Commentary on 2 Timothy 3:14—4:8, 16-18

Week 5 (8/9/26): The Lord stood by me

Preaching text: 2 Timothy 3:14—4:8, 16-18; accompanying text: Luke 18:6–8

We stand in the line of those who, like Timothy, have received the Christian faith, sometimes by hearing the teaching of others, and sometimes through reading the Scriptures for ourselves. As we have received, so we, too, are encouraged to be messengers, passing the good news on to future generations.

Our confidence in what we teach arises from our daily experience of “salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” transforming individuals and communities. There is for us the awareness of the mysterious living nature of the Scriptures: Even as we sometimes stumble and struggle to preach and teach, we are assured of the creative life that is imparted as we faithfully carry out our vocation. 

We are directly instructed to faithfully and courageously “preach the word,” for in doing so, we equip those who listen and those who follow to walk in the way of Christ.

There is a sense of a sign-off in the final passage: The author seems to know his life is nearing its end. On the one hand, he has been faithful—he has “fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith.” He has stood firm even as his life is being poured out. He looks forward with confidence to his righteous reward. And yet, his confidence is not based on the people around him—by his account, they abandoned him—but rather on the Lord: “The Lord stood by me.” The quiet, powerful reassurance of the presence of the Lord alongside him is enough, and just as Christ has rescued the author in the past, surely Christ will rescue and save him for the heavenly kingdom.