Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:14–26; 3:1–7, 10–17
If these scriptures were read intelligently, we should not so learn Christ, as to exclude any from a position, where they might exert an influence for good to their fellow-beings. The epistle to the Corinthian church, where the supposed apostolic prohibition of women’s preaching is found, contains express directions how woman shall appear, when she prayeth or prophesyeth. Judge then whether this admonition, relative to speaking and asking questions, in the excited state of that church, should be regarded as a standing injunction on woman’s preaching, when that word was not used by the apostle. —Lucretia Mott
Questions: Have you ever been in a situation where “wrangling about words” (e.g., disputes over doctrine) have created difficulty for those who are young in their faith? When you encounter conflict within the church, do you approach it head-on, avoid it, or do something else? Which of the qualities and behaviors mentioned in 2:24–25 (kindness, patience, apt teaching, correcting with gentleness) do you feel you have some gift for? Which of these have others identified in you? Which of these has been hardest for you to learn and practice?
Long ago I learned that knowing the gospel—the good news of God’s unconditional love, healing, and reconciliation—isn’t the same as living the gospel. Knowing the gospel is mere knowledge; living the gospel is a way of being. Paul told Timothy—and us by extension—that it isn’t enough that we remember “Jesus Christ, raised from the dead” (2 Timothy 2:8). We’re also called to “pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace” (2 Timothy 2:22), and as he instructed the church at Colossae, to “bear fruit in every good work as [we] grow in knowledge of God” (Colossians 1:10).
As a spiritual director, I’ve walked with many who work to turn what they know about the gospel into a way of life. I’ve shared with them (when appropriate) my own struggles, which include making time to pray daily, identifying egoistic behavior in myself, responding with love to difficult people, and being present to others. Our Christian journeys are often hard and sometimes painful: they require us to change the way we view ourselves and to establish new habits in ourselves. And as Paul demonstrated, it can also be dangerous to stand out from the crowd.
Nevertheless, we’re called to live the gospel. This allows our light to shine before others to the glory of God (Matthew 5:16). George Fox charged us to “be patterns, be examples in all your countries, places, islands, nations, wherever you come; that your carriage and life may preach among all sorts of people, and to them” (Journal, ed. Nickalls, p. 263). And a quote attributed to Francis of Assisi says: “Always preach the gospel; when necessary, use words.”
When we live the gospel—the good news of God’s unconditional love, healing, and reconciliation—Jesus transforms us so we begin to embody it. And when we embody the gospel, we become Jesus’ hands, feet, and voice.
–Ed Schneider in “Friendly Perspective” from 1, 2 Timothy; Titus; Philemon; 1, 2, 3 John: The Jesus Movement