2 Timothy 1:8-18 : Unashamed!

We are looking at Paul’s last letter, written somewhere   in AD 67/68. The Pastoral Epistles are so called because they were letters written to young pastors (Timothy in Ephesus and Titus on the island of Crete) by a senior pastor. These are wonderful letters, full of pastoral wisdom, speaking directly  into our  own hearts.

Our text (2 Tim. 1:8-18) begins with a ‘therefore’, meaning that it relates to something said previously. Last time  we saw that the apostle   Paul, Timothy’s mentor  reminded his young friend  that he needed to fan into flame the pastoral gift  that was in him through the laying on of hands by the council  of church elders, with Paul present  (cf. 2 Tim 1:6 à  1 Tim 4:14). In the exercise of this pastoral gift he needed to know that ‘God had not given him a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of self –discipline’. It takes spiritual courage, and a rugged faith and a very real trust in God’s power (and not  self- reliance), and it takes discipline to be   to be a God centered and gospel –centered Christian, and nowhere is this more true than in the pastoral ministry.   

The reality of the Christian life and especially the experience of pastoral ministry can be very intimidating. The devil, the Christian’s most powerful adversary  actively seeks to intimidate, resist and afflict pastoral leadership in particular (cf.  1Tim 3:7; 2Tim 2:26 ….which cautions us against‘the snare of the devil’).  And Satan frequently incites powerful, intimidating human personalities against pastoral leadership. The net effect can be that pastoral leaders are tempted to shrink back, and somehow become ashamed of the gospel. Paul’s concern in our text is that Timothy should not be ashamed of the gospel - the testimony about the Lord Jesus. Neither should Timothy be ashamed of Paul, who is in prison for the sake of the gospel.  

Not ashamed! This is the phrase we want to consider.  You have seen it used   three times in our reading cf. vv. 8,12,16.  

·       In v. 8 Paul exhorts  Timothy  to be  not ashamed of the gospel;

·       In v.12 Paul says that he is not ashamed of Jesus.

·     In v.16 he makes reference to a man called Onesiphorus who likewise   was not ashamed  of Paul who was  a prisoner for the  sake of  the  gospel. We would usually be ashamed of telling people that we have friends or relatives in prison. Well, Onesiphorus was not ashamed of Paul’s imprisonment for the sake of the gospel.

So there is the real temptation to be ashamed of the gospel and of those that are gospel messengers. But what exactly is shame? Why are we ashamed?  What is the cause of shame?   Collins English Dictionary (2004 ed.)  says,  “Shame is  a painful emotion resulting  from an awareness  of having done something dishonourable or unworthy caused by a consciousness of guilt or shortcoming or impropriety.”  

This definition fits the original sin of Adam and Eve. Shame is actually the very first emotion described in the Bible. Prior to sin Adam and Eve enjoyed an open, transparent, unashamed fellowship with God and with one another. Genesis 2:25 tells us that the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed. Then came sin.  Sin changed their attitudes both towards one another and towards God.  Sin introduced the notion of shame. Adam and Eve suddenly felt naked, and suddenly they felt ashamed of their bodies, trying to hide their nakedness from one another. Above all they felt ashamed before God and they sought to hide from God. There once was a time when shame was not a part of our human experience, and now it is. The phenomenon is well described in academic circles, trying to understand the nature of shame, usually without reference to the fall. And this is how it has been with the world ever since. Shame is a universal human emotion, appearing in all known human cultures, and it is always bears a negative connotation, except in South African circles, where ’Ag shame’ is apparently an expression of sympathy!

There are two facets   to this shame: true or real shame and false shame. Adam and Eve experienced a true or real sense of shame when they sinned, and as previously indicated, the human heart feels ashamed when exposed by sin at various levels. It is a very real emotion, and it is important that we feel this when we sin. A hardened, abandoned, shameless conscience in this fallen world is a terrible curse from God.

But there is also this false sense of shame, and this is the one that Paul addresses here in our passage. Don’t be ashamed of the gospel, or of me the gospel messenger, Timothy. I am not ashamed of the gospel, and neither is Onesiphorus ashamed of the gospel.  

Why should Timothy not be ashamed?  Well, the great effect of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is that when He saves us from our sin, there is no more condemnation (Rom. 8:1). This is another way of saying that when I become a Christian, then I have no more shame to bear. I am absolved from my guilt  and therefore I  do not have to stand  before God guilty and  ashamed any longer.  The gospel takes away the shame of our sin because Jesus took our shame upon Himself. Hebrews 12:2 counsels us  to ...fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Jesus experienced the shame of our sin. Because of that, He calls us not to be ashamed of Him. The gospel takes away our shame. But it is one thing to hear that and another thing to live that. It is clear that Timothy, might still struggle with a sense of shame, even though he was Christian. 

Why? Because, it appears, he was still in the grip of fear – the fear of man – which produces a sense of shame  in terms of standing for Christ (or Paul in prison) – like Peter, who at the time of Jesus’ trial was ashamed to own  him whom he at one time had  owned as the Christ, the Son of the Living God. But all of a sudden, powerful people appeared to be greater than God and Jesus who now stood condemned and seemingly helpless before the Jewish council. So what is the cure for this fear, this sense of shame?

This is where verses 8 – 12 come in. This  is  one long continuous sentence, in which  Paul  provides  Timothy  with spiritual medicine to cure  this feeling of being ashamed of the gospel  (this stumbling block to the Jews, this foolishness to gentiles- 1 Cor.1:23). Follow the logic:   

The main proposition:  Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner,

Subordinate clauses :  

·       but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of GOD. Yes, Timothy, you   will suffer for the sake of the gospel in this world (because people think it is stupid and foolish), but remember that  God by His power is  with you in this. You are not alone in this.   Jesus gives us an example of this in Matthew 10:19-20.  Timothy  do not be ashamed of the gospel  or of me the gospel messenger!

·       Here  is  more  reason  as to why  you do not have to be ashamed: “…who  saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not because of  our works, but because of his own purpose and grace which he gave us  in Christ Jesus  before the ages began.  Timothy, think of the ground of your salvation. God saved you decisively! He called you with a holy calling  i.e. he separated you from the world to be His. You did not do this by your own works and  achievements. No, no, no! God did this by His own purpose and grace before the ages began!   Timothy, your salvation was planned and designed by God from eternity past- when you came to Christ, you were entering something that is older than the age of the earth. You did not choose Him. He chose you before you were even born. Your salvation is rooted in something much bigger than you are able to conceive… therefore to not be ashamed of the gospel or of me the gospel messenger!

·       and which now has been manifested  through the appearing of our Saviour CHRIST JESUS, who abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the GOSPEL.  Timothy, God did not only plan all this in the past and before the beginning of time, but  in time He put His plan  into action. The Saviour  Jesus  was born. He lived , died, rose and ascended and  put God’s plan of salvation into action. The biggest  benefit is that  He killed death and gave you an immortal life  through the gospel….  therefore to not be ashamed of the gospel or of me the gospel messenger!

·       for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher, which  is why I suffer as I do.   Paul himself had understood all this. He was rooted deeply in the gospel  and it is this  which  produced in  Paul  AN UNASHAMED FAITH

·       But I am not ashamed  for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced  that he is able to guard  until that Day  what has been entrusted to me.  The facts of the gospel deeply meditated  upon and stored up in  his heart is   what changed the way Paul  thought and lived.

A  FURTHER GUARD AGAINST SHAME

Follow the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. 14 By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you. (2 Timothy 1:13-14).

Timothy is called to guard this gospel treasure expressed in these sound words of Paul in the FAITH and  LOVE that are in Christ Jesus.  Jesus is the One to whom we turn to get the faith the believe in Him (Lord,   I believe. Help me in my unbelief! Mk. 9:24);  Jesus  who loved us first is also the Source of our love. We learn from Him, we draw our ability to love  God and  man (in that order) from him.   And we do this by the power of the out-poured Holy Spirit who dwells within us.  We are not helpless. We are not victims of our shame. We have been freed to serve God and the gospel unashamedly !

A SHAMEFUL EXAMPLE

You are aware of the fact that all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes. (2 Tim. 1:15). These two men  were evidently leaders within the churches of Asia. They were among the many in Asia who turned away from Paul. To understand what this means, you have to remember Paul’s circumstances once again. He is in prison. He is  incapacitated, and  he appears helpless to the human eye. And  now they have turned their back on Paul. They are ashamed of him.  

PORTRAIT OF  A MAN WHO IS NOT ASHAMED

Onesiphorus in 2 Timothy 1:16-18 stands in  contrast to the negative examples of Phygelus and Hermogenes. He had been with Paul at Ephesus and more recently he had come to Paul while he was imprisoned in Rome. Onesiphorus is only mentioned here and in 4:19 where he tells Timothy to greet the household of Onesiphorus. Concerning him Paul says: He... was not ashamed of my chains; 17 but when he was in Rome, he earnestly searched for me, and found me (1:16-17).   This clearly shows us where Onesiphorus was rooted. He was not ashamed of the gospel, nor of Paul the gospel messenger. 

CONCLUSION

I believe that we may all struggle with a sense of shame when it comes to owning the gospel and her messengers in various situations. The solution to this false sense of shame, according to Paul, is  to deeply meditate upon the work of God  in salvation – to drink deeply from the wells of your salvation and to be not ashamed of  your faith in Jesus, being persuaded by that which you have believed, trusting  in no one less than God Himself to guard keep you until that  Day,  when faith shall be turned  into sight. Amen !