Verses 1-6

Verse 1 Paul begins the second chapter of this very personal letter to Timothy by turning his attention directly to Timothy’s faith and actions.  By beginning with “You therefore,” after discussing his own ministry in Chapter 1, Paul is expressing to Timothy his responsibility to continue the ministry which Paul began.  The address is very emphatic in the original Greek, and compares Timothy with Paul and Onesiphorus in 2 Tim 1:16-18, a stark contrast to those who deserted Paul in 2 Tim 1:15¹  It is important to note Paul’s use of “my son” to refer to Timothy.  Paul and Timothy had a very close personal relationship with Paul acting as Timothy’s spiritual father, preparing and training him for ministry.  Paul knows that he will soon depart to be with Christ (2 Tim 4:6), so his perhaps final instruction and encouragement to his most trusted successor (Phil. 2:20) emanates with great intensity and emotion. Paul exhorts Timothy to “be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.”  Paul previously reminded Timothy that his boldness flows from the resurrection power granted by Jesus Christ, and not of his own efforts (2 Tim 1:7).

Verse 2 Next, Paul addresses Timothy’s theology and teaching.  Timothy’s message should be identical to that which Paul taught him.  Paul emphasizes that his message remained consistent throughout his ministry, and many witnesses will be able to discern if Timothy remains true to Paul’s teaching.  Further, with knowledge of the Truth comes sacred responsibility. Timothy must invest in others as Paul invested in him.  Faithful men must be chosen to teach the brethren with Timothy, and he should train these men in the proper doctrine taught to him by Paul.  These were indeed only men, for Paul uses anthropos in its specific sense of an adult male, in contrast to a woman.²  It would have been inconsistent for these to be women, for Paul forbade them earlier from teaching the entire church (1 Tim. 2:12).  It is likely that these men would serve the same role as the church leaders described in 1 Tim. 5:17 and Titus 1:9.³

“You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. ⁴No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. ⁵And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. ⁶The hardworking farmer must be first to partake of the crops.” – 2:3-6

Verse 3 Paul gives the first of three illustrations which describe “the rigors and rewards of discipleship”⁴.  The exhortation to Timothy is for him to suffer for the gospel as Paul had.  The majority of manuscripts begin this verse with “You therefore,”⁵ linking the call to suffer back to v. 1.  If Timothy remained strong in Christ Jesus, fulfilling and persevering in his ministry, then suffering would come in a world hostile to the Gospel of Christ.  This suffering is similar to the suffering of a soldier, leaving the comforts of life to face enemy hostility for the sake of the one who enlisted him.  In Timothy’s case, he had been enlisted by Christ Jesus, and thus must seek to please Him and follow Him in suffering.

Verse 4 Paul continues his illustration by describing the attitude and goals of a good soldier.  A soldier is characterized by single-mindedness of purpose.  As a soldier, Timothy’s primary aim in life was to please Jesus Christ who had enlisted him.  Paul was not prohibiting Timothy from being involved with the world, but to keep from becoming entangled in it.  Thus Timothy must be in the world, actively participating in ministry, but without becoming tied down and distracted by the worries and temptations that the world offers.  The approval of the Lord Himself proves the worthy reward for remaining focused and staying free from entanglements.

Verse 5 Paul moves on to his second illustration of suffering in ministry, that of an athlete in competition.  If the athlete does not compete according to the rules of competition, he will forfeit the prize.  Thus, Timothy must understand and obey the rules and instructions given by God to the leaders of the church.  The minister must not take short-cuts during the race of his ministry, or he will be disqualified.  This disqualification involves the loss of rewards at the judgment seat of Christ, not eternal salvation from sin.  This second illustration assumes deeper meaning in relation to the previous soldier analogy, as Timothy must realize that the instruction to suffer hardship becomes one of the rules of the race.⁶

Verse 6 Paul’s final illustration is of a hard-working farmer.  The Greek word for “hard-working” carries with it the connotation of working until exhaustion, but also conveys the idea of a difficult struggle.⁷  Just as a farmer does not see the results of his arduous labor until the time of harvest, so also the minister must wait until the judgment seat to see most of the results of his tireless work.  The minister will enjoy the rewards of his labor (1 Cor. 3:5-8) like a farmer enjoying the fruit of the field.

Barclay summarizes these illustrations well when he writes:

One thing remains in all three pictures.  The soldier is upheld by the thought of final victory.  The athlete is upheld by the vision of the crown.  The husbandman is upheld by the hope of the harvest.  Each submits to the discipline and the toil for the sake of the glory which shall be.  It is so with the Christian.  The Christian struggle is not without a goal; it is always going somewhere.  The Christian can be certain that after the effort of the Christian life, there comes the joy of heaven; and the greater the struggle, the greater the joy.⁸