Several times in his instruction to Timothy,
Paul introduces content as
"a trustworthy statement”
(1 Timothy 1:15; 3:1; 4:9; 2 Timothy 2:11).
The “trustworthy”
designation highlights what follows as an
important and reliable principle.
Shortly after such an introduction,
Paul remarks that God cannot deny Himself
(2 Timothy 2:13).
In 2 Timothy 2:11
Paul introduces what reads like a poetic verse from a hymn that includes four couplets. The words may have already been familiar
to Timothy, or Paul may have been simply providing new content.
Literally rendered,
the passage reads like this:
“Since together we died,
also together we will live;
since we are enduring, also together we will reign;
if we will deny,
He will also deny us;
if we are not faithful, He remains faithful, for to
deny
Himself He cannot”
(2 Timothy 2:11–13).
In the first couplet (2 Timothy 2:11), Paul acknowledges that, because we have died together with Christ (as in Colossians 2:20 and 3:3), we will live together with Him. We will enjoy life everlasting with Christ. Paul states this as fact (using the first class condition in the Greek)—this is not merely an “if” but a “since.” It is a fact that we have died together (Paul uses the aorist tense, denoting the action is completed), and it is a certainty that in the future we will live together with Christ.
Next, Paul encourages believers that, since we are enduring (also assumed as fact, using the first class conditional), then we will reign together with Him and each other (2 Timothy 2:12a). As John explained it in Revelation, believers overcome through Christ who has Himself overcome (compare Revelation 2:7, 11; 3:5; 21:7, etc., with Revelation 5:5). This is an encouragement for believers to persevere—and, assuming their endurance, reminding that there is a future of reward and meaningful activity in store.
The third couplet (2 Timothy 2:12b) changes the tense of the (protasis) action from present (as was used on the first two couplets) to future, rendering the first part of the couplet, “if we deny in the future.” If there is such a denial, then He will also deny us. Jesus used similar terminology when He explained that, if people denied Him before men, He would deny them before the Father (Matthew 10:33). It is important to note that Jesus was talking to His twelve disciples (Matthew 10:5; 11:1). He explains that the Spirit would be speaking through them (Matthew 10:20), and He warns them of the need to be faithful in confessing Him before men and not denying Him—He is challenging them to be faithful messengers for Him. There was reward for confessing Him before men (Matthew 10:32) and consequences for denying Him before men (Matthew 10:33).
In 2 Timothy 2, Paul is challenging Timothy to endure and fulfill his ministry, which included doing the work of a good-news proclaimer, or evangelist (2 Timothy 4:5). Paul challenges Timothy with the importance of confessing and not denying Jesus.
When Paul says that Jesus will deny us, he is not talking about loss of salvation or change in positional standing before God. Much like Jesus warned His twelve disciples, Paul reminds Timothy that there are consequences to unfaithfulness in ministry. Paul had explained earlier in this context the importance of engaging like a good soldier, an athlete competing according to the rules, and a hard-working farmer (2 Timothy 2:3–6).
Paul had elsewhere explained that he was working hard to be faithful so he would not be disqualified from ministry (1 Corinthians 9:23–27). He refers to faithfulness in practice, not loss of salvation—as he explains after the fourth couplet in 2 Timothy 2:13: God “cannot deny Himself” (NKJV). To ensure that people rightly understood the rewards and consequences of faithfulness in the Christian life, Paul told the Corinthians that the works of all believers would one day be assessed at Christ’s judgment seat. If those works stand the test, the believer will be rewarded (1 Corinthians 3:14). If the works are burned up, then the believer will lose out on the reward, but he would not lose salvation (1 Corinthians 3:15). Paul’s warning to Timothy that Jesus would deny those who deny Him has nothing to do with their position in Christ, as we see in the fourth couplet: “If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is” (2 Timothy 2:13, NLT).
Even if we are unfaithful, or lacking faith, faithful He remains, for God cannot deny Himself. Once a person is in Christ (by belief in Him), God remains faithful to that person—He keeps His word. The one who believes has eternal life from the moment of faith (e.g., John 6:47; Romans 8:29–31). Nothing can separate a child of God from the love of God (Romans 8:38–39), because He is faithful to keep His promise.
God cannot deny Himself. If He were to break His promise to those who have believed in Him, that would be a denial of Himself and His righteous character. To those who fear that God is standing over them waiting to cast them out if they deny Him or if they fail to have enough belief or if they are unfaithful in their ministries, Paul says that God always remains faithful. His faithfulness is a matter of His own character—God cannot deny Himself (2 Timothy 2:13).
Scripture doesn’t ever manipulate us to action based on the potential loss of our position in Christ. Instead, we are exhorted to act because God is faithful and the promises He makes are certain.
The Bible talks a lot about suffering for the sake of Christ. In the era in which the New Testament was written, followers of Jesus were often ostracized by their own families and communities. Some of the worst persecution came from the religious leaders (Acts 4:1–3). Jesus told His followers, "Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:10). He reminded His disciples, "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first" (John 15:18).
Second Timothy 3:12 says, "Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." As in biblical times, many Christians today have found that making a public declaration of faith in Christ can result in imprisonment, beatings, torture, or death (Hebrews 11:32–38; 2 Corinthians 12:10; Philippians 3:8; Acts 5:40). Often those of us in free nations shudder at the thought, but we feel relatively safe. We understand that there are thousands who suffer daily for the sake of Christ and are thankful we don’t have to. But is there only one kind of persecution?
Jesus stated clearly what it means to follow Him: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?" (Luke 9:23–25). Our modern understanding of the phrase "take up their cross and follow me" is often inadequate. In Jesus’ day the cross always symbolized death. When a man carried a cross, he had already been condemned to die on it. Jesus said that, in order to follow Him, one must be willing to die. We will not all die martyrs’ deaths. We will not all be imprisoned, beaten, or tortured for our faith. So what kind of death did Jesus mean?
Paul explains in Galatians 2:20, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." To follow Christ means we die to our own way of doing things. We consider our will, our rights, our passions, and our goals to be crucified on the cross with Him. Our right to direct our own lives is dead to us (Philippians 3:7–8). Death involves suffering. The flesh does not want to die. Dying to self is painful and goes against our natural inclination to seek our own pleasure. But we cannot follow both Christ and the flesh (Luke 16:13; Matthew 6:24; Romans 8:8). Jesus said, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God" (Luke 9:62).
Paul suffered more than most for Jesus’ sake. He said this to the Christians at Phillipi: "For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him" (Philippians 1:29). The word granted here means "shown favor, given freely as a gift." Paul does not present suffering as a curse, but as a benefit.
Suffering can take many forms. By choosing to obey the Lord Jesus Christ, we are setting ourselves at odds with the world. Galatians 1:10 says, "For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ" (NASB). By closely adhering to the teachings of the Bible, we set ourselves up for rejection, mockery, loneliness, or betrayal. Often, the cruelest persecution comes from those who consider themselves spiritual but have defined God according to their own ideas. If we choose to take a stand for righteousness and biblical truth, we ensure that we will be misunderstood, mocked, or worse. We need to keep in mind that no threat of suffering deterred the apostles from preaching Christ. In fact, Paul said that losing everything was worth it "that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death" (Philippians 3:10, NASB). Acts 5:40–41 describes the reaction of the apostles after they received another beating for preaching about Jesus: "The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name."
Suffering in some form is always going to be a part of being a true follower of Christ. Jesus said the path that leads to life is difficult (Matthew 7:14). Our hardship is also a way of identifying with His suffering in a small way.
Jesus said if we deny him before men, He will deny us before His Father in heaven (Matthew 10:33; Luke 12:9). There are many subtle ways to deny Christ. If our actions, words, lifestyle, or entertainment choices do not reflect His will, we are denying Christ. If we claim to know Him but live as though we didn’t, we are denying Christ (1 John 3:6–10). Many people choose those forms of denying Christ because they do not want to suffer for Him.
Often our greatest suffering comes from within as we battle for control over a heart that must die to its own will and surrender to Christ’s lordship (Romans 7:15–25). In whatever form suffering comes, we should embrace it as a badge of honor and a privilege that we, like the apostles, have "been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name."
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