A sound faith must be characterized by sound doctrine. In 2 Timothy 2:15, Paul declares that we must all be able to accurately handle the Word. Now, this does not happen automatically in a believer’s life. Instead, a good soldier must be diligent in his or her studies, working hard to understand the Word of God through study, prayer, and meditation.
The phrase that we see translated as “handle accurately” literally means to cut a straight line. That is, when you and I come to the Word of God we are to be absolutely truthful with what we see and what we find. You see, many people handle the Bible backwards. They decide how they want to live, and then pick one or two Bible verses out of context that seem to support their own decisions. My friend, we just cannot do that.
Instead, we must first pick up the Word, examine what it says all the way through—not just a couple of verses in isolation from the rest—and then base our lives upon that message. That is the “straight line” that Paul mentions—the line that goes from the Word, straight into our lives.
Most people in this world do not want to hear sound doctrine. Instead, they want to hear what makes them feel better about themselves and their actions. Well, the Bible is not about that kind of “ear tickling” (2 Timothy 4:3). Instead, this Book is about instruction, encouragement, and, when necessary, conviction. This is a Book about issues of sin, righteousness, and holiness, and about how our holy God loves us and provides for us.
Second, a good soldier must be separated unto the purposes of God. Now, we have seen in previous lessons that all believers are different. Within the church we find people of different races, ages, professions, and economic status, for example. However, despite this vast mixture of differences, we remain a unified body of believers.
Third, a good soldier must be a servant. An effective servant of the Lord will be focused on two duties in the church. First, he will have a strong desire to protect the unity of the body. Paul makes this clear in 2 Timothy 2:24-25, as he instructs Timothy to be a peacemaker in his congregation. This requires us to be patient, kind, observant, and gracefully diplomatic. We must never soften the Word of God, but we must also be careful not to use it to turn someone away from the Lord. This world is looking for people whose lifestyle declares that God is real, God is personal, God is available, God is powerful, God loves you, God will forgive sin, God will walk beside you. A good soldier of Jesus Christ will always display what the world needs to hear.
(Charles Stanley Institute of Christian Living)
The second concern of a servant will be to rescue and restore those who have been snared by false doctrine or sin. (2 Timothy 2:25-26) Our love for our brothers and sisters must endure their mistakes, and lead us into opportunities for correction and restoration.
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