“Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:1). Here the apostle Paul addresses Timothy as his son in the gospel. Timothy had obeyed the gospel that Paul had preached. Paul was always concerned that people obey the Gospel of Christ. He mourned because “they have not all obeyed the gospel” (Romans 10:16). His concern for obedience to the word of God, is expressed in almost every chapter that Paul wrote.
Paul admonishes Timothy to be strong in the grace that is in Jesus Christ. Strength in the grace that is in Christ Jesus is obviously not an outright gift or there would have been no need for such admonition. It is not an outright gift separate and apart from responsible action on the part of the individuals concerned with God. The apostle John wrote, “I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the. Wicked one” (1 John 2:14).
As long as the word of God abides in one he has the strength that can overcome all temptations. This sends up to prove the necessity of personal study of God’s word. “Study to show thyself approved unto God. A workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).
The next point to consider from 2 Timothy 2:1 is that Paul tells us where the grace of God is: “in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” With just about everyone in agreement that the grace of God is that which gives salvation and that without this grace all would be doomed, it seems to be quite in order to find out WHERE the grace of God is! Paul says the grace of God is IN Christ. If the grace of God is IN Christ, I must get IN Christ to receive the benefits of that grace.
How do I get IN or INTO Christ? Only TWO places in the Bible tell us HOW we get INTO Christ. Read them for yourself – Romans 6:3 and Galatians 3:27. Both of these passages tell us we are “baptized into Christ.” Are YOU in the proper place to receive the grace of God that is IN Christ?
-Glenn Ramsey
