HOLDING FAST WITH SOUND WORDS

HOLD FAST - THE FORM OF SOUNDS WORDS

"Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus" (2 Tim. 1:13).

This passage of Scripture is worthy of setting the tone for the year and serving as a guide for each one of us throughout our journey as servants and friends of Jesus Christ.

1.     The meaning of this verse reaches far beyond first impressions. We are inclined to treat such verses at first as a sort of charm, and then when the deeper meaning emerges, we discover the value to be derived in serious contemplation and conformation. That is certainly true for the passage chosen here.

2.     This arrangement of words takes the form of an exhortation. It may properly be regarded as the loving counsel of the Apostle Paul, on the eve of his death, to Timothy, his son in the faith. Timothy had served with him for several decades, but that journey together was about to end. Paul must now turn the responsibility over to Timothy, and he must carry on. In some sense he gathers up in these words all that he has to say. These words are freighted with meaning, not only for Timothy, but for us who in the line of succession have inherited this task.

3.     The context of this passage is the entire Bible, in the larger proportions, and the

Second Epistle of Timothy in particular. These words have a stirring background. For one thing, Paul is suffering persecution (2 Tim. 1:12), and he is in prison for the final time. To add to his affliction, he has been abandoned by his friends (2 Tim. 1:15; 4:10, 14-15). Those who could have helped him when he was brought to trial have deserted him (2 Tim. 4:16) and he now faces the death penalty (2 Tim. 4:6). But even in the face of this dire calamity, he has an unwavering confidence in Christ (2 Tim. 1:12). In his heart he is fully persuaded that final victory is ahead. In the courage of this conviction he has carried on his entire ministry, and even now in the crucial hour of death the facts have not changed. So this conviction is now translated into counsel for Timothy.

4.     The following analysis suggests to me a way of getting before you the meaning of this passage of Scripture. Three main ideas emerge:

(1) The expression in words, as set forth in the phrase, "the form of sound words."

(2) The exemplification in life, as set forth in the clause, "which thou hast heard of me."

(3) The exhortation in Christ, as set forth in the words, "Hold fast . . . in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus."

1A. THE EXPRESSION IN WORDS

At this point we will examine the significance of the words, "the form of sound words." It would seem that three things deserve attention, and in the reverse order in which they are stated: first, words; second, sound; and third, form.

l. The ideas revealed by God are preserved in words. Even that complete and perfect revelation in Christ is referred to as the Word, in this case, the Living Word. The original uses an expression which suggests propositions stated in words. This should give us a larger perspective and a greater appreciation for the words of the Bible. I know my own evaluation of words as a medium of communication has increased with the years. Even though there are many mediums of communication, there is none so satisfying and as interpretative as words. For more than three decades I have been learning that no matter how many of these mediums of communication I have employed to convey my affection to my wife, there is none quite so effective as the simple declarative statement in the indicative mode, "I love you." That falls like music on her ears. Be assured of this that God knew what He was doing when He employed this method to make His revelation known to men. And where ought this to come with more crushing force than here, where we are engaged in teaching scripture which is almost completely made up of words.

2. The intent of those words is for the purpose of producing spiritual health. That is the meaning of the word "sound." In the original it is the word hygienic, meaning health-giving. From the opening word of the Bible to its close, the great intent and purpose is to produce holiness in the believer, that is, spiritual health. Helping another to walk as He walked is a journey of grace. In the New Testament the message concentrates on grace, the grace set forth in Christ. To set them straight on this point, the writer of Hebrews wrote to Hebrew Christians saying, "Be not carried away with divers and strange doctrines: for it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein" (Heb. 13:9). This is a way of saying that the occupation of the mind with the message of grace in Christ produces the most satisfying results in spiritual health.

3. The ideal that results from sound words becomes a pattern or outline or model for measuring the message of faith and practice. This explains the meaning of the word "form." The original Greek word, like several others (1 Pet. 2:21; John 13:15) suggests a model or pattern that calls for imitation. As Paul imitated Christ, he encouraged others to follow his example. Pastors are examples to their flock and not Lords. It would appear that possibly, very early, authorized statements of the fundamentals of the Christian faith were used, as for instance the Apostle's Creed. Though this may not necessarily have reference to such, it doubtless does mean a summary of the broad lines of the Christian faith as set forth in the preaching and writing of the Apostle Paul. Paul is calling upon Timothy to carefully copy this pattern. This rules out all attempts to rethink and interpret the Christian message in the sense of tailoring it to new molds and forms of expression. There is a structure of Christian doctrine that is inflexible. This structure is like the bones in the body. A body without bones would be a jellylike mass of flesh with no sure form. But with bones the body takes on form and features that are clear, attractive, and meaningful. Christ’s life was a picture of beauty displaying love properly. So it is with the pattern of sound words.

2A. THE EXEMPLIFICATION IN LIFE

We are now to explore the meaning of the words, "which thou hast heard of me." As most commentators do, I would have done also with these words, namely, pass them off with a mere flourish of the pen, and move on to the next idea. But I was moved to give these words more than a passing glance, and some light shone forth that served to illuminate the entire passage. Let me call three things to your attention.

l. You will note that Paul points to the sensuous experience of Timothy in the word "heard." In this word he covers the entire experience Timothy had with the Apostle Paul. This covers a period of time that could come close to 30 years. During that period of time he had the rare privilege of watching Paul in action. With his own ears he had heard him preach. Without doubt, in company with Paul and Silas, there were those times when the Apostle spent hours instructing Timothy and Silas. Nor should the word "heard" exclude the fact that there were those epistles written by Paul, the contents of which these men were aware. Timothy could not forget what impact all this had made upon his mind through the sense of hearing.

2. All this experience was on the level of personal fellowship. The phrases "of me" in the KJV, and "from me" in the ASV, while true to the original, do not reveal all that Paul intended to convey. The preposition does not denote mere source, though it does not exclude it; nor does it denote the direction in which the communication is moving, though it does not exclude it. But it does indicate that the message came to Timothy when he was privileged to enjoy the intimate fellowship and close relationship with the Apostle in his ministry. He was right alongside Paul in all the events and circumstances through which they passed, from the time Timothy met Paul and Barnabas on the first missionary journey, and later when he joined the company on the second missionary journey. Paul is reminding him with the use of this preposition that he heard him preach and teach. He watched him in action. He listened to his instruction and counsel. He shared in the most intimate relations. They lived together. And thus he had the rare opportunity to experience the illumination which life throws upon the propositions of doctrine.

3. This meant that the various situations through which they passed served as specific instruction to Timothy. Just think of some of those vivid experiences witnessed by Timothy.

Take the ministry in Lystra when Timothy met Paul for the first time. He came preaching the gospel and some believed. Then he was instrumental in healing a lame man, the effect of which was to receive the adulation of the entire populace, as though he were a god. It was then that Paul sincerely rebuked the people and urged them to turn from these vanities to the true and living God from whom Paul had learned these truths. For his noble efforts, adoration was supplanted by persecution and he was stoned and left for dead (Acts 14:7-20).

Think of Timothy's experience shortly after he joined Paul and Silas in the second missionary journey. He learned something about the exercise of wisdom in the effort to reach both Jew and Gentile when he was circumcised (Acts 16:1-3). And he also learned something about following the leading of the Spirit of God, in the direction that this evangelistic company moved to carry out God's will. Obstacles arose, so that they could not move into the Province of Asia, but at the same time a vision came to Paul of a man from Macedonia beckoning for him to come over and help in that area. Shortly, this very man appeared on the scene, probably Luke, and together they crossed the sea to Europe and Philippi (Acts 16:4-12).

Just think what it must have meant to Timothy to witness the ministry of Paul in Philippi, first with just a few women by the riverside; then to a maiden possessed with a demon spirit; and finally, to see him thrown into the inner prison, after being unlawfully flogged, where at midnight the Apostle and his companion, Silas, demonstrated their belief that "all things work together for good" to them that believe God, by singing praises to God. Even at that unholy hour there was a conversion that reached finally to a whole household; God confirming the message of life with an earthquake: the eventual vindication of the evangelists; their release from prison; and the humiliation of the authorities who had allowed this crime to take place (Acts 16:16-40).

These are just a few of the things that made up the experience of Timothy during those years he spent with the Apostle, and to which Paul makes reference in these words. And do you not think that every one of these helped to amplify and illuminate the meaning of the message which Paul is here urging Timothy to hold fast? Is this not what the writer of Hebrews meant in his letter? (Heb. 13:7).

 3A. THE EXHORTATION IN CHRIST

This covers the words, "Hold fast . . . in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus." These words gather up the meaning of the rest of the verse and lay them as a responsibility upon Timothy. It would appear that this responsibility consists of three aspects: the requirement in the words "hold fast;" the regulation in the words, "in faith and love;" and the resource in the words, "which are in Christ Jesus."

l. The requirement, namely, that of holding fast, is Paul's way of warning Timothy against growing neglectful to the truth (Heb. 2:1). The phrase, "hold fast," renders the Greek word "echo." It is an imperative in the present tense. Though some expositors make a great deal out of the fact that the idea of "fast" is not an essential part of the word itself, I think there is no question that the context carries the intensive sense. Without a doubt it means certain possession, that sort that is conscious possession and that which is continuous possession. It can be said with some emphasis that Paul did not mean any mere holding which does not also include heeding. And if it is good enough to hold and heed, then there must also be the heralding of the same. These things go together. What we keep we lose, but what we give away we hold for ourselves. Men look at their pastors to witness stability in an environment that is arrayed against Truth Himself and His words, one that is under a curse.

It seems also in point to refer to a type of thinking now in progress. This thinking pours contempt upon that which is old-fashioned and recommends that which is newfangled. Surely I am not missing the point of this exhortation, when I say that Paul is admonishing Timothy to hold to that which is old-fashioned. He is to hold to the truth, and the truth is old-fashioned, as old as the hills, as old as creation, as old as God Himself. And the best things of life are old-fashioned. The sunshine is old; the air we breathe is old; the food we eat is old; mankind is old; and so is God's truth which ministers health and happiness to the souls of men.

The superficial and the non-essential are the areas of change which belong to that which is new-fangled and the youth today has bought that system of change to substantiate their ideology, the customs and cultures of men, the length of the hair and the mode of dress, and the methods of performance. All these run in cycles and by each succeeding generation are heralded as though they were new innovations. But really, to be caught up in these is to run in circles where there is no progress, and where the adherents eventually pass away with the changing and superficial fashions to which they cling. A newer idea is just around the corner.

How much better to hold to something that is old, and unchanging, and as eternal as God Himself. Such is that area of truth referred to as "the form of sound words," which teaches length of hair, mode of dress, and the methods of performance. The Apostle Paul was neither ashamed of that message nor afraid of being found among the few who endorsed it. And this same confrontation of reality he craves for Timothy. That is the sense of the words, "hold fast."

2. But there must be regulation for the exercise of this requirement. This is what I think he means by the words, "in faith and love." There are those who think these words should be joined with the word "heard." But most exegetes think the phrase should be joined with the words, "hold fast." If this last be true, then Paul is pointing out to Timothy how he should hold fast the form of sound words. But even if this is not the specific import of the text, there is sufficient in the Scriptures to support this idea. There is a way of holding to the form of sound words which is Christian and proper. This involves the twofold response of persuasion and performance.

By faith, Paul must have reference to persuasion. Faith is the persuasion of the human will concerning the facts of the Scriptures. This certainly includes mental apprehension and spiritual appropriation. But comprehension will always be progressive. We cannot hope to comprehend fully at any time in this life, or even in the one to come, for this is God's truth. But we can be persuaded that it is true and that we are possessing it for ourselves. But this is only one side of the matter.

By love, Paul must have in mind the matter of performance. Love always seeks an object. Love for God produces motivation, and love for men provides a place of expression. Any holding of the truth that does not move in these two directions is no holding of the truth at all. Such could not be anything more than the patrols of the mind in a vacuum. If we are living in a day and age when the younger generation has turned in hostility upon higher education as totally out of touch with reality, then let them consider these words of the Apostle. He calls for persuasion that moves in the direction of performance, the provision of good to men.

3. As if to seal this word of admonition to Timothy, the Apostle points to the resource which is in Christ Jesus. Whether this twofold regulation of faith and love is to find its place of repose in Christ on the one hand, or to seek its resource in Him on the other, is difficult to determine. Both are true. And perhaps in the ultimate sense the twofold sense must be understood.

Most certainly, Christ Jesus is the place of repose for faith and love. There is no other place of rest where the trusting soul can be sure the storms of life and the defections of men will make no change. Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

But it is also true that Christ is the place of resource. I am inclined to think that Paul knew he was laying upon Timothy a requirement far in excess of any human being to perform. Through the years of his own experience there were those times and burdens when the flesh could no longer carry on. It was at those times, that Christ came to him, and with new strength and power supplied the necessary faith and love to hold to the faith, to heed its admonitions, and to herald its message of life. In Christ Jesus there is that inexhaustible supply of faith and love. From a prison cell, Paul wrote, "My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus." "I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me" (Phil. 4:19, 13).

This is the truth that is necessary in these days when the world is falling apart, as it unfolds just as in the days of Noah, and men are groping their way through darkness seeking some haven of refuge. This is needed in this day to demonstrate that our professions are genuine, that what we profess we possess and we perform. And He is able to make all grace abound toward us, that we may discharge this responsibility.