2 Timothy – Fight of Faith

The fight for truth is not a simple skirmish. It is a lifelong war against the evil in this world, a fight of faith each believer must face until death ends it and new life, freed from all the ravages of sin, begins.

Paul’s fight was almost over. Imprisoned in Rome for the second time, he knew his work on earth was complete. He had run the race and finished the course. Though most of his friends had deserted him in the end, he knew Jesus stood beside, close as ever, ready to receive him into his heavenly reward. But Paul wanted to settle one more matter. Timothy, his son in the faith, still remained at Ephesus where Paul had left him years ago to tend the flock there. Timothy had been fighting his own battles there, seeking to snuff out the false teaching that ever threatened to divide the church body and distract the naïve with meaningless genealogies, arguments, and restrictions. Even after some time, Timothy’s battle was far from over.

So Paul wrote Timothy a second letter, stressing the need for sound doctrine. It was imperative that the church remembered the grace of God and Christ’s incredible faithfulness. Through Scripture, they could identify Satan’s schemes and stand firm in the truth provided they learned it and applied it to their daily lives. Paul even named the men causing the church’s conflict, calling attention to their deceptive ways and urging Timothy and the other believers to stand guard against them.

2 Timothy was Paul’s last letter he ever wrote. In the end, Paul asked to see Timothy one last time, calling him to visit him in Rome. Confident that Jesus had accomplished through him all that He had intended, Paul was ready to see His Savior face to face.

Paul’s life since his conversion had but one, singular focus: Jesus Christ and His glory. By keeping his eyes on the prize of Christ, he fought bravely, effectively, and filled with the power of God’s Spirit. But Paul is not the only one God equipped for kingdom work. Every believer yielded to His Spirit can walk with confidence in the specific works God calls each of us to do. Let us fight, as Paul did, to uphold the truth all the days of our lives until we see its reality in the face of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

What is Paul’s message to Timothy in 2 Timothy?

Are you fighting the good fight?