2 Timothy 2:20-22

Peace to you my brothers and sisters.

This is a long one so bear with me.

Today’s Bible Verse: [2 Timothy 2:20-22 ESV] 20 Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. 21 Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work. 22 So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

The context here is that this was written in the first century after the resurrection, before the destruction of the temple in 70 AD, and to believers. It was assumed that no unbelievers were in the audience and that these were the things concerning only to believers. Believers are the elect; the saved.

The great house is the world. From the beginning God has chosen whom He will save, vessels for honorable use, and those whom He will not save, vessels for dishonorable use.

Now, honestly, those that are saved must not concern themselves with the final outcome of the unsaved. It is not our job to make the determination as to who is saved or unsaved; our job is to spread His word and His gospel. If you don’t know what His gospel is you will find it later in this writing.

The way that this works is simply this; one day you are in total depravity living in the world system and the next day you are walking with God because He has revealed Himself to you like He did with Paul. When I say like He did with Paul don’t think you are going to get knocked down and blam, you are a believer. No, you will have a heart change like Paul did.

There is always a catalyst for the conversion of the unbeliever and we don’t know what that is but they do receive His word and it may just be us that brings it to him.

Also, you probably see me talking in terms of being in the ranks of the believers and I believe that I am. This is my way of bringing His word to as many as I can.

[2 Timothy 2:21 ESV] 21 Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.

Believers are set apart. Look at what happened in the first century; they were shunned and even persecuted by the Jews. They were set apart in society. While it is not overt in the United States today, in many places Christians are shunned and persecuted but they prevail and will overcome. In the United States many are ridiculed for their overly moral way of life but, we will overcome and prevail; Psalm 110:1 tells us that.

[Psalm 110:1 ESV] 1 A Psalm of David. The LORD says to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool."

Jesus is on His throne and His enemies will be made His footstool by the action of the Holy Spirit through His church, us.

[2 Timothy 2:22 ESV] 22 So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

Our youthful passions were our total depravity upon entering this world. By revealing Himself Jesus has Given us His Holy Spirit to work in us to help us flee these passions and strengthen our measure of faith, our love, and our peace. There is peace through His Holy Spirit in our endeavors of righteousness.

[1 John 4:10 ESV] 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Jesus came to be the propitiation of the sins of the saved. Propitiation means atonement. Our sins were placed on Him and He took the punishment for them, death, and His righteousness was transferred to us so that we can call on Him from a pure heart.

Now, don’t get me wrong, the saved still have the capacity to sin; I can tell you that from experience, but the Holy Spirit convicts us when we do. Our duty then is to repent; that is, turn completely from that sin, and pray for forgiveness.

We all have a job.

[Matthew 28:18-20 ESV] 18 And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

All of the disciples of Jesus are to spread His word and the gospel.

This is the gospel:

[1 Corinthians 15:1-6 ESV] 1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you--unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.

[Acts 2:22-24 ESV] 22 "Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know-- 23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. 24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.

[1 John 2:2 ESV] 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

Propitiation: ἱλασμός hilasmós, hil-as-mos'; atonement, i.e. (concretely) an expiator:—propitiation.

This is penal substitution; that is, our sins were transferred to Jesus and His righteous transferred to us.

Go forth and spread this good news.

I pray that God has revealed Himself to you and that you have salvation.

Remember, God is sovereign. That means that he controls everything.

I hope this has been a blessing to you. May the rest of your day be blessed. Peace.