14 By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.” (2 Timothy 1:14 (ESV)
When the Holy Scriptures issue a command, it is wise for all concerned to take heed and obey. When the same Holy Scriptures issue the same command a second time, the Holy Spirit does so for emphasis (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21).
In the Apostle Paul’s conclusion to his first letter to Timothy, he issued a command to his young protégé. He wrote, “O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge,” (1 Timothy 6:20 (ESV). At the beginning of his second letter to Timothy, he repeated the same charge, which is found in today’s featured text; “guard the good deposit entrusted to you.” See 2 Tim. 1:12.
The word guard (φύλαξον; phylaxon) is an aorist active imperative verb. It means at a particular point in time to actively obey a command. The command is to watch over, to closely protect, and to carefully be responsible. It means to guard an item someone has entrusted to another individual’s care.
The item God entrusted to Timothy was the good deposit (καλὴν παραθήκην; kalen paratheken). To be good means to be praiseworthy. The phrase deposit entrusted again refers to an item given for which an individual is responsible to care for and protect. In other words, Paul commanded Timothy to guard what God entrusted to him to guard. What God entrusted to Timothy, and to all pastors and believers in Christ, is the gospel.
“Paul used the notion of a “trust” (parathēkēn; cf. 1 Tim. 5:21; 6:20) in two ways in the Pastorals. First, he had been given a trust or stewardship from God (cf. 1 Tim. 1:11); second, he had in turn entrusted himself and his destiny to God (2 Tim. 1:12). Here Paul spoke of the first of these two. The stewardship of the truth he had received had now been passed along into the hands of Timothy, who was to pass it on yet again to other faithful Christians, who were to pass it on to still others (2:2). While it was in Timothy’s possession, however, he was to guard (phylaxon; cf. 1 Tim. 5:21; 6:20.[1]
How was Timothy to obey this command? Who would assist him? How was this young pastor, and every pastor since, expected to carry out this command? Was it by their own strength and ability? Certainly not! To obey this command could only occur “by the Holy Spirit who dwells within us” (Rom. 8:9; I Cor. 3:16-17; 6:19-20).
“It was Timothy’s responsibility to preserve sound teaching from becoming corrupted through distortion, dilution, deletion, and addition. Heretical teaching was not only a possibility to Paul; it was a constant threat to be guarded against. Moreover, Timothy could count on the assistance of the indwelling Spirit of God (cf. 1 John 3:24; 4:13) who desires to promote the truth about Christ (John 16:13).”[2]
“The “precious deposit” is, of course, the gospel, taken in its widest sense (see 1 Tim. 6:20). It consists of “the sound words” which Timothy has heard from Paul (2 Tim. 1:13). It is precious or excellent because it belongs to God and results in his glory through the salvation of those who accept it by sovereign grace (1:8-10). Again (as in 1 Tim. 6:20) Timothy is urged once for all to guard this deposit. He must defend it against every attack and never allow it to be changed or modified in the slightest degree. But since the enemy is strong and Timothy is weak, Paul very wisely adds the thought that this guarding cannot be done except “through the Holy Spirit who dwells within us,” that is, within Paul, Timothy, all believers (Rom. 8:11). Timothy, then, should hold on to the pure gospel, the sound doctrine, as Paul has always done.”[3]
“We do not have enough strength in ourselves to remain committed to every facet of the gospel. Instead, we are utterly dependent on the Spirit to create a love for God and His truth in our hearts. If we study the things of God without regularly confessing our need of the Spirit’s help, we can easily be led astray. Do you ask for the Spirit to give you a love for Scripture and all that it says about the faith?” – Dr. R. C. Sproul
May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a God honoring day in the Lord.
Soli deo Gloria!
[1] A. Duane Litfin, “2 Timothy,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 751.
[2] Ibid., 751.
[3] William Hendriksen and Simon J. Kistemaker, Exposition of the Pastoral Epistles, vol. 4, New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953–2001), 237.
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