2 Timothy 2:11-19

It is a trustworthy statement:
For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him;
If we endure, we will also reign with Him;
If we deny Him, He also will deny us;
If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself. 

Remind them of these things, and solemnly charge them in the presence of God not to wrangle about words, which is useless and leads to the ruin of the hearers.
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. But avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness, and their talk with spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, men who have gone astray from the truth saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and they upset the faith of some. Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, "The Lord knows those who are His," and, "Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness."
- 2 Timothy 2: 11-19

It appears as though Paul is quoting some sort of creed that had already begun to form around the early Christian doctrine. This creed alludes to dying to self in order to live for Christ and be with Him. It also mentions our inheritance as rulers over even angels (see 1 Corinthians 6). Next, it reminds us that God is not a cosmic puppet master. If we deny Him, He will not force us to spend eternity with Him. Yet, no matter what we do, He will keep His promises and His plans will always come to pass.

These are important things that Paul wants Timothy to continually remind people. He doesn't want Timothy getting into petty squabbles with people, because that sort of thing doesn't accomplish anything other than perhaps pushing people away from Christ.

He goes on to encourage Timothy to "walk the walk," as it were. To work hard, be honest, live with integrity and not be ashamed of the gospel. It seems that a couple of people that Timothy probably knew were given to some of those aforementioned squabbles and things did not go well. Not only did it cause these two men to fall away, but Paul mentions that it "spread like gangrene." What happens when you have a limb that is gangrene? You have to completely cut it off or it will spread to the rest of the body and the end result will be death.

In light of these to apostate church leaders, Paul also reminds Timothy that he can rest assured that God knows who belongs to Him and will not lose a single one (see John 6). If we are going to claim Jesus as our Lord, then we need to live our lives in such a way that it shows. We can't just go on living any way we want to. We have to live in a way that glorifies Christ.

If we are truly His, although we cannot live a life like Christ in our own power, the Holy Spirit will empower us and, through His living within us, we should be able to see the results of the Holy Spirit in our lives (see Galations 5:32-33). We may see these "fruits" to different degrees at different times, but they should always be growing and becoming more abundant in our lives.

Jesus told us that we would know a tree by it's fruit. The passage in Galatians lists out the fruit we should expect to see from someone living in the Spirit. If you don't see those fruits in your own life, perhaps some self-examination is in order. I know, for my part, that this is something I need more of. My prayer for myself, and for you, is that time will show this fruit increasing in my life (and yours).

So, get out there and work, without shame, and constantly be studying God's Word so that you can avoid bad teaching. Avoid petty arguments with people who won't listen anyway (see Proverbs 26:4). If you are going to engage in dialog with someone, be wise as serpents and gentle as doves and only choose to engage with someone who seems to be open to hearing what you have to say (see Proverbs 26:5). Also, it's a good idea to be open, yourself, to other people's ideas...always remembering to test everything by the scriptures.

Until next time, grace, love and peace.