Suffering...Again?
There Paul goes again talking about suffering. This is the third time, now. He exhorts Timothy to suffer rather than backing down. And the way he is to do this is by remembering two critical concepts: 1) we suffer for the risen Christ and 2) we suffer for the sake of the elect that will hear the gospel if we persevere.
Look back at my note on verses 3-6 in which Paul exhorts Timothy to be a good soldier, a competitive athlete, and hardworking farmer concerning the effective discipleship of others. Here, he ties this passage together by reveling in Christ's resurrection and the unchainable word of God. His "spiritual smack-talk" crescendoes with his declaration that suffers for the sake of the elect! His current and future disciples!
Created over 1 year ago
