2 Timothy 2
There is a phrase that my family has
picked up from a comedian named Tim Hawkins.
In part of his routine he talks about his mom and how, in response to
his shenanigans, she would say, “I won’t have it!” Running through the house? “I won’t have it!” Playing catch with lawn darts? “I won’t have it!” Frisbee in the dark? “I won’t have it!”
Certainly there are things that we
should not, “have,” that is, tolerate. I
know I’m bordering on cultural heresy here, but tolerance is not always the
best thing. We should not indulge
someone’s selfish behavior. When people
bring destructive behavior into our families or church, we shouldn’t just accept
it. Should we accept behaviors that
degrade, hurt, or control others, especially within the body of Christ?
That being said, we need to wrap our
minds around 2 Timothy 2:10, “Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the
elect, that they may also obtain salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal
glory.”
Enduring is not the same as
tolerating. Tolerance, in today’s parlance,
is equivalent to acceptance. Paul did
not accept sin, but confronted it with God’s Law to proclaim the Gospel to the
sinner. However, endurance means that Paul
lovingly welcomed people, worked with them, sought to reach them, and did not
consider them or the struggles they brought into his life to be beneath
him. He may have said, “I won’t have it!”
but he never said, “I won’t have them!”
When we interact with the world as
representatives of Jesus, members of the priesthood of the baptized, it is
important for us to not expect the world to behave as they should. It is essential for us to be patient with new
believers, walking with them, mentoring, sharing the world, and serving as
examples. (And when I say serving as
examples, that means showing righteous behavior, but also letting people see us
confess our sins and live in forgiveness.)
Why?
Because our faith is about Jesus and our goal and hope is to help people
know Him, believe in Him, and be saved by Him.
Just like us.
Lord Jesus, help me endure the struggles of
this life in order to help people see Your great love and the power of Your
forgiveness in my life so they may take hold of Your Word in faith to be
forgiven too. Amen.
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