PT-3 “The Scope of His Commission” (2 Timothy 4:2b)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/06/2025 7:18 AM

 My Worship Time                                               Focus: PT-3 “The Scope of His Commission”  

 Bible Reading & Meditation                                                             Reference:  2 Timothy 4:2b

            Message of the verse:  “be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.”

            I want to begin where I left off in my last SD on this verse in order to keep the flow of things going:  “Of the next three commands—reprove, rebuke, and exhort—the first two are negative, and the third positive.”

            MacArthur writes “Reprove and rebuke are closely related in meaning and are the third and fourth imperatives in this passage.  Paul has just declared that all Scripture is ‘profitable for…reproof’ (3:16).  As noted in the previous commentary chapter, elegmos (reproof) carries the idea of correcting misbehavior or false doctrine.  Reproving may have more to do with affecting the mind, with helping a person understand that what he believes or is doing is wrong.  Rebuke, on the other hand, may have to do with the heart, with bringing a person under conviction of guilt.  To reprove is to refute error and misconduct with careful biblical argument; to rebuke is to bring the erring person to repentance.  The first discloses the sinfulness of sin, whereas the second discloses the sinfulness of the sinner.”

            Now as we look at the first call of the gospel we can see it reflects this reproof by calling for men to repent from sin.  This happened as John the Baptist was preparing the way for the Messiah, and he declared “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand’ (Matt. 3:2).  John not only preached against sin in general but against particular sins of particular people.  ‘When Herod the tetrarch was reproved by him [John the Baptist] on account Herodias, his brother’s wife, and on account of all the wicked things which Herod had done, he added this also to them all, that he locked John up in prison’ (Luke 3:19-20).

            In a similar way that John began his ministry; our Lord Jesus Christ began His public ministry by calling sinners to repentance.  It was after Jesus was baptized by John and then spending forty days and nights in the wilderness as He was being tempted by Satan there that “from that time Jesus began to preach and say, ‘Repent, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand’ (Matt. 4:17).  Although Jesus mentioned God’s love on several occasions, He never preached a message on that theme.  However He did preach countless messages on God’s condemnation of sin, on His judgment of sinners, and on the sinner’s need for repentance.  The unrepentant sinner has absolutely no hope in the love of God, because God’s love is inseparable from His holiness and His justice.  The truth is that if a person refuses to be cleansed of his sin by God’s grace, that person has no prospect of being accepted into heaven by His love.  I would say that that sentence is something that one needs to think over, for many will tell you of God’s love, but not so many will tell you about God’s justice, and that may be the first thing one needs to do when witnessing to a person, and then after that speak of God’s love so that person can be saved from their sins. 

            MacArthur writes “Immediately after Peter’s sermon at Pentecost, his hearers ‘were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Brethren, what shall we do?’ And Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit’’ (Acts 2:37-38).”

            He goes on to write “The preacher’s continuing responsibility is to expose, reprove, and rebuke sin.  Sin is that which totally separates unbelievers from God and which temporarily separates believers from close fellowship with their Lord.  Paul therefore counseled believers in Ephesus, ‘Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them’ (Eph. 5:11).”

Spiritual Meaning for My life Today:  It is a great reminder that was brought up in this last paragraph that MacArthur wrote in his commentary.  Confessing to be a sinner and accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as you Lord and Savior is not the only time of confessing that you need to do, but whenever you sin confess that to the Lord so you can have great fellowship with Him.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Follow the truths from the above paragraph, and say close to the Lord, for after all He did it all for me to be saved.

7/6/2025 7:54 AM