PASS IT ON
Read 2 Timothy 2:2.
Yesterday, we saw Paul’s appeal to Timothy to keep being empowered or strengthened by the grace of God. Persevering and remaining loyal to the faith was his appeal. Now he commands Timothy to pass on the treasures of Paul’s teachings to others in order to perpetuate the gospel to succeeding generations. The faith could not be left in the hands of disloyal, half-hearted deserters, but to those who were faithful and able.
Paul’s concern at this time was two-fold: 1) make sure those whom he had entrusted to carry the torch would remain faithful; and 2) those in future generations would also have the good news of Christ accurately and readily available to them. Paul wanted to ensure that his teachings would not be lost or diluted or changed over time. His first concern was met in Timothy. But who would Timothy entrust these truths to? Paul described the future torch bearers as faithful. The word “faithful” here means trustworthy or reliable (NIV), those who could be trusted to remain steadfast in the truth – those who could learn it, understand it, and live it 
out consistently. Paul also described them as able to teach. As one commentator has noted, they had to be “able and competent… to pass on to others this treasure by their ability and willingness to teach.”[1] Some believe Paul may have been referring to the office of elders as addressed in 1 Timothy 3. Whatever the case may be, we can never have enough faithful and able instructors of the faith to pass down truth. Whether it be in the form of formal instruction or informal influence, the ultimate aim of our interactions with others is to learn from one another and teach others.
To consider: Who passed or is passing the torch to you? (Your parents? A friend?) Who are you continuing to learn God’s truths from? Who are you teaching? Would you consider yourself one of God’s torch bearers: “faithful” and “able to teach”?
[1] Hiebert, Second Timothy, 53.