Paul charges Timothy before God and Christ Jesus to preach the Word.
This is not casual advice from an older preacher to a younger one. It is a solemn commission given in the presence of the living God, the risen Christ, the Judge of the living and the dead, and the King whose appearing and kingdom are coming. Timothy is not free to invent the message. He is charged to herald the Word God has already given.
Over these past several weeks, we have read Paul’s instruction concerning the Sacred Writings. These Scriptures are able to make us wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. They are breathed out by God. They are profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness. They form and equip the people of God.
Then Paul brings Timothy to the necessary conclusion: “Preach the Word” (2 Timothy 4:2).
If Scripture comes from God, then it must be proclaimed. If Scripture leads us to salvation in Christ, then it must be opened before the church. If Scripture forms the people of God, then we must not minimize it, soften it, replace it, or merely admire it from a distance. We must continue in it. We must preach it. We must hear it. We must live beneath it.
Paul told Timothy earlier, “Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 1:13). Sound words matter because truth forms a healthy soul. The church is not formed by entertainment, politics, tradition, or culture, but by the Word of God. Healthy teaching helps us see God truthfully, behold Christ clearly, recognize sin honestly, and walk in righteousness.
This is why preaching matters. Preaching is not the preacher presenting himself. Paul says, “What we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord” (2 Corinthians 4:5). The preacher stands beneath the Word before he stands before the congregation. He is not commissioned to invent a message, but to proclaim the message God has already given.
But the congregation also stands beneath the Word. Paul warns that a time will come when people will not endure sound teaching, but will turn away from the truth. That warning calls us to examine not only what is preached, but how we hear. Will we receive the Word only when it comforts us, or will we endure sound teaching when it corrects us? Will we listen only for what we already prefer, or will we allow Scripture to train us in righteousness?
So we bring open Bibles. But not only open Bibles. We bring attentive minds, ready to be taught. We bring receptive hearts, ready to be searched. We bring humble spirits, ready to be corrected. We bring willing lives, ready to be trained in righteousness.
The Sacred Writings are our treasured inheritance. They are the God-breathed witness through which the gospel of Christ is revealed, the people of God are formed, and the hope of the kingdom is proclaimed. Together, they lead us to Christ. Through them, the light of Christ shines into the heart. Through them, the Spirit forms the people of God. Through them, we are made wise for salvation, equipped for every good work, and prepared to live faithfully before the appearing and kingdom of Christ.
God has spoken.
We have His Sacred Writings.
Therefore, we will preach His Word, hear His Word, and live beneath His Word.
-Jacob Brunjes
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