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Examined Doctrine
PASSAGE · BSB

2 Timothy 2

4 positions in the corpus lean on this chapter. Cited verses are marked.

1You therefore, my child, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

2And the things that you have heard me say among many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be qualified to teach others as well.

3Join me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

4A soldier refrains from entangling himself in civilian affairs, in order to please the one who enlisted him.

5Likewise, a competitor does not receive the crown unless he competes according to the rules.

6The hardworking farmer should be the first to partake of the crops.

7Consider what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all things.

8Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David, as proclaimed by my gospel,

9for which I suffer to the extent of being chained like a criminal. But the word of God cannot be chained!

10For this reason I endure all things for the sake of the elect, so that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.

11This is a trustworthy saying: If we died with Him, we will also live with Him;

12if we endure, we will also reign with Him; if we deny Him, He will also deny us;

13if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.

14Remind the believers of these things, charging them before God to avoid quarreling over words, which succeeds only in leading the listeners to ruin.

15Make every effort to present yourself approved to God, an unashamed workman who accurately handles the word of truth.

16But avoid irreverent, empty chatter, which will only lead to more ungodliness,

17and the talk of such men will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus,

18who have deviated from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already occurred, and they undermine the faith of some.

19Nevertheless, God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord must turn away from iniquity.”

20A large house contains not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay. Some indeed are for honorable use, but others are for common use.

21So if anyone cleanses himself of what is unfit, he will be a vessel for honor: sanctified, useful to the Master, and prepared for every good work.

22Flee from youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, together with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

23But reject foolish and ignorant speculation, for you know that it breeds quarreling.

24And a servant of the Lord must not be quarrelsome, but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, and forbearing.

25He must gently reprove those who oppose him, in the hope that God may grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth.

26Then they will come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, who has taken them captive to his will.

Who leans on it

Augustine on perseverance & eternal securityPRIMARY SOURCELEANS°Perseverance is a distinct gift of grace given to the elect; some of the truly regenerate — people with genuine faith, hope, and love — do not receive it and so do not endure. Augustine's own answer to why is a flat 'I d…Luther on original sin & the human willPRIMARY SOURCEAFFIRMS°The will is not neutral and cannot turn itself. Luther is careful about what he means: not compulsion but 'the necessity of immutability' — the unregenerate man sins willingly and cannot stop wanting to. Against the scho…John Owen on perseverance & eternal securityPRIMARY SOURCEAFFIRMS°The genuinely saved cannot finally fall, and Owen wrote a book of six hundred pages on it in 1654 against John Goodwin. He faces the apostasies of his own decade head-on rather than around them — "as many stars cast from…Justin Peters on election & predestinationPRIMARY SOURCEAFFIRMS°God chooses to redeem some of mankind for Himself and as a gift to the Son, and that sovereign choice does not cancel human accountability. He argues the doctrine is commonly misread as God keeping people out of heaven, …