2 Timothy 4:1 - Meaning and Application

Paul introduces this charge very solemnly: “I charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom” (2 Timothy 4:1). Even the best people need to be stirred up and warned to do their duty. The work of a minister is not optional or minor, but necessary. Paul had already said, “Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:16).

To make Timothy faithful, Paul sets two things before him. First, God and Jesus Christ were watching him. Paul is saying, in effect, “Be mindful of the favor of God and Christ, and live in a way that honors both the God who made you and the Lord Jesus who redeemed you.” Second, Paul points him to the coming judgment, which Jesus Christ will carry out. Christ will judge both the living and the dead, meaning those alive at the last day and those raised from the grave. God has given all judgment to the Son, appointed him Judge of all people (Acts 10:42).

Paul also reminds Timothy that Christ will appear again, and that appearance will be glorious. The word used here points to a bright, royal appearing. Then Christ’s kingdom will be fully seen in its glory, because he will appear as King, sitting on a throne to judge the world. Ministers and all believers should seriously think about the account they will soon give to Jesus Christ for every trust placed in them.

Paul then names Timothy’s duty: “Preach the word” (2 Timothy 4:2). A minister’s task is to deliver God’s message, not his own opinions or ideas. He must preach the plain truth of God’s Word and not distort it. As Paul said elsewhere, ministers speak “as from sincerity, as from God, in the sight of God, in Christ” (2 Corinthians 2:17).

Timothy must also urge what he preaches and press it on people with earnestness: “Be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort.” He must call people to avoid sin, do their duty, repent, believe, and live holy lives. He must do this when the timing seems right and when it does not. There are times when people are more open to hear, and there are times when success seems unlikely. Still, he must not skip the duty, because he does not know when God’s Spirit may use the word. As Ecclesiastes says, “In the morning sow your seed, and at evening do not withhold your hand” (Ecclesiastes 11:6).

Paul then explains that Timothy must tell people plainly about their faults. He must “reprove” and “rebuke” them. That means he should convince wicked people of the evil and danger of their ways, and speak plainly enough to lead them toward repentance. He must also rebuke with seriousness and authority in Christ’s name, so they understand that his correction reflects God’s displeasure with sin.

He must also encourage and strengthen those who have begun well. He is to “exhort” them, that is, persuade them to keep going and endure to the end, and he must do this “with all patience and teaching” (2 Timothy 4:2). He must be patient if the results do not come right away. He should not give up the cause or grow tired of speaking to them. Since God shows great patience toward people, ministers should also exhort with patience. And he must do this with sound teaching, not with anger. The goal is to plant right beliefs so that right behavior will follow.

So a minister’s work has many parts. He must preach, reprove, rebuke, and exhort. He must also be diligent and watchful, never missing a good opportunity to help people. He must watch for Satan’s temptations, which can pull him away from his task, and he must watch over the souls under his care. He should expect hardships and endure them patiently. The word here means to bear hardship with courage and steadiness. He must not be discouraged by trouble, but stay at his work and carry out his ministry fully.

Paul also reminds Timothy to “do the work of an evangelist” and “fulfill your ministry” (2 Timothy 4:5). An evangelist was a helper sent by the apostles to strengthen the churches they had planted, until those churches had settled pastors of their own. That was Timothy’s kind of work. It was a great trust, so he must carry out every part of it carefully and faithfully. The best way to prove his ministry fully is simply to complete its work in all its parts.

Paul gives reasons for this serious charge. One reason is that false teaching and heresies would soon creep into the church, corrupting the minds of many who claimed to believe (2 Timothy 4:3, 4). “The time will come when people will not put up with sound teaching.” Since that would happen, Timothy must make the best use of the present time, while people are still willing to hear. He must work now, while it is still seedtime and while the harvest is ready. The current chance will not last.

Paul warns that many people will gather teachers for themselves who please them, and they will turn away from the truth. For that reason, Timothy must help as many as he can become firmly grounded now, before storms and tempests arrive. People must hear, and ministers must preach, with the future in mind, guarding against the harm that is likely to come later, even if it has not yet appeared.

People will turn away from the truth. They grow tired of the plain gospel of Christ, then they become eager for fables, enjoy them, and God gives them over to strong deception, because they did not receive the truth with love (2 Thessalonians 2:11-12). These teachers are gathered by people themselves, not sent by God. They are chosen to satisfy sinful desires and to please ears that only want what sounds attractive.

This often happens when people cannot bear sound teaching, teaching that is searching, plain, and direct. Then they want teachers of their own choosing. There is a clear difference between God’s word and the word of such teachers. One is sound doctrine, the word of truth. The other is only fables.

Those who are turned to fables first turn away their ears from the truth. They cannot listen well to both at once, any more than they can serve two masters. More than that, Scripture says they will be turned to fables. God justly allows those who grow tired of the truth to be led away by lies.

Paul adds this because he himself had almost finished his work: “Do your best to carry out your ministry, for I am already being offered” (2 Timothy 4:6). Since workers were being taken away from the vineyard, Timothy should not grow lazy. The fewer workers there are, the harder the remaining ones must labor. Paul had finished the work of his own day and generation, and Timothy should do the same with his.

Paul’s peace and cheerfulness as death approached should also stir Timothy to greater effort, diligence, and seriousness. Paul was an old soldier of Jesus Christ, while Timothy was still young in service. Paul could say, “I have found our Master kind, and the cause good. I look back on my warfare with pleasure and satisfaction. So do not be afraid of the hardships ahead.” The crown of life was as certain for Timothy as if it were already on his head. So he should endure suffering and fully carry out his ministry.

The courage and comfort of dying believers and ministers, especially dying martyrs, strongly confirm the truth of Christianity. They also greatly encourage those still living in the work. Paul now looks toward his death: “I am already being poured out.” The Holy Spirit had warned him in every city that chains and suffering awaited him (Acts 20:23). He was now at Rome, and likely had special warning from the Spirit that there he would seal the truth with his blood. So he speaks of it as near at hand.

“I am already being poured out” means, in effect, “I am already a martyr in my heart.” It points to the pouring out of drink offerings. The blood of martyrs was not a sacrifice for sin, but it was a sacrifice of thanks and honor to God for his grace and truth. Paul speaks of dying with comfort. He calls it his departure, his release. Even if he expected a violent and bloody death, he still views it as going away from one world and entering another. Death for a good person is release from this world’s prison and entrance into the joy of the next.

He also looks back on his life with joy: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7). He was not afraid of death, because his conscience testified that, by God’s grace, he had answered the purpose of his life in some measure. As a Christian and as a minister, he had fought a good fight. He had gone through the duties and hardships of his calling, and had helped forward the glorious victories of the exalted Redeemer over the powers of darkness. His life was a race, and now he had finished it. His warfare was done, and his course was run. He had kept the faith, meaning he had held fast the doctrines of the gospel and never betrayed them.

The life of a Christian, especially a minister, is a warfare and a race. Scripture compares it to both. It is a good fight, a good warfare, because the cause is good and the victory is sure if we stay faithful and brave. We must fight it through to the end. We must not stop until we are made more than conquerors through him who loved us (Romans 8:37). It is a great comfort for a dying believer to look back and be able to say, “I have fought, I have kept the faith.” If, by God’s grace, we can speak like this at the end of life, it will bring deep comfort. So let us aim to finish our course with joy (Acts 20:24).

Paul then looks ahead with equal joy: “From now on there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness” (2 Timothy 4:8). He had lost for Christ, but he was sure he would not lose by Christ (Philippians 3:8). This should encourage Timothy to endure hardship like a good soldier of Jesus Christ. A crown waits before us, and its glory and joy will fully repay all the sufferings of our present struggle. It is called a crown of righteousness because it is the reward God gives for service, and God is not unfair to forget that service. It is also called that because our holiness and righteousness will then be completed and will itself be our crown.

God will give it as a righteous Judge, one who judges truly and leaves no wrong unaddressed. This crown of righteousness was not only for Paul, as if it belonged only to apostles, famous ministers, or martyrs. It is also for all who love his appearing. All true saints love the appearing of Jesus Christ. They loved his first appearing, when he came to take away sin by offering himself (Hebrews 9:26). They also love to think about his second appearing at the great day. They long for it, and when Christ appears to those who love him, it will be their joy. A crown of righteousness is kept for them, and it will then be given to them (Hebrews 9:28).

From this we learn that the Lord is the righteous Judge, because his judgment is true. We also learn that the believer’s crown is a crown of righteousness, bought by the righteousness of Christ and given as the reward of the saints’ righteousness. And this crown is laid up for believers. They do not have it yet, because here they are only heirs. It is not yet in their possession, but it is certain, because it is stored up for them.

Fourth, the righteous Judge will give this crown to all who love his appearing, prepare for it, and long for it. Christ says, “I am coming soon.” The church answers, “Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”