Here is a trustworthy saying:
If we died with him,
we will also live with him;
if we endure,
we will also reign with him.
If we disown him,
he will also disown us;
if we are faithless,
he remains faithful,
for he cannot disown himself.
(II
Timothy 2:11-13)
I
think I’ve read somewhere that this and other passages like it might be hymns. They
might also be early creeds. The cross-references I found were all for New Testament
passages, so while one can very likely find parallel texts in the Old
Testament, it wasn’t made up of specific, identified quotes. And this ends the
dry, scholarly note.
This brings us back to our whys. Why
are we dying with Him or for Him? Because it will lead to living with Him. Why
are we enduring? Because it will lead to our reigning with Him. Equally, if we
disown Him, He will disown us. After all, if we want nothing to do with Him,
would it be right for Him to impose Himself on us? Some years ago, a friend told
me she wanted nothing more to do with me and that I was not to contact her
again. I’ll admit – I haven’t been perfect about not contacting her. I’ve sent
her my standard birthday greetings, for example. But the point is that I have
not turned my back on friendship with her. I’ve just granted her (imperfectly)
what she demanded of me. So, it’s entirely possible to “disown” someone without
maliciousness.
The
first three phrases make sense. They involve a sort of give-and-take. The
fourth phrase breaks the pattern. It should be something like, “If we are
faithless, He will cast us out.” Isn’t that what we tend to do with unfaithful
spouses? Unfaithful friends? We do that because that’s the sort of person we
are. It’s what makes sense. It’s natural. God doesn’t do that because that’s
not the sort of person He is. It doesn’t make sense to Him. It’s not natural to
Him.
That’s what makes this
passage magnificent. We begin with two positive whys: living with Him and
reigning with Him. It adds a negative why: avoiding being disowned by Him, and
then it gives us the reassurance we need. If we’re honest, we know there’s no
way that we are going to face dying or enduring as well as Jesus did. We’re
afraid we don’t pass the test when it comes to the choice to own or disown Him.
What the fourth phrase tells us is that even if we fail, He does not. It doesn’t
mean we don’t have to try, but God is faithful even if we are not.
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