Never imprisoned: 2 Timothy 2:8-9

In his second letter to Timothy, Paul instructs Timothy to “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descendant of David, according to my gospel, for which I suffer hardship even to imprisonment as a criminal; but the word of God is not imprisoned” (2 Timothy 2:8-9 NASB). The Greek verb translated here as “imprisoned” is in the perfect tense, which can indicate an enduring state of an object. With this understanding, this verse could be translated, “the word of God has not, is not, and will not be imprisoned.” In this world, there are an array of forces that seek to oppose the word of God. However, the word of God remains active and fruitful in the world. In writing to the church at Colossae, Paul reminds them of the ever-active word of God, saying, “the word of truth, the gospel which has come to you, just as  in all the world also it is constantly bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth” (Colossians 1:5-6 NASB). As believers, we experience many things, and sometimes our circumstances can seem to hinder us in our walk with the Lord. However, the word of God is never hindered and is always working to renew us and bring us closer to God. The writer of Hebrews stated it this way, “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12 NASB). The word of God is, has been, and will continue to be living and working in the world and in our lives.

This thought ought to encourage us and remind us that the advancement of the Kingdom of God is not entirely dependent upon us as if, without us, the Kingdom of God will fail to advance and expand in the world. In sharing the Gospel, we must learn to trust in the inherent power of the Gospel we are sharing. Jesus wrote of the hard-working farmer who “casts seed upon the soil; and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows—how, he himself does not know” (Mark 4:26-27 NASB). The farmer trusts in the ability of the seed to produce a crop on its own. His job is to plant it, and the seed does the rest. So, it is with us. Our job is to cast forth the Gospel, but it is the Gospel that produces the crop. In sharing the Gospel, our trust is not in ourselves or our powers of persuasion but in the power of the Gospel to yield fruit in the world and in the lives of people who choose to believe it.

David Robison