Salvation Summaries

Even though 2 Timothy includes two salvation-related questions that I already answered from my review of Titus and 1 Timothy, this book raises the overlooked role that the Bible plays in one’s salvation, and the thorny issue of whether a person’s faith can be destroyed and their salvation lost.  

 Overview of 2 Timothy

2 Timothy is a personal letter of encouragement and instruction by Paul to his dear friend, and timid pastor, Timothy.  In it Paul wants Timothy to boldly preach the Good News and teach the truths found in God’s word, as this can bring salvation to those who hear it.  Paul also warns Timothy about false teachers, or those who have walked away from the truth, as they can weaken the faith of others by what they say and do (act ungodly).

Salvation Verses

There are more than a half-dozen verses in 2 Timothy that relate to salvation, but I plan to focus on only four of them.

Did Paul know if Timothy was a Christian?  If yes, how?

• 2 Timothy 1:5 I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.

• 2 Timothy 1:14  Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you– guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.

Paul knew that Timothy was a Christian, and there are at least two reasons for this.  First, it is clear throughout much of the New Testament that a person is saved by faith in the Lord Jesus, and because of God’s kindness, mercy and love. Second, as I pointed out in my review of the book of Titus,  when a person is saved, that person receives the Holy Spirit. In the verses above, Paul knew that Timothy had faith (“I have been reminded of your sincere faith”) and he also knew that Timothy had received the Holy Spirit (“the Holy Spirit who lives in us”).  As a result, Paul knew, and we know, that Timothy was saved, and thus a Christian.

Now, some of you might be asking, “Just because Paul knew that Timothy was a Christian back then does not mean that we can know whether another person is a Christian today, does it?”   One answer to this is in Galatians 5:22-23: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (NIV).  A person who exhibits one or more of these qualities is likely to have the Holy Spirit within them.  If you know such person to be one of faith too – who has a willingness and desire to follow and obey the Lord – then the odds would seem to be very high that that person is a believer.

Please see my blog entries on the book of Titus for more information on this question.

Do good deeds “count” towards becoming a Christian?

• 2 Timothy 1:8-9  But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God,  9 who has saved us and called us to a holy life– not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, 

The short answer  to this question is “no” based upon the verses above, where salvation is according to God’s purpose and grace, and not anything we do or have done (our good deeds).

However, the topic of whether our good deeds has any bearing on our salvation is a very important – and debatable one – and as such, we will need to review more verses on this before making any final conclusions.  Also, I recently discussed this issue to some degree in my review of Titus, so feel free to review my blog entries on that book for more information.

What role does the Bible play in a person becoming saved?

The Bible is a special book.  In fact, it is a one-of-a kind book.  The Bible is not simply a history book, or a book of interesting stories; it is God’s book.  God worked through various people on this earth to write what He wanted them to write, so that we can know what He wants us to know.

As shown in 2 Timothy 3:15, the Bible is able to make a person “wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.”  Thus, the Bible teaches us about Christ, and how to be saved.

But per 2 Timothy 3:16, the Bible does much more than that.  It teaches us, rebukes us, corrects us and trains us in righteousness so that we are equipped to do what God wants us to do.  The Bible is essentially our spiritual instruction manual to help us accomplish our purpose in life, which is doing what God wants us to do. Of course, a person can become saved without the Bible, though not without hearing, or reading or seeing something that is from the Bible.

• 2 Timothy 3:14-17  14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it,  15 and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.  16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,  17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 
  

My conversion experience took place in college, when a college pastor reviewed with me a booklet titled “The Four Spiritual Laws.” This booklet contained a number of verses and summarized points about salvation from the Bible.  The Lord used this booklet, weekly Bible studies with Ron Paul (head of Campus Crusade for Christ) and witnessing from a friend on my dorm floor (Tim Talbert, who later became a missionary doctor) to soften and then change my stubborn heart to become a believer in and a follower of Him.

Can hearing false information about what the Bible says weaken your faith, or even destroy it? If your faith is destroyed, does this mean you can lose your salvation?  

These are difficult questions to answer only from using 2 Timothy; other books in the Bible should really be used to draw a more accurate conclusion.

I’ve included several different translations of a particular set of verses in 2 Timothy that relate to the first part of the question above, and bolded the word that each set uses in relation to the word faith.

• 2 Timothy 2:17-18   17 Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus,  18 who have wandered away from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some. (NIV)

• 2 Timothy 2:16-18   16 But avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness,  17 and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus,  18 men who have gone astray from the truth saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and they upset the faith of some. (NAS)

• 2 Timothy 2:16-18   16 But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness,  17 and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus,  18 who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some. (ESV)

• 2 Timothy 2:17-18   17 And their message will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort,  18 who have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past; and they overthrow the faith of some. (NKJV)

• 2 Timothy 2:17-18   17 This kind of talk spreads like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are examples of this.  18 They have left the path of truth, preaching the lie that the resurrection of the dead has already occurred; and they have undermined the faith of some.(NLT)

Although the word used to describe the impact of false teaching on faith varies among the translations, it is clear that such teaching can negatively affect the faith of believers, and has the potential to “destroy” or overturn one’s faith.  So, the answer to the first question is “yes,” it can can certainly weaken one’s faith and would appear to have the potential to destroy it (though I’m personally not convinced of this).

Now, if a person’s faith is destroyed or overturned, does that mean that such person loses his or her salvation? To effectively answer this, we need to fully understand the meaning of the word “faith” and the source of faith.  

For now, let’s assume that true faith is more than believing in Christ (even the demons believe that).  Let’s assume that faith includes a certain amount of knowledge (about Christ, for we know faith comes from hearing the Word), a strong conviction in something (based upon an understanding), and a commitment to obey. I’m basing this temporary definition on Abraham, who had great faith.  As you may recall, Abraham’s faith in God was tested by God, and God told Abraham to sacrifice his only son.  For Abraham to do this, it took more than a knowledge of God, for a person could truly believe in God but not do what Abraham did.  It took more than a conviction too, for Abraham could have been convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that God was real, but still been unwilling to obey His command.  For Abraham to have passed this test of faith, he needed to obey too.  Now, some might argue that Abraham is not an example of what faith is, but rather an example of incredible faith, and that others could have faith but not do what Abraham did.  This could be true – again, we’ll know more after we work our way through more books of the Bible.   

If our definition above is in the ballpark of what faith means, let’s move to the next issue of addressing the source of faith. Here’s why this issue is important.

If the source of a person’s faith is solely and completely from within (or that person) and not a gift from God, then I could see how a person could lose their faith. Why?  If faith includes the elements of knowledge, conviction and commitment, then any and all of these can change.  A person’s knowledge about the Lord can change with new information (whether it’s true or false), their conviction in God can change based upon this information, and their willingness to obey Him can also change.

However, if the source of a person’s faith is from God (a gift), then it would appear that a person cannot lose his or her salvation unless God took it away.

I guess, theoretically, there could be a third option, which would be a blending of the two above.  I would picture a blend as the handing of a baton from God to another person, whereby the person receives a gift from God, but then is given the capacity, the responsibility and authority to do with it as he or she wishes. He may hold on to it, or he may drop it.

I guess what I’m saying is that I really don’t know yet – based upon having reviewed Titus, 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy (and my present knowledge of other books in the Bible, such as Genesis) – how faith is defined, and where it comes from. However, I hope to learn this from my upcoming review of more books.  As a result, the questions posed above will be “come back to” questions – we will come back to them once I learn more about faith.

CONCLUSION

Paul knew that Timothy was a Christian, because he knew that Timothy had faith, and he also knew that Timothy had received the Holy Spirit.

Based upon a review of two verses in 2 Timothy, we learned that good deeds do not appear to play a role in one’s salvation; however, we will need to review more verses on this, since many people believe that good deeds do play a role in determining whether a person goes to heaven.

The Bible is truly a unique book that plays a role in one’s salvation by enabling us to learn the gospel, or the Good News about Jesus Christ and why He came to this earth.  The Bible goes beyond that though by providing us the information we need to know to serve and please God.

While it appears clear that false teaching can have a negative effect on one’s faith, it remains unclear to me, based upon the verses in 2 Timothy and what we’ve learned thus far from 1 Timothy and Titus, what we should use as a good definition for faith, and what the source of a person’s faith is (is it from man or God).  As a result, I’m not able to adequately answer whether a destroyed or overturned faith can cause a person to lose their salvation.  I have been taught to believe that you can’t lose your salvation, and currently hold this view, but the verses in 2 Timothy certainly appear to challenge such view, so I need to study this issue more before I can provide an accurate response.