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Rightly Dividing the
Word of Truth (2 Timothy 2:15)
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Established November
2008 Published: May 22, 2020
For this is good and
acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved,
and to come unto the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:3-4).
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Welcome to HBS and
thank you for being here.
Last week we left Colossians
momentarily for the book of beginnings (Genesis) to show the LORD God (Jehovah)
is the architect of marriage not man. Therefore
every Believer is to understand their God-given roles in the marriage relationship
and when problems arise they are to seek guidance from the Lord Jesus Christ. These instructions are found in Paul’s epistles,
previously identified as “the word of Christ:”
“Let the word
of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one
another…” (3:17).
“Wives,
submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives,
and be not bitter against them” (3:18-19).
As I recall, we also looked
at Ephesians 5:21-28 where Paul’s expounded on this teaching say, “Submitting
yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord (wives
that’s the key to success). For the husband
is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church:
and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the
church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every
thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ
also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he
might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by
the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not
having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy
and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own
bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself” (Ephesians 5:21-28).
In Ephesians 5:25 we
learn the husband’s role in the marriage relationship is to “love his wife,
even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it…” Now, we could devote the rest of this lesson,
and several future lessons to the study of that subject alone. Suffice to say the relationship between husband
and wife speaks of agape (sacrificial) love. When you bring this motivation into that same
relationship as the Church is to Christ and Christ is to the Church, between wives
and husbands, there’s no place for abuse of this God-given authority. Apparently many people are unaware of this
fact or they are paying no attention to it because the divorce rate for both
secular marriages and Christian marriages in the U.S.A. is about 50%. Speaking for myself, both my ex-wife and I
knew these Bible verses existed, but any attempt by me to exercise them in our marriage was hindered
by my wife. When I tried to explain
these Bible passages to her, she said, “That’s your opinion; I have my own…” So, let’s be clear, this isn’t my opinion
it’s the word of Christ, so the goal of every married couple is to make
the Lord Jesus Christ the Head, the Counselor, and their Guide not just in
marriage but also in their lives. When
you do, you’re not only in compliance with Christ’s commands above (1
Corinthians 14:37) you’re in compliance with His command in Colossians 3:17: “And
whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord
Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.” (See Colossians 3:23)
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Please
open your Bible at Colossians 3:20.
Children and Fathers
“Children,
obey your parents in
all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord. Fathers, provoke not your
children to anger,
lest they be discouraged.
We
have new visitors to this Bible study every day, so I’d like for them to know right
off-the-bat Colossians is one of the most Christ-centered books of the
Bible. Anyone who has ever searched for
an answer to the question, "Who is Jesus?" will eventually find
themselves reading Colossians. Why? Colossians answers that question with: "Christ
is the Creator and Sustainer of all things, therefore, He is supreme over all
persons and things!" Since
this is true, then He is sufficient for every spiritual need, most importantly your
salvation (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).
Having
dealt with the wives and husbands roles in the marital relationship,
Paul now turns his attention to the children saying, “…obey your parents in all
things: (why?) for this is well pleasing unto the Lord”
(3:20).
Here
Paul presents the reason why children are to obey their
parents in all things that morally line up with what God has said, dispensationaly
speaking. It’s beneficial to know the world-at-large
doesn’t know this biblical teaching exists, while others know of it but stand
in opposition to it, but we’ll address that issue later on. Thinking back, I remember asking my mother once
or twice why I had to do something; her standard response was, “Because
I said so,” so that was my motivation - she’s the boss. Here Paul said the reason why this is done is
because, “…this is well pleasing unto the Lord.” Not only is this an entirely different response,
Paul’s instruction surpasses the worldly (earthly) view
of most people, one of which is, “Because Santa knows whose naughty and
nice.”
Please
know Paul’s instruction mirrors the teaching found in the Ten Commandments. In Exodus 20:12 the LORD God addressed the
children through His servant Moses saying, “Honour thy father and thy
mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy
God giveth thee.” When our apostle
Paul addressed the children in Ephesus, he combined this same command
with his message: “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this
is right. Honour thy
father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) (why?)
That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth” (Ephesians 6:1-3).
So,
Paul is definitely addressing children in this passage, but he did not
mention a specific age group. One might
assume Paul’s referring to little children, but not so much. The
Koine Greek word for “children” in 3:20 is not from teknia (little
children), but from teknon which means offspring. You and I are teknon, i.e., the offspring
of our parents not yet of age. What does
this mean? As previously stated, our
parents relinquish responsibility for their children when they marry and
leave their home to start one of their own.
Thus, this command to obey your parents no longer applies when wives
and husbands establish their own home, or come of age.
Why
did Paul issue this command to children?
Permit me to illustrate: An
Indian was asked why his son disobeyed him and refused to listen to reason. He answered him saying, “Two dogs live in
man; one good and one bad. The dominant dog
is the one that is fed regularly.” So
then, make sure you’re feeding the good dog with the word of Christ
every day (Psalm 119:105; Colossians 1:9-12).
We’ve covered this topic in previous lessons, so we now know everyone
possesses two natures, one good; one bad, including children. As for children sin is manifested in
multiple ways, such as, deceit, impertinence, mean-spiritedness, rebellion
against authority, etc., in short, children can be downright
obnoxious. If you’re a parent, then you
know exactly what I mean. Children
can be loveable and loving at times, but then there are those trying times when
you consider whether or not to gag them and lock them in their bedroom until
they turn twenty-one.
Digging
Deeper
we learn in Paul’s day the then known world lived under Roman rule,
consequently, the father possessed supreme power over his children, and their
children, etc., in accordance with “Roman Family law.” The purest example of this truth is found in
“patria potestas” which is defined as “the power of the father.” The male head of the family wielded supreme
power over his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and so on, whatever
their age, as well as over those brought into the family through adoption. This power meant he had control over the
persons of his children, even the right to inflict capital punishment, if he so
chooses. He alone had any and all rights
pertaining to private law. Succinctly said, the child and their acquisitions
became the property of the father. He
might allow a child (as he might a slave) certain property to treat as his own,
but in the eye of the law it continued to belong to the father.
Bringing
this information into our Bible study, the ancient city of Colosse was built on
a major trade route through the Lycus River Valley in the Roman province
of Asia Minor (in the southwest corner of modern-day Turkey). Paul had
spent two years planting a church in Ephesus, and in Acts 19:10 we learn that,
radiating from that center, “all the residents of Asia, both Jews and
Greeks, heard the word of the Lord.” It’s understood from the Colossian text Paul
did not visit or preach the truth of the gospel to the saints
there. Instead, it’s highly likely that
church was established by Epaphras (1:7), and from verse 1:21 it’s safe
to say it was comprised mainly of gentile Believers.
It’s
in this environment Paul issued the command “Obey your parents” to children
who have not as yet come of age. The
reason why is, “for this is right;” (See 3:17), and since it’s the right
thing to do, “…this is well pleasing unto the Lord.” (3:20b).
Loving
parents are called to guide their children in the path of righteousness. They are to lead them to the Lord Jesus
Christ and the salvation that is found in Him alone, that they might trust
Christ Jesus as their personal Savior.
What’s more, they are to plant the word of the Lord in their
hearts and minds, in order for them to build a firm biblical foundation for
their lives and their children, and so on down the line. A good example of this biblical teaching is
Paul’s protégé young Timothy, so let’s read it together:
“When
I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee,
which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice;
and I am persuaded that in thee also” (1 Timothy 1:5).
Here
Paul revealed the positive influence elder family members have upon their
offspring. Timothy had been taught
elements of the faith of God by his mother Eunice and his grandmother
Lois. Notice only these two
female family members are praised and acknowledged for the excellent example
they provided at home to Timothy, which begs the question, “Where’s dad?” Timothy’s father was a gentile and not a
believer in Jesus Christ (Acts 16:1-3). Yet,
beginning with Timothy’s grandmother Lois, and then his mother Eunice,
they were able to make a difference in teaching Timothy as a boy, after which
he would grow up to be one of the early ministers of the Body of Christ, a.k.a.
the Church, and a faithful companion and coworker alongside Paul.
I
can relate to this personally because my father was an unbeliever. In short, he was a Christian going
through the motions but is heart wasn’t in it.
My mother, on the other hand, was a woman of faith and earned my respect
early on. She didn’t just talk the talk;
she walked the walk. It was her
heartfelt desire to see us children grow up to be men and women of God
and hopefully share the gospel with others and lead them to the Lord. This should be the heartfelt desire of every
married couple that follows the apostle Paul, who in turn follows the risen Lord of glory (1
Corinthians 11:1). That thought leads us
to verse 3:21:
“Fathers, provoke
not your children to anger, (Why?)
lest they be discouraged.” Said,
differently, “Fathers bring the children up; don’t tear them down.” There’s a companion Bible verse in Ephesians
6:4: “And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring
them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”
Here
Paul addressed the head of the family, “fathers,” and gives them a negative
instruction followed immediately by a positive one. First, he tells fathers to “provoke
not your children to anger.” This refers
to everyday family life, and a repeated pattern of maltreatment, a way of
living that, over time, has a tearing-down effect on the child. This repeated provoking over time often
leads to a built-up, deep-seated anger and resentment within the child. Provoking children to anger
happens in a number of ways such as: breaking promises, constant criticism,
discouragement, fault finding, inconsistency, partiality, neglect, ,
overreacting, sarcasm, unreasonable demands, etc. None of these things build a
child up.
Instead
of provoking their children to anger, God wants fathers to
provide their children with a loving, nurturing, and godly home. This verse demonstrates the father has
the primary responsibility before God to raise his children “in the nurture
and admonition of the Lord.” He is
to be the spiritual leader of the home. God wants children to learn from their father’s
example of what it means to love the Lord and to live for Him. Studies show when the father is an
active Believer, there is about a 75% likelihood the children will follow suit,
as they say. But if only the mother is a
Believer, this possibility is dramatically reduced to about 15-20%. I’ve seen this statistic played-out in my
family. Of us six children only three
follow after our mother. That’s 50% by
my reckoning, but of those three only one of us follow the revelation of the
mystery, i.e., the teachings of Paul, (Romans 11:13, 16:25-27; Galatians 1:11;
Ephesians 3:1-3).
In
verse 3:21, Paul gives Fathers the key to the wise rearing of children;
it’s to be in “the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” Paul means to say parenting and training
children is not to be carried out by obeying earthly (worldly) wisdom but
according to what God has revealed to us in the dispensation of grace. The Lord is everyone’s teacher, and
this includes the children, so fathers are to look to Him for guidance.
Many
people today think this is wrong. They
maintain the child ought to be able to express themselves or they’ll be
inhibited, that is, unable to reach their full potential. To that I say, “Nonsense.” I was disciplined by my father and on a few
occasion received a spanking not with a belt or paddle but with his hand applied
to my backside. I can also honestly say
I know what a bar of soap tastes like… The
one thing missing in that is my father failed to discipline in love. It takes a loving parent to discipline a
child in love. My mother spanked me once,
and I saw tears in her eyes after that. That’s
when I knew she corrected me because she loved me. All this to say, been there, done that, and I’m
a better person for it. But, as I said,
many people consider corporal punishment to be nothing less than a criminal
act. It may surprise some of you to know
parents have and are being arrested and incarcerated for disciplining their
children in the home. Some time ago I
read a child that had been spanked called the local sheriff and reported his
mother had “beat him.” Evidence shows
she “spanked” him. Hardly a
beating. This speaks of the day,
evidently, that we are currently living in.
Even though 2 Timothy was written circa 68 AD, it’s message rings true
for this present evil age: “This know
also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men
shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers,
disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural
affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of
those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than
the lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof:
from such turn away” (2 Timothy 3:1-5).
I
pray you and your children desire not be counted as one of these, for as I
said, they are indicators that we are indeed living in the last days of
the dispensation of God’s Grace. The disobedience
of children to their parents is one of the indicators. So, children, if not for your parent’s
sake, at least for your own sake, as well as for the Lord’s, “…obey your
parents in all things for this is well pleasing unto the Lord” (3:20). For the obedience given to parents is
obedience given to Christ Jesus.
I’ll
close with this: One winter day in the
Colorado wilderness, a man found it necessary to go see a neighbor who lived beyond
a steep and rugged mountain range. He lived alone and was very ill. The man climbed the dangerous trail for some
time through the drifted snow not realizing that his son had been following
him. Suddenly, as he was trudging and
struggling through the deep snow, he heard a young voice behind him call out,
“Be careful, daddy, I’m walking in your steps!”
Fathers, our children are walking in our steps and, as fathers,
we should take great care in how we live and ever mindful of the example we
present to them, furthermore, we need to raise them in accordance with Paul’s
command in 3:17: “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the
name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”
Summing
up, the principle here is for Christ and His word to be central in a family’s
life. The Lord is to be the Head, the
Counselor, and the Guide and at the forefront in our homes. God wants our homes so full of His Word and
the acknowledgement of Him that our children can’t help but think of Him, while
saying, “I want to be just like my father, because he wants to be like
Christ.”
(To
be continued)
©
Copyright 2011
GJ
Heitzman’s Ministry
All
Rights Reserved
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