Trust Issues

“which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know Whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me” (2Tim 1:12).

Some people have serious trust issues. Some don’t trust the government. Many don’t trust the media. Others don’t trust their boss. And nobody trusts a politician. You certainly couldn’t blame the Apostle Paul if he had a boatload of trust issues. For Pete’s sake, he’s deep inside the dungeon of the Roman Death Row. He’s all alone except for his old buddy Dr. Luke (2Tim 4:11). 

As the clock ticks down on the final days of his life, Paul writes to his spiritual son Timothy (2Tim 1:2; 4:6-7). Despite all that’s happened, he makes it crystal clear that his faith in God has never been higher and never been stronger. Jesus has called him to take His message to the world, “which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed for I know Whom I have believed, and am convinced that He is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me” (v12). The apostle remains convinced of God’s goodness. He trusts God and continues trusting in what God can do through him.

(Disclaimer: There’s a TON of awesome stuff here in this short little verse. Paul’s suffering for Christ. The apostle’s total lack of shame for his faith. His absolute certainty that the Lord is coming back for a spectacular encore. But we’re going to set all that aside in order to drill down on what it means to believe in Jesus and what our Lord has entrusted to us. You good with that?)

The apostle’s trust in Jesus is the whole reason he’s in the joint and why he’s suffering. Despite the stigma of being a dead man walking, he’s anything but embarrassed. Paul makes it clear that “I know Whom I have believed” (v12). Not WHAT he has believed. WHOM he has believed. The man from Tarsus doesn’t trust an ideology, philosophy, or religion. He doesn’t put his faith in a political system or financial plan. He trust in a Whom. (By the way, I’ve added a capital “W” to the original ESV translation. I make it a habit to go large on any pronoun about the Person of God.)

That Whom is God. Specifically the Son of God. The Second Person of the Godhead. You may know him better as Jesus Christ. Seventeen hundred years before our Founding Fathers slapped “In God We Trust” on our money, Paul had placed his complete confidence in the who Jesus is and what He has done. While doctrine is important, it doesn’t save. While theology is critical, it doesn’t save. Only Jesus does. Only God does. That’s why Paul trusts in a Person. Jesus.

Whom or what do you trust? Leaning hard on that great career, are you? Are you living vicariously through your children? Counting heavily on your 401k? Maybe you’re going all in on the next election (you HAVE seen who’s running, haven’t you?). There’s a chance you’ve realized there must be more than running the rat race. Remember, if you win that race you’re just the fastest rat on the track. Some of us have turned to religion. But by definition, religion is simply trusting in my own performance in order to earn God’s approval. That’s never going to work for me. My board scores barely got me into community college. If we trust in anything other than Jesus, we have serious trust issues.

Paul tells Tim that with his own death on the doorstep he has no doubt in “Whom I have believed” (v12). He uses the Greek verb pisteuo, which means to trust, place your confidence, rely on, or have faith in someone or something. It comes from the same root word that’s often translated “faith” (Gr. pistos). A cool way to rephrase this might be “Whom I have faithed” (v12) or even “Whom I have totally trusted” (v12). 

There’s also a little sumpin’ sumpin’ going on in the grammar too. The apostle uses the past perfect tense. In biblical Greek, this describes a completed action with ongoing results. Paul leaned hard on Jesus a few years back. It changed his life forever. The completed action of salvation. The ongoing results of becoming more like Christ every single day. Now don’t confuse this with some sort of wonky “once saved, always saved” idea. The apostle stays in a continual attitude of dependance on our Savior. A better way of saying it is “IF saved, always saved.” Completed action. Ongoing results. And when I say “ongoing,” I mean eternally ongoing!

So what does Paul believe about Jesus that makes an eternal difference? First and foremost, the apostle knows he can’t save himself. He spent the first part of his life trying to do just that (Phil 3:4-6). Turns out what he hoped would be his golden ticket of personal performance was nothing more than a big steaming pile of worthless works (Phil 3:7-8). The former Pharisee suddenly realized that God’s Law doesn’t save you any more than an MRI can heal you. All it does it diagnose the problem (Rom 3:20). As Mike Lee says, the law is a mirror. It shows me that my face is filthy but doesn’t have the power to clean me up.

We’re invited to trust in Who Christ is and what He’s done for us. You see, Jesus left the lap of luxury in the heavenly palace and come to our rescue. He made a spectacular dumpster dive into the slime of our sin and did what we could never do for ourselves. He lived the perfectly obedient life to the law we totally fail to live (Mt 5:17). He took the punishment of what should have been our death on a cross that we should have died (2Cor 5:21; 1Pet 2:24). He walked out of the graveyard, rising to a spectacular new life we don’t deserve (Eph 2:5). We believe in what He did that we could never dream of doing for ourselves.

While every follower of Jesus wants a deep and abiding faith, the most important part is in the Object of our trust. There is nothing more trustworthy in the universe than Christ. It’s better to have a weak faith in a strong object than the other way around. You may believe with every fiber of your being that the Detroit Lions are going to win the Super Bowl. But your amazing faith won’t get them the Lombardi Trophy, no matter how strongly you trust it will happen. (Please tell me you don’t REALLY think the Lions will win it all!) Strong faith in a weak object gets you zip, zilch, zero. And if you’re trusting the Lions, believe me, you’ve got serious trust issues. 

While Paul places his trust in Jesus (and NOT the Lions!), Christ is also trusting in the apostle. “I am convinced that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me” (v12). The apostle knows that it’s a stone cold, lead pipe lock that his Savior has his back until the day He returns. Specifically, Christ handpicked Paul to spread the word about how God was throwing the doors open to His kingdom to Gentiles all over the planet (Acts 9:15). Chances are you’re not Jewish. If that’s the case, you don’t hear the Gospel without the message Jesus entrusted to Paul. 

Paul trusting Jesus seems like a no-brainer. But Jesus trusting Paul? Who saw THAT coming?!? Certainly not Paul. Why would the Son of God entrust His number one enemy, known back in the day as Saul of Tarsus, with such a critical responsibility? First of all, God doesn’t think like we think and He doesn’t work the way we work (Is 55:8). He specializes in making what would appear to be foolish chances with foolish people in order to show off (1Cor 1:27-28). God places His power in cracked human pots so the world will know it’s Him making it happen and not us (2Cor 4:7). Jesus wasn’t trusting in what Paul could do for Him. He was trusting in what He could do in and through Paul! 

So if Christ can take Saul the murderer and transform him into Paul the missionary, what could He do in and through you? He may not be calling you to a worldwide assignment of Gentile evangelism or writing a huge chunk of the NT, but Jesus can use you in a big way. Shine His light and spread His salt everywhere you go. You do that by loving people where they are. At home. At work. In the neighborhood. Have your doubts that He can use you? Feel like a nobody and a nothing? Remember, God began this whole thing by creating everything from nothing (Gen 1). We may be just the person He’s looking for. He’s not trusting in what we can do for Him. He is trusting in what He can do in and through us!

It's NOT about You. It's ALL about Jesus.

“I thank Him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because He judged me faithful, appointing me to His service” (1Tim 1:12).

Rick Warren is right. “It’s not about you.” That’s the opening line to his best-seller “The Purpose Driven Life.” As a matter of fact, it’s not about me either. I don’t know about you, but that’s quite a relief. The book is awesome (as a matter of fact, you may want to stop wasting your time reading stuff like this on the internet and pick up a copy if you haven’t read it yet!). But it’s not like Rick has the copyright on some groundbreaking new idea. 

No, this notion was put in motion a few thousand years before in a little ditty known as the Bible. In a letter to his sidekick Timothy, Paul goes out of his way to say it’s not about him either. “I thank Him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because He has judged me faithful, appointing me to His service” (v12). It’s all about the One who gives us strength. It’s all about the One who leads us to a place of faithfulness. It’s all about the One who handpicks us to serve. If you’re scoring at home, it’s ALL about Jesus. That’s A-L-L. ALL.

The apostle is not simply scribbling this stuff down in a vacuum. He’s not just waxing poetic. You see, Tim’s got his hands full with a gang of false teachers who are stirring up trouble at the church in Ephesus. Paul has left his spiritual son there as the pastor while he’s off on his next assignment (1Tim 1:2-3). The man from Tarsus already kicked two of these knuckleheads to the curb before he hit the road (1Tim 1:20). But there are still a few religious hucksters selling a counterfeit gospel and distracting people from the real deal (1Tim 1:3-7). These false teachers are misusing God’s law and abusing God’s people. Instead of using Scripture to diagnose sin and point folks back to Jesus, they use it to dominate and damage through legalism and self-salvation (1Tim 1:8-11). This isn’t just a first century issue. Garbage like this is still spewed in our churches today. 

Paul is making a clear distinction between himself and the spiritual snake oil salesmen. He thanks Jesus for giving him supernatural strength. The false teachers are driving on an empty tank. He thanks Christ for judging him faithful. The false teachers have only a faith in themselves. He thanks our Lord for appointing him to serve. The false teachers are self-appointed and serve only themselves. Every single one of us who thinks we’re serving God needs to ask the hard questions. Who gives me strength? Who judges me faithful? Who appoints me to serve? If the answer is NOT Jesus, I need to shut it down and turn to Him right here and right now. Remember, it’s not about you. It’s ALL about Jesus.

Like a basketball player who’s just score and points to the one who passed him the ball, the apostle gives all the credit to where credit is really due. God. All throughout Scripture, we read of our God who gives. He gives creation. He gives life. He gives food. He gives His Son. Our God is not a grabber but a Giver. An over-the-top, crazy generous, radically lavish Giver. It’s just who He is. It’s just what He does. And He absolutely LOVES to give to those who don’t deserve anything. Just to clear up who these undeserving recipients are…it’s you and me. That’s why Jesus says He came so that we could dive into the deep end of a pool what He calls the abundant and overflowing life (Jn 10:10).

Paul is so thankful to “Him who has given me strength” (v12). He’s ultimately powerless without Christ. Jesus told His crew that when we’re vitally connected with Him, there’s really no limit to what He can do through us (Jn 15:5). Without that connection, zip, zilch, zero. The apostle knows without a doubt he didn’t do it. He didn’t have the strength. He didn’t have the oomph. He knows that God and His power are the secret sauce of all that he’s accomplished. In other words, it’s NOT about Paul. And it’s NOT about you or me. It’s ALL about Jesus. 

Make no mistake on just who this Jesus is and what this is all about. According to the apostle, He’s “Christ Jesus our Lord” (v12). These four words absolutely drip with significance. Jesus is the actual name His heavenly Father told His earthly parents to name Him (Lk 1:31). It literally means “Yahweh saves.” And boy, does He ever! God personally comes to our rescue through the Son of a carpenter from Nazareth. We see here that Jesus is so much more than Joe and Mary’s oldest. 

He’s “Christ” (v12). No, that’s NOT His last name. It’s an incredibly important title. It’s the New Testament equivalent of the Hebrew “Messiah” in the OT. As Messiah/Christ, He ties the entire Bible together. In fact, He is THE ultimate Hero of THE entire Story! Jesus is the long awaited Hero God promised for thousands of years Who would come. The Father first hinted at our Savior’s arrival to our first parents in Eden (Gen 3:15). Every promise and prophecy in Scripture points to the coming Messiah. He fulfills God’s pledge to Abraham. He fulfills God’s commitment to David. Jesus Himself shocked the world by saying all of the Scripture is about Him (Lk 24:27; Jn 5:39, 46). The term “Christ” (Gr. Christos) literally means “Anointed One.” God the Father drenches God the Son with God the Spirit (Lk 3:22). If you’re wondering, that’s an unbeatable combo!

Paul wants us all to know that Jesus is not just Messiah/Christ but also “our Lord” (v12). In other words, He’s the One who is ultimately in charge. Jesus isn’t some mid-level manager with limited authority. He decides. He rules. He reigns. He’s not just a king. Later in this very letter, the apostle doesn’t want Tim to miss the fact that Jesus is “the King of kings and Lord of lords” (1Tim 6:15). The Apostle John didn’t just call Jesus his best friend but also worshiped Him as the “Lord of lords and King of kings” (Rev 17:14; 19:16). With a title like that on your LinkedIn profile, you have “all authority in heaven and on earth” (Mt 28:18). Because of that, He’s not just some random ruler with no right to tell you and me what to do. He’s “OUR Lord” (v12 emphasis added). Remember, Jesus didn’t come simply to sell us fire insurance. He came as the most benevolent Boss the universe has ever seen. As Lord, we must to do what He says. Our willing obedience to the Lord Jesus is the secret to unlocking the overflowing goodness of life He came to bring (Jn 10:10). You see, it’s NOT about you. It’s ALL about Jesus.

The apostle is pumped not because of what anybody else thinks of him but “because He judged me faithful” (v12). The ESV translates the Greek verb here hegeomai as “judged.” While Jesus certainly is qualified as our Judge (Jn 5:22, 27; Acts 17:31), this isn’t so much like a ruling in a courtroom. This is term actually means to consider, regard, lead, govern, and rule. Hegeomai describes the effectiveness of a leader (Acts 15:22). Paul sure seems to be making the point that Jesus led him into faithfulness when he had none. Did Christ do that for you? Chances are He’s still doing it right here and right now.

Paul doesn’t give a hot hoot about what bloggers say about him. He couldn’t care less about how many friends he has on Facebook or followers on Twitter. He writes to Galatian believers that the only thing he really cares about is God’s stamp of approval as Jesus’ servant (Gal 1:10). All that matters is Jesus and what He thinks of the man from Tarsus. It’s not that we shouldn’t care about others. Our Savior has certainly called us to love people in the same self-sacrificing way He did (Jn 13:34-35). But our worth doesn’t hinge on their opinion of us. Whose opinion matters? Christ. It’s ALL about Jesus.

The apostle is doing cartwheels because the Son of God “has judged me faithful” (v12). That’s quite a statement considering his rap sheet as Saul. In the very next verse, he admits to his rather questionable background as “blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent” and how he “acted ignorantly in unbelief” (v13). Check out the Message’s take on the risk Jesus took with the former Pharisee. “He went out on a limb, you know, in trusting me with this ministry” (v12 The Message). So how in the world does Jesus see any faithfulness in this faithless former terrorist against His kingdom? It’s because Paul realized he was neither too bad to be saved or good enough to save himself. He places his trust in what Jesus has done for him that he could never accomplish on his own. 

We need to remember that Jesus doesn’t call to anything but faithfulness to Him. It’s not about piling up a great resume. It’s not about building up a fabulous 401k. And it’s not even being successful in ministry or building a big church. Faithfulness in our gracious God is one of the Bible’s mega-themes. “The righteous shall live by faith” (Hab 2:4; Rom 1:17; Gal 3:11; Heb 10:38). Don’t fall for the lie of up-and-to-the-right. Look at the only measure of success that matters in Jesus’ eyes. Faithfulness to Him is ALL that matters.

Christ gives us His strength for a reason. In Paul’s words, He is “appointing me to His service” (v12). And why not, it’s the whole reason Jesus came. The Son of God came to seek, to save, and to serve (Lk 19:10; Phil 2:5-8). That’s right, the King of kings is also the Servant of servants. He flipped the cosmic org chart upside down. We need to remember to do the same. He seeks, saves, and serves us so that we can serve as well. Don’t make the mistake of thinking you’re faced with a life of minimum wage drudgery by following Jesus and attending to the needs of others. Christ says we’ll find unbelievable blessing in serving others (Jn 13:17). He goes so far as to say it’s the REAL path to greatness in God’s eyes (Lk 22:26). 

Rick Warren is right. The Apostle Paul is right. It’s NOT about you. It’s ALL about Jesus.