EEC Blog

“Hold fast the pattern (or form, outline) of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.” (2Tim.1:13)

The first Bible I received when I was a kid was from my Sundayschool Teacher at the age of around 12. Usually, it marked the end of Sundayschool, when we were deemed to be “fit” enough to go only to the main service. On every New Years Day, our church had the beautiful tradition of a so called “Liebesmahl” (“Love Meal”), where all members from the youngest to the oldest took part. It was a typical get together for coffee, tea and cake, and during that “party”, all Kids received a bag full of goodies. No useless sweeties, I tell you, but real good stuff, some probably home made, and fruits and other little goodies. It was at a time of financial modesty (raised in a family of 10 it was even more so) and we really valued this beyond price! On those occasions we also received that Bible. It had a black softcover, with my name printed on the front and usually red edges. But it also contained a dedication, a bible verse, and in my Bible, it was from 2.Tim 3:14-15: “But continue in the things that you have learned and have been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them; and that from infancy on you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”! It was a proud and solemn moment to receive this precious gift in front of the church! You really felt like being finally accepted into the realm of the grown-ups! Sadly, I don’t have that Bible any more, however, it might be somewhere in those old storage boxes we moved around with for so long!

The second letter to Timothy seems to be among the more “sadder” letters from Paul, written from prison. In chapter 1 he remembers Timothy’s tears at their parting and longs to see him again. Vers 8 shows Paul being in prison and asking Timothy to join with him “in suffering for the Gospel”. Vers 15 tells us that “everyone in the province of Asia has deserted me.” In Chapter 2 he asks: “Endure hardship” and verses 16-18 speak about two lads, “who have wandered away from the truth”; “they will become more and more ungodly and their teaching will spread like cancer”! (In chapter 4 we hear about Demas, who has deserted him because he loved this world and about Alexander, who did him a great deal of harm!) Chapter 3 starts with a striking description of a horribly perverted world, not unlike our times. “Have nothing to do with them!” - is Paul’s strict order for this! Then he continues: “You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, persecutions, sufferings – what kinds of things happened to me (…), the persecution I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. In fact, everyone who wants TO LIVE A LIFE IN CHRIST JESUS will be persecuted, while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” - This is the context of the dedication text in my first Bible!

Here is a man, while bound by physical chains, his mind and soul being free in Christ, who thanks God for a young Christian like Timothy. He reminds him that “God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of a sound mind”!

So for every sad side, for every setback, there is but one unique medicine: Back to the Scriptures! Read the whole letter for yourself. It’s such a wonderful encouragement to find the "pattern of sound words"! Now, what exactly is that?

Is the pattern (the form) more important than the content? Certainly not. But if I want to live my life according to God’s Word i.e. if I "desire to live godly in Christ Jesus" (2Tim.3:12), I need not only to know the Word of God, but also to understand the "pattern". That will allow me to apply it whenever there is no direct instruction for any given situation.

To be continued. Emphasis added.