By: Obed Pineda
Sitting from his unmerciful prison cell in Rome, knowing that his martyrdom was sure to take place there, the great apostle to the Gentiles scribed his final epistle to his beloved and trusted protégé (cf. 2nd Timothy 4:6-8). There is little doubt that it was the purpose of the inspired Paul to brace the faith of the young Timothy, and “to stir up the gift of God which is in you” being well aware that his spiritual son would soon have to continue this earthly walk without him (2nd Timothy 1:6-7). What an amazing scene to behold, reading in Scripture how Timothy, like Elisha, would remain with his spiritual father until the very end (cf. 2nd Timothy 4:9, 2nd Kings 2:2, 4, and 6). Verily, the treasure trove of spiritual wealth found in Paul’s farewell letter is a powerful testament to how deeply his love and care for his young apprentice truly was. It is even more fascinating to realize that this very personal and beautiful letter from a father to his son was inspired by the Holy Spirit, for the instruction and exhortation of all Christians in all places and for all dispensations until the end of time. This extraordinarily proves the value of the king’s spiritual counsel espousing, “Buy the truth, and do not sell it, also wisdom, and instruction and understanding” (Proverbs 23:23). Solomon’s advice to his own son mirrors Paul’s exhortation to Timothy, “Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers. Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2nd Timothy 2:14-15). Lamentably, this precious emerald of truth is not in possession of the “untaught and unstable people [who] twist to their own destruction” Holy Writ, thus making them disapproved before God as noted by the apostle Peter (2nd Peter 3:16b, addition mine). Those who shamefully subtract from or add to God’s holy Word do so to mislead the masses in their favor striving to achieve their own, personal goals (cf. 2ndTimothy 3:1-7, 2ndPeter 2:1-3, 18-22). Hence, Paul’s strong entreaty to Timothy to be diligent in spiritual preparation, through proper, responsible, and respectful study of the inspired Word of God (i.e. “rightly dividing the word of truth” or to “buy the truth”). The great Master illuminates the vitality of being in possession of this worthy skill in His Parable of the Pearl of Great Price (cf. Matthew 13:45-46). He proceeds to place the Kingdom of heaven (i.e. the Church) side-by-side to a merchant whose livelihood depended on finding valuable pearls to buy and sale. It is imperative to keep in mind that the success of the merchant’s search is contingent on his skill level of locating and spotting rare, beautiful pearls and verifying if they are indeed genuine or not. Because his reputation was intimately linked with the growth of his business (in a time where word of mouth was the only information superhighway), the merchant would take on this search personally. He would certainly never risk the possibility of great ruin because he placed this lofty responsibility on the shoulders of another who was not as invested in the triumph of the purchase as he is. Therefore, the Lord Jesus brings to light the necessity of being diligent and fully invested in our quest for finding God’s absolute truth, chiefly because it is genuinely the only one of its kind (cf. Galatians 1:6-7, Titus 1:1-3). Yet, one must not be naive and think that spiritual swindlers have not made attempts to make counterfeits of His truth. This is a primary reason why the Redeemer highlights the merchant’s personal time invested in “seeking beautiful pearls” (Matthew 13:45b). The Spirit moved Paul to recommend to the Philippians, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:12-13). Negligence and complacency with regards to the spiritual are the two noxious ingredients that have plagued humanity during its entire existence. They have always manifested their presence in a person when he or she relies more in a man’s word than God’s. This is noticeable with common and popular expressions such as “My preacher or Bible teacher said so” or “that’s what my parents and grandparents believed their whole lives.” The reality that this shameful misdirection is a road that has existed for centuries is demonstrated by John the Baptizer’s reproach to the Pharisees and Sadducees admonishing them, “bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones” (Matthew 3:7-9). John’s stark reprimand of their self-righteousness reveals their misguided notion that their salvation hinged on the fidelity of their ancestors. They had soon forgotten that God had already declared to them, while in Babylonian captivity, “Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine; the soul who sins shall die” (Ezekiel 18:4). Let us recall that Ezekiel was commanded to speak this truth as a refutation of a false proverb that was prevalent among the captives in Babylon, wanting to place blame on their fathers’ sins for their punishment (cf. Ezekiel 18:1-3). However, it is valuable to comprehend that one can avoid falling into sin by learning from God’s law what His good will is and following it (cf. Psalm 1, Romans 12:1-2). Paul understood the possibility of Timothy becoming disheartened by the absence of his voice providing guidance to him, but the apostle sagely redirects his son’s mind to the true and only source of spiritual wisdom. Paul reminded Timothy that “All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, because the breath of the LORD blows upon it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever” (Isaiah 40:6b-7, cf. 1st Peter 2:24-25). Believing that a person can be saved without diligently and daily studying the Bible, and solely depending on what a man speaks is a shameful misdirection (whether from the pulpit or from home) that only leads to the broad path Jesus warns about (cf. Matthew 7:13-14). The road that leads to life everlasting is verily the least conventional from man’s perspective, but those who travel by it are sure to arrive at heaven’s precious gate (cf. Revelation 1:3).