Paul's Exhortations & Instructions to Brother Timothy 2nd Letter Volume 17

Paul tells Timothy to be a Good Soldier of Christ Jesus Part 4

2 Timothy 2:5 And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully. KJV

Paul continues to give Brother Timothy and we true believers of every era and generation the responsibilities and the requirements of being a good soldier of our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ fighting the good fight of faith in Him under His banner with these next words, "And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully." (2 Timothy 2:5) (KJV). As any earthly soldier of a particular country must follow the orders of his or her commanding officers, so is it for those of us who are enlisted, embarked, and engaged in a far more dangerous, detrimental, and deadly battle that has ever been and will ever be which is the spiritual battle for the souls of sinful humanity warring as we do against our enemy the devil. This is why Paul has already warned Timothy of the hardship to come, because it is the enemies endeavor, effort, and enterprise to pervert and prostitute the Gospel of Jesus Christ (as he has done and is doing in many places on the earth) so that sinners are led down the wide broad road that does not lead to Christ and eternal salvation in Him alone.

Again as our Lord Jesus Himself warned would be the case with these words, "Go in through the narrow gate. The gate to destruction is wide, and the road that leads there is easy to follow. A lot of people go through that gate. But the gate to life is very narrow. The road that leads there is so hard to follow that only a few people find it." (Matthew 7:13-14) (Contemporary English Version) and with these words, "Someone asked him, 'Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?' Jesus answered: Do all you can to go in by the narrow door! A lot of people will try to get in, but will not be able to. Once the Owner of the house gets up and locks the door, you will be left standing outside. You will knock on the door and say, 'Sir, open the door for us!' But the Owner will answer, 'I don't know a thing about you!' Then you will start saying, 'We dined with You, and You taught in our streets.' But He will say, 'I really don't know who you are! Get away from me, you evil people!' Then when you have been thrown outside, you will weep and grit your teeth because you will see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in God's kingdom. People will come from all directions and sit down to feast in God's kingdom. There the ones who are now least important will be the most important, and those who are now most important will be least important." (Luke 13:23-30) (Contemporary English Version).

The English phrase 'strive for masteries' is translated by the Greek word athleō  (used only one other time in the entire New Testament and is also probably where we get our English word athlete from) and it means (a contest in the public lists); to contend in the competitive games: - strive. The English word 'crowned' is translated by the Greek word stephanoō which means to adorn with an honorary wreath (literally or figuratively): - crown. The English word 'except' is translated by the Greek word ean mē which means if not, that is, unless. The English word 'lawfully' is translated by the Greek word nomimōs (used only one other time in the entire New Testament) which is an adverb meaning legitimately (specifically agreeably to the rules of the lists): - lawfully. In other words, Paul is not only saying that a good soldier of Jesus Christ must war against the devil to preserve and protect the Gospel of Grace and the truth of the Word of God, but here he is comparing a soldier of Jesus Christ to the participants in the Greek games during his time (today it would be our Olympic games) and no matter how hard they trained and prepared for their events, they would not be crowned winners unless they competed according to the rules of their games, just as Paul declared to the Corinthian Church with these words he wrote to them on this very subject, "You know that many runners enter a race, and only one of them wins the prize. So run to win! Athletes work hard to win a crown that cannot last, but we do it for a crown that will last forever. I don't run without a goal. And I don't box by beating my fists in the air. I keep my body under control and make it my slave, so I won't lose out after telling the good news to others." (1 Corinthians 9:24-27) (Contemporary English Version). And so it is with every born again believer in Christ Jesus our Lord, for in order for us to receive any reward in heaven we must be true to the Gospel of Grace and to the infallible Word of God, just as Adam Clarke says with these words, "No man, however zealous he may have been, is to expect the Well done, good and faithful servant, from Jesus Christ, unless he has labored in the word and doctrine, preached the truth as it is in Jesus, and built up the Church upon Him who is its only Foundation."

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...

Sincerely in Christ,

Clifford D. Tate, Sr.

Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…