2 Timothy 2:14-19 – Being an unashamed workman

In this section, Paul returned to give three more factors to challenge Timothy to be effective in ministry. He used three more metaphors to motivate him: the illustration of the unashamed workman; the clean vessel; and the Lord’s servant. In these verses. Paul dealt with the quality of an unashamed workman

In calling for Timothy to be a workman for God, Paul was telling him as well as us today, that a workman handles the word of truth. However, he also reveals that there are two types of workmen for God: the good and unashamed workmen and the bad ones. The good ones are tried and approved, whereas the bad ones have failed the test and are not approved. Furthermore, the differing trait between these two categories of workmen would be the way they go about handling the Word. One group would rightly divide it while the other one would wrangle about words (verse 14) and stray from the truth (verse 18).

Paul told Timothy that as a good workman of God, he must accurately handle the word of truth. He must not do what the bad workmen were doing. They would wrangle about words that were not only useless but caused ruin to their hearers (verse 14). They had also strayed from the truth (verse 18) by contorting the Scriptures with their worldly and empty chatters. The result would be more ungodliness. Furthermore, their unwholesome teachings were spreading like gangrene. Timothy was advised to avoid them. Paul even specifically mentioned the names of two such people: Hymenaeus and Philetus. They taught that the resurrection had already past, thereby upsetting the faith of some believers. However, Paul had a firm assurance that God knows those who are truly His. And those who truly belong to God would visibly abstain from wickedness.

What did Paul mean when he called for workers of God to accurately handle the Word of truth? He is saying that true workers of God must go into the Word of God, study it and carve out godly principles that are based on good and sound interpretation of the Word. Having discovered those principles, he then practice it by living them out. The result would be righteous conduct and behavior. Such kind of workmen will never be ashamed in life!