When we are young and healthy, it is easy to feel (or presume) that we have many decades ahead of us on this Earth. But once a person senses that the end of his earthly sojourn is approaching, there is often a greater appreciation of the value of time and words—now both in short supply.
None of us would accuse the apostle Paul of wasting either words or time. But it is safe to say that, when he knew that the time of his departure had come (2 Tim. 4:6), he was eager to pass on to young Timothy that which was absolutely essential.
What is it, then, that Paul chose to emphasize? There is more than one correct answer to that question. But when reading 2 Timothy, one cannot help but notice that Paul keeps coming back to the Word of God. This book contains the preeminent passage on the nature of Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:14-17. Compressed into these few verses is revelation concerning the balance of the Old and New Testaments, the inspiration of Scripture, and the authority (v. 16) and sufficiency (v. 17) of the Word of God. Furthermore, we learn that the Bible is the basis of our doctrine and our practice, both positively and negatively (v. 16). The rest of the book outlines our duty to God’s Word: retain its teachings (1:13), pass it on (2:2), be diligent with it (2:15), handle it accurately (2:15), and preach it (4:2).
Paul had devoted his life to studying the Old Testament and, although it largely remained a closed book to him during that time, there is no doubt that those early years of study were of vast benefit to him once he embraced the Key: “But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; but whenever a man turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away” (2 Cor. 3:15f).
But not only was Paul steeped in the Old Testament, after he met the Lord, it was his privilege to give us much of the New Testament! As such, he was ideally suited to be the one that the Lord used to reveal the beautiful harmony of the two testaments. Acts records his ministry of using the Old Testament Scriptures to prove that Jesus is the Christ (e.g. Acts 9:22); when writing the ultimate exposition of the gospel, Paul stated at the outset that not only is God’s plan of redemption centered in the Lord Jesus Christ, but that this is exactly what “He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures” (Rom. 1:2); and all of his writings are filled with Old Testament quotations corroborating the gospel of Christ.
It is no wonder, then, that Paul’s final letter to his beloved son in the faith was a letter about the Word of God.
This was Paul’s legacy. What is ours? If we faced death today, would we be overcome with regret about a life of wasted time? Or could we, like Paul, say, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith” (2 Tim. 4:7)? The answers to those questions will depend upon how we have treated the Word of God.
“And now I commend you to God and to the Word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified” (Acts 20:32).