Vessels of Honor

2 Timothy 2:21-26

Verse 21. "Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work."

The "vessels" mentioned here and in the previous verse are intended by the Lord to be washed clean. In the work of God, we who have faith in Him were something like dirty dishes - caked with muddy sin; but we were thoroughly washed by what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross. But then like the drinking vessels in the cupboard of a typical home, if they are not used for a time, dust will settle upon them and they must be rinsed before additional use. The "dust" and other impurities that cover our lives and make us less fit for the Lord's purposes are seen in words and phrases we will encounter in the verses of this chapter. We are made clean by fleeing from youthful lusts (Verse 22), from foolish and ignorant speculations along with quarrels (Verses 23-24), and from worldly and empty chatter as we saw in Verse 16.

We need help, for just like the glass in our cupboard that needs to be rinsed clean, we cannot effectively wash ourselves. It is the Lord Himself who does it. Jesus said to His disciples, "You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you" (John 15:3). And then He continued, "Abide in Me. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me" (John 15:4). Reading on from those verses reveals that we are not to do all of this alone, for the Holy Spirit of God has been given to us. Yes we are to make ourselves clean, but what we have to do is being done for us by the Spirit of God.

Verse 22. "Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart."

One of the disturbing aspects of our "modern" culture is that "youthful lusts" are actually being encouraged in most of the countries in the world. Outsiders could look at what are the latest "fads" and see that the world is becoming what many have called in the past a "decadent" civilization. And it's happening everywhere. Little concern is given to "righteousness, faith, love and peace," even though the actions associated with those words are valued highly by the Lord. Those words are included within a list of what is called "the fruits of the Spirit" in Galatians 5:22-23. Another word there is "self-control," a subject about which our "modern" culture seems to care little about.

It should be noted by those who purport to be a part of the church that people in other religions look seriously at us and believe our actions more than our words. If we have a reputation for being "Christians," we are under scrutiny. There was a time, early in the formation of the USA, when the European settlers in America were drifting away from Christ, and the Lord sent men like Jonathan Edwards, urging the people he called "sinners," to get right with "an angry God." Many were "born again" as Jesus called it in John 3:3,7, and it can be argued that certain countries only exist because some of its citizens trust in Jesus. Whoever we are, we need to turn our backs on the mentality of "youthful lusts" and instead repent, pursuing the "righteousness, faith, love and peace" He gives, calling out in prayer "from a pure heart."

Verse 23. "But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels."

The concerns noted in relation to Verse 22 are not the focus of most who say they are a part of the religious system called "Christianity." People want to look young, act young and do things that young people do, no matter how old they may be. Plastic surgery, cosmetics, hair replacement and more - people are choosing "youthful lusts" over "righteousness, faith, love and peace;" over hearts made pure by the Lord. Plastic surgery to repair a disfigurement is wonderful, but the process becomes ugly when it is done merely because of vanity. Our outward appearance is far less important than what we are inside.

We are at our best when we merely are what we are, using the gifts He has given us, and avoiding "foolish and ignorant speculations" which, as this verse so clearly states, only "produce quarrels." The world looks at the church and decides we are superficial, vain, deceitful and argumentative. The fact that "ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23) escapes their notice, for people like to point accusingly at others and try to avoid blame themselves. We in the church need to "examine (ourselves) as to whether (we) are in the faith" (2 Corinthians 13:5), for the world is looking and deciding we fall short of the glory of God.

Verse 24. "The Lord's bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged,"

Sometimes Christians act like they think God is some sort of personal-assistant. We tell Him what we want, insist that He answers our need and become angry when He doesn't seem to do it. The word for "bond-servant" in this verse should be a wake-up call for us to recognize that most of us are badly mistaken about who we are in relation to the One who created us. The Greek word here is "doulos," which means we are the bond-slaves of God. He is the One who directs us and tells us what He wants, not the other way around. And He is the One who should be angry, not us, for humanity is in rebellion against Him.

A great deal of conversation among Christians remains superficial, because if we talked about deep things, a fight might break out. "Quarrelsome" here was a word generally used of armed combatants, those who engaged in hand-to-hand combat. Instead of such words, we are indeed to speak meaningfully, but we are also to be "kind to all," gently sharing with others in a spirit of loving honesty. We will be "wronged" by others, but those are moments when we pray, letting the Holy Spirit answer in and through us with the profound patience that comes from God.

Verse 25. "with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth,"

There were many in opposition to the teachings of the Apostle Paul, the writer of this Second Letter to Timothy. Some just didn't like him and many had some kind of agenda they wished to present. Paul mentioned two men, "Hymenaeus and Philetus," earlier in this chapter. They went around telling people that "the resurrection has already taken place," for some reason, which shook the faith of many who listened to their words. They spoke something of the truth for there will be a resurrection, but assigned it to the past as though it had already happened, which was a lie.

Paul knew precisely how it felt to be lied about, to be slandered in a manner that would lead others away from "the knowledge of the truth." We are indeed to prayerfully correct those who are in opposition to the Word of God, but do it with "gentleness" when we can. Such a response is usually impossible for two obvious reasons: If we reply meekly they might not listen, and second, if we answer with strength, we can become "quarrelsome" as Paul warned about in the preceding verse. There is no formula about how to act, but rather we look to God in each situation, understanding that, "When I am weak, then I am strong" as Paul noted in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10. It is God's words we need; not our own.

Verse 26. "and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will."

Sometimes, when we are attacked because we love the Lord, He will whisper into our hearts, "Say nothing!" and we should be quiet. As a general rule, whatever our response is, we are to respond "with gentleness" if possible, as Paul advised in Verse 25. In any case, we are to look to the Lord and not merely trust in some ability we might think we have. The hope is that "God may grant them repentance," that those who are deluded will be led out of lies and into the truth.

The youthful lusts, the foolish and ignorant speculations and the quarrels mentioned in the preceding verses, are, as Paul said, from the "devil." That doesn't mean that you can excuse bad behavior by saying, "The devil made me do it," for James observed that "each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires..." (James 1:14). We all would prefer others to like us, to listen to us and believe what we say, and unfortunately both sides in an argument are often wrong because they argue from selfish motives. We are to pray and look to the Lord, for His motives are infinitely good.

Lord, we come to You now, understanding that our motives tend to be poor. We ask, Holy Spirit, for Your strong gentleness to fill us, along with the love that comes from God. Keep us in truth. We pray that our words and actions will lead others and ourselves to repentance and to the Lord. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Ron Beckham, Pastor
Friday Study Ministries
Send comments: Ron@FridayStudy.org.
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"While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8)