Safe and Secure: The Intersection of Security and Assurance
September 29, 2022 at 3:44 pm | Posted in II Timothy, Uncategorized | 1 CommentTags: 1 John 5, 2 Timothy 2, assurance of salvation, Biblical assurance, Ephesians 4, eternal security, eternal security of the believer, John 3, once saved always saved, Romans 3
When considering the doctrine of eternal security, and the separate but related concept of the assurance of salvation, I would like to discuss four possible categories of people:
1. People who are saved and know it
2. People who are saved but don’t know it
3. People who are lost and know it
4. People who think they are saved but are really lost
And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
I John 5:11
Many babies around the world are born without a birth certificate, but, in nations where there is a strong hospital system and government oversight, there is almost always a record of physical birth. When it comes to having a record of spiritual birth, though, we can do away with the “almost,” because there is in fact ALWAYS a record of spiritual birth. Spiritual birth is the receipt of eternal life, and this eternal life is in the Son. Receipt of eternal life in the Son should be a basis for certainty, not doubt, because the Son, like the life He gives and maintains, is eternal Himself.
He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
I John 5:12
I listed four categories above, but, in a more basic sense, we can confirm two categories here: (1) those who have the Son; and (2) those who have not the Son. We call the ones who have the Son “saved” because they are secure with Him. The ones who do not have the Son can not be considered “saved,” but we call them lost, rather than “damned,” in the hope that they will be found.
The doctrine of eternal security is underpinned by, and, in a way, based upon, regeneration. This will help us to think correctly as we analyze the connection between security and assurance and look at the four categories one at a time.
1. Those who are saved and know it
Is it possible for a person to know he is saved? The Bible indicates that it is.
These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
I John 5:13
John’s epistles back up the purpose of his Gospel (“that ye might believe”) by adding that ye might believe and KNOW. The pastor of the church where I serve likes to say that the only thing better than being saved is being saved and knowing it, and there is certainly an element of truth to this. Perhaps you have heard other preachers ask, “Do you know that you know that you know… etc… that you are saved?” When the doctrine of security is known and understood, and it is combined with a Biblical assurance of salvation, we can see that this category – category one, being saved and knowing it – is clearly the best category.
2. Those who are saved but don’t know (or realize) it
I would argue that this is not a “good” category to be in, but certainly not the worst. Is it possible to be saved and not realize you are saved? Setting aside cases of amnesia or mental illness or disability, this category would mainly consist of people who struggle with doubt, or people who have been genuinely saved but haven’t fully understood it, or people who have sinned and become consumed by guilt leading to doubt over God’s love. I heard one preacher talk about a young lady who struggled with feeling forgiven, although the Bible clearly states that the sins of believers have been fully forgiven in the Cross. It turned out that her deeper issue was not a struggle with guilt, but a lack of repentance concerning her pride and disbelief.
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
Ephesians 4:32
Confession of sins is integral to growth as a Christian, but just as important, or even more so, is a recognition that our FATHER has already arranged a prospective GUARANTEED forgiveness for true Christians. Category Two is a “better” category than Category Three or Four, but it is ultimately a sad category, and one from which we should seek to deliver our brothers and sisters who struggle with doubt and disbelief in the power and promises and grace of God.
He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
John 3:36 (emphasis added)
Note the present tense (what I like to call the present tense eternal) “hath” in John 3:36. Security is in the POSSESSION of eternal life, not the PROFESSION of eternal life, but when the profession can be added to the possession, then the Christian can grow in faith and overcome crippling doubt and fear.
3. Those who are lost and know it
Category 3 is not a good category, obviously, but it is is not as bad as it at first sounds. A person who knows he is lost (and will admit it) is a prime candidate to hear and receive the Gospel. Much of the Bible, and therefore much evangelism, is geared toward getting lost people to admit they are lost. A lost person may totally misconstrue the message that God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life; that message is largely meaningless without the conviction of sin and the fear of judgment. That’s why the Bible’s most explicit explanations of the Gospel and the plan of salvation drive home the point that sinners are the ones who need a savior, and we all come into this world as sinners.
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
Romans 3:23-26
This is extremely good news for those who believe in Jesus and the truth about His death, burial, and Resurrection, but ONLY for those who believe. There is no eternal security for a lost person, so the last thing we want to do is given them a false assurance. A false assurance would land them them in category four, which, for my money, is the most dangerous and worst category a person could be in.
4. Those who think they are saved but are really lost
These people are sometimes described as inoculated to the Gospel, and, while I don’t really care for that description, we must acknowledge that a person who truly believes that he has already been saved is the kind of person who is least likely to be susceptible to the conviction that comes with the preaching of the Gospel. One of the reasons that so many people don’t like the expression “once saved always saved” is that it can be seriously misused, even though it is a valid expression. We have to remember that the expression is NOT “once claimed to be saved, always saved” or “once thought to be saved, always saved.” Too many professing Christians wear the label “saved” when they haven’t really understood or believed the Gospel, and haven’t really received the Savior. It reminds me of a story in which the famous preacher D.L. Moody was once approached by a drunk man. “Don’t you remember me?” slurred the man as he staggered about, “You saved me two years ago.” Moody is said to have responded, “I must be the one who saved you, because it sure doesn’t look like God did it.”
There are some Biblical examples of people who belonged to category four, and some we can’t be sure of, but two are mentioned by name:
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.
II Timothy 2:15-18
It appears that Hymenaeus and Philetus were in error – albeit grievous error – meaning they actually believed their own false teachings. Note, however, that their false assurance, and their fall into apostasy, did not affect the objective truth of eternal security.
Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
II Timothy 2:19
We are hesitant to disfellowship or kick someone out of a local church body, and we should not do so if there is reason to believe their profession of salvation is credible, but ongoing acts of open unrepentant sin is one authorized reason for doing it, and false teaching, despite attempted correction, is another.
Do We Really Need to Study the Bible?
June 2, 2022 at 3:01 pm | Posted in II Timothy, Uncategorized | 7 CommentsTags: 2 Timothy 2, Bible study, Biblical Q&A, King James Version, KJV, Q&A, study
Question: I know there’s a verse in the Bible that says we are supposed to study the Bible, but didn’t “study” mean something else when the Bible was translated into English?
Answer: I believe you are thinking of II Timothy 2:15: “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” The word “study” in that verse is translated from the Greek word spoudazo, which means to act quickly to give diligence to some endeavor. The King James Version of the Bible only translates it as “study” once, translating it as “endeavoring” or “being diligent” or “doing diligence” in other verses.
When people today hear the word “study,” what often pops into their minds is a person (a “student”) sitting at a desk (perhaps in a room called a “study”), reading a book, taking notes, and trying to memorize lessons or facts. Therefore, this is one of the verses that amateur skeptics like to use to discredit the KJV as being archaic and too-difficult-to-understand for modern readers. However, careful inspection shows that this example doesn’t serve that argument.
The English word “study,” derived from ancient Latin and Old French forms of the word, has had dual meanings since around 1300 A.D. It can mean to apply yourself through the study of books and course materials, or to give diligent attention to any subject, including the way you live your life. Therefore, it’s pretty easy to see why the KJV translators would have used it in II Timothy 2:15 as opposed to its synonyms with slightly different connotations that they used in other passages of Scripture. The reason is that II Timothy 2:15 is an exhortation to Timothy to be diligent in pleasing God specifically in the area of “rightly dividing the word of truth” (the Bible) and in combatting heresy and false doctrine – which contradicts the truth (II Timothy 2:14,16-18) – by being knowledgeable about the the Word.
This means that other versions which translate spoudazo as “be diligent” (NKJV) or “do your best” (NIV) are missing out on the emphasis of the need for pastors and Bible teachers (and, really, anyone who wants to be grounded in the Word of God) to spend time reading, meditating, memorizing, applying, and, yes, STUDYING the Bible.
Big Words of the Christian Life: Omnipotence (Part 1)
March 16, 2018 at 1:42 pm | Posted in Biblical Power, big words of the Christian life | 10 CommentsTags: 1 Timothy 6, 2 Timothy 2, Genesis 18, Hebrews 6, Isaiah 40, James 1, Jeremiah 32, Luke 1, Mark 10, Matthew 19, Revelation 11
If you’ve ever seriously studied your way through Jesus’s model prayer (Matthew 6:9-13), by the time you finished the part about being delivered from evil you may have felt a little overwhelmed. To say that there is “a lot to” this short prayer is a massive understatement. However, hopefully you didn’t stop until you reached the very end. “For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory for ever” is a statement, in and of itself, that contains a wealth of information about God. Recently, as I prayed my way through it, I was struck by the placement of the word “power” in between God’s kingdom and God’s glory. If we think about the awesome power of God, we are reminded of the attribute of God that we call “omnipotence,” and if we study the implications of this attribute we can see that:
1. God’s power is limitless.
Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.
Genesis 18:14
Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:
Jeremiah 32:17
But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
Matthew 19:26
And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.
Mark 10:27
For with God nothing shall be impossible.
Luke 1:37
“Omnipotence” comes from two words: omni, meaning “all,” and potent, meaning “power” or “powerful.” The omni applies to other attributes of God too: “omnipresence,” meaning that God is everywhere all the time at once; “omnscience,” meaning that God knows everything; and “omnibenevolence” meaning that God (and what He does) is always good. We use the idea of “potency” when we think of someone with great authority, and, hence, the power to carry out his will: a “potentate.” We think of it antonymously when we talk about someone who lacks the power to do something: “impotent.” And we even use it to describe health supplements when we somewhat hyperbolically refer to “high-potency” vitamins. To say that God is omnipotent is to say that He’s all-powerful. And He is!
There is nothing that goes beyond His ability. He has the ability to bring forth everything from nothing. He has the ability to carry out His will in the minutest details. He has the freedom – the truest freedom – to choose what He will do, apart from any intrusive or coercive influences, and to do it either by Himself as the primary cause, or through His agency in utilizing as many secondary or intervening causes as He wishes.
It is one thing for even the most powerful human being to come up with an idea for a project, plan the project, labor intensively on the project, and see it through to a hopefully successful, possibly even “perfect,” conclusion. But it is a whole other matter and realm of power to simply speak the words, “Let there be light,” and see a whole universe of matter spring into existence. We can talk about God’s omnipotence, and attempt to define it, and perhaps understand a small measure of it, but to truly comprehend a being with truly UNLIMITED power is beyond our grasp.
That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.
I Timothy 6:14-16
Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.
Revelation 11:17
To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.
Isaiah 40:25-26
2. God’s power is logical.
It is important to remember, when we make a statement like, “God can do anything,” that we need to be prepared for skeptics to try to use basic logic to create nonsensical contradictions. “Can God make an object so immovable that He Himself cannot move it?” “Can God make a square circle?” “Can God make Himself cease to exist?” “Can God Himself commit the sins which His Word says He cannot do?”
It is tempting, when addressing these types of challenges (which are essentially just word-plays rather than legitimate questions), to respond with the argument that “logic” itself is a thing outside of God, and that even God can’t perform a true logical contradiction, nor can His power be exercised in logically “impossible” ways. That might be a valid response, but I think it overlooks the bigger picture that, to the extent logic can be considered a “thing,” it is something that arises from the nature of God Himself, as the Creator of all principles, rules, and precepts that exist, “natural” or otherwise, and that, while it might be possible in some way that we do not understand for God to overcome a logical contradiction, He does not in fact do so.
Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:
Hebrews 6:17-18
If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.
II Timothy 2:13
Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
James 1:3
Next time we will see that God’s power is also laudable and looming.
The Be Quietudes
September 20, 2016 at 12:14 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | 13 CommentsTags: 2 Timothy 2, Acts 17, Isaiah 29, Luke 14, Matthew 12, Matthew 15, Matthew 5, Proverbs 17, Proverbs 18, Proverbs 20, Proverbs 26, Psalm 104, Romans 12
Talking itself is not a sin. Christianity is a verbal religion, and the Gospel is communicated by words. “Faith cometh by hearing” (Romans 10:17). However, the Bible does emphasize that we should not talk sinfully.
The “Beatitudes” are found in the Sermon on the Mount.
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Matthew 5:3-11
The beautides describe the conditions for expeiencing blessedness, and they prescribe what some of the blessings are. Those who are blessed, according to Jesus, experience God’s favor, and are marked by the types of attitudes and actions which are pleasing in God’s sight, and which bring contentment, peace, and happiness to one’s life.
For this lesson I have borrowed the name “beatitude” and applied it to the idea that there are times when it is more blessed to be quiet than to speak up: “The Bequietudes.”
1. Blessed are those who don’t gossip, for they will not make things worse.
Where no wood is, [there] the fire goeth out: so where [there is] no talebearer, the strife ceaseth.
Proverbs 26:20
Gossip ends when nobody is willing to repeat it – the way a fire ends when there is no fuel left to burn.
2. Blessed are those who LISTEN, for they will gain understanding.
The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the LORD hath made even both of them.
Proverbs 20:12
And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand:
Matthew 15:10
You can’t listen while you are talking. When people are talking all at once, it causes confusion. You learn more by listening than by talking. God gave you two ears and one mouth – take the hint, and try to listen at least twice as much as you speak.
3. Blessed are those who THINK, for they shall renew their minds.
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Romans 12:2
The Gospel is intended to engage your intellect as much as your emotions. Christianity is not mysticism. Serious thinking is hindered, not enhanced, by talking.
4. Blessed are those who READ, for they shall gain knowledge.
And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned.
Isaiah 29:12
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane [and] vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
II Timothy 2:15-16
These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
Acts 17:11
It’s difficult to talk while you’re reading (unless you’re reading aloud!) Read the Bible. Read books about the Bible. Read other books, too, but be careful what you read. Don’t read things that do not edify.
5. Blessed are they who CONTEMPLATE, for they shall be prepared.
Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.
Luke 14:31-33
Your mind is a temple. A temple is where man meets with God. Serious decisions are made during periods of silent contemplation, not audible conversation.
6. Blessed are they who MEDITATE, for they shall be glad in the Lord.
My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the LORD.
Pslam 104:34
Meditation is deep thinking; unlike contemplation, though, it is not always thinking about a pending decision. It is where you seriously and silently consider what you have learned about God in His word. Meditation is an acquired taste that tastes better the more seriously you take it.
7. Blessed are they who DON’T BUTT IN, for they shall not look foolish.
A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself.
Proverbs 18:2
He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it [is] folly and shame unto him.
Proverbs 18:13
Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: [and] he that shutteth his lips [is esteemed] a man of understanding.
Proverbs 17:28
It is important to analyze a situation before getting involved. A person with a reputation for wisdom is more trustworthy than a person with a reputation for being a know-it-all or a busybody. People have less of a tendency to trust someone that is shooting his mouth off all the time.
7. Blessed are they whose words are few, for they shall give a better account.
O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
Matthew 12:34-36
One of the best evidences of what is in your heart is what comes out of your mouth, but, just because you are thinking something, you don’t have to say it. There needs to be a probationary holding pen (filter) before the words formed in your mind are deemed fit to come out of your mouth.
(photo courtesy of: https://www.challies.com/a-la-carte/a-la-carte-august-28-3/)
How Rosaria Butterfield Learned to S.W.I.M.
June 22, 2016 at 11:33 am | Posted in II Timothy, Quotes | 2 CommentsTags: 2 Timothy 2, Bible teachers, Biblical teaching, James 3, quotes about swimming, Rosaria Butterfield, swimming lessons, swimming quotes
Some people probably learn how to swim by falling off a boat and almost drowning. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that they would make great swim coaches.
Rosaria Champagne Butterfield
My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.
James 3:1
And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.
II Timothy 2:2
A Closer Race with Thee
May 23, 2016 at 1:41 pm | Posted in Hebrews | 4 CommentsTags: 2 Timothy 2, commentary on Hebrews, drawing close to God, drawing close to Jesus, endurance, Hebrews 12, Jesus Christ, Sunday School lessons on Hebrews
Hebrews Chapter 12 starts of with a “wherefore,” which – similar to a “therefore” – reminds us to take into consideration what we’ve just learned.
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Hebrews 12:1
The witnesses are the heroes of the faith from Chapter 11, and they are not “witnesses” in the sense of being spectators. They are witnesses in the sense that their testimonies, and what we know about them from the Bible, witness to us. Their testimonies let us know that, if they did it, we can do it, too.
If the Christian life is a race, we need training for the race – and the training is ongoing as we run at different levels, drawing nearer and nearer to God:
One, we look at those who have finished the race – and won the race – before (the cloud of witnesses, patriarchs of the faith).
Two, we consider what kind of shape we’re in to start. Are we weighted down? Weights are useful for training, but no one would run the actual race with his weights. A batter in the on-deck circle does his practice swings with a weighted donut around the barrel of the bat, but he makes sure to take it off before stepping up to the plate. In the Christian race we lay aside “every weight” – even so-called “harmless” things. Remember, the question for the mature believer who is drawing closer and closer to God is not, “What’s wrong with that?” but “What’s right with that?”
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.
II Timothy 2:4
We lay aside every weight and “sins that easily beset us.” We know we can’t draw nigh while we’re all weighted down – especially with sin.
Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:
Hebrews 12:14
We are not going to come into the presence of God – as confident believers who know better – without some degree of holiness. We cannot have total and complete holiness, for this is impossible for flesh and blood, but we must have some holiness. God said, “Be ye holy; for I am holy,” and He wouldn’t have told us to do it if it was impossible.
Three, we look at the One Who truly did it.
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of [our] faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
Hebrews 12:2-3
We have to draw close to “consider.” Christ is our best example for running the race. He didn’t use His powers to coast through His earthly life. Like Job, he was tempted, but to a far greater extent. He exercised faith – built up in prayer – used with the Word of God as a sharp weapon. Christ is not only our example, He is our enabler. He gives us the patience (really, endurance) and the strength to run the race.
Beware the Feminine Force
October 29, 2014 at 8:24 am | Posted in The Fives | 4 CommentsTags: 2 Timothy 2, Biblical visions, Cinco de Mayo devotions, commentary on Zechariah, feminism, gender in the Bible, patriarchy, Sunday School lessons on Zechariah, Zechariah 5
God’s angel had just shown Zechariah the vision of the flying roll when he told him to “look up” and see another sight.
Then the angel that talked with me went forth, and said unto me, Lift up now thine eyes, and see what is this that goeth forth.
Zechariah 5:5
This vision was even stranger, and Zechariah needed the angel to explain to him exactly what he was seeing.
And I said, What is it? And he said, This is an ephah that goeth forth. He said moreover, This is their resemblance through all the earth.
Zechariah 5:6
An ephah was a standard form of measurement, used to measure wheat or barley. It may have been symbolic of the way that the Jewish merchants had been swindling their customers by using false weights and measurements, a sin which God detests. Inside this ephah, instead of kernels of wheat, was a woman being held down by a lead weight, as though she might escape and cause great mischief.
And, behold, there was lifted up a talent of lead: and this is a woman that sitteth in the midst of the ephah. And he said, This is wickedness. And he cast it into the midst of the ephah; and he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof.
Zechariah 5:7-8
It is not a mistake that the subject of the vision was a woman, and the word translated as “wickedness” in verse 8 is a feminine noun. The Jewish people in Zechariah’s day had gone far into idolatry, not only worshiping false male gods, but bowing down and sacrificing to false female deities as well.
The vision continued as two more women with large and powerful wings intercepted the ephah and the wicked woman trapped inside, and swooped them away to judgment – probably predicting the manner in which the Roman army would fly down upon Jerusalem in A.D. 70 and execute God’s judgment upon the nation that had rejected His Son and Messiah.
Then lifted I up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came out two women, and the wind was in their wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork: and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the heaven.
Zechariah 5:9
We praise the Lord today for Godly women who serve faithfully in His Kingdom. The Bible does warn, though, of a feminine propensity toward gullibility and usurpation (I Timothy 2:12-14). When Christian men are exercising their God-ordained leadership roles, loving sacrificially and serving humbly, then helpful and gifted women will be better able to exercise their callings in Christ liberally and without a weight of worldly oppression constraining them in a container of guarded suspicion.
Warren Webster Said It Is Important to S.W.I.M. with a Few Individuals
May 9, 2014 at 10:09 am | Posted in II Timothy, Quotes | 2 CommentsTags: 2 Timothy 2, changing lives, discipleship, missionary quotes, quotes about swimming, swimming quotes, the deep, Warren Webster, Warren Webster quotes
If I had my life to live over again, I would live it to change the lives of people, because you have not changed anything until you’ve changed the lives of people… Instead of of going through life like a pebble skimming the surface of a pond, we need to sink deep into the lives of a few individuals.
Warren Webster
Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.
II Timothy 2:2
The Deep End 
The Free Course of the Word
October 25, 2022 at 3:59 pm | Posted in II Thessalonians | Leave a commentTags: 2 Thessalonians 3, 2 Timothy 2, Bible, Biblical commands, commentary on 2 Thessalonians, Psalm 147, spiritual warfare, Sunday School lessons on 2 Thessalonians, Word of God
II Thessalonians 3:1 (emphasis added)
The Word of God is living; our job as Christians is to set it free. When I communicate with people who pretend not to believe in God, or who don’t believe the Bible, I still use Bible verses. Sometimes this drives them absolutely CRAZY. They say, “Why do keep telling me what the BIBLE says? I don’t believe the Bible.” I use it because it is LIVING and POWERFUL. We need to remember this in Christian ministry. If somebody comes to God, and we attribute it to the skill of a preacher or teacher, or if we attribute it to the skill of a worship band or singer, or if we attribute it to a very clever plan to get people to come to some church event, then we are giving the glory to ourselves. But if we TRUST the Word and PUBLISH the Word, God gets the glory.
Psalm 147:15
II Timothy 2:9
Sheep that are not properly fed get edgy, they get hungry, they start to bite each other, they don’t follow the Shepherd, they start to wander off. When they wander off looking for food, they are susceptible to falling into ditches, getting caught in briar bushes, getting attacked by wolves. However, when sheep are well fed they flock together, they reproduce, they follow the Shepherd, and they are happy.
Not only should we RECOGNIZE and APPRECIATE the power of the Word, but we are COMMANDED to release the Word. “Command” is a key Word in II Thessalonians Chapter 3.
II Thessalonians 3:4 (emphasis added)
II Thessalonians 3:6 (emphasis added)
II Thessalonians 3:10 (emphasis added)
II Thessalonians 3:12 (emphasis added)
“Command” is a word for soldiers. Good soldiers can get in big trouble if they show up late for drills. As Christians, we are in a more important war than a military army. We need to show up on time, prepared, focused, obedient.