Read with Me
2 Timothy 2:20-22 (HCSB)
Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver bowls, but also those of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. So if anyone purifies himself from anything dishonorable, he will be a special instrument, set apart, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.
Flee from youthful passions, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
Listen with Me
Paul uses a very clear analogy for those in the church. In every house there were things that were used for “honorable” purposes, cooking pots, cups, plates, water jars, and even clay stoves, as well as clothing and jewelry. There were also vessels used for dishonorable purposes, such as chamber pots used to haul human waste outside and containers for the offal of slaughtered goats and chickens. And the observant Jews made sure to never confound the two, for fear of making clean things unclean by carelessly storing them in unclean pottery.
The key to understanding Paul’s meaning in this illustration is first the context. He has just written about the need to clearly identify the false teachers who were destroying the faith of gullible believers in order to build up their own “brand”. Those are the articles serving dishonorable purposes in the Church. Even if they were not cast out because of their erroneous teachings, they were to be limited in how much authority they were allowed so as to severely limit the damage they could do because of their doctrinal “uncleanness”.
But the other key is in verse 21. People are to cleanse themselves from anything dishonorable (man’s role) so that they can be made holy and useful to God, transformed into instruments of spiritual gold and silver (God’s role), so that they can be used by God for honorable and noble purposes.
This purification and transformation of the individual is a joint venture. God will work in concert and cooperation with any who desire to be made pure and holy for His sake. How can a human being cleanse him or herself? The answer is in verse 23: by allowing God first of all to purify their heart. This is absolutely possible and is clearly promised in the Scriptures. But it is the thing that only God can do. Each person is also to do what they can do: turn away from youthful passions and evil desires, and instead to wholeheartedly pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace. In this way, they can become so pure that God can use them to advance His kingdom work, and they never have to worry that they will be a contaminant in the body of Christ.
Pray with Me
Father, I have heard some teach that there are people who are simply are made to serve dishonorable or ignoble purposes, while others, due to some mysterious process of election on your behalf, are chosen to be holy, vessels for honorable and noble purposes. And the corollary is that there is simply nothing we can do to change that destiny about ourselves. But when I keep reading, that seems to not be true. Instead, I am encouraged to submit myself to you for cleansing, and then to choose to shun the evil things and to do the good and righteous things so that you can accomplish my transformation into a vessel for honorable purposes, free from any sin or corruption. What an amazing promise, Lord! Thank you! Amen.