Second Timothy 2:1-26

II Timothy 2:1-7:

^2:1Therefore you, my child, must be enabled in the grace, the (grace) in Christ Jesus, ^.2and the-things-which you heard from me by means of many witnesses these-things you must put-beside believing men, the-people-who will be sufficient also to teach different-people. ^.3You must suffer-bad-things-together as a beautiful soldier of Christ Jesus – ^.4not-one-person serving-as-a-soldier weaves-himself-in to the materials of life in order that he may please the (one) collecting-soldiers; ^.5but if-ever also someone may contend he is not crowned except he may lawfully contend; ^.6it is necessary (for) the tiller laboring firstly to receive of the fruits. ^.7You must mentally-perceive that-which I say for the Lord will give to you understanding in all-things.

Paul again addresses Timothy as “child” as though he were a child born to/from himself emphasizing his affection for him by using this term of endearment (refer to I Timothy 1:2 and 18; II Timothy 1:2).

Following-on logically from what I have just written, emphatically you, my child, must be enabled in the grace (be caused to be made-able, to have able-power within, to be given-ability, empowered, made-capable within the unmerited, freely-bestowed favor), emphatically and specifically the grace within Christ Jesus (refer to II Timothy 1:7-10).

And, the things which you heard from me by means of many witnesses (you heard the words I spoke through a lot of people who have information, knowledge of what they are attesting to and can therefore confirm the things that I said on the strength of their own authority) – these things you must put-beside believing men (you must place these things alongside believers, pass these things on from you to those of mankind who are faithful, trusting relative-to God and the things of God), the men/women who will be sufficient also to teach different-people (those who will suffice enough, who will have come to enough, reached the point of satisfying sufficiency in this context of also instructing other people).

We should notice that Paul told Timothy to put the details of what Paul said beside believers (people adjectively described as believing, faithful, trusting relative-to God, and no mention is made about what particular function they may have within the one spiritual body of Christ, nor did he write ‘unbelievers’). Then after Timothy puts these things beside believers they will be sufficient to teach different people, i.e. people who don’t have or know it yet.

The good-message regarding the Lord Jesus Christ is to be taught to all people: to believers so that they can learn more and also to unbelievers so that they can choose if they want to believe and become believers.

Paul continues: you must suffer bad-things together (experience, be affected by things that do not issue from the only true God in conjunction with your teaching this to others with me) – how? – as a beautiful soldier of Christ Jesus (Christ Jesus’ soldier being in service to/for him soldiering during battle/war in military service with a manifested decorous, harmonious and acceptable goodness). The usage of military terminology draws attention to the truth that holy-people are in a battle/war against the opposing side which is under the leadership of satan, the devil.

Paul explains by giving illustrations to help Timothy to understand three aspects:

not one person serving as a soldier weaves-himself-in to the materials of life in order that he may please the one collecting-soldiers

(nobody, no-one who is in service soldiering during battle/war plaits or braids himself in something, entangles himself, intertwines himself in to the dealings of matters, the handling of affairs, the procedures and doings pertaining to the course, mode, manner of our everyday living – why not?
- for the purpose and result that he would be agreeable, acceptable or gratifying to the one who enlisted him into the soldiery, his military boss);

but if-ever also someone may contend he is not crowned except he may lawfully contend

(if it should happen at any time that somebody would contend being an athlete for mastery of an event as in public games aiming at the finish-line, with the goal of being the one to receive the prize for winning that event –
- that person is not crowned with the prize of the garland, the victory-wreath that is only awarded to the victor of that event, unless with the condition being that he would contend in a lawful manner, according to the guidelines set-up and administered for that athletic event.
  - The garland that will be available for holy-people to receive at a future time will be our receiving the appropriate rewards from our Lord Jesus Christ when he will gather us together and we will be before his judgment seat. The usage of athletic terminology draws attention to the truth that holy-people are contending being athletes together moving in the direction of the same objective, being on the same team in the same contest, not a different one or on a different team.);

it is necessary for the tiller laboring firstly to receive of the fruits

(it is binding, it must, it ought to happen that the cultivator, husbandman, the one who tills the soil preparing the garden making it ready for the plants to bear fruit, it is necessary for the tiller who is presently and actively exerting wearisome effort and toil carrying-out his responsibility –
- to be the one who is the first to take-of, participate of what is given to him which are the fruits, the things produced, the results of his labor, and these fruits are also to be received in company and association with others but he is first).

You must mentally-perceive what I say (you Timothy must presently and actively observe with your mind, see to the end of knowing mentally the collection of words I lay out here for you) – in truth, the Lord will give to you understanding in all-things – who will give you understanding? – the Lord Jesus Christ.

To ‘give’ is an unforced presenting or yielding something which someone already has to someone else who does not have it yet. The Lord Jesus Christ will give to you the capacity to put it together in your mind gaining insight in all the things I have spoken and written down for you.

[Reference: Matthew 13:24, 31, and 27:29; Acts 9:22, 17:3; I Corinthians 3:11-15, 9:7, 24-27; II Corinthians 5:10, 10:3 and 4, 12:9; Ephesians 3:4, 20, and 6:10-18; Philippians 1:27, 4:1, and 3; I Thessalonians 2:19; I Timothy 1:7, 12-18, 2:2, 4:13; II Timothy 1:8, 12, and 13; II Peter 2:20; Revelation 19:14 and 19.]

Verses 8-13:

^.8You must remember Jesus Christ having been raised-up² out-from dead-people, out-from (the) seed of David, according to my good-message ^.9in which I suffer-bad-things up-until bonds as a bad-worker, but the word of God has not been bound². ^.10Because-of-this I patiently-endure all-things because-of the selected-people in order that also they may attain the salvation in Christ Jesus with eternal glory – ^.11the word (is) believable – for if we died-together with (him) also we will live-together with (him), ^.12if we patiently-endure also we will reign-as-kings together with (him), if we will deny (him) that-one also will deny us, ^.13if we disbelieve (him) that-one remains believing for he is not able to deny himself.

You must actively call to your mind and have in memory Jesus Christ (emphasizing Jesus Christ’s obedience and service to God on a horizontal level to benefit people)…

having been raised-up and continuing raised-up out-from dead-people (God his Father caused him to rise up alive out from the rest of the dead people, who remain dead until their resurrection, and he is still alive),
out-from David’s seed (King David’s offspring, his posterity and therefore the man who has the legal right being heir to David’s throne and king having dominion over the earth and those who live on it),

…in accordance with my good-message (the gospel I proclaim).

It is within the sphere of action of this good-message that I suffer bad-things up-until bonds as a bad-worker (I am presently experiencing, being affected by things that do not issue from the only true God for the limited time-period and to the degree ending with my now being physically bound in bands, my second imprisonment in Rome).

But contrary to my being in bonds – the word of God has not been bound and continues not bound (God’s Word is not tied, not fastened).

On account of this (what I have just written) I patiently-endure all-things because-of the selected-people (I hold-out, bear-up, stay, remain upwards or upright under all the things that God and the Lord Jesus Christ want me to do, no matter what happens to me, on account of the people who are chosen-out, elected, those who voluntarily accepted what God makes available to mankind, who believed what He says regarding Himself and His son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and became holy-people) for the purpose and result that also emphatically they may attain (obtain, as hitting the target with an arrow)…

the salvation in Christ Jesus with eternal glory (the standing and state of being saved, safety from sins and their consequences, from destruction, made-safe within Christ Jesus in company and association with agelong importance, splendor, renown)….

Each second and minute and hour and day and month and year that goes-by brings all holy-people, every Christian, nearer in time to the event of Christ's coming to gather us all together with him in the air. When we will be gathered together with Christ we will receive into full-manifestation the salvation that God has promised us in Christ Jesus. Currently we only have a token/deposit of it, which is the gift of holy spirit, to assure us that we will definitely receive the fullness of our salvation at a future time. The Greek word aionios may be translated “eternal” or “agelong”. In the context here, this glory will not end once we receive it. It is eternal, agelong, lifelong, everlasting. This glory is the manifested essence of God in Christ in us radiating forth.

Because-of-this I patiently-endure all-things because-of the selected-people in order that also they may attain the salvation in Christ Jesus with eternal glory…

– the word is believable (the spoken account is faithful, trustworthy) – what word? – the spoken account of the inner thoughts of God regarding salvation; we can rely on what God says, His Word – in truth (Paul now lists some conditional statements, each statement containing a premise whether good or bad upon-which the completion of God’s agreement in Christ with all holy-people will come to pass, God’s Word will be fulfilled)…
if we died-together with him (since we holy-people have already died in conjunction with Jesus Christ because we have the spirit of Christ in us and therefore everything he has accomplished we have accomplished in the spirit category)
- also we will live-together with him (we will at a future time also be alive in conjunction with Christ Jesus because when he comes to gather us together with him we will receive our spiritual bodies and remain with him alive, living with him),
if we patiently-endure (if we presently and actively hold-out, bear-up, stay, remain upwards or upright relative to God and the things of God under all obstacles)
- also we will reign-as-kings together with him (we will also reign as kings in conjunction with Christ Jesus after he gathers us together with him),
if we will deny him (if we will disown and reject Christ Jesus during the everyday living of our lives from now until he gathers us together with him)
- that-one also will deny us (specifically he, Christ Jesus, also will disown and reject us at the time when we stand before him at his judgment seat to receive the appropriate rewards, assignments, etc, from him in correspondence with our behavior being holy-people/Christians awaiting his coming to gather us together with him)
if we disbelieve him (if we do not presently and actively believe him, if we do not have faith in what he says and does, if we do not trust him)
- that-one remains believing (specifically he, Christ Jesus, presently and actively continues staying faithful, actively having belief, trusting, reliable, for he does and will-do what he says he does and will-do, which is what God says)
  - for he is not able to deny himself (in truth Christ Jesus is not capable of denying himself, he does not have the able-power to disown and reject himself).

[Reference: Matthew 1:1, 10:33, 22:14, chapter 27; Luke 23:32; Acts 2:24, 3:15, 13:30-37, 17:14, 21; Romans 1:3 and 4, 2:16, 6:4-10, 8:11 and 33, 10:9, 12:12, 13:11, 14:10; I Corinthians 4:8, 13:7, 15:4 and 20; II Corinthians 3:17 and 18, 4:17, 5:10; Galatians 1:1, 11, and 12; Ephesians 1:20; Colossians 2:11 and 12, 3:12; I Thessalonians 5:8 and 9; II Thessalonians 1:9 and 10; I Timothy 1:15, 3:1, 4:9; II Timothy 1:12; Titus 3:8; Revelation chapter 20ff.]

Verses 14-21:

^.14These-things you must remind (people), throughly-witnessing before God, not to word-fight on nothing useful on (the) down-turning of the (people) hearing. ^.15You must be earnestly-diligent to present yourself to God an approved-person, an unashamed worker cutting-uprightly the word of the truth. ^.16But the profane empty-sounds you must stand-around (from), for they will advance on more-than lack-of-reverence ^.17and their word will have a feeding-pasture as gangrene, of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus, ^.18the-people-who failed concerning the truth saying resurrection to have already come-to-pass² and they overturn the belief of some-people. ^.19Yet-indeed the solid foundation of God stood² having this seal: “(The) Lord knew the (people) being His,” and, “He must depart away-from unrighteousness every-person naming the name of (the) Lord.” ^.20But in a great house there is not only golden and silver vessels but also wooden and earthenware, even indeed which (vessels are) for honor and which (vessels are) for dishonor; ^.21therefore if-ever someone may clean-out himself away-from these-things he will be a vessel for honor having been made-holy², well-useful for the Master, having been prepared² into all good work.

You must remind people of these things (cause those who have previously been taught to remember these things, to recollect, call these things to their minds),…

while you are throughly-witnessing before God (fully affirming, testifying through the entire subject, thoroughly making known the information and knowledge that you have regarding these things in the sight and presence of God [some Greek texts have the word ‘Lord’ here instead of ‘God’]),…

…not to word-fight on nothing useful (not to battle, not to be in combat about words, what is spoken, and using words as instruments to fight-with, actively moving in a downward direction on not-one useful thing, nothing functional, nothing benevolent or usable, something that has no suitable purpose in service) eventually resting on the down-turning of the people hearing (the overturning, the catastrophe of those who are hearing these word fights taking place).

You must be earnestly-diligent (have speedy application or performance, assiduity, endeavor with earnestness) to present yourself to God (to cause yourself to stand beside God, near-by Him)…

an approved person (a person who has been proved by testing or examination and thereby approved regarding your behavior, the way you conduct yourself during your everyday living),
an unashamed worker (a person who expends your energy and effort without shame, a worker who does not feel shame, has no cause to have the feeling or emotion of disgrace and guilt being sorry for what you are doing as though your work was improper, ignominious or dishonorable)
- cutting-uprightly the word of the truth (presently and actively cutting a straight and direct way without allowing any obstacles to twist or turn you off the right course/path on which you are proceeding, which is the word of the truth, the spoken account of the inner thoughts of God which is true).

In order to present yourself to God being an approved person and an unashamed worker, the course/path that you are to walk-on and keep level – cutting the path uprightly so that others can follow you walking on the same path – is the word of God. The word that belongs-to and issues-from God, God’s Word, includes the previously revealed spoken and written words from God, and what I am writing to you by revelation now, plus what God may reveal to you via your holy spirit-life at any time regarding specific circumstances or situations (refer also to Proverbs 3:6 and 11:5).

But – the profane empty-sounds you must stand-around from (stand about on the perimeter aloof from the sounds/voices that are empty of contents, vain, and adjectively described as: desecrated, trampled, polluted, violated, having crossed the threshold from what is holy and entered-into what is unholy, not sacred or initiated),…

for the truth is that these profane empty-sounds will advance on more-than lack-of-reverence (they will beat or drive forward cutting down everything out of their way so that nothing can impede their progress, their advancement on comparatively more than not being reverential towards God, not being respectful in service towards and for Him)
and the word of/from those who speak such things will have a feeding-pasture as gangrene (that spoken account will have an area to feed on, eating its way ahead spreading in the bad sense as illustrated by gangrene gnawing and putrefying, causing death to the area affected because of the lack of supply of blood which is the life needed for that part of the body to stay alive – this is in complete contrast to the word of truth in verse 15 above),
of whom is Hymenaeus (I Timothy 1:20) and Philetus, the people who failed concerning the truth (they have actively aimed off course, deviated from the mark, have not aimed at or endeavored to reach the goal around, about, with reference to the truth) – what is their word? – they are saying that resurrection has already come-to-pass and continues to be (they lay out before people that the standing-up alive of people who died has previously happened, already occurred; as though there was no bodily resurrection so as to receive our new spiritual bodies, etc) and they overturn the belief of some-people (they turn up, subvert, upset some holy-people’s faith, trust relative to God and the things of God, which includes our belief of the hope of Christ coming to gather us together and still-future resurrections including judgments, etc).

Emphatically indeed the solid (firm, stable) foundation of God stood and continues to stand….

A ‘foundation’ is that-which is put (placed, laid, set) being fundamental, like the foundation of a building whereby the rest of the building stands on top of it and is supported by it. Yet-indeed the solid foundation of God stood and stays standing, as opposed to falling or failing.

The solid foundation of God stands presently and actively having this seal (this mark of authentication and approval, making it fast, as when using a seal to ensure something is secure, it has this ratification):

“The Lord knew the people being His,” (The Lord, God, personally knew, with a truly active knowing, the people who are being His, who are presently belonging to Him – the verb “knew” is in the aorist tense which indicates that this is a fact, a completed truth, an action already attained at whatever time this knowledge is required whether past, present or future, and therefore He has no need to be told or reminded of who His people are, God personally knows His people) and,
“He must depart away-from unrighteousness every person naming the name of the Lord” (all/every person who is making use of the name specifically designating the distinguishing and distinctive constitution, character and quality of the Lord, calling, pronouncing His name to incorporate the fullness of everything involved, everything that the Lord stands-for and represents – this person must actively stand away from injustice, unjustness, being/doing what is not just/right before God).

When the name “Lord” is used referring to God it emphasizes His covenant relationship with His people whom He has created. It is also interesting that in Greek many of the words in this passage have "stand" as their root, as noted in the descriptions.

Paul continues to teach and explain regarding the standing and the state/behavior of different limbs/members of the one spiritual body of Christ by using another illustration (all holy-people are the limbs and Christ is the head because God placed him in that position).

In a great (large) house…

there is not only golden and silver vessels (utensils made of/with, overlaid or covered with gold or silver), but contrary to there only being these, there are also wooden and earthenware vessels.
1. (This corresponds to “The Lord knew the people being His”.)

In addition indeed, of these vessels…

some are into/for honor (esteemed to have value, deemed to be worthy of price) and some are into/for dishonor (lack of honor, without value).
1. (This corresponds to “He must depart away-from unrighteousness every person naming the name of the Lord” – the walk, behavior, conduct category.)

Following-on logically, if it should happen at any time that someone may clean-out himself away-from these-things (if ever a person would purge himself from the things against God described in verses 16-18, remove these things out from himself thus making himself free from every foreign mixture)…

…he will be (in the walk, behavior, conduct category)…

a vessel for honor (a utensil into, directed to value, worthy of price)
- having been made-holy and remaining holy (sanctified, set-apart from the state of being common, defiled or unclean against God, having come into the state of corresponding to the essence of God),
well-useful for the Master (good for use, very functional, usable, suitable for good benevolent, kind purposes in service for/to the Sovereign Lord, the Absolute-Master, the Despot, the One Who has absolute dominion, supreme authority, and unlimited power; this word “Master” emphasizes that God the Master is over His own slaves whereby His slaves figuratively have their feet bound in complete subjection to Him in service during everyday living),
- having been prepared and continuing prepared into all good work (made ready for, directed to, with a view to all/every work that issues from God Who is good and sets the standard for what is good, being prepared for every good thing wrought, every deed, every effect-produced having acted expending energy in accordance with what is perfectly admirable from God's viewpoint, according to His words and intention because He is the source of all true goodness).

[Reference: Numbers 16:5; Proverbs 3:6, 11:5; Matthew 21:12; John 10:9, 14, 15, and 27-29, 14:26; Acts 2:40, 10:42, 16:5, 18:25, 20:21-14, 23:11, 25:7, 28:23; Romans 1:16 and 18, 9:21, 11:26, 16:10; I Corinthians 3:11-15, 5:7; II Corinthians 4:7, 6:7, 9:8, 10:18; Galatians 2:10; Ephesians 1:13, 2:10, 4:3; Colossians 1:5, 10, and 28, 2:5; I Thessalonians 2:17, 4:4 and 6; I Timothy 1:6, 9 and 20, 2:10, 4:7, 5:10 and 21, 6:4, 20 and 21; II Timothy 1:8 and 12, 4:11; Titus 1:11, 3:1; Philemon verse 11; Hebrews 5:12 and 14; I Peter 5:9; II Peter 1:12.]

Verses 22-26:

^.22You must flee the youthful intense-yearnings, but you must pursue righteousness, belief, love¹, peace with the (people) calling-upon the Lord to-themselves out-from a clean heart. ^.23But the dull and untrained seekings you must refuse having known² that they give-birth-to fights. ^.24But it is not necessary (for) a slave of (the) Lord to fight but to be gentle towards all-people, apt-to-teach, holding-up-from-badness, ^.25in meekness training the (people) being throughly-antithetical lest-perhaps God may give to them repentance into full-knowledge of truth ^.26and they may sober-up out-from the trap of the devil having been caught-alive² by him into that-one’s intention.

You must put yourself in flight from the youthful intense-yearnings (here used in the bad sense of the strong desires attaching or fixing upon certain objects other-than God and the things of God, lusts, pertaining to youth, newness, being a young age).

You must pursue (intensely follow, proceed earnestly after)…

righteousness (justness, justice, the attributes of justification, the quality of being and doing what is just/right from God's point of view),
belief (faith, trust relative-to God and the things of God, what God gives us to believe),
love¹ (the word "love¹" comes from the Greek word agape which is God's kind of love),
peace (tranquil harmony without strife, the opposite of war, the opposite of conflict, the opposite of being at odds with the other party)…

…in company and association with the people who are calling-upon the Lord to-themselves out-from a clean heart (those who are inviting the Lord Jesus Christ to themselves by turning appealingly towards him from a heart that is clean, free from any bad foreign-mixture; refer to Romans 10:8-15). The word "heart" literally means: the organ which keeps the fleshy body alive by circulating the blood; but figuratively it means: the center or core of a person's being, the seat of his whole personal self and life.

But the dull (not-acute, absurd, foolish, moronic) and untrained (childishly untaught, undisciplined, not correct, without education) seekings you must refuse (you must ask aside from, excuse yourself from, entreat not to be involved in these dull and untrained actions of seeking, questions, looking for answers, searches, inquiries, quests), having known and you still know (perceive, see) that these seekings give birth to fights (they beget battles, combats).

It is not necessary for a slave of the Lord to fight (it must/ought not to happen, it is not binding for a bond-servant belonging to the Lord Jesus Christ to battle, combat with other people)…. This word “Lord” emphasizes and confirms the validity and authenticity of the lord’s lordship relative to his slaves plus the respectful submission due to him by his slaves

A slave is a servant who is bound to serve his master. This service as a slave (bond-servant) means that the slave's whole being is at the service-of or in service-to that one master, not serving anybody or anything else! During the time-period of the writing of the Bible, a master was obligated to take-care of his slave and the slave was obligated to do all his master would ask of him. It was a mutually beneficial relationship between the master and his slave. To be a "slave" was quite an honorable and responsible position to hold. However, today in the minds of some people the word "slave" has been changed from God's original design of a working-relationship to what mankind twisted, corrupted and perverted it to mean as a position of demoralization or degradation, etc. But we who are students of God's Word must consider this word "slave" as God considered it at the time of Paul's writing of this letter.

Timothy was one who served in the capacity of being the Lord's slave from the working relationship viewpoint (not from the spirit relationship point of view). In the spirit category all holy-people are brothers of the Lord Jesus Christ and we are sons of God our Father by birth. We have received the essence of God which is holy spirit-life - and this is family, not a working or service relationship.

It is not necessary for a slave of the Lord to fight – but on the contrary, it is necessary for a slave of the Lord to presently and actively be:

gentle towards all-people (soothingly helpful, as opposed to using pressure, towards both the people who may still be unsaved, who may believe and become saved receiving the gift of holy spirit after they hear you, and the people who may already be saved spiritually but need help in the walk/behavior category),
apt-to-teach (skillful in teaching, didactic),
holding-up from badness (a slave holds himself upwards in restraint from what is not according to his Lord’s will, his Master’s intention),
in meekness training the people being throughly-antithetical (‘training’ means teaching as to children, which not only includes instruction but also discipline and correction and education – training those who thoroughly put, place, set themselves in positions of being anti/against the truth of God and the things of God, and you do this training within the sphere of action of tender receptiveness or receptivity towards God and the things of God)

…lest-perhaps (whether or not, whether it may happen at any time or not, that)…

God would give to them repentance (God would make it available for them to have a change of mind from bad to good regarding God and the things of God, emphasizing their minds’ change after re-thinking the matter having heard God’s words that you speak to them)
- into, with a view to, directed to the full, clear and exact personal-knowledge of truth (refer to verse 15 above)…

…and…

they would actively sober-up (literally: cause themselves to become free from intoxicants, figuratively: be in control of their minds and bodies so that they are alert and receptive to what God and/or the Lord Jesus Christ may want to make known to them, and that they are not in a stupor, a daze, lethargic)
- out from the trap of the devil (from the devil’s snare, that-which holds them fast and entangled, out from being inside of the trap set for them by the devil) having been caught-alive and continuing caught-alive by him (they are in the devil’s trap because they were hunted and caught alive, as catching a living fish or animal but not killing it yet, caught alive by the power of the devil who is the efficient and instrumental agent who caught them alive) into, with a view to, directed to that-one’s intention (specifically his will, that devil’s intention, his active volition and desire).

We should notice the three ways that Paul refers to the devil here in this short phrase: “the devil” and “his” and “that-one” – there is to be no doubt as to where the antithesis comes from – the devil. The devil is the source of all that is against the only true God, no matter who actually carries out the devil’s intention for him. The only reason the devil would not kill someone under his control in the behavior category is for the person to carry out the devil’s intention/will during his life.

The word translated "devil" comes from the words: "through" and "throw" or "cast." The devil throws/casts things through people, like stabbing a person from outside through the person and out the other side with an accusation, slander, etc. The devil is the chief of the devil-spirits (demons), which are the other evil-spirits in subordination to the devil. These spirits are evil because they willingly, actively, and malignantly went against and continue to go against what the only true God says and does. God has judged them and the complete fulfillment of His judgment will come to pass at a future time. See Genesis 3:14 and 15, Isaiah 14:12-15, Ezekiel 28:11-19, I Peter 3:19 and 20, and Revelation chapters 12, 19 and 20, which are some of the prophecies that include information about the devil’s past, present, and future.

Re-reading verses 24-26:

^.24But it is not necessary (for) a slave of (the) Lord to fight but to be gentle towards all-people, apt-to-teach, holding-up-from-badness, ^.25in meekness training the (people) being throughly-antithetical lest-perhaps God may give to them repentance into full-knowledge of truth ^.26and they may sober-up out-from the trap of the devil having been caught-alive² by him into that-one’s intention.

[Reference: II Samuel 8:2; II Chronicles 5:12; Luke 5:10; John 17:17; Acts 2:21, 11:18, 15:2 and 7, 20:21, 26:20; Romans 2:4, 10:8-15; I Corinthians 4:21, and chapter 13; II Corinthians 7:8-10, 10:1; Galatians 5:22 and 23, 6:1; I Thessalonians 2:7, 5:6 and 8; I Timothy 1:5, 2:4, 3:2 and 7, 4:7, 5:11, 6:4 and 9; Titus 1:1, 3:9; I Peter 5:8; I John 5:1-2. Note: verbs with a superscript 2 (²) immediately following them indicate the "perfect" tense - details are provided in the "Relevant Notes" link of this study.]

II Timothy Chapter 3