In II Timothy 2:2 the Bible says, “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” Notice the expression, “faithful men.” Our world is missing faithful men. In this sense, I am not talking about being faithful to your family or your church or your wife, or faithful to your children or your job. I am talking about being faithful to God.
When a person is faithful to God, all other matters take care of themselves. So many people have their priorities regarding faithfulness to something or someone in the wrong order. When a person comes to know Jesus Christ as Saviour and determines by God’s grace to be faithful to the Lord, then a wonderful thing happens in every other area in life. The matter of faithfulness is cared for. If you endeavor to be a faithful man in this new year, there are some principles you must understand from the Word of God. Let us consider these seven responsibilities of the faithful man that Paul gives in this passage found in II Timothy 2.
The Faithful Man Finds Strength in the Lord
In verse one, the Bible says, “Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” The emphasis here that Paul is led by God to write to Timothy is the emphasis we desperately need in our day. The faithful man does not rely upon his own physical, mental, or spiritual strength, instead, he relies upon the strength of the Lord.
The Faithful Man Encourages Others to Follow Christ
God’s Word says in II Timothy 2:2, “The same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” The faithful man understands that he must encourage others to be faithful to the Lord. He must not live unto himself only, but be an example and encouragement to other believers.
The Faithful Man Endures Hardness
“Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (II Timothy 2:3). The faithful man is not a whiner. He is not a person who whimpers about everything. The faithful man is not a complainer. He understands that this world is against God and the things of God, so he is going against the grain. He knows he is dealing with things that are difficult to deal with, but he has already resolved that he is going to endure hardness.
The Faithful Man Does Not Entangle Himself With the Affairs of This Life
“No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life” (II Timothy 2:4). If there is anything in this life that keeps us from being all we ought to be for Christ, it is an entanglement. It may be something that is not sinful, but it gets us entangled so that we cannot give our best to God. If there is something that has taken you, that now controls you in a fashion that causes you to not be able to give your best for Christ, that is an entanglement. Ask God to help you and deliver you.
The Faithful Man’s Motive Is Pleasing the Lord
“That he may please him who hath chosen him” (II Timothy 2:4). The greatest concern of the faithful man should be the approval of the Lord Jesus Christ, the author and finisher of our faith. Nothing should hinder us from fulfilling our sacred duties for the captain of our salvation.
The Faithful Man Strives Lawfully
“And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully” (II Timothy 2:5). There are rules in the Christian life. People do not like to hear that. Just as you say to your children, “There are certain things I want you to do, and certain things I do not want you to do,” God says the same to His children.
The Faithful Man Is Partaker of Those Fruits for Which He Labors
“The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits” (II Timothy 2:6). God says there are links in serving the Lord. All of us have been influenced by some other human being. Some of you have a godly mother to thank, humanly speaking, for your salvation. Some of you have a faithful father to thank, humanly speaking, for your salvation. Some of you have a faithful friend to thank, humanly speaking, for what God has done in your life. Some of you have someone now who is mentoring you and encouraging you and praying for you. They have their handprint on your life. Be grateful to God for it. That is the way the Lord works.
Before we are going to do what the Bible teaches, we have to be convicted by the Spirit of God that we are not doing what the Bible teaches and be motivated and energized by the Holy Spirit to change our ways and follow the Bible. Every Christian ought to influence another Christian. Every Christian ought to lead another person to Christ. Every church ought to duplicate itself. Every faithful man ought to teach other men to be faithful also. That is God’s plan.
We need faithful men. We need men in the year 2020 who know what God’s work is all about and who lead in their homes, churches, and nations in a Christ-honoring way. This is our time to serve the Lord, and we are to do it in a faithful way. You will not get a re-run. You will not have an encore. This is it. May God help us to be faithful.
*For more information on my little book, “Faithful Men”, click on the picture below!
