Sharon Reformed Presbyterian Church · Sermon study sheet

Faithful through Grace

Dr. John Wiers · October 7, 2023

2 Timothy 1

sharonrpc.org/sermons/faithful-through-grace

Summary

Grace is God's merciful gift to people who deserve judgment, and it forms the foundation of Paul's life and ministry in 2 Timothy 1.
Paul's clear conscience rests in the gospel's cleansing power, not in a claim that his former persecution of the church never happened.
God's covenant faithfulness reaches from generation to generation, seen in Paul's ancestors and in Timothy's grandmother Lois and mother Eunice.
Christian parents and churches pass on the faith through teaching, nurture, discipline, example, prayer, and reliance on God's gracious promises.
Knowing whom he has believed allows Paul to trust God's keeping power even while imprisoned and facing death.
Timothy must guard the deposit of sound words with faith and love, rejecting both doctrinal compromise and brittle argumentativeness.
Grace is the antidote to spiritual cowardice: the Spirit gives power, love, and self-control to endure shame and suffering for the gospel.

Do I understand grace merely as undeserved favor, or as mercy given to one who deserves judgment?
Am I seeking a clear conscience through self-justification or through the cleansing gospel of Christ?
How am I helping pass the faith to children and younger believers through teaching, example, discipline, and prayer?
When someone I love wanders, do I pray from confidence in God's promises rather than confidence in my control?
What sound words of apostolic teaching am I responsible to learn, guard, and pass on?
Does my concern for truth operate in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus?
Where am I tempted to retreat because the surrounding culture tries to shame faithfulness to the gospel?

Grace: God's unearned mercy, forgiveness, and gift to sinners who deserve condemnation rather than favor.
Covenant faithfulness: God's steadfast commitment to his promises, displayed across generations of his people.
Clear conscience: A conscience cleansed by the gospel, enabling service to God without resting on personal innocence.
Sound words: The trustworthy pattern of apostolic teaching that must be preserved and passed on in faith and love.
Good deposit: The gospel entrusted by God to his servants for careful guarding and faithful transmission.
Spiritual courage: Spirit-given power, love, and self-control that refuses shame-driven retreat from gospel faithfulness.