22 Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 23 But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes. 24 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, 25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; 26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will. (2 Timothy 2:22-26 KJV)
Advice to the youth
Paul urges Timothy to beware of youthful lusts (2 Timothy 2:22). Though Timothy was a godly and disciplined man, Paul still found it necessary to warn him: “Flee from them, and take all possible care to keep yourself pure.” The lusts of the flesh are especially strong in youth and must be carefully resisted. Paul provides an excellent remedy—follow righteousness, faith, love, and peace. The more we pursue what is good, the further we will flee from evil. Righteousness, faith, and love are powerful antidotes to lust, and holy love cures impure desire. “Follow peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” Fellowship with sincere believers will draw us away from unfruitful works of darkness. Christians are those who call upon the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 9:14), and our prayers are acceptable only when they come from a pure heart (Matthew 5:8).
Paul also warns Timothy against contention and needless disputes (2 Timothy 2:23). He tells him to avoid foolish and unlearned questions that lead only to quarrels. Those who delight in such debates think themselves wise, but they cause division and confusion among believers. Religion is more about believing and practicing what God requires than engaging in endless disputes. “The servant of the Lord must not strive” (2 Timothy 2:24). Nothing is more unfitting for a minister of Christ—who was Himself meek and gentle (Matthew 12:19)—than strife and argument. God’s servant must be gentle to everyone, showing by his conduct that he is ruled by the faith he preaches. He must be “apt to teach,” patient, and willing to bear with wrongs, instructing even those who oppose the truth with meekness (2 Timothy 2:25).
Those who resist sound teaching must be instructed, not punished. Scripture prescribes teaching, not violence, as the proper way to correct error (2 Timothy 3:16). This method is more likely to bring conviction than coercion. Such instruction must be done in meekness, for Christ is “meek and lowly in heart” (Matthew 11:29), and His servants must reflect His character. Meekness conveys truth with power and helps overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21).
Ministers must aim for the restoration of those who oppose themselves: “If God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth.” Repentance is a gift from God, and though we may hope for it in others, we must not presume upon it. The same God who reveals the truth enables the heart to accept it. Without His grace, the heart remains rebellious, for confession with the mouth must accompany belief in the heart (Romans 10:9-10).
Those who repent are freed from the devil’s snare (2 Timothy 2:26). Sinners, in their unrepentant state, are held captive by Satan to do his will. They are slaves to the “spirit who works in the children of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:2), trapped like birds in a snare. But when they repent, they escape, as “a bird from the snare of the fowler” (Psalm 124:7). Their deliverance is great, for they move from slavery to sin into the glorious liberty of the children of God. May the Lord graciously free us all from the devil’s snare and bring us into the freedom of His grace.