Sermon Tone Analysis

Jesus’s life, trials, death for sinners, and especially resurrection by the Spirit have launched the fulfillment of the eschatological already—not yet new-creational reign, bestowed by grace through faith and resulting in worldwide commission to the faithful to advance this new-creational reign and resulting in judgment for the unbelieving, unto the triune God’s glory.

- Beale, NTBT, p 16

Many had deserted Paul at this point, including his fellow worker Demas, who after such an investment walked away in love with this world.

He went to Croatia.

It is with this acute pain and awareness that Paul is charging Timothy with such urgency and earnestness.

Already-and-not-yet

The deposit Paul is referring to should be understood from the perspective of an eschatological deposit.

It is not merely a talent one can guard within a handkerchief, but a deposit that is lived out through the power of the Spirit.

Death has already been abolished and the new life and immortality has started with the resurrection of God’s firstfruit from the dead - Jesus Christ, our LORD.

And so, Paul can with confidence say that God is the one guarding his deposit, while at the same time telling Timothy to guard his, by living in the wake of D-Day as he looks forward to V-day.

Keeping (φυλάσσω) the deposit

With regard to the law, in Paul there was a legitimate way in keeping the law (, ) as opposed to an illegitimate way ().

To guard or safeguard is probably a better translation since it conveys not only the possibility of something being lost, but of it being taken away in hostility.

Thus, a house is guarded in a different way in which it is kept.

The notion in which Paul uses it, is to guard it.

This is the same thought used throughout the OT also - that Israel should שָׁמַר (guard or obey) the law.

Practically, guarding the law, or the apostolic traditions was established through obeying it.

Thus the two ideas can almost be thought of as synonomous.

While the Jews had ‘preserved’ the law through the generations, they have not guarded it individually nor corporately.

() While the word is related to the phylacteries that safeguarded the shema in , the intent was clearly more that carrying it around in such an absurd gesture.

Faith and love

How Timothy maintained orthodoxy was as important as the content of orthodoxy itself

The foundation of all Christian life is what God has already done, and Paul makes it clear that all that Christians are asked to do is to live out the consequences of p 581 God’s saving act

19 However, the solid foundation of God stands firm, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and “Everyone who names the name of the Lord must abstain from unrighteousness.”

Observe how he everywhere speaks of the shame, and not of the danger, lest Timothy should be alarmed

Three ways to guard the deposit, entrusted to an pastor

Tremble at God’s Word

וְוְוְIsa tay with the ship

And my hand has made all these things,

and all these ⌊came to be⌋,”

⌊declares⌋ Yahweh, “but I look to this one:

to the humble and the contrite of spirit

and the one frightened at my word.

2 And my hand has made all these things,

and all these ⌊came to be⌋,”

⌊declares⌋ Yahweh, “but I look to this one:

to the humble and the contrite of spirit

and the one frightened at my word.

וְוְ

Stay with the ship

Guide the truth along a straight line

the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a faith without hypocrisy

Know you are the foremost of sinners

Christ saved Paul, someone with overwhelming guilt to be an example (a pattern) to those who would believe after him .

What goes along with the example is the glorification that results in Paul, not in the past, but as he was thinking of this great mercy and grace.