As a devoted Boston Red Sox fan, it pains me to admit that Babe Ruth was one of the greatest baseball players in the history of the game. His bat had the power of a cannon, and his record of 714 home runs remained unbroken until Hank Aaron came along. The Babe was the idol of sports fans everywhere, but in time age took its toll, and his popularity began to wane.
As his illustrious career was winding down, the Yankees eventually traded him to the Braves. In one of his last games, Babe Ruth began to falter. He struck out multiple times and made several errors that allowed the Cincinnati Reds to score five runs in one inning. As the Babe walked toward the dugout, chin down and dejected, there rose from the stands an enormous storm of boos and catcalls. Some fans even shook their fists at him.
Then something wonderful happened. A little boy jumped over the railing, and with tears streaming down his cheeks he ran out to the great athlete. Unashamedly, he flung his arms around the Babe’s legs and held on tightly. Ruth scooped him up, hugged him, and set him down again. Patting him gently on the head, they joined hands and walked off the field together.
That little boy taught a whole stadium of baseball fans a lesson in loyalty. Loyalty means faithfulness and devotion to something or someone, even when it is difficult. When your favorite sports team doesn’t make the playoffs or your favorite athlete falls into a slump, it would be easier to root for someone else. Likewise, loyalty to anything from automobiles to laundry detergents is difficult when you can get a better deal on something else. Loyalty is hard—that is why it is so hard to come by.
Even loyalty to churches isn’t as common as it used to be. When a pastor disappoints you or another church member says something that hurts you, it is often easier to go to another church or stop attending church altogether, rather than working through the problem. And some people even struggle with loyalty to their faith. It is easy to be a Christian when everything is going well and you feel God’s presence in your life, what about when life becomes difficult and it seems like God is nowhere to be found?
In today’s Scripture text, the Apostle Paul continues his final letter to Timothy by urging him to remain loyal to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Timothy had a lot of things going against him—he was young and timid, he had health problems, felt isolated and alone in his ministry, and the situation with the false teachers in Ephesus hadn’t improved very much. So, Paul encourages Timothy by reminding him of the message that had transformed his life and challenges him to be loyal to the gospel of Jesus Christ, no matter what!
The Gospel (9-10)
In verses 9-10, Paul presents one of the clearest and most powerful declarations of the gospel in the whole Bible. The gospel is the good news of how God saves his people. He uses a creed-like formulation to remind Timothy that God has saved them and called them to a holy calling. God saved their souls from sin, death, and hell and called them to a holy life. God initiated this great work of redemption on the basis of his own purpose grace, not because of their good works. He did it because he wanted to; not because of anything that Paul or Timothy did or did not do. God did not have to save them! They didn’t deserve salvation! God showed them favor, even in spite of their sin.
This salvation was given through Jesus Christ. Jesus’ death on the cross provided atonement for their sins and healed their broken relationship with God. His resurrection from the grave conquered death for them and gave them eternal life. If it wasn’t for God giving his son Jesus, there wouldn’t be any hope of redemption. God purposed all of this before the ages began—that is, God planned to send his son to provide a way of salvation for his wayward people even before he created the world. This was the gospel that demanded Timothy’s loyalty!
These two power-packed verses clarify and reinforce the central message of the gospel for us. The reality is that we are all sinners who have fallen short of God’s glory. And because we have sinned against an eternally holy God, we deserve eternal punishment in hell. But God loved humanity so much that he was willing to sacrifice his own son to pay the price of our sin and make a way for our redemption. The truly amazing thing about this is that even before God created the world, he knew that we would choose sin and that he would sacrifice his own son on our behalf, and he decided to do it anyway.
Contrary to popular belief, this salvation does not depend upon our good works. No one is redeemed on the basis of “being a good person” or “living a moral life” or “being nice to others” or “reading the Bible” or even “going to church.” All of these are good things, but none of them help us get to heaven. Faith in Jesus Christ’s atoning death and victorious resurrection is the only way to redemption and immortality!
Do you recognize that you are a sinner? Do you realize the sinfulness of your sin and why hell is the only just punishment for your sin? Do you understand the incredible sacrifice that God has made to rescue your soul from sin? Do you see the depth of God’s love for you that he would allow his son to take the punishment that you deserve? Have you put your faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection? Like Paul and Timothy, this gospel demands our loyalty!
1.) Not Ashamed of the Gospel (8a, 12b)
In this passage, Paul challenges Timothy to be loyal to this gospel in three ways. The first way Timothy is to show his loyalty is by not being ashamed of the gospel. In verse 8, Paul says, “Do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner…” But why would Timothy be ashamed or embarrassed by the testimony about Jesus Christ or of Paul, his servant? In Timothy’s ancient Roman context, there was a huge stigma that came along with being associated with a crucified Messiah (a state criminal) and his (political) prisoner. If Jesus really was the Savior of the world, people would wonder why he was crucified, a punishment reserved for the most shameful crimes.
In verse 12, Paul says that he is not ashamed of the gospel or his own imprisonment because he knows whom he has believed and is convinced that Jesus is the true messianic Son of God who is able to guard the his soul until and through the Day of Judgment. The end of Paul’s life was in God’s hands. Therefore, he was not ashamed of the gospel and neither should Timothy. This was meant to encourage Timothy to be loyal to the gospel.
The obvious application of these verses is that we show our loyalty to Christ by not being ashamed of his gospel. There is still a stigma associated with a Messiah who claimed to be the son of God but experienced the shame of crucifixion. In many circles today, you will be mocked and ridiculed if you publically affirm aspects of the gospel like “I believe that Jesus really did perform miracles and really is the Son of God. I believe in hell. I believe that Jesus is the only way to heaven.” When you are in public or with unbelieving friends, are you afraid to share what you believe? Are you ashamed of the gospel?
2.) Suffer for the Gospel (8b, 12a)
The second way that Timothy was to show his loyalty was to suffer for the gospel. In verse 8, Paul bids Timothy to join him in his own suffering. Paul had been persecuted and suffered severely throughout most of his ministry, but he remained loyal to Jesus Christ and the gospel. In II Corinthians 11:23-28, Paul presents a shocking summary of his sufferings:
Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.
How was he able to endure this suffering?—“by the power of God.” Why was Paul willing to suffer all of this? Because Jesus Christ was willing to suffer even more for him! Paul wanted Timothy to follow his model!
Our loyalty to something is always proved by how much we are willing to suffer for it. Our loyalty to the gospel is tested when we don’t understand why God has allowed our loved one to die unexpectedly, when we have health problems that are not healed, when we are ostracized for our faith, etc. How much are you willing to suffer for Christ and his gospel?
3.) Guard the Gospel (13-14)
Finally, the third way that Timothy was to show his loyalty was by guarding the gospel. Remember, Timothy was pastoring a church that was plagued by false teachers who were distorting the true gospel. In verse 13, Paul exhorts Timothy to continue to follow the pattern of sound teaching that originated with Jesus and was passed down through the Apostles—the true gospel that produces faith and love. With the help of the Holy Spirit, Timothy was to guard “the good deposit” which is the gospel.
We too show our loyalty to Christ by guarding the good deposit that he entrusted to us. We must do our part to preserve and protect the true gospel. As in Paul and Timothy’s day, there are many false teachers today who peddle religious beliefs that are not consistent with the life and teachings of Jesus Christ and his Apostles. As I have mentioned before, there are so many denominations and churches who have deviated from the truth of God’s Word that is difficult to even call them “Christian.” We must make sure that everything we believe and do is rooted God’s Word. And may we always be ready to guard the gospel!
Well, there was once a little boy who showed his loyalty by throwing his arms around Babe Ruth. Let us show our loyalty to Jesus Christ by not being ashamed of the gospel, suffering for the gospel, and guarding the gospel!