2 Timothy 2:22
Flee from youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, together with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
Flee the evil desires of youth
The phrase "Flee the evil desires of youth" calls for an active and intentional avoidance of youthful lusts. The Greek word for "flee" is "pheugo," which implies running away from danger. This suggests a sense of urgency and determination. In the context of Timothy, a young leader in the early church, Paul is advising him to be vigilant against temptations that are particularly strong in youth, such as pride, impatience, and sensual desires. Historically, this reflects the Greco-Roman culture's emphasis on self-control and virtue, which aligns with Christian teachings on holiness and purity.

and pursue righteousness
The word "pursue" is translated from the Greek "dioko," meaning to chase or strive earnestly. This is not a passive suggestion but an active command to seek after righteousness. "Righteousness" in this context refers to living in a way that is in accordance with God's standards. It involves moral integrity and ethical conduct. The pursuit of righteousness is a lifelong journey, reflecting a heart transformed by the Holy Spirit and a life committed to following Christ's example.

faith, love, and peace
These three virtues—faith, love, and peace—are central to Christian living. "Faith" (Greek: "pistis") is trust and confidence in God, foundational to the believer's relationship with Him. "Love" (Greek: "agape") is the selfless, sacrificial love that seeks the best for others, reflecting the love of Christ. "Peace" (Greek: "eirene") is not merely the absence of conflict but a deep-seated sense of well-being and harmony with God and others. These virtues are interconnected and essential for spiritual maturity and effective ministry.

along with those who call on the Lord
This phrase emphasizes the importance of community in the Christian faith. "Call on the Lord" suggests prayer and worship, indicating a relationship with God. The Greek word "epikaleo" implies invoking or appealing to God, highlighting dependence on Him. Paul encourages Timothy to surround himself with fellow believers who are also committed to living out their faith. This reflects the early church's communal nature, where believers supported and encouraged one another in their spiritual journeys.

out of a pure heart
The phrase "out of a pure heart" underscores the importance of inner purity and sincerity. The Greek word for "pure" is "katharos," meaning clean or untainted. A "pure heart" is one that is free from hypocrisy and ulterior motives, fully devoted to God. This purity is not self-generated but is the result of the cleansing work of the Holy Spirit. In a historical context, purity was a significant theme in Jewish and early Christian teachings, emphasizing the need for holiness in both thought and action.

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

2. Timothy
- A young pastor and close companion of Paul, who is the recipient of this letter. Timothy is being instructed on how to lead a godly life and ministry.

3. Ephesus
- The city where Timothy was likely ministering at the time, known for its diverse culture and challenges to Christian living.

4. Youthful Passions
- Refers to the desires and temptations that are often more pronounced in younger individuals, such as lust, pride, and impatience.

5. Those who call on the Lord
- Fellow believers who are committed to living a life of faith and purity, serving as a community of support and accountability.
Teaching Points
Flee from Temptation
Recognize the areas of weakness in your life and actively avoid situations that may lead to sin. This requires both awareness and intentional action.

Pursue Godly Virtues
Make a conscious effort to cultivate righteousness, faith, love, and peace in your daily life. These virtues are not passive but require active pursuit and practice.

Community and Accountability
Surround yourself with fellow believers who are committed to living out their faith. Engage in relationships that encourage spiritual growth and accountability.

Purity of Heart
Strive for a pure heart in your intentions and actions. This involves regular self-examination and repentance, seeking to align your heart with God's will.

Balance Youthful Zeal with Wisdom
While youthful energy and enthusiasm are valuable, they must be tempered with wisdom and discernment. Seek guidance from mature believers and Scripture.
Bible Study Questions
1. What are some specific "youthful passions" that you need to flee from in your own life, and what practical steps can you take to do so?

2. How can you actively pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace in your current circumstances?

3. In what ways can you engage with a community of believers to support your spiritual growth and accountability?

4. Reflect on your heart's intentions: Are there areas where you need to seek God's cleansing and renewal for a pure heart?

5. How can you balance your enthusiasm for serving God with the wisdom and guidance found in Scripture and from mature believers?
Connections to Other Scriptures
1 Corinthians 6:18
- This verse also advises believers to flee from sexual immorality, emphasizing the need to avoid situations that lead to sin.

Philippians 4:8
- Encourages believers to focus on things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and admirable, aligning with the pursuit of righteousness and peace.

1 Timothy 6:11
- Paul similarly instructs Timothy to pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness, reinforcing the themes of 2 Timothy 2:22.

Hebrews 12:14
- Calls believers to pursue peace with everyone and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord, echoing the pursuit of peace and righteousness.

Psalm 24:3-4
- Describes those who may stand in God's holy place as having clean hands and a pure heart, relating to the call for purity in 2 Timothy 2:22.
A Choice Between the Higher and Lower LifeDean Stanley.2 Timothy 2:22
AbstinenceA. Rowland, LL. B.2 Timothy 2:22
Admonitions to the YoungJos. Fletcher, M. A.2 Timothy 2:22
Avoiding DangerC. H. Spurgeon.2 Timothy 2:22
FaithJ. Barlow, D. D.2 Timothy 2:22
Flee the Passions of YouthH. R. Reynolds, D. D.2 Timothy 2:22
Following PeaceJ. Barlow, D. D.2 Timothy 2:22
Helps Against LustsJ. Barlow, D. D.2 Timothy 2:22
Passions to be Early Checked2 Timothy 2:22
PurityR. A. Taylor, M. A.2 Timothy 2:22
RighteousnessJ. Barlow, D. D.2 Timothy 2:22
Self-ControlProf. H. Drummond.2 Timothy 2:22
Self-Control Inspired by the Thought of God2 Timothy 2:22
Taken UnawaresSunday School Teacher.2 Timothy 2:22
Temptation's DeceitsH. O. Mackey.2 Timothy 2:22
The Bloom of Youthful Purity2 Timothy 2:22
The Christian Young ManT. Dale, M. A.2 Timothy 2:22
The Christian Young ManH. D. M. Spence, M. A.2 Timothy 2:22
The Conquest of Self2 Timothy 2:22
The Danger of SuccessDean Hole.2 Timothy 2:22
The Importance of a Pure and Circumspect WalkT. Croskery 2 Timothy 2:22
Undiscovered CharacterSir Jr. Stephen.2 Timothy 2:22
Youthful LustsJ. Barlow, D. D.2 Timothy 2:22
Conduct in View of Heresy Appearing in the ChurchR. Finlayson 2 Timothy 2:14-26
People
David, Hymenaeus, Paul, Philetus, Timothy
Places
Ephesus
Topics
Aim, Along, Body, Calling, Charity, Clean, Company, Cravings, Curb, Desires, Evil, Faith, Flee, Flesh, Follow, Heart, Hearts, However, Integrity, Love, Lusts, Pace, Passions, Peace, Prayers, Pure, Pursue, Righteousness, Shun, Strive, Strong, Youth, Youthful
Dictionary of Bible Themes
2 Timothy 2:22

     1620   beatitudes, the
     5017   heart, renewal
     5178   running
     5277   criminals
     5746   youth
     5832   desire
     6030   sin, avoidance
     6241   seduction
     6700   peace
     8026   faith, growth in
     8154   righteousness
     8158   righteousness, of believers
     8203   character
     8204   chastity
     8208   commitment, to God
     8255   fruit, spiritual
     8273   holiness, ethical aspects
     8292   love
     8640   calling upon God
     8777   lust

2 Timothy 2:20-26

     7759   preachers, qualifications

2 Timothy 2:22-24

     6696   necessity

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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