2 Timothy 2:12
12 If [ei] we suffer, [hupomeno] we shall [sumbasileuo] also
[kai] reign with [sumbasileuo] him: if [ei] we deny [arneomai] him, he also [kakeinos]
will deny [arneomai] us: [hemas] KJV-Interlinear
12 If we
endure, we shall also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us; NASB
Paul is speaking of
believers, ‘we,’ identifying others as the same type as himself, a believer in
Christ.
There are two types of
believers. Those who will be positive
toward Christ and thus will suffer (be careful how you define this word, for it
does not mean what you think), and those who will not suffer as it were.
The not so positive
believers are the indifferent, the apathetic, or even the outright antagonistic
toward Christ. People who at one time
believed in Christ, and then for whatever reason, drifted away from their
spiritual life.
We defined ‘suffer’
earlier in the chapter, so you know that just by being in this devils world,
there is a suffering which all people have to endure. The day to day burdens and responsibilities
of life are a form of suffering.
But for Christians, this
suffering is attributed to the identification with Christ through their belief
in Him. This is not something that you
can boast about, for boasting is nothing more than arrogance. No one has the right to even suggest that
they are somehow special because they are suffering.
But here the suffering
is identified with the spiritual life.
We leave this worlds patterns of life (the sin nature) in exchange of the
spiritual pattern of life. And this is of
course the functioning spiritual life.
So suffering is synonymous with obedience to Christ’s mandates. That is, the positive believer advancing in
their spiritual life.
As a result, positive
believers are blessed, ‘reign with Him.’
And here reign, certainly means to rule, and this is a joint rulership,
but its connotation here is joint blessings of assigned authority.
Those who deny Him,
meaning those who refuse or ignore or simply do not advance in their spiritual life,
and thus are the disobedient, will not enjoy the benefits of reigning, that is,
they will not have the blessings that the obedient will have.
Therefore from the
beginning of this chapter, do not be embarrassed because of your relationship
with Christ. Do not be embarrassed
because of your status in this life. God
did not place you here to be outstanding among mankind, just to show you off to
others.
Most believers in
Christ will possess the lowly jobs, the lowly positions in life, and no one on
this planet will even know their names.
But God does. And it is Gods
knowledge of you, that is important.
Therefore, Paul emphasizes
your blessings. There are many,
including the many blessings and privileges (by implication) or rulership. The king, the royal family, all possess many
more privileges than do the peasants.
And so it will be in eternity.
Symbolically stated
here, the positive believer, the one who pursues their advancement toward
spiritual maturity, through thick or thin in this world, will indeed be blessed
with enormous blessings that the negative believer will never possess.
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