2 Timothy 2:24-26 – 24 The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, 25 with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, 26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.

Dear Timothy,

Thanks for passing along the note that Paul sent you. His words are always helpful for teaching, reproof, correction etc. How are things in Ephesus? I hear that your preaching has gotten much more confident and forceful since Paul’s last letter. I guess they don’t call you “Timid Timmy” anymore.

I was surprised by Paul’s use of the word, bond-servant in reference to believers. That’s not a word that is widely understood in my country. In our nation’s history, a servant was sometimes a slave (a human being owned for life by another human being). I’m sure that concept sounds as strange to you as “bond-servant” does to me. When I shared your letter with my friend Nathan, I explained that when people in your country owe a debt to someone, they often place themselves in service to the one they owe until they work off the debt. We don’t do things that way exactly, but we certainly understand the concept of debt and I think that helps us understand that a bond-servant of the Lord is someone that owes a debt that can never be repaid. Is that what you think Paul meant?

Another thing that helps me understand the concept of bond-servant is that there is an alternative. It’s not like being a slave, because we have a choice; slaves had no choice. We incurred a debt and are now unable to pay it back, so our choice is to either work for our creditor or go to prison. It’s not that much different here in my country and it’s not much different between us and God. We owe God a debt that can never be repaid and we have a choice – obedience or prison. Obedience leads us to belief in Jesus as Savior and Lord which leads to eternal life in the presence of God; while prison leads us to a life in this world as a slave to sin which leads to eternal punishment away from the presence of God.

Paul also says that repentance leads to knowledge of the truth – and that God may grant repentance to those who oppose us. Most people think that repentance is something that we do ourselves, not something that is a gift from God; (actually, most think that repentance isn’t even necessary and too many preachers ignore the subject altogether).

So if our opposition comes to knowledge of the truth, they will come to their senses; and if they come to their senses they will escape the snare of the devil. I really like the way that sounds. It’s like one thing leads to another logically, step by step. Looking at it backward works too. Do you think Paul knew this? They are in the snare of the devil because they’re not in their right mind; they’re not in their right mind because they have no knowledge of the truth and they have no knowledge of the truth because they have not been granted repentance by God.

But it doesn’t end there. God may grant them repentance if we treat them with kindness, gentleness and patience. It could all hinge on how we respond to someone who opposes us. Everything could depend on it! I had no idea that how we treat unbelievers and those who oppose us could have such an effect. Thank you for passing along this knowledge, my friend.

One more thing that I almost left out: Paul’s last phrase, those who oppose us are, “held captive by him [Satan] to do his will.” Timothy, do you think Paul used that word on purpose? I used to believe in coincidence, but now I just see the hand of God everywhere. We are bond-servants of God and those who oppose us are captives of Satan. This language isn’t just an accident, is it? Servants and captives are very different things. We are bond-servants by choice but why are they captives (prisoners) of the devil? Is it ignorance or apathy? Is it selfishness or laziness; or is by choice?

Please send me more soon. There is a richness in Paul’s writing that refreshes me and helps my friends and me know and love God more and more every day.

Grace be with you, my friend.