Sunday, April 19, 2009

What do you do with 2 Timothy 3:12?

Hi brothers and sisters, a short snippet taken from a sermon by John Piper ("Called to Suffer and Rejoice for Holiness and Hope" - August 16, 1992):
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What Do You Do with 2 Timothy 3:12?

Two years ago in Ermelo, Holland, Brother Andrew told the story of sitting in Budapest, Hungary, with a dozen pastors of that city teaching them from the Bible. In walked an old friend, a pastor from Romania who had recently been released from prison. Brother Andrew said that he stopped teaching and knew that it was time to listen.

After a long pause the Romanian pastor said, "Andrew, are there any pastors in prison in Holland?" "No," he replied. "Why not?" the pastor asked. Brother Andrew thought for a moment and said, "I think it must be because we do not take advantage of all the opportunities God gives us."

Then came the most difficult question. "Andrew, what do you do with 2 Timothy 3:12?" Brother Andrew opened his Bible and turned to the text and read aloud, "All who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." He closed the Bible slowly and said, "Brother, please forgive me. We do nothing with that verse."3

We have, I fear, domesticated the concept of godliness into such inoffensive middle class morality and law-keeping that 2 Timothy 3:12 has become unintelligible to us......

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