2 Timothy 4:1–8

4:1 For Paul to “charge” Timothy adds solemnity and weight to what he is about to command him to do. Paul raises the stakes by charging Timothy “in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus.” Timothy must heed Paul’s instruction, not merely because of Paul but also because of the fact that God the Father and the Lord Jesus are watching. Not only are they watching; they are also enforcing the apostle’s command, for Christ will one day “judge the living and the dead”—a reference to the final judgment, at which God will settle all accounts and at which no one would want to come up short through disobedience. Paul charges Timothy by Christ’s “appearing,” his second coming, at which judgment will commence, and by his “kingdom,” his reign over all things. Paul’s protégé will answer to God for how he responds to the apostle’s commands.

4:2 Paul’s simple command is that Timothy must “preach the word.” This “word” includes the OT and the apostolic word (Rom. 16:25–27; 1 Tim. 5:17; 2 Pet. 3:15), both of which make one “wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 3:15). Timothy has been given a body of revelation, and Paul solemnly commands him before God to “preach” it—to declare openly the message God has given.

Timothy is not to be preaching his own ideas about life. He is not to preach his thoughts about current events. He is not to turn the pulpit into his platform for whatever distraction catches his fancy. He is not to make things up as he goes along. Rather, Timothy must preach the Word of God revealed in Scripture. This is his job. If he fails to do this, he will answer to God.

Preaching that Word requires several things:

(1) Readiness: “be ready in season and out of season.” These seasons could be translated as “at a good time” and “not at a good time.” Timothy must not stick his finger to the wind of human opinion to discern what he should preach. The approval or disapproval of the message will come and go, but this must have no impact on the content of his preaching. He preaches the Word whether listeners like it our not.

(2) Confrontation: to “reprove” means to “express strong disapproval of someone’s action, reprove, correct” (BDAG, s.v. ἐλέγχω, italics original), seeking to persuade someone to see and turn from error. To “rebuke” means to “express strong disapproval of someone,” “censure,” or “warn” (BDAG, s.v. ἐπιτιμάω, italics original). Both of these terms refer to confronting error in doctrine or morals, whenever and wherever necessary. Such is the pastor’s job among the flock, not because he is a moralizer but because he desires to lead people away from judgment and into life.

(3) Command: “exhort” is to “urge strongly” (BDAG, s.v. παρακαλέω). In essence, this means to command someone to do something. Such is the difference between preaching and lecturing: a lecture is oriented toward explanation and data, whereas a sermon is oriented toward command and prohibition. Preaching is authoritative, exhorting people about what they ought to believe and do by issuing commands to that end.

All of this reproving, rebuking, and exhorting must occur in a certain way: “with complete patience and teaching.” A shepherd must not be harsh or indifferent toward his sheep; he must understand and be patient with them. He must commit to teaching them and to “hanging in there” with them when they stumble and fall. A pastor also must not be pugnacious. He must bring confrontation, but in such a way that consoles and inspires instead of crushing or discouraging. He cannot avoid offense if he is angry.

4:3 “For” introduces Paul’s explanation for his command to Timothy to preach in and out of season. “Time” links explicitly to the term translated “in season” in the previous verse: a time is coming when people “will not endure” the preaching of the gospel. They will not abide Bible-based exhortations and rebukes, and the reason for this will be very simple: they will have “itching ears” that they want to have scratched. They will not want preachers who inflict more itches. Instead they will want a preacher to tell them what they want to hear—that what they are already believing and doing is just fine. Those in error or in sin often like their sin very much. They do not appreciate a preacher’s meddling with their consciences. Rather than listening to the Word of God that confronts them, they will look for teachers who will forgo the Word of God and tell them happy things—things that confirm their sinful desires instead of contradicting those desires. “They will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions.”

4:4 When people begin seeking to have their ears tickled, they “will turn away from listening to the truth.” Sadly, they will choose to believe fiction over truth. This choice has everything to do with their preferences. They will prefer a fiction that confirms sinful desire over a truth that does not. People will follow after “myths” because they want stories that confirm them, not interrogate them. As Paul has stated elsewhere, the human condition is so broken by sin that sinners “by their unrighteousness suppress the truth” (Rom. 1:18).

4:5 “As for you” (or “but you”) indicates the contrast Paul wishes to draw between the behavior of those with “itching ears” and the behavior required of Timothy. No matter what opposition Timothy faces, he must remain steadfast and faithful in four ways:

(1) “Be sober-minded.” The sense of this term cannot be reduced to the avoidance of inebriation. It includes that requirement while also being more expansive. To be sober-minded is to be free from excess, passion, rashness, or confusion. It is to be well-balanced and self-controlled. In the face of opposition and persecution, Timothy must have a clearheaded view of what is required of him.

(2) “Endure suffering” indicates a willingness to “undergo humiliation or hurts.”¹ Timothy must be willing to suffer whatever consequences may arise from preaching the gospel to those who do not want to hear its message.

(3) “Do the work of an evangelist.” While some seem to be particularly gifted for the task of evangelism (Acts 21:8; Eph. 4:11), the term “evangelist” should be construed not as an office but rather as a task to be fulfilled by all pastors.² The job of an evangelist is simply to be a “proclaimer of the gospel” (BDAG, s.v. εὐαγγελιστής), presumably with the aim of seeing sinners converted by its message.

(4) “Fulfill your ministry” summarizes all that Paul commissions Timothy to do in his work in Ephesus: “discharge all the duties of your ministry” (NIV). In sum, the pastor must be clear-headed, must be willing to suffer, and must evangelize the lost—all of these things—in order to fulfill the task to which God has called him.

4:6 Paul says that he is “already being poured out as a drink offering,” echoing the sacrificial language of the OT concerning such offerings (cf. Ex. 29:40–41; Lev. 23:13; Num. 15:5–10; 28:7). Surprisingly, Paul says that he is the drink offering; his blood will soon be poured out in martyrdom—“The time of my departure has come.” Paul knows that he is about to die, and so this exhortation to Timothy takes on the gravity of a last will and testament. As Paul’s ministry draws to a close and is thus fulfilled, he hands the baton to Timothy to finish what he has started.

4:7 Paul provides two images describing how he has fulfilled the ministry God has given him: a “fight” and a “race.” The “good fight” describes a competition or a contest in which one must meet opposition and overcome it. In 1 Timothy 6:12 Paul calls it the “good fight of the faith”—the fight to trust in Christ and defeat sin. Paul has given every last fiber of his being to this struggle.

Paul has also “finished the race.” He did not struggle for a little while and then falter and give up; he made it from start to finish. To have “kept the faith” means that Paul has lived and proclaimed the apostolic faith that he now hands on to Timothy. He fought through until he could fight no more. Now he is at the end.

4:8 God has prepared a reward for those who persevere to the end: “the crown of righteousness,” which probably means something like the “crown that is righteousness.” A crown was the laurel wreath placed on the victor’s head at the end of an athletic competition. The crown in this case consists of “righteousness.” This crown points forward to the time in which God will make his people what he has already declared them to be in Christ: righteous. Only those who persevere will wear that crown. God awards this crown not only to faithful ministers but also to “all who have loved his appearing.” In other words, this reward goes to all believers who persevere.