2 Timothy 1:7-10 - Passive & Powered

Chad Werkhoven

2 hours ago

You're saved by grace and empowered by the Spirit.

2 Timothy 1:7-10 (NIV)

7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. 8 So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God. 9 He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, 10 but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

Canons of Dordt

Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election

Articles 1-8

Article 9 - Election Not Based on Foreseen Faith

Your election took place,

not
- on the basis of foreseen faith,
- of the obedience of faith, of holiness, or of any other good quality and disposition,
  - as though it were based on a prerequisite cause
  - or condition in the person to be chosen,
but rather
- for the purpose of faith, of the obedience of faith, of holiness, and so on.
- Accordingly, election is the source of every saving good.
- Faith, holiness, and the other saving gifts, and at last eternal life itself, flow forth from election as its fruits and effects.

Summary

One of the mistaken ways throughout the centuries that people have tried to explain God's election is that before choosing those He would elect to salvation, God looked down the corridors of time into the future and could see how each person would turn out. Those who He foresaw exhibiting power, love and self-discipline, who were not ashamed of the testimony about our Lord and lived an overall holy life were added to the number of elect.

We, especially in our North American context, have such a strong sense of fairness. We expect that having good things ought to always result from working hard. We take a dim view of those who simply have good things given to them that they haven't earned. So we go to great lengths to explain divine election in a way that fits our overall paradigm.

But passages like today's shatter our contrived explanations that those who receive God's grace must have done something to qualify for it. Here we read that this grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time!

And Paul gives no indication that this pre-temporal transaction was based on qualities we'd someday demonstrate on our own. Quite the opposite: he writes that the power, love and self-discipline we do model was given by the Spirit of God.

Dig Deeper

Remember that we're always looking for tensegrity in our theology. Tensegrity is a contraction of the words tension and integrity. It describes the strength and stability achieved when materials are held in the proper tension. And this passage helps you maintain this important theological tensegrity in your life.

On the one hand, the grace you've received is an undeserved gift that is not conditioned on anything you have done. You did not earn it - it was given to you in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time. In this regard, you remain completely passive in your own salvation. It's been achieved externally and imputed to you.

But having saved you, God now has tremendous expectations for you. After all, if your Christian life was nothing more than just passive submission, then timidity would be an excellent attribute! But that's not what the Spirit makes you. Instead, He's given you power - which Paul mentions twice - to suffer for the gospel and to live a holy life.

This is what it means to be a Christian who understands well these Reformed doctrines of grace: you are humble, knowing that you've done nothing to earn this gift of grace, but you're also active, using the power given to you to fight off indwelling sin and build up the faith you've been given.

AAA Prayer (About)

ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who saved us and called us to a holy life;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will live in theological tensegrity - humble, yet building up and using the Spiritual power you've been given;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: