2 Timothy 2:13
if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.
if we are faithless
The Greek word for "faithless" is "ἀπιστοῦμεν" (apistoumen), which conveys a lack of faith or belief. In the context of early Christianity, believers faced persecution and challenges that tested their faith. This phrase acknowledges human frailty and the tendency to falter in faith. Historically, the early church was surrounded by a pagan culture and faced internal and external pressures that could lead to moments of doubt or faithlessness. This acknowledgment serves as a reminder of the human condition and the struggles faced by believers throughout history.

He remains faithful
The Greek word for "faithful" is "πιστός" (pistos), which means trustworthy or reliable. This phrase emphasizes the unchanging nature of God's character. In the scriptural context, God's faithfulness is a recurring theme, seen in His covenants with Israel and His promises fulfilled through Jesus Christ. Archaeologically, the consistency of God's faithfulness can be seen in the historical reliability of biblical events and prophecies. This assurance of God's unwavering faithfulness provides comfort and hope to believers, reinforcing the idea that God's promises are steadfast regardless of human inconsistency.

for He cannot deny Himself
The Greek word for "deny" is "ἀρνήσασθαι" (arnēsasthai), which means to contradict or disown. This phrase highlights the intrinsic nature of God, who is bound by His own character and essence. Historically, this reflects the theological understanding that God's nature is immutable and self-consistent. Scripturally, it aligns with passages that speak of God's holiness and truthfulness, such as Numbers 23:19, which states that God does not lie or change His mind. This assurance that God cannot deny His own nature provides a foundation for trust and reliance on His promises, encouraging believers to remain steadfast in their faith despite their own shortcomings.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Paul
The apostle who authored the letter to Timothy, providing guidance and encouragement to his young protégé in the faith.

2. Timothy
A young pastor and close companion of Paul, who is the recipient of this letter. Timothy is leading the church in Ephesus and facing challenges in his ministry.

3. Ephesus
The city where Timothy is ministering. It was a significant center for early Christianity but also a place of considerable pagan influence and opposition.

4. God
The central figure in this verse, whose faithfulness is highlighted as unchanging and inherent to His nature.

5. The Church
The broader context of the letter addresses the challenges and responsibilities of the early Christian community.
Teaching Points
God's Unchanging Nature
God's faithfulness is not dependent on human actions. His nature is inherently faithful, and He cannot deny Himself. This provides believers with a solid foundation of trust.

Human Weakness and Divine Strength
Our faith may falter, but God's faithfulness remains constant. This encourages believers to rely on God's strength rather than their own.

Encouragement in Trials
In times of doubt or failure, believers can find comfort in knowing that God's faithfulness is a steadfast anchor.

Call to Faithfulness
While God remains faithful, believers are called to strive for faithfulness in their own lives, reflecting God's character in their actions.

Assurance of Salvation
This verse assures believers that their salvation is secure in God's faithful nature, not in their own ability to remain faithful.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does understanding God's faithfulness impact your daily walk with Him, especially during times of personal doubt or failure?

2. In what ways can you reflect God's faithfulness in your relationships with others?

3. How does the assurance of God's unchanging nature provide comfort in the face of life's uncertainties?

4. What are some practical steps you can take to strengthen your faith, knowing that God remains faithful even when you struggle?

5. How do the additional scriptures connected to 2 Timothy 2:13 deepen your understanding of God's faithfulness throughout the Bible?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Hebrews 10:23
This verse emphasizes holding fast to the confession of hope without wavering, for God who promised is faithful. It reinforces the theme of God's unwavering faithfulness.

Numbers 23:19
This Old Testament verse declares that God is not a man that He should lie, nor a son of man that He should change His mind, underscoring His reliability and truthfulness.

1 John 1:9
This verse speaks of God's faithfulness and justice in forgiving sins, connecting to the assurance of His consistent character.

Romans 3:3-4
These verses discuss the faithfulness of God even when humans are unfaithful, affirming that God's truth stands firm.

Psalm 89:33-34
These verses highlight God's covenant faithfulness, promising not to break His covenant or alter what His lips have uttered.
Eternal Faithfulness Unaffected by Human UnbeliefC. H. Spurgeon.2 Timothy 2:13
Faith and the GospelJ. Barlow, D. D.2 Timothy 2:13
Faith in God Ennobles Reason; Unbelief Degrades ReasonW. Cooke, D. D.2 Timothy 2:13
FaithlessH. D. M. Spence, M. A.2 Timothy 2:13
The Divine ImmutabilityA. Roberts, M. A.2 Timothy 2:13
The Unchangeableness and Independence of ChristH. Melvill, B. D.2 Timothy 2:13
Hardship in Connection with the Christian MinistryR. Finlayson 2 Timothy 2:1-13
A Faithful Saying for Consolation and for WarningT. Croskery 2 Timothy 2:11-13
People
David, Hymenaeus, Paul, Philetus, Timothy
Places
Ephesus
Topics
Abides, Abideth, Able, Believe, Can't, Deny, Disown, Fails, Faith, Faithful, Faithless, Keeps, Prove, Remains, Stedfast, Unfaithful, Untrue, Yet
Dictionary of Bible Themes
2 Timothy 2:13

     1035   God, faithfulness
     1075   God, justice of
     1105   God, power of
     1150   God, truth of
     1155   God, truthfulness
     1160   God, unchangeable
     2021   Christ, faithfulness
     8742   faithlessness

2 Timothy 2:11-13

     5467   promises, divine
     8028   faith, body of beliefs

2 Timothy 2:12-13

     8743   faithlessness, nature of

Library
Twenty-Seventh Day. Holiness and Service.
If a man therefore cleanse himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, meet for the Master's use, prepared unto every good work.'--2 Tim. ii. 21. 'A holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices. A holy nation, that ye may show forth the excellences of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvellous light.'--1 Pet. ii. 5, 9. Through the whole of Scripture we have seen that whatever God sanctifies is to be used in the service of His Holiness. His Holiness
Andrew Murray—Holy in Christ

"But Ye are not in the Flesh, but in the Spirit, if So be that the Spirit of God Dwell in You. Now, if any Man
Rom. viii. 9.--"But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now, if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." Application is the very life of the word, at least it is a necessary condition for the living operation of it. The application of the word to the hearts of hearers by preaching, and the application of your hearts again to the word by meditation, these two meeting together, and striking one upon another, will yield fire.
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

In Memoriam.
DR. TALMAGE-THE MAN. BY REV. W. S. SWANSON, D.D. [Dr. Swanson was for twenty years a valued member of the English Presbyterian Mission at Amoy, and subsequently Secretary of the Board of Foreign Missions of the Presbyterian Church of England until his death, November 24, 1893] My first meeting with Dr. Talmage took place in the early days of July, 1860, and from that day till the day of his death he was regarded as not only one of the best and most valued friends, but I looked up to him as a father
Rev. John Gerardus Fagg—Forty Years in South China

"Most Gladly Therefore Will I Rather Glory in My Infirmities, that the Power of Christ May Rest Upon Me. " -- 2 Cor. 12:9.
"It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with Him, we shall also live with Him: if we suffer, we shall also reign with Him." -- 2 Tim 2:11,12. "Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." -- 2 Cor. 12:9. Compassed about with songs, my soul was still -- But not for lack of light its bliss to see; Thy heart, my Father, could the temple fill, And its deep silence was a song to Thee. My mind reposed in its captivity, By the clear evidence
Miss A. L. Waring—Hymns and Meditations

The victory of the Lamb
"If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him."--2 Tim. ii. 12. J. Heerman, 1647. tr., Emma Frances Bevan, 1899 I go from grief and sighing, the valley and the clod, To join the chosen people in the palaces of God-- There sounds no cry of battle amidst the shadowing palms, But the mighty song of victory, and glorious golden psalms. The army of the conquerors, a palm in every hand, In robes of state and splendour, in rest eternal stand; Those marriage robes of glory, the righteousness of God-- He
Frances Bevan—Hymns of Ter Steegen and Others (Second Series)

Of This, Then, Ye have Now Received, have Meditated...
2. Of this, then, ye have now received, have meditated, and having meditated have held, that ye should say, "I believe in God the Father Almighty." God is Almighty, and yet, though Almighty, He cannot die, cannot be deceived, cannot lie; and, as the Apostle says, "cannot deny Himself." [1765] How many things that He cannot do, and yet is Almighty! yea therefore is Almighty, because He cannot do these things. For if He could die, He were not Almighty; if to lie, if to be deceived, if to do unjustly,
St. Augustine—On the Creeds

Introductory Note to the Epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus
[a.d. 130.] The anonymous author of this Epistle gives himself the title (Mathetes) "a disciple [263] of the Apostles," and I venture to adopt it as his name. It is about all we know of him, and it serves a useful end. I place his letter here, as a sequel to the Clementine Epistle, for several reasons, which I think scholars will approve: (1) It is full of the Pauline spirit, and exhales the same pure and primitive fragrance which is characteristic of Clement. (2) No theory as to its date very much
Mathetes—The Epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus

Epistle xxxv. To Leontius, Ex-Consul.
To Leontius, Ex-Consul. Gregory to Leontius, &c. Since in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth, and some indeed to honour but some to dishonour (2 Tim. ii. 20), who can be ignorant that in the bosom of the Universal Church some as vessels of dishonour are deputed to the lowest uses, but others, as vessels of honour, are fitted for clean uses. And yet it commonly comes to pass that the citizens of Babylon serve in task-work for Jerusalem, while
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners Or, a Brief Relation of the Exceeding Mercy of God in Christ, to his Poor Servant, John Bunyan
In this my relation of the merciful working of God upon my soul, it will not be amiss, if in the first place, I do in a few words give you a hint of my pedigree, and manner of bringing up; that thereby the goodness and bounty of God towards me, may be the more advanced and magnified before the sons of men. 2. For my descent then, it was, as is well known by many, of a low and inconsiderable generation; my father's house being of that rank that is meanest, and most despised of all the families in
John Bunyan—Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners

The vine and the Branches
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away; and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much
J. W. Byers—Sanctification

To the High and Mighty Prince Charles, Prince of Wales.
Tolle malos, extolle pios, cognosce teipsum: Sacra tene, paci consule, disce pati. Christ Jesus, the Prince of princes, bless your Highness with length of days, and an increase of all graces, which may make you truly prosperous in this life, and eternally happy in that which is to come. Jonathan shot three arrows to drive David further off from Saul's fury; and this is the third epistle which I have written, to draw your Highness nearer to God's favour, by directing your heart to begin, like Josiah,
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

Concerning the Sacrament of Baptism
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to the riches of His mercy has at least preserved this one sacrament in His Church uninjured and uncontaminated by the devices of men, and has made it free to all nations and to men of every class. He has not suffered it to be overwhelmed with the foul and impious monstrosities of avarice and superstition; doubtless having this purpose, that He would have little children, incapable of avarice and superstition, to be initiated into
Martin Luther—First Principles of the Reformation

That, Namely, Befalleth them which in Undisciplined Younger Widows...
26. That, namely, befalleth them which in undisciplined younger widows, the same Apostle saith must be avoided: "And withal they learn to be idle; and not only idle, but also busy bodies and full of words, speaking what they ought not." [2562] This very thing said he concerning evil women, which we also in evil men do mourn and bewail, who against him, the very man in whose Epistles we read these things, do, being idle and full of words, speak what they ought not. And if there be any among them who
St. Augustine—Of the Work of Monks.

The Apostle Has Made Known to us Certain Three Unions...
23. The Apostle has made known to us certain three unions, Christ and the Church, husband and wife, spirit and flesh. Of these the former consult for the good of the latter, the latter wait upon the former. All the things are good, when, in them, certain set over by way of pre-eminence, certain made subject in a becoming manner, observe the beauty of order. Husband and wife receive command and pattern how they ought to be one with another. The command is, "Let wives be subject unto their own husbands,
St. Augustine—On Continence

It Behoves those who Preside Over the Churches, Every Day but Especially on Lord's Days...
It behoves those who preside over the churches, every day but especially on Lord's days, to teach all the clergy and people words of piety and of right religion, gathering out of holy Scripture meditations and determinations of the truth, and not going beyond the limits now fixed, nor varying from the tradition of the God-bearing fathers. And if any controversy in regard to Scripture shall have been raised, let them not interpret it otherwise than as the lights and doctors of the church in their
Philip Schaff—The Seven Ecumenical Councils

Under the Shepherd's Care.
A NEW YEAR'S ADDRESS. "For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls."--1 Peter ii. 25. "Ye were as sheep going astray." This is evidently addressed to believers. We were like sheep, blindly, willfully following an unwise leader. Not only were we following ourselves, but we in our turn have led others astray. This is true of all of us: "All we like sheep have gone astray;" all equally foolish, "we have turned every one to his own way." Our first
J. Hudson Taylor—A Ribband of Blue

Glorious Predestination
Note, also, that Paul in this chapter has been treating of the sufferings of this present time; and though by faith he speaks of them as very inconsiderable compared with the glory to be revealed, yet we know that they were not inconsiderable in his case. He was a man of many trials; he went from one tribulation to another for Christ's sake; he swam through many seas of affliction to serve the church. I do not wonder, therefore, that in his epistles he often discourses upon the doctrines of foreknowledge,
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 18: 1872

The Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and the Prodigal Son.
LUKE xv. The three parables of this chapter, like the seven in Matt. xiii., constitute a connected series. As soon as we begin to look into their contents and relations, it becomes obvious that they have been arranged according to a logical scheme, and that the group so framed is not fragmentary but complete. We cannot indeed fully comprehend the reciprocal relations of all until we shall have examined in detail the actual contents of each; and yet, on the other hand, a preliminary survey of the
William Arnot—The Parables of Our Lord

That the Ruler Relax not his Care for the Things that are Within in his Occupation among the Things that are Without, nor Neglect to Provide
The ruler should not relax his care for the things that are within in his occupation among the things that are without, nor neglect to provide for the things that are without in his solicitude for the things that are within; lest either, given up to the things that are without, he fall away from his inmost concerns, or, occupied only with the things that are within bestow not on his neighbours outside himself what he owes them. For it is often the case that some, as if forgetting that they have
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

God's Faithfulness
'Know therefore that the Lord thy God, He is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love Him.'--DEUT. vii. 9. 'Faithful,' like most Hebrew words, has a picture in it. It means something that can be (1) leant on, or (2) builded on. This leads to a double signification--(1) trustworthy, and that because (2) rigidly observant of obligations. So the word applies to a steward, a friend, or a witness. Its most wonderful and sublime application is to God. It presents to
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Curiosity a Temptation to Sin.
"Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away."--Proverbs iv. 14, 15. The chief cause of the wickedness which is every where seen in the world, and in which, alas! each of us has more or less his share, is our curiosity to have some fellowship with darkness, some experience of sin, to know what the pleasures of sin are like. I believe it is even thought unmanly by many persons (though they may not like to say
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VIII

Answer to Mr. W's Fifth Objection.
5. The consideration that none of these raised persons did or could, after the return to their bodies, tell any tales of their separate existence; otherwise the Evangelists had not been silent in this main point, &c. p. 32. None of these persons, Mr. W. says, told any tales of their separate existence. So I suppose with him. As for the two first: How should they? being only, as Mr. W. says, an insignificant boy and girl, of twelve years of age, or thereabouts. Or if they did, the Evangelists were
Nathaniel Lardner—A Vindication of Three of Our Blessed Saviour's Miracles

"And the Life. " How Christ is the Life.
This, as the former, being spoken indefinitely, may be universally taken, as relating both to such as are yet in the state of nature, and to such as are in the state of grace, and so may be considered in reference to both, and ground three points of truth, both in reference to the one, and in reference to the other; to wit, 1. That our case is such as we stand in need of his help, as being the Life. 2. That no other way but by him, can we get that supply of life, which we stand in need of, for he
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life

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