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Timothy, while still a young man, was a highly regarded leader of the early church. He was a colleague of the Apostles, a witness to the gospel’s bearing fruit in people’s lives, and a faithful minister. Why, then, might Paul have counseled him to “remember Jesus Christ” (2 Tim. 2:8)? Paul prompts Timothy to be mindful of Jesus in all things. He will face many challenges, responsibilities, and experiences in life. Paul urges him to think carefully about the Lord Jesus in each situation. Paul’s advice is more comprehensive than remembering Jesus for a moment or simply remembering Him more often. The preceding verse states, “Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.” Timothy must reflect on this advice to gain its full benefit.
Paul directs Timothy’s attention to Christ, “risen from the dead” and the “offspring of David” (v. 8). Christ’s life, death, and resurrection fulfill God’s promises recorded in the Bible. Timothy must pay careful attention to these central truths of Christianity and work out how they apply. Doing so will help him and those he pastors. Remembrance will enable him to persevere in Christian faith and attain an eternal reward. Paul found this to be true in his own experience. God’s Word enabled him to persevere in Christian life. It strengthened him to “endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory” (v. 10). Four meaningful applications of the teaching to “remember Jesus Christ” follow for our own lives (vv. 11–13):
- “If we have died with him, we will also live with him” (v. 11); we are spiritually joined to Christ through faith in Him. Since Jesus died for us, we are to count ourselves dead to sin and alive to God (Rom. 6:11). Consequently, instead of serving sin, we are to serve God and aim to please Him (v. 13).
- “If we endure, we will also reign with him” (2 Tim. 2:12); we are to keep on in Christian faith that we may attain the rewards that God sets before us in Christ.
- “If we deny him, he also will deny us” (v. 12); remembering the consequences of turning away from Jesus serves as a deterrent from doing so.
- “If we are faithless, he remains faithful” (v. 13); when we have fallen into sin, the gospel tells us of Christ’s power to forgive our sins, cleanse us from our unrighteousness, and save us to everlasting life.
“Remember[ing] Jesus Christ” means carefully thinking through the Bible’s teaching on Christ. Doing so promotes faithful Christian witness to Jesus and enables us to persevere amid life’s many responsibilities and experiences. We may say with the psalmist, “When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul” (Ps. 94:19).