hotcoffee
New Member
2 Timothy 1:13 What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. 14 Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.
The commentaries I generally link didn't make themselves very clear on these two verses. I did find this though.
Even those who are ever so well taught cannot keep what they have learned, any more than they could at first learn it, without the assistance of the Holy Spirit. We must not think to keep it by our own strength, but keep it by the Holy Ghost. (2.) The Holy Ghost dwells in all good ministers and Christians; they are his temples, and he enables them to keep the gospel pure and uncorrupt; and yet they must use their best endeavours to keep this good thing, for the assistance and indwelling of the Holy Ghost do not exclude men’s endeavours, but they very well consist together.
Another commentary that I don't generally use.
The last phrase of 2 Timothy 1:14 gives us the key to faithfulness: keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. God requires a faithfulness from us that is greater than we can fulfill by our own resources. Unless we are walking in the Spirit and filled with the Holy Spirit, we cannot keep faithful to what we must keep faithful to.
The nightly news is full of stories about ISIS. ISIS armies are taking over towns in the area of Nineveh [remember the story of Jonah]and destroying Christian Churches.
I bring this up here because, according to the 60 Minutes story, there were transcripts from the first century that were destroyed. We'll never get them back. The original written words are lost.
So, when I read these verses this morning in that context, I wonder just how faithful I am. If I am confronted by someone who demands that I back up what I say biblically [book, chapter, and verse] without google, I couldn't do it. I've memorized some favorite scriptures. I've studied. But if someone says "give me a good reason you should not convert to Islam or I'll shoot you", I don't know if I could answer it on my own.
I have to depend on the Holy Spirit. I imagine I would say a silent quick prayer like "Ok, Lord, put the Spirit to work in me". The Holy Spirit is [to me] an inexplicable something inside me that helps me ferret out the truth whenever I think about anything Biblical. It's a light inside me.
Paul is telling Timothy to depend on the Holy Spirit. It's hard to explain or teach or write about.... but I'm sure Timothy understood.
