“1 You, therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.
3 Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.”

“8 Keep your attention on Jesus Christ as risen from the dead and descended from David. This is according to my gospel.”

“14 Remind them of these things, charging them before God not to fight about words; this is in no way profitable and leads to the ruin of the hearers. 15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who doesn’t need to be ashamed, correctly teaching the word of truth.”

“22 Flee from youthful passions, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. 23 But reject foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they breed quarrels. 24 The Lord’s slave must not quarrel, but must be gentle to everyone, able to teach, and patient, 25 instructing his opponents with gentleness.”
2 Timothy 2:1-3, 8, 14-15, 22-25a HCSB
—

Throughout this chapter, Paul gives Timothy several commands, points to remain strong in as he serves as a minister, teaching others about Christ. Where our culture would like to see commands like this stand rather as a suggestion, what we find instead is that living in this way is non-negotiable as we follow after Jesus Christ. It’s not just for ministers to be strong in grace, but all who claim Christ as King. Teaching others to be faithful isn’t just the work of a few, but it remains true that all of us who walk as Jesus walk would do the same thing. And certainly, keeping out attention on Christ as Messiah is something we must each do every single day.

These distinctives that mark us as belonging to Jesus, these sufferings we share in with him. The death we die to self, carrying our cross…all these things identify us with Him, and they are not quickly discarded or pushed aside in order to be better liked by the world around us. The world doesn’t want passionate Christians, because we do stand firm. The world doesn’t want disciplined, faithful disciples of Jesus Christ, because our message of grace also contains a need to repent and repentance leads from conviction and conviction means confrontation with our own hearts, lives and decisions.

This isn’t a battle fought in the nit-picky details, but in wide swaths of truth from the foundation of our minds and hearts, translating all the way up through every aspect of our lives. The details change as the foundation shifts, and the diligent heart will turn over every stone in that foundation, measuring it against Christ to make sure that it is properly laid. This is conviction that comes from acknowledging the truth. Timothy, as a young minister, needs to understand these things, standing firm in them in grace, just as Paul said, because even though we do not compromise, we do not waiver, we must still speak the truth in love and from conviction at the same time. We are not called to be angry and spiteful in our presentation, almost mocking them as we speak the truth. No, we share in gentleness and respect, bringing people to the Cornerstone of all things, that is Christ Jesus. This is our call to GoLove. We stand firm on the truth of the Gospel message, but we do so in grace.

Fleeing from those haphazard, mindless, youthful passions only embeds us more deeply in the strong, unmoving, constant will of the Father, by the strength found in the Word and administered by the Holy Spirit. God helping us, we can do this if we are willing to be used by Him, examined by Him and set on the path of truth by Him. It is never taken lightly, but rather gladly and with much conviction. This sincerity and passion makes for a beautiful combination, and it honors God.