Category: 2 Timothy

Written by Jackson Ferrell

Acts 18 – In Which Paul Maybe Races the Gospel and Loses

In yesterday’s chapter, Paul preached his Mars Hill sermon, which we in our blog post for all intents and purposes ignored. Through the sermon, he won the interest of the Athenians and a non-trivial amount of converts, as well as a measure of scorn from some for believing that the dead can be raised. In today’s chapter, having made all the progress he can in Athens, he leaves of his own volition, for once not chased out by angry mobs, and goes to Corinth. And in Corinth, he finds a populace surprisingly receptive to the gospel.

Written by Jackson Ferrell

2 Timothy 3 Rewind – Training in Writeousness

Before we tie a bow on the Timothies, I wanted to revisit one last pair of verses that we haven’t properly examined. I expect most of you will recognize the first of these verses, and you may even have memorized it if you were ever involved in scripture memory programs as a child. It’s one of Paul’s most-quoted lines: “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). I memorized it in fourth or fifth grade as part of my church’s after-school program, R.A.D. (Radically Awesome Disciples). It was the 90s.

Written by Jackson Ferrell

2 Timothy 4 – Paul in the Endgame

Time to say goodbye to Timothy. Paul signs off with his usual encouragement, exhortations, and personal notes mentioning various individuals by name, but it’s clear Paul wrote this letter late in life. He speaks about his life as a drink offering poured out to God, the conclusion of a victorious battle, the final hundred-meter push at the end of the eight-mile, and he urges Timothy to visit him as quickly as time permits. If Paul’s letters were a chord progression, this one would be a V chord, anticipating a move back to the tonic chord and the end of the song. This is the final chorus; this is the outro.

Written by Jackson Ferrell

2 Timothy 3 – Anti-Philanthropists

Paul loves his lists and litanies. And to begin today’s chapter in his second letter to Timothy, he goes off on the evil men that one can expect during the last days. He loves to enumerate, but Paul’s got no love for these guys as he blasts through their negative qualities with both barrels. What makes the evil dudes of the end times so evil? Let’s take a look.

Written by Jackson Ferrell

2 Timothy 2 – Army Men

I have a few reasons why I’m currently single, but foremost is that I primarily feel called to reproduce spiritually rather than biologically. Where others might pour their time and money into raising a kid, I’m investing in the relationships and space around me. My children are artwork that will enrich the world in some way, however small; my children are the meaningful experiences that my peers and I have through church events, service, tabletop role-playing games; my children are the things you and I learn from the entries on this blog. And I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not the best parent, but that’s where my effort’s going these days. And that’s my goal: I’m raising well-being.