Blogging Through the Book of Mormon

It’s kind of bitter sweet that I’m studying the end of Paul’s last letter before his death on the last day that I’m doing study on my job here. Kind of a fitting end, and I know that there are more Pauline letters after this, and I wish I would have gone in chronological order and coordinated with the Acts of the Apostles, but next time I guess, in 10 years. 4:1-2 - There’s a phrase Paul uses in his final charge to Timothy “before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the death,” which is similar phrasing to the very last verse in the Book of Mormon when Moroni bids farewell to his readers and hopes to “me you before the pleasing bar of the great Jehovah, the Eternal Judge of both quick and dead.” I like when phrases or ideas get found in various places in the scriptures because it ties them together and I don’t know why, I just like it. Paul charges Timothy to “preach the word; be instant in season, out of season.” I’m not exactly sure what this in and out ...

I’m starting a new job next week and so I probably won’t be able to write for a couple of months while I train and get settled in, but I really want to finish 2nd Timothy before I go, so I’m going to try to do a whole chapter today and the last chapter tomorrow because Fridays are always crazy. So this might be a little bit faster than usual. 3:1-4 - I have often wondered just how much of his words Paul expected to stick around long term. I know that the early Christians in Paul’s communities were often concerned with the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, but I don’t remember any mention of that topic so far in 2nd Timothy so I’m not exactly sure why Paul brings it up here. He notes that the “last days” will be “perilous times.” He also laments the faults of people, that they “shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthanks, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of th...

2:14-19 - With the apostasy actively happening in Paul's lifetime, he gives specific instructions to Timothy on how to properly preach the gospel so that those who are prepared to receive it can feel it's truth by the Spirit. Paul focuses a lot on teaching the true gospel in a way that is gentle and without contention. Paul uses phrases like "strive not about words" and "vain babblings" to demonstrate the ineffective method of preaching the gospel which is to fight and argue about it and try to logically prove that we are correct. This is never going to work for several reasons, first, logic has never converted anyone or build a solid testimonial foundation. The gospel is the only thing that makes sense to me and the logic behind everything is a huge factor in my testimony, but if I didn't have the spiritual aspect, I could "know" the gospel all day long, but that doesn't mean that I would do anything with it. The article on this chapter ...

2:1-2 - I’m not sure if Paul contrasted the two apostates with his faithful friend Onesiphorus to demonstrate the “spirit of fear” vs. “spirit of power,” dynamic in specific examples that Timothy would be aware of, but it seems that Onesiphorus’ example of true Christ-like love is the reason that Paul continues, “Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” Paul was giving Timothy examples of the two extremes that people can take the teachings of the gospel, one out right rejection and one complete commitment and the benefit the commitment makes to others, like comforting Paul when he was imprisoned. Verse 2 reads like Paul’s implying that Timothy should teach the gospel according to Paul, but I don’t think that that is what is meant here. It’s kind of like at work when someone says something to a patient like “I’ll have my doctor call you with the results.” This bugs me because there is no “my doctor,” their relationship with the doctor is not possessive,...

1:8-9 - The empowering feelings brought about by using the phrase, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power,” told Timothy, and us, that we are more capable than we often think, not only because of our own abilities but because of God’s enabling power. With the “power” promised in verse 7, Paul urges Timothy to “be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of my his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God.” Paul was facing certain death because he kept preaching the gospel, and he’s writing a letter to a younger man who is doing the same work Paul’s doing. Seeing the path that Paul has walked down, willingly, was probably a reason for Timothy to stop and consider if the “commitment until death” lifestyle was one that he wanted for himself. Paul is encouraging him that it is worth it and to “be thou partaker of the afflictions for the gospel according to the power of God.” If we think about the...

1:6-7 - Timothy has a lifetime of experience being faithful and religious. But even when that is the case, spiritual vigilance isn’t always a guaranteed. I’ve always wondered why they say your spirit needs to be fed daily just like your body. But the more I think about it, how many times in a day do we have even a slight shift in mood? I know that for me it’s like every couple of hours. I can go from happy to irritated in a matter of minutes, and then what? Then it becomes a fight within myself to decide what I’m going to do from there and let me tell you that I do some serious self-reflection and talking to Jesus when that time comes. I ask myself probably twice and hour “what would Jesus do?” and I try to do that thing, but so much of the time it’s really hard to do the thing that I know Jesus would do. And if doing the right thing is so difficult even trying to pray and read the scriptures every day then just imagine how hard it would be for me if I didn’t do those things. In fact...

Even though 2 Timothy is right after 1 Timothy and before many other Pauline epistles, it was the last letter that Paul wrote before he was executed. Paul was in prison in Rome, but unlike the first time he was a prisoner there, this time he was locked in a dungeon “in chains.” He Knew that his time in this life was coming to an end, so I would imagine that these are the most important words to Paul that he would have ever spoken. The IM comments, “While writing this epistle, Paul was expecting to be put to death shortly. This letter contains his reflections about the blessings and difficulties of serving as ‘a preacher, and an apostles, and a teacher of the Gentiles.’… As one who had ministered for Jesus Christ for over 30 years, Paul was in an excellent position to instruct Timothy on how to serve effectively in strengthening the faith of others.” 1:1-5 - Paul begins this letter the way he usually does, by introducing himself, “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God.”...