It's an Election Year...

Five Reminders

I recently purchased a car that had the power to make it off the lot but not much more. It overheated twice. As I drove to a mechanic, I had one eye on the road and one eye on the thermostat. The closer I got to my destination, I watched the needle slowly rise to those deadly red marks.

This isn’t the first time our country has felt the heat of a political moment, but recently, the temperature seems unbearable. From rallies to debates to attempted assassinations, true disciples of Jesus find themselves in boiling water which incites one of two temptations. First, we are tempted to bury our heads in the sand and retreat from moral conversations, and second, we’re tempted to perpetuate the vitriol and anger that our country is witnessing.

Since objective moral truth is at the heart of many of these conversations, true Christians ought to be known for being firm on truth. They are also to be known for reflecting the kindness of the Savior. Paul shows us how to strike this balance in 2 Timothy 2:24-26.

Here are five general reminders to always keep in mind, especially while navigating volatile relationships in an election year...

1. “And the Lord’s Servant…” (vs. 24a)

In this chapter, the Apostle Paul told Timothy to avoid ignorant controversies which don’t produce unity but rather breed quarrels. And right before his next appeal, he reminded Timothy that he was the Lord’s servant.

Christian, you are not the servant of any king but the King of Kings. When you go to comment on social media, when you’re tempted to share your two cents in a political conversation, when you’re going to get involved in the civil sphere, remember whose servant you are. You’re not called to rise to the defense of “your guy” or “your party,” but to uphold your status as an ambassador for the King.

2. “…must not be quarrelsome, but kind to everyone, able to teach…” (vs. 24b)

Servants of Christ are not characterized by perpetually seeking to hit the bee’s nest. When scrolling through social media for less than 2 minutes, some may think that the fruit of the Spirit is hate, anger, arrogance, steamrolling, etc.

Of course, we are to be able to teach the soundness of Christian morality to all. Puny theology creates puny Christians and puny Christians cannot survive the burning temperature of this age. But when was the last time you saw a change in our nation through quarrelsome Christians? How many non-Christians have been converted through being berated on X (Twitter)?

Rather, the servant of Christ replaces the argumentative spirit with kindness. And who are we to be kind to? Everyone. Yes, including the one you feel is your enemy.

3. “…correcting his opponents…” (vs. 25)

Servants of Christ are to correct those in opposition to the truth. We stand boldly in the face of those telling us to bow the knee to the cultural gods and capitulate to demonic agendas. We must always be ready to give a reason for the hope that is in us (2 Peter 3:15). Right before this, Paul encourages Timothy to work hard to show himself approved by rightly dividing the Word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15).

So as we build relationships with our neighbors and co-workers who oppose Christianity and its ethics, we don’t listen to them espouse lies for weeks on end and never utter a word of correction in the name of “love” and “not shoving truth down their throats.” We shouldn’t sit there, nodding along with a big smile as if their views are not dangerous and damning. We ought not to give the impression that every opinion is equally valid and unintentionally cement the relativism of our culture.

We correct, persuade, and bring truth to bear upon all areas of morality.

But we do this…

4. “…with gentleness…” and by “…patiently enduring evil…” (vs. 24c; 25a)

Here, Paul is helping us get closer to the balance of truth and love. The truth we give to the opponents of the Christian worldview ought to be seasoned with gentleness. The truth is released with a tone that reveals an understanding of the weakness and corruption that sin has brought into this world. It comes with patience when you’re the one on the receiving end of evil knowing that Christ was patient toward you. Correction comes knowing that Christ did not initially come into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved (John 3:17).

Surveying the landscape today, you would think that Jesus gave us marching orders such as these: “Be kind to each other and non-Christians, except when they disagree with you about political matters or are living in debauchery. Then you may jettison all of my commands about gentle correction and love.”

What are the results of Paul’s balanced approach?

5. “God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.” (vs. 25b-26)

What brings about the fruit of righteousness we desire to see in our neighborhoods and nation? It’s not an argumentative spirit or name-calling; it’s God’s granting of repentance. It’s the gospel of the grace of God which radically rescues sinners from the snare of the devil. Paul says that the person God uses to do this is the redeemed servant of the Lord who gently and boldly proclaims truth while patiently enduring evil.

As Christians who are feeling the heat of the moment, we find it difficult to strike this balance. We lack the strength in ourselves to accomplish this. Instead of allowing this reality to make us more frustrated, we look to Christ, the true Servant of the Lord; the suffering servant who patiently endured evil. The One who was never soft or squishy in the face of evil and yet always corrected His opponents with gentleness and love. He is the perfect balance we need since He is the one who came to us full of grace and truth (John 1:14). He endured evil to the point of death on the cross where He bore the evil deeds of mankind and rose again to rescue people from the captivity of satan and this corrupt age.

As we humbly rely upon the grace of our Savior and seek to reflect His beauty, may God use us to bring about change in the lives of people. He brought it about in you and He’ll bring it about in others through the means He has appointed—servants of the Lord who incarnate truth and love.