The Strand Study Bible

Written From Rome During Paul’s Second Roman Imprisonment

II TIMOTHY

2042

believers who steadfastly maintain a love for Jesus’ appearing till they finish their race. Staying in church helps a Christian win this crown (Heb 10:25). Not everyone who runs... finishes. This is the only crown that must be won in order to earn the others (Ezk 3:20 and Rev 3:11) (See - Rev 4:10 ). 4:9 Paul knew that he was about to die (vs 6). Desiring to die right, Paul requested ( Due thy diligence ) of Pastor Timothy four items that he wished to take with him to the grave: (1) The beautiful relationships that he incurred over the years (Timothy - vs 9); (2) The broken relationships that he mended with his tears (Mark - vs 11); (3) The bare necessities that comforted him through his fears (cloak - vs 13); and (4) The blessed Scriptures that saved him and brought joy to his ears (parchments - vs 13). 4:10 Tony Evans, in The Victorious Christian Life , equates the damage that a Christian can inflict upon the entire body of Christ with that of cancer, whenever that Christian decides to “bolt” ( having loved this present world ) from his duty as a Christian (Lk 17:10). Evans notes:

CANCER IS A dreaded disease. It begins when one cell no longer wants to go along with the body’s program and decides to go solo, to do its own thing. Not only does this cell begin to act independently, it also begins reproducing its own kind. One rebellious cell begets a whole new family of Benedict Arnolds, producing a lump in some part of the body, which instead of contributing to the body begins to rob the body of its strength. As if this weren’t bad enough, these traitors then metastasize, spreading their influence to other parts of the body. Like the Mafia, they silently, yet violently, penetrate vital organs to establish their own cronies and sabotage each organ’seffectiveness. If undiagnosed or left untreated, this army of rebels brings death and destruction to the whole body. Similarly, a spiritual cancer is destroying the effectiveness of the church in the world… The formal name of this spiritual cancer is carnality . 8

Spiritually speaking, the body of Christ has a cancer. It’s called carnality (I Cor 3:3). This spiritual malady is responsible for destroying the effectiveness of the Christian, as well as the Church. Just as cancer is abnormal and catastrophic to the body, so carnality is to the body of Christ. All of us, as believers, need to take a closer look at the carnage that fleshly appetites produce, before we leap with our old nature. NOTE – Getting out of one’s race is like erosion. It’s subtle, slow, and silent, and when it’s over –you’re all washed up. 4:13 The “ parchments ” here were portions of the Old Testament (God’sWord). Like Paul, we ought to read “books” for information, but THE BOOK ( parchments ) for transformation. 4:15 Alexander’s problem (I Tim 1:18-20) was not just with Paul; it was with all preachers ( for he hath greatly withstood our words ). 4:20 Common sense says, if you possess the gift of healing, you don’t leave friends who are sick without healing them (unless of course your God-given gift to heal was no longer relevant because it was a temporary gift (Mk 16:15-20). NOTE - According to II Corinthians 12:12, the signs of an apostle were wrought among the Corinthian Christians by the Apostle Paul as recently as ten years earlier. Nevertheless, by the end of his ministry the Apostle Paul was unable to heal (II Tim 4:20), as was the Apostle John (III Jn 1-2). Adrian Rodgers in God’s Wisdom Is Better Than Gold notes: If indeed it is to be “all honey and no bees,” as some of the “joy boys” teach on television, why did the apostle Paul say this? (2 Corinthians 11:23-28) If God wants everybody well, pray tell me, why did the apostolic gift of healing, leave Trophimus sick at Miletus, or have a thorn in the flesh himself? (See 2 Timothy 4:20; 2 Corinthians 12:7) 9 Alfred H. Pohl, who accompanied the famed (non-Trinitarian - II Tim 4:3 ) Word of Faith Movement healer William Branham in 1947 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, in 17 Reasons Why I Left the Tongues Movement notes: We must conclude, then, that these special gifts of healing and miracles were given to the apostles as their credentials while they finished laying the foundation of the Church, and when their work was done, and they passed off the earthly scene, these sign-gifts would no longer be operative. 10 Both scripture and church history affirm that with the passing of the apostles the great display of miraculous gifts ceased. Alfred H. Pohl, after observing the “famed” healer (William Branham - Mk 16:18 ) for years, agreed. 4:21 Linus became the first bishop of Rome. Legend indicates he was martyred under Emperor Vespasian. 11 READ NEXT - II Peter 1-3 1 Swindoll, Charles. Growing Strong in the Season’s of Life . Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. 1983. Print. 2 Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins. Are We Living in the End Times? , Wheaton, ILL, Tyndale, 1999. Print. 3 “William Branham.” Cephas Ministry / Library . (2009). Cephas Ministry Inc. 15 Apr 2009 . 4 Earl Paulk, guest appearance on TBN, March 4, 1986 5 Alnor, Jackie. “Eyewitness Account of the Rodney Howard-Browne Madison Square Garden Crusade.” Deception in the Church . (1999). 14 Jan 2008 . 6 Willmington, Harold L. Signs of the Times , Wheaton, ILL, Tyndale, 1983. Print. 7 Dager, Al. Vengeance is Ours . Sword. 1990. Print. 8 Evans, Tony. The Victorious Christian Life . Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Pub. 1994. Print. 9 Rodgers, Adrian. God’s Wisdom Is Better Than Gold . Memphis, TN, 2001. Print. 10 Pohl, Alfred H. 17 Reasons Why I Left the Tongues Movement, Reason #14 . Alberta, Canada,: n.p., 1982. Print. 11 Reese, Ed. Encyclopedia of Christian Biographies . Chattanooga, TN, AMG Pub., 2007. Print.