Introduction
The peace of the Lord be with you and with your household. Blessed be the eternal God, the Almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth, who grants us this space in His grace and in His mercy, so that each one of us may present ourselves and expose ourselves before the power of His Word and before the power of His Holy Spirit.
In this teaching we will study the seventh instruction that the apostle Paul declares to Timothy in his second epistle. This second epistle is the last one the apostle writes, not only to Timothy, but the last one he writes in general terms among all the writings that have come down to us. For this reason, it is important that each of us understand the spiritual value this epistle holds within the body of Paul’s writings, and, above all, the spiritual value of the instructions the apostle is declaring to Timothy.
The seventh instruction is found in chapter four, and it reads:
“I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus, the Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” (2 Timothy 4:1-5, NKJV)
The Character of the Seventh Instruction
This seventh instruction has very particular characteristics that set it apart from the other six we have already studied. The first is that it belongs to the directive instructions: there is no option to do it or not to do it. It is an imperative instruction by which the apostle declares to Timothy what he must continue doing within his ministry. In this sense it differs from the eighth instruction — the one that follows immediately after these first five verses — which is no longer direct, because by then Paul is closing his letter and is reminding Timothy of something already declared to him long before, but now in a suggestive rather than imperative form.
The second characteristic is that this instruction differs from the previous six in another fundamental way. In each of those, Paul pointed out a deficiency to Timothy and exhorted him to correct it. That was the case from chapter one, when the apostle tells him to stir up the gift of God that is in him — an instruction that reveals a deficiency Timothy had fallen into, along with the way he was to remedy it and return to the position that belonged to him as a minister of the gospel of the kingdom of heaven. The seventh instruction, however, does not present him with a deficiency. It is directive because it tells him what he must do, not because it is correcting something he has failed to do. Notice verse 2:
“that you preach the word, be ready in season and out of season; convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching” (2 Timothy 4:2, NKJV)
and verse 5, which is the conclusion of this instruction:
“but you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” (2 Timothy 4:5, NKJV)
In other words, the apostle recognizes that in this area Timothy has had no deficiency at all. Timothy has continued preaching the word, being ready in season and out of season, convincing, rebuking, and exhorting with all longsuffering and doctrine. This instruction, therefore, is not pointing out a lack, but exhorting him to keep doing what he has been doing up to that moment. This difference between the seventh instruction and the six before it helps us understand that Timothy had declined in several areas of how he ministered and carried out the ministry he had received from God through the laying on of Paul’s hands and the laying on of the hands of the presbytery; but in this particular area — preaching, being ready, convincing, rebuking, and exhorting — he had remained steadfast. We must therefore be clear that this is a direct instruction, not a corrective one, but an exhortative one, so that Timothy would remain firm in what constituted the very areas proper to his ministry.
Now, this instruction cannot be understood merely as an imposition, as an order, or as an imperative command. If the instruction is not understood, it would do us no good to do what we are told to do without truly grasping what is being asked of us. For example: why must I preach the word? Why must I be ready in season and out of season? It is not enough to comply with the order; we must understand the why and the purpose behind each command. This instruction demands understanding, because if its meaning is not clear, we could not truly say we are fulfilling it, even if we are doing it. Let us begin, then, by examining the why and the purpose of each of these partial instructions that the apostle declares to Timothy in verse 2.
The Doctrinal Foundation: The Judgments of God
The apostle does not merely introduce this instruction; verse 1 is not a simple introduction, but establishes, together with verse 3, the foundation of the why and the purpose of everything that follows. Let us read it again:
“I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus, the Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom” (2 Timothy 4:1, NKJV)
Here Paul is establishing a fundamental doctrinal point of the gospel of the kingdom of heaven: the judgments of God. And we speak of judgments, in the plural, because the text describes two distinct kinds of judgment before which we will all have to appear: one at His appearing, and another in His kingdom. This is not a subject reserved only for ministers or for those who have studied at a theological seminary; it is part of the work of Christ Jesus on the cross of Calvary and, therefore, part of the gospel message that every man and woman of faith must know.
The Judgment Seat of Christ
The first judgment takes place at His appearing, that is, at the second coming of Christ Jesus. At that moment what the apostle calls the judgment seat of Christ will be established. He describes it this way in Second Corinthians:
“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” (2 Corinthians 5:10, NKJV)
Paul mentions this judgment seat on two occasions within the writings that have come down to us. The second is found in his epistle to the Romans:
“But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.” (Romans 14:10, NKJV)
Immediately after Jesus appears on the face of the earth, this judgment seat is to be established, before which all of us who have come to Christ Jesus must appear, to receive according to what we have done — or failed to do — as men and women of faith. It is important to understand this clearly, because many people believe that a man or woman of faith will not have to appear in judgment before the Lord. Yet the Word establishes this judgment seat precisely for the coming of Christ Jesus.
It should also be said that belonging to a Christian church is not a guarantee that a man or woman will be part of the kingdom of God, because it is not merely a matter of having accepted Christ, as has often, unfortunately, been taught in error, but of living according to the teachings established in the Holy Scriptures. That is why Matthew 24 declares that he who endures to the end will be saved, and this does not simply mean lasting and reaching the end of one’s life, but persevering in what was taught, growing in the Word, and remaining in what one was taught according to the Word. If we confess the name of Jesus but do not live according to His Word, we have no guarantee of being part of the kingdom of heaven. This same judgment seat is where passages such as Matthew 7:21-23 apply, where many will say to the Lord, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?” and the Lord will answer that they should depart from Him, for He never knew them.
The Great White Throne Judgment
The second judgment mentioned in verse 1 — “and His kingdom” — is different from the first, and it takes place after Jesus establishes His millennial kingdom on the earth, a kingdom of a thousand years in which He will rule with a rod of iron, as described in the book of Revelation and by the prophets. At the close of that period, the second judgment takes place:
“Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.” (Revelation 20:11-12, NKJV)
This is the judgment known as the Great White Throne, distinct and separated in time from the judgment seat of Christ. The first is established mainly to determine the participation of those who confessed the name of Jesus in the millennial kingdom; the second, to declare either eternal life or eternal condemnation, for it is at that moment that the books of life are opened, and whoever’s name is not found written in them is cast, together with death, the devil, and hell, into the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, as described in the book of Revelation.
With this foundation established, the apostle declares to Timothy — and by the grace of God, to each of us — the reason for the instruction that follows in verse 2: to preach the word, to be ready in season and out of season, to convince, rebuke, and exhort with all longsuffering and teaching. All of this is grounded in the fact that one day we must appear before these two judgments, and we will be judged according to what we did or failed to do, understanding that not having done something we should have done does not exempt us from responsibility. This is what the parable of the three servants teaches: to the servant who received one talent and did not put it to work, but merely said “at least I did not lose it,” the master calls him a wicked and lazy servant, because, even without doing wrong, he also failed to do what had been entrusted to him. To him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.
Why We Must Preach the Word
The first of the partial instructions in verse 2 is: “that you preach the word.” Why is it necessary to preach? The apostle himself answers this question in other passages of his epistles. In Romans we read:
“How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10:14, NKJV)
This chain of questions reveals that, if there are people who do not confess Jesus, it is often not because they did not want to believe, but because there was no one to tell them about Him. This involves every one of us who confesses the name of Christ Jesus, because a day will come when we may be asked why we did not tell a certain person about Jesus. And this is not the exclusive responsibility of the evangelist, but of every man and woman who confesses the name of Jesus.
The apostle states it even more forcefully in his first letter to the Corinthians:
“For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9:16, NKJV)
Paul preaches because necessity is laid upon him to do so. The question worth asking ourselves is: how many of us who confess the name of Jesus feel that same necessity laid upon us to preach the gospel? The answer, unfortunately, is usually no, and this is one of the great deficiencies and weaknesses facing God’s people today: we do not feel the imposition or the necessity to preach, and we would rather leave that task to the evangelist, the pastor, the deacon, or the church worker, while we “merely attend.”
That is why, when we read the well-known passage “that you preach the word,” we often fail to perceive that it places a personal demand on us, under the pretext that we do not hold a recognized ministry or stand behind a pulpit. It is not merely a matter of doing something because we were told to; it is a matter of understanding that there exists a necessity God has laid upon us to proclaim the gospel of grace which we ourselves have received by grace.
Now, for what purpose must we preach? The answer is tied to verse 1: one day we must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, and another day before the judgment of the Great White Throne. What answer would we give the Lord if He asked us why we did not preach the gospel to our coworker, our family member, our neighbor, or our colleague? Having no answer — or simply answering that “we did not feel like it” — would be to admit that the necessity of which the apostle speaks has not been laid upon us, and this would expose us to a greater judgment.
The Meaning of “Being Ready in Season and Out of Season”
The second instruction in verse 2 is: “be ready in season and out of season.” To grasp the meaning of this phrase, it is not advisable to turn to a dictionary, since that would take us away from the original message; instead, it is helpful to observe how this same word in the original language has been translated in other passages of Scripture.
This word — rendered here as “be ready” — also appears in the account of Jesus’ birth. In Luke 2:9 we read that an angel of the Lord “stood before” the shepherds, and in Luke 2:38 Anna is described as “coming in that instant” to give thanks to the Lord. In both cases it is the same underlying word that in 2 Timothy 4:2 is rendered “be ready.” This shows that the word has to do with being present, being alert, being prepared, and making oneself present at the opportune moment.
So, when the apostle tells Timothy to be ready “in season and out of season,” he is telling him to be alert and prepared at all times, to make himself present for any situation or case that may arise, whether at convenient hours or inconvenient ones. In other words, there should be no circumstance that catches him by surprise without his being able to attend to it, nor should he ever have to say “I did not notice” or “I was not ready.” The instruction, in other words, is to be always present and available, in business hours as in off-hours, to attend to every situation that arises.
The Meaning of “Convince and Rebuke”
The third instruction is: “convince, rebuke.” Again, rather than turning to a dictionary, it is helpful to observe the use of this word in other passages. In the Gospel of John we find:
“Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?” (John 8:46, NKJV)
Here we obtain a first definition: to convince is to convict. And in another passage of the same Gospel, this same word is used regarding the work of the Holy Spirit:
“And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.” (John 16:8, NKJV)
This convincing — this convicting — is not moved by merely human arguments, but is carried out by means of the Holy Scriptures. To convince and rebuke, then, means to bring a person face to face with the Word of God, so that, through the Holy Spirit, that person may realize on their own that what they are doing is not in keeping with the will of the Lord.
The Meaning of “Exhort with All Longsuffering and Teaching”
The instruction of verse 2 concludes by saying: “exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.” To exhort has to do with bringing a person to the grace of God, so that, relying on that grace, the person may make the necessary changes in the way they think, feel, and act, fully transforming the way they conduct themselves. To exhort is, in short, to lead a person toward the grace of God so that the work to which they have been called can be carried out without any hindrance on their part.
The Warning: A Time When They Will Not Endure Sound Doctrine
Verse 3 introduces the reason why this instruction is so urgent:
“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.” (2 Timothy 4:3-4, NKJV)
This means that, although people will indeed want to hear and will feel a need to hear, they will not be able to conform to sound doctrine; they will not be able to tolerate it or walk according to it, no matter how much they try. Instead, they will look for something easier, something that does not demand much commitment or responsibility, and for that reason they will heap up teachers for themselves according to the desires of those who seek them. This passage relates directly to the sixth instruction already studied, concerning the leadership that would arise in the last times, for the apostle had already established that the last days would be exceedingly perilous times, both because of the message that would be preached and because of the leadership that would rise up.
An Instruction for Every Believer, Not Only for Ministers
One might argue that these instructions were given exclusively to a minister, since Timothy was an evangelist, and that they therefore apply only to evangelists, pastors, or those who carry out a recognized ministry within a church. However, this is not so. If these words had been directed only to Timothy in a private manner, this epistle would never have reached us; it would have remained a personal matter between Paul and his disciple. The fact that this letter has come down to us indicates that its words apply to each one of us, including those of us who do not hold a recognized ministry, who do not stand behind a pulpit, and who have not pursued formal theological studies.
The reason for this is found once again in verse 1: it is not only pastors or evangelists who must appear before the judgment seat of Christ; it is not only those who hold a ministerial title or have studied at a theological seminary who will appear before the judgment of the Great White Throne. The text declares that all of us must appear. Therefore, this instruction reaches every one of us, whether or not we carry out a ministry, and with it comes the responsibility each of us bears before God to administer what He has entrusted to us.
Conclusion: Adjusting Our Lives Before We Speak to Others
Before closing, it is necessary to point out something of great importance. Someone might think, “very well, I will preach; I will speak to every person who crosses my path.” But we must remember that we are to give freely what we have freely received, and for that it is essential to first evaluate whether we ourselves are walking in the grace of the Lord. If we are not walking in obedience, if we are not submitted to the lordship of Christ Jesus, what will we say to a rebellious person? What will we tell someone who is disobedient if we ourselves are walking in disobedience? It is not a matter of doing for the sake of doing, but of understanding why and for what purpose we must do it, and this requires us, first of all, to adjust our own lives before the grace of God, to walk in obedience and submission under the lordship of Christ Jesus. Because, if by preaching the word we end up contaminating others instead of guiding them, we would be sinking them even deeper into the sin in which they already walk.
It is significant that, to arrive at this seventh instruction, Paul first had to declare six distinct instructions of correction to Timothy: to stir up the gift of God, to be diligent to present himself approved to God, to flee youthful lusts, and to continue in what he had learned and been assured of, among others. This teaches us that it is not a matter of preaching for the sake of preaching, but of first adjusting our own lives so that we may then be able to establish in others what God desires. We cannot establish freedom in others if we ourselves have not first passed through deliverance, because, otherwise, a minister often ends up contaminating and leading others further astray rather than setting them free according to the grace of the Lord.
It is not, then, a matter of doing for the sake of doing, but of understanding first and adjusting our lives, so that we may then be able to share with others what we have received.
I bless you. The peace of the Lord be with you. Amen.
Review Questions
1. How does the seventh instruction differ from the six that came before it in Paul’s letter to Timothy, and what does that difference teach us about Timothy’s life?
2. What are the two judgments of God mentioned in 2 Timothy 4:1, and how do they differ from each other?
3. According to Romans 10:14 and 1 Corinthians 9:16, why must every believer — not only the minister — feel the necessity to preach the gospel?
4. In your own words, explain the meaning of being ready in season and out of season, convincing and rebuking, and exhorting, as studied in this chapter.
5. Why must we first adjust our own lives to the grace of God before we can guide or correct others?
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