2 Timothy 1:7
For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. Another Translation: For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
Our Verse of the Day revisits some
direction and guidance that the Apostle Paul shared with Timothy. As you
probably know, Timothy was a young convert who had sat under the teaching of
the Apostle Paul “as a true son in the faith” – 1 Timothy 1:2. I
think that in many ways, Timothy represents each of us who have struggled with
theological and doctrinal questions as we mature in our faith and grow in the
knowledge of our Lord Jesus. In his letters to Timothy, Paul often
offered insight and wisdom to Timothy who needed encouragement to remain
steadfast when challenges and hardships occurred along his own journey of
faith. Here we find Paul explaining the gift and power of the Holy Spirit
… and what believers should expect from Him. I’m going to reprint the
verse in its surrounding context:
2 Timothy 1:1-14 (NIV)
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to
the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus,
2 To Timothy, a beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and
Christ Jesus our Lord.
3 I
thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as
without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day, 4 greatly
desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears, that I may be filled with
joy, 5 when I call to remembrance the genuine
(honest, sincere, transparent) faith that is in you, which dwelt first
in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in
you also. 6 Therefore I remind you to stir
up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God
has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound
mind.
8 Therefore
do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His
prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to
the power of God, 9 who has saved us and
called us with a holy calling, not according to our
works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in
Christ Jesus before time began, 10 but has
now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has
abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the
gospel, 11 to which I was appointed a preacher, an
apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. 12 For
this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not
ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able
to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.
13 Hold
fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in
faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. 14 That
good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in
us.
Well, this passage is filled with many exhortations, but the key point I believe we need to understand is Verse 7. When we come to faith in Christ Jesus and are born-again of the Spirit, we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. We are sealed for the day of redemption. (Cf. Ephesians 4:30) And the Spirit we received is not a spirit of fear; rather, it is a spirit of power … of love … and of a sound mind. Maybe we should break that down:
Spirit of Power:
Micah 3:8 (NIV)
But as for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the Lord, and with justice and might, to declare to Jacob his
transgression, to
Israel his sin.
Acts 1:8 (NIV)
But you shall receive power when
the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses
to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
1
Corinthians 2:4 (NIV)
And my speech and my preaching were not
with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and
of power
People, in general, are in pursuit of
power – power over their own lives, but often, power over others. But the
power of the Holy Spirit appears to be more associated with the preaching,
teaching, and sharing of the Gospel – the message about Christ Jesus revealed
within the Word of God. The few examples I cited above are indicative of
this function. Through the Holy Spirit, power is given to proclaim the
Gospel. Power is necessary to go beyond reading the Bible to living out
and proclaiming its truth. Why? Well, consider how timid you and I
… Christians in general … are in this current age? Do we not keep our
Christianity to ourselves because of fear of confrontation, intimidation, or
persecution? It is not popular to take a stand based on the Word of God
or you’ll be labeled narrow minded, bigoted, racist, unloving, just to name a
few kinder labels.. But the Gospel was not always received or believed
then … and it certainly is not much better now. Paul is telling Timothy (and
us) that we have received a Spirit of Power … that overcomes this fear and
intimidation. And the implication is that we need to harness that power
to be effective witnesses for Christ.
The Spirit gives us power to be bold and courageous – to be fully convinced of the truth we have received through Christ Jesus so “that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ.” (Cf. Ephesians 10:14-15) The Holy Spirit gives us power to be passionate about what we believe … and He guides our walk with wisdom toward those who are lost and ensnared in the culture of this world. The Holy Spirit gives us power to recognize and redeem every opportunity that presents itself to share the Gospel; and He empowers us to guard words with grace and to season the conversation with salt so that we might know how to answer others with their questions or their assaults. (Cf. Colossians 4:5-7)
Spirit of Love:
Romans 5:1-5
(NIV)
1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace
with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through
whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand,
and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And
not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing
that tribulation produces perseverance (endurance); 4 and
perseverance, godly character; and godly character, hope. 5 Now
hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out
in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
1 Peter
1:2-23 (NIV)
22 Since you have purified your souls in obeying the
truth through the Spirit in sincere (honest,
genuine, transparent) love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure
heart, 23 having been born again, not of perishable
seed but imperishable, through the word of God which lives and abides
forever.
The Spirit gives us the ability to know the love of God has
for us in Christ Jesus AND the ability to love one another in deed and
truth. The Spirit endues us with power to fulfill the commandments of
God: To love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength … and to love our
neighbor as ourselves. It is through knowing the love of God that we are
enabled to love one another as He has loved us. Love is the motivation for
the power we receive through the Spirit. Love for others is demonstrated
through sharing the Gospel of Truth with them … both with words and with
actions. (Special Topic – Love: See 1 Corinthians 13)
Spirit of a Sound Mind:
I looked up the
definition of “sound mind”. Here are some of the definitions I found:
- To be sane or
rational;
- To have the
capacity to think, reason, and understand oneself;
- To mentally
calm and self-confident in your actions.
I like these descriptions of a “sound mind” because too often
people inside, and especially outside of the Church, tend to associate Spirit-filled
believers with “craziness”. There have been different labels used such as
“charismatics”, “holy rollers”, “snake handlers”, “Jesus freaks” to describe
what I would simply characterize as “fervent or passionate”. But I think Paul
wants Timothy (and us) to know that Spirit-filled believers are sane,
rational, mentally calm, and possess the capacity to think and reason.
And I believe it is important for us to understand that the Spirit has been
given to us both to exercise freedom in the expression of praise and
thanksgiving to God AND to equip us with rational, intentional thought for the
purpose of engaging the culture of this world through the fruit of the
Spirit. (Special Topic – Fruit of the Spirit: See Galatians 5:22-23)
2 Corinthians 5:11-13 (NIV)
11 Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try
to persuade others. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to
your conscience. 12 We
are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an
opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride
in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart. 13 If we are “out of our mind,” as
some say, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you.
The Spirit of God has been given us to overcome the fear and
trepidation we might naturally feel when confronted by outsiders who do not
believe in Christ Jesus. The Spirit has been sent to indwell us in order
to complete the love of God demonstrated to us. The Holy Spirit is
intelligible and He is relational. Yes, we can be cognizant of His presence and
we can enjoy fellowship with Him as we do the Father and the Son! And He
is imperative for us (our souls) to grow in the knowledge of God, the
truth of His love, and the understanding of His will for us. Power, love,
and a sound mind are essential to our fellowship with God and with one another.
I want to end with a couple of passages that I believe will
drive these last few points home:
Ephesians 3:16-21 (NIV)
16 I pray
that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through
His Spirit in your inner being (soul), 17 so
that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you,
being rooted and established in love, 18 may
have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp
how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and
to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be
filled with all the fullness of God. 20 Now to Him
who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according
to His power that is at work within us, 21 to
Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for
ever and ever! Amen.
2
Peter 1:3-8 (NIV)
3 His
divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through
our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and
goodness. 4 Through these He has given us His very
great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate
in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world
caused by evil desires. 5 For this very reason, make
every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and
to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to
perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual
affection; and to mutual affection, love. 8 For if
you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from
being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus
Christ.
Well, I am not sure if I have done an adequate job here, but I hope that I have reminded you to stir up the gift of God within you … that is … to awaken the Spirit of God and His presence and power within you to proclaim the Gospel … to love others … and to do so with a sound mind and intentionality. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” Indeed, we need to allow the Holy Spirit to empower and guide our spirits so that we will be effective and productive for the Kingdom of God….
So Now You Know….
Have a Blessed Day!