, 1 Tim. 1:4, 1 Tim. 4:7, 2 Tim. 2:16. The repetition of this precept of the apostle four times in these two short Epistles, lets us know how important a thing he judged it, that ministers of the gospel should not spend their time in their…

He that is the servant of the Lord in the work of the ministry, must not μαχεσθαι, fight or strive; he must neither be a striker nor a brawler, neither fight with his hands nor his tongue. But be gentle unto all men; but show himself to all courteous, of a soft temper, meek and gentle.

In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; without passion better informing such as have sucked in an error, not reviling them, but gently instructing them, and labouring to convince them of their mistake; for all those who for a time may oppose the truth, are not such as never repent,…

And that they may recover themselves; the Greek word ανανηψωσιν properly signifieth to awake out of a drunken sleep. A state of sin is a kind of drunkenness, in which men have lost the use of their reason.