Paul's Exhortations & Instructions to Brother Timothy 2nd Letter Volume 16

Paul tells Timothy to be a Good Soldier of Christ Jesus Part 3

2 Timothy 2:3-4 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please Him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. KJV

Paul now after reiterating to Timothy where his power comes from (the Throne of Grace where our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ sits upon)for the constant and continuous spiritual battle with the criminal enemy of his and all ours the devil, he now wants to again remind him of his/our duty to Christ Jesus our Lord and he begins by instructing him/us with these words, "Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ." (2 Timothy 2:3) (KJV). The Apostle Paul had been subject to suffering for the sake of the Gospel of Christ and for the truth of the Word of God from the day he received salvation on the Damascus road up until the very penning of this letter to Timothy as he is writing while being falsely and unjustly held captive by the Romans. The English phrase 'endure hardship' is translated by the Greek word kakopatheō meaning to undergo hardship: - be afflicted, endure afflictions (hardness), suffer trouble. The English word 'soldier' is translated by the Greek word stratiōtēs which means (as used here) a (common) warrior (literally or figuratively): - soldier.

The old veteran of the faith is now stimulating and motivating the young man in the faith to follow his example of always declaring, distributing, and divulging the truth of the Word of God, no matter what the outward circumstances, concerns, or consequences might be to him personally, just as this same Apostle Paul wrote to the Hebrew Christians with these words to encourage and strengthen them to continue to honor the truth of the Word of God, "Don't forget all the hard times you went through when you first received the light. Sometimes you were abused and mistreated in public, and at other times you shared in the sufferings of others." (Hebrews 10:32-33) (Contemporary English Version). Here is what Matthew Henry had to say about this verse, "All Christians, but especially ministers, are soldiers of Jesus Christ; they fight under His banner, in His cause, and against His enemies, for He is the captain of our salvation, Hebrews 2:10. The soldiers of Jesus Christ must approve themselves good soldiers, faithful to their Captain, resolute in His cause, and must not give over fighting till they are made more than conquerors, through Him that loved them, Romans 8:37. Those who would approve themselves good soldiers of Jesus Christ must endure hardness; that is, we must expect it and count upon it in this world, must endure and accustom ourselves to it, and bear it patiently when it comes, and not be moved by it from our integrity."

Paul now gives Brother Timothy and we true believers today and of every era and generation the responsibilities and requirements of a good soldier of Christ Jesus our Lord beginning with these words, "No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please Him who hath chosen him to be a soldier." (2 Timothy 2:4) (KJV). The emphatic or forceful phrase of 'no man' that begins this verse is translated by the Greek word oudeis meaning (as used here) not even one (man, woman or thing), that is, none, nobody, nothing. The English phrase 'that warreth' is translated by the Greek word strateuomai meaning (as used here) to serve in a military campaign; figuratively to execute the apostolate (with its arduous duties and functions). The English phrase 'entangleth himself with' is translated by the Greek word emplekō (used only one other time in the entire New Testament) which means to entwine, that is, (figuratively) involve with. The English word 'affairs' is translated by the Greek word pragmateia (used this one time only in the entire New Testament) meaning a transaction, that is, negotiation: - affair. The English phrase 'of this life' is translated by the Greek word bios meaning (as used here) life, that is, (literally) the present state of existence.

In other words, Paul exhorts Brother Timothy and we true Christians of every era and generation to make loyalty to Christ Jesus our Lord and to the truth of His Word our first priority as we are pilgrims and sojourners down here on the earth before He takes us with Him to heaven. That is, none of us as soldiers should be more concerned with our status or position in this brief vapor of a life (James 4:14) here on the earth, but as faithful soldiers we must be more concerned with warring against our enemy the devil by declaring the truth of the Word of God always and at all times and in all places where we are here on the earth. We must be agreeable, accessible, and accountable to our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ only who has enlisted us into His Army as soldiers at the very moment of our redemption, regeneration, and rebirth, just as He told us about Saul (who became Paul) when our Lord Jesus converted him on the Damascus road with these words, "But the Lord said to him, Go! For this one is a chosen vessel to Me, to bear My name before nations and kings and the sons of Israel. For I will show him what great things he must suffer for My name's sake." (Acts 9:15-16) (Modern King James Version).

Here is what Matthew Henry had to say concerning this verse, "A soldier, when he has enlisted, leaves his calling, and all the business of it, that he may attend his Captain's orders. If we have given up ourselves to be Christ's soldiers, we must sit loose to this world; and though there is no remedy, but we must employ ourselves in the affairs of this life while we are here (we have something to do here), we must not entangle ourselves with those affairs, so as by them to be diverted and drawn aside from our duty to God and the great concerns of our Christianity. Those who will war the good warfare must sit loose to this world. That we may please Him who hath chosen us to be soldiers. The great care of a soldier should be to please his general; so the great care of a Christian should be to please Christ, to approve ourselves to Him. The way to please Him who hath chosen us to be soldiers is not to entangle ourselves with the affairs of this life, but to be free from such entanglements as would hinder us in our holy warfare."

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…