Be Strong in Grace
II Timothy 2:1-13
The age old question, which came first, the chicken or the egg? In Christianity the question is which came first, God's grace or our faith. As Presbyterians we would say that is an easy question to answer. There is no doubt about it, grace came first. God did not send Jesus into the world because people believed, God sent Jesus into the world so that people would respond in faith. Faith is a response to what God has done.
And yet I think it is easy to get off track and begin to think that we make the first move. This week I was reading in II Timothy about soldiers and athletes and farmers. The aim of a soldier is to satisfy the one who enlisted him. There is Uncle Sam pointing his finger and saying "I want you." And once the soldier is in the army he or she is obedient to the commands of the leaders. Paul was reminding Timothy that Christians are called to be obedient to the teachings of Jesus.
And then there is the athlete. The athlete is not crowned unless he or she competes according to the rules. Obviously, there are a lot of athletes in the world today who have not read II Timothy. Today the slogan is win at all costs. Cheating is okay as long as you don't get caught. Athletes choose to break the rules because they believe that is the only way they can compete and succeed. I think that is a difficulty for Christians in the world. We think that we cannot get ahead in the world if we follow the teachings of Jesus. We have to make a choice, which crown do we want to wear, the temporary crown of the world or the eternal crown of the
It is the hard working farmer who should have the first share of the crops. A farmer is one who is steady, persistent, patient. Timothy, don't expect the people you work with to become faithful disciples over night. They are like seed that has been planted. They need water and sunshine. If you patiently care for them they will grow and flourish.
Paul has picked out three professions in which people are willing to endure hardships to obtain long range objectives.
If we just read those verses in isolation it makes it appear that salvation is something we obtain by works. But before we start trying to earn our way into the kingdom it is important to go back and read verse 1. "Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus."
Paul is calling upon Timothy to be like the soldier and the athlete and the farmer in carrying on the tradition of the faith. He is saying Timothy can do these things through the strength of the grace of God. The calling of the Christian is not just to participate in worship but to teach the faith so that future generations can share in it. They can do it through the strength of God's grace. It involves obedience, discipline and patience. You may not be able to see the fruit of your labor right now but it will come. Be willing to endure the hardships of the present as you look to the future, just as Jesus was willing to endure the cross for the eventual salvation of the people.
The truth is that there is no crown without the cross, there is no resurrection without crucifixion. Like the soldier and the athlete and the farmer, Jesus was obedient, Jesus followed the commandments, love God and love neighbor. Jesus practiced the discipline of prayer. Jesus was patient, he planted seeds, he watered, he waited for the seeds to bear good fruit.
If God's grace was a response to our faith, everything we do we would be doing to earn a place in God's kingdom. We don't have to live with that pressure. Because God's grace comes first, we do everything out of our gratitude for what God has done for us.
There is an old Jewish legend which tells of a group of rabbis who were shown a vision of Hell. What they saw before them was a sumptuous banquet table set with all sorts of delicious foods and plenty of wine. Seated at the table were many people who were obviously hungry and desirous of enjoying the tasty meal which had been prepared for them. But these people could not eat the meal because they had splints on their arms. They were able to reach the food but could get none of it from the table to their mouths because the splints prevented them from bending their arms.
Next, the rabbis were shown a vision of heaven, which depicted a scene much like the first. There was a banquet table complete with a sumptuous feast, and at table sat many people with their arms in splints. But there was one difference. These people had learned to share the food and feed each other. They understood what it meant to be the communion of saints.
Paul was reminding Timothy that his calling was to share the good news in the face of suffering and hardship. You can do it, Timothy, because God's grace has been given to you. God's grace has been given to us. What happens now is up to us. We have choices to make. We can live for ourselves. Or we can choose to be part of the communion of saints. The seeds of God's grace are right here in our hands. We can squeeze our hands tightly around them and go hungry. Or we can spread them around the world and be full.
I can't imagine anything more exciting than planting a seed of faith in one of God's children and watching it grow and bear fruit.