THE TWO
LIONS
I TIMOTHY 6 AND II TIMOTHY
I THE TERRAIN OF LIFE
When the
word is that of God who made us, there are certain results that one would
expect in view of His majesty, knowledge and power (cf. SMR Chs. 1, 3, 5, 8-10). These include
precise information, adapted to the knowledge and capacities of His creatures,
when He chooses to speak, enduring truth; but on the other hand, one would
expect in the end, calamity when this is
confused with the mental productions of His creatures.
These things are
well attested throughout the Bible, and in no small measure in I and II
Timothy. In looking at this, we come to the two lions.
The first is
growling with gruesome warning, as in I Timothy 6, lest we wander, and the
second is instructing with simple clarity, so that we know what is NOT
wandering, but the right track. Between them, they perform a most salutary
office, and in so doing, they verify the word of God, giving it the
office reason would suggest from His sublimity. History does the same in
showing the results of ignoring these warnings and advices, these repulsions
and impulsions, both when nations come into designated conflict with His word
(as with Tyre, Babylon and Nineveh cf. SMR p. 713),
and in more general terms, as with Japan in its rampaging in World War II and
Russia in its provocative insolence in telling God to "get out").
II LION THE FIRST – AVOID THE FALSE WAY
What
then does the Lord say concerning His teachings ?
In I
Timothy 6, we find a list in verses 3-5
which is astonishing in its vigour and force, its decisive incisiveness and its
scope. First however let us consider to what it refers.
In 6:1, following
great emphasis in I Timothy 5 on what is seemly,
orderly, organised and pure, we discover the topic of non-rebellion on the
parts of slaves. Those who become Christians, says Paul, are not to become
slack and lax, but to give an account fitting for those who are serviceable
saints. Even if they have believing masters (6:2), they should serve in the
spirit of love. In other words, the Marseillaise is not being sung by the
apostle. He is not seeing the blood of those who are difficult, being used to
sludge the fields. It must at once be realised, when one reads Philemon, that
Paul is no less emphasising the love, tolerance, forbearance, to be shown in
looking on those who are in one's power as slaves, as brothers in the Lord. Let
us consider for a moment, that small epistle.
There a runaway
slave is to be received back, with the congratulations of Paul for his
wonderful aid given to him before he returned to his master, and the latter is
exhorted to receive back his slave on account of the apostle: for if Paul
helped the owner, so should the owner receive and welcome back the slave
without evil to be done to him. Obviously, if Paul is to be so regarded in
giving grace to the slave, by the owner, how much MORE is CHRIST is be
regarded, who did so infinitely much more than any apostle could do, in bearing
sin for all who come in faith to Him, and rising with eternal life in His gift.
It is only a small step to see how
the thing is to work out. WHO wants to be a slave ? WHAT brother would
wish long to continue such a status for another of his family under his rule ?
Grace, love and compassion, not force, is the prescription.
Very well. Some
would however want uprisings and all the blood and mud resulting. Not so, says
Paul. Christianity is not a religion of violence. That of course is no
slightest excuse for any who do not see the true path of love, whether
with the matter of slavery, an utter abhorrence, or any other field.
What however of
those who wish to teach otherwise ? What of those
who exhort to rebellion ? What of those who
do not consent to the words of
moderation, of wisdom, even those of the
Lord Jesus Christ (as in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7, where the
emphasis is not on getting, but giving, not on self-display but on humility,
not on enraged, engorged passion but on hungering and thirsting for
righteousness) ? Paul in I Timothy 6 then enlarges on the implications for any
who wish to be divorced from such a plateau of vision. WHAT PLATEAU of
vision ? THIS: the words of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Let us survey the
scene verbally for such a situation. The perpetrator of such rejection of the
Lord's words is said to be:
·
proud,
·
knowing nothing,
·
obsessed with disputes and arguments over words;
and this in turn leads to
·
envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions,
·
useless wranglings of men, men who are of corrupt
minds and destitute of the truth,
·
people who suppose that godliness is a means of gain.
. PROUD ? Is it not
proud to contend with God about His own teaching.
KNOWING NOTHING ? Does not Paul
in I Corinthians 8:2-3 declare this: "And if
anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know.
But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him." In other words,
knowledgeability in spiritual things which is not bathed, immersed and sourced
in the love of God is mere vanity, lacking depth, authenticity, perspective. In
church terms, the perpetrator of such things, these excursions without the
Saviour's company, is in essential regards, IGNORANT. IF
anyone loves Me, Christ indicated, he will keep
My words (John
As a teacher,
such a person is like a black hole.
OBSESSED WITH DISPUTES ... ? If you fight with God about what He thinks, what less are you doing
? If you find it necessary to argue with your Author when you come
into His pages of history, this seems clearly to constitute a furore of
misplaced fervour, a self-exaltation and an obsession instead of truth.
ARGUMENTS ABOUT WORDS ... ? This has
been one of the worst features in much 'theology' which tries to seem godly,
but in fact moves far from the word of God. One often finds people trying to
import philosophy into the meaning of words, or issues relating, so that fact
becomes lost in the passion of pronouncements of emptiness, of virtual vacuity.
Thus in the
counsel of God when He declares that one must repent, He is not being playful,
as if this were an obvious impossibility with which He charges impotent man! To
be sure, it is beyond man so to act, but it is not at all beyond God so to
know, foreknow and impart this grace WHERE IT BELONGS, for He is on record in
His love for ALL, and His desire that ALL might be saved. Failure to repent is
mere obsession with rebellion, which must find its own ultimate place!
ENVY, STRIFE, REVILING, SUSPICIONS ... ? Yes, where human philosophy is allowed to distort and eventually to
declare contrary to the word of God, so that people in Christian clothes waylay
others in the church, it leads to PARTIES (such as is forbidden in I
Corinthians 3), yes even those who favour 'Paul' or 'Apollos'. It
is NOT a question of the spokesman, but of the Speaker who inspires, who is
God. Heaven forbid one should gain one's salvation through ANY but Christ, and
from any written source, ultimately, but the Bible. What is the use of talking
about the Bible if you do not even acknowledge what it says! Such is to be
found not only in the State which puts forth magical ideas by law, to the poor
children to this day, but in some churches, such as the Anglican, still
sporting an Archbishop who TEACHES you can come to God without Christ! Perhaps
we should compare HIS credentials with those of Christ!
So come strife,
foolish and irrelevant contentions, and in due course, reviling.
Such things are USELESS WRANGLINGS.
When they come,
it is a matter of being
DESTITUTE OF THE TRUTH.
Many might think
it PROFITABLE, a means of GAIN in some
sense so to act - whether for a church, a seminary, or other, whether
psychological or moral or ecclesiastical: but it is not. ONLY the word of God
written brings gain for the kingdom, enduring riches of righteousness which
alone are worth having in this field (cf. Proverbs
That is
ONE LION! It WARNS, and how strong is its voice!
III LION THE SECOND – FOLLOW THE TRUE
In I Timothy
3:16, as we saw in the last chapter, there is one of the most beautiful,
comprehensive and succinct references to the glory of God in the Gospel that
one could wish to see; and here in II Timothy 3:16 there is the exposure of the
status of the word of God in terms simple, express, explicit and sure, in
summary and impactive form and formula. ALL SCRIPTURE, roars this tawny lion,
IS GOD-BREATHED and PROFITABLE for DOCTRINE, for REPROOF, for CORRECTION, for
INSTRUCTION IN RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Now obviously the
apostle is not telling us of this absolute standard in order that we should not
know what it is. He is NOT saying that all scripture, in the case where it is
God-breathed (undefined therefore) is so profitable. That would be rather like
saying that all petrol is good for cars, provided that its hydro-carbon content
is *^% , where these terms are not defined. It would be an appallingly useless,
undefined, inexpressive jumble of sound, of no value, useless communication, a
joke.
The character of
inspiration has not been left unknown by Paul in I Corinthians 2:9-13, where
first, the revelation in substance is conferred on the apostle, and then the
words which provide the verbal assimilation of the revelation, these two are
provided. Again in Psalm 119, again and again we find that ALL His testimonies
are true, that they last for ever, are enshrined in heaven and such things, as
shown in the above reference.
Again, the Greek
simply states ALL SCRIPTURE GOD-INSPIRED AND PROFITABLE FOR TEACHING, then
listing other features of this focus. The omission of the copula (is) is not
unusual. There is no 'which' in the text, no designation of any division, let
alone any second verb, which would again have to be added to make any sense of
it at all – which is … is. There is no such clause.
Man is to "live by every word which proceeds out of the mouth of
God" (Matthew 4:4). This is shown in Christ's dialogue with the
devil, by its being absolutely final once cited, in the classic argumentation
and confrontation. In the same way, in Acts
Naturally such a
source would provide such a result in terms of being PROFITABLE FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS AND GODLINESS, for who is more godly
than God is Himself, or where is RIGHTEOUSNESS but in Him as its moral source
and uttermost base!
Further, all
scripture is profitable for CORRECTION.
How could you correct if the source for correction were incorrect! or how
correct if it were not even known, or how use a basis which was unbased,
unclear or uncertain! Not so with Christ: one blast of the word of God written
and even Satan was powerless. Again, all scripture is profitable for reproof;
but how could you reprove if the basis of reproof were reprovable! Hence this
lion is roaring: take it all, use it all, it is the basis, the blight for
error, the standard for correction, the reservoir for instruction, the module
for doctrine.
What it says is
correct, clear, basic, assured, God-breathed and ipso facto God
ordained, endorsed and provided. Just as departure from the word of God is most
horrendous, that lion as we earlier saw roaring with a splendid organ-toned
power, so the abiding in this word is wonderful, all of it, not some, all of
the Bible in both testaments, not some, all that God has said, every word, not
some of His words, whether one likes it or not, whether it hits favourite
theories or not, whether it smacks one's hand when one ponders a possible
course of action or not: IT IS PROFITABLE to correct, instruct, to show what is
right, what is godly, what is rebukable.
THIS is what one
would expect when the Maker of Man the Communicator, speaks to man the thinker,
the one who engages in abstract thought, who makes rules, who has power to
elect perspectives. Therefore avoid the tangling, wrangling
use of YOUR thoughts or anyone else’s in place of those of God, and FOLLOW His
will, words and ways, for in Him is life. ABIDE in Jesus Christ, and it is He
who will confirm in you all His way (John
For a broader treatment, see gracetoface4.html