LIVING WATERS
For the proclamation of the Gospel and the edification of the Body of Christ
A Life Perfectly Lived
In the second epistle to Timothy, Paul leaves us some signs that allow us to summarize his whole life, the long and fruitful spiritual life. And he does it through the use of some possessive pronouns. Let us see.
The first is in 1:3: "I give thanks to God, whom I have served from my elders". Paul could exhibit his election from the cradle. Here is the beginning of a life of faith, sometimes mistaken, but always intense.
"I am sure that he is able to keep my deposit for that day" (1:12). At the end of a lifetime of service, the great apostle has accumulated many good works, which constitute the deposit with which he will stand before God.
"Raised from the dead according to my gospel" (2:8). The gospel is the announcement, the good news from God that is made known. The apostle has come to such an identification with this announcement, that the gospel he preaches is not only the gospel, but his gospel. The message and the messenger have merged so that they can no longer be separated.
"But you have followed my doctrine" (3:10). The identification of the apostle with the gospel is also that of the apostle with the doctrine of the gospel. The proclamation is also a teaching, a body of teachings.
"(My) conduct" (3:10). The proclamation and the teaching are translated into a way of life. The Christian life is not theory, but experience. "(My) purpose" (3:10). The Christian life is a purposeful life, a long timeline that follows a direction and a purpose. "(My) faith" (3:10). Faith is at the beginning of the Christian life and also throughout the course of it. "In the gospel righteousness is revealed by faith and to faith" (Rom. 1:17).
"(My) long-suffering" (3:10). The mature Christian life is a serene river that flows majestically, independent of sudden changes of mood. "(My) love" (3:10). The genuine Christian life is wrapped in love. Sometimes it is tender and delicate love, sometimes it is strong and courageous love. However, there is no normal Christian life without love. "(My) patience" (3:10). Someone has said that the true hallmark of apostleship is patience. Not miracles, not the ability to draw crowds, but patience to wait for God's times, to endure adversity, to bear the cross.
"(My) persecutions" (3:11). In Galatians, Paul says that if he had accommodated himself to men, he would not suffer persecutions. The word of the cross is a word that arouses opposition and violence. A true messenger of the cross of Christ suffers the consequences of preaching the message most resisted by darkness.
"(My) sufferings" (3:11). Paul concludes this list of spiritual experiences with sufferings. Right now, as he writes this epistle, he is imprisoned. His intensely lived life is coming to an end in the worst way - humanly speaking. No one in the world expects to come to the end of his life with such a sense of personal and social loss. But it is usually the way in which a true servant of God concludes his journey.
Finally there is "my departure" (4:6). All is concluded; the race has been run, the testimony has been sustained, the battle has been won. Now, the aged and experienced apostle only awaits the moment when God says "enough". When he reaches the end, Paul can review his life and make an inventory of his possessions. They are not those things for which the world is so desirous; nevertheless, they are goods that will never lose their value.