The Christian is blessed in many ways; now, it may be that he doesn't have much physically on earth, but he has a truly clean conscience that only the Lord can give, and he has the hope of life eternal with the Lord in Heaven. Yet there is a priceless treasure that has been entrusted to him, that he may not even recognize. Really, it seems as if most of those who call themselves Christians don't see the value of this most precious of treasures.
Paul spoke of it in 2 Tim 1:14. There, he said, "Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you." What was this treasure that Timothy was supposed to guard? Paul mentioned it in the previous verse, v13: "Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus." Did you catch it? That precious treasure—that prize of immeasurable value that is entrusted into the hands of each Christian—is found within the pages of the book we are considering right now. That treasure...is the gospel! It is the good news about Jesus Christ, His death, burial, and resurrection; and the salvation that can only come through a relationship with Him! It is that "standard of sound words" that Timothy had heard from Paul—and which we should hear each time we pick up the scriptures.
Now, if we had something worth a lot of money, what would be our natural tendency? We'd want to hide it! We'd want to put it under lock and key, and make sure no one else could take it. We'd want to keep it for ourselves! Selfishness is a part of man's nature, and it is a tendency that the Christian has to overcome; but while we certainly need to learn to share of our physical blessings, the treasure of the gospel is one that is far more important to be sharing. Paul wrote in 2 Tim 2:2, "The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also." The good news of Christ was meant to be shared, it was never meant to be hoarded; because without it, men are doomed to destruction: it is the gospel that "...is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes..." (Rom 1:16) So, one unusual trait that we should notice is that the gospel is a treasure to give.
It's also a treasure to suffer for; although perhaps not just in the sense that we might ordinarily think. When we think of someone willing to suffer for riches, it's that he is willing to suffer so that he might keep them for himself; he doesn't want anyone else getting what is his. But a few verses later, in 2:8-10, Paul admonished Timothy, "Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descendant of David, according to my gospel, for which I suffer hardship even to imprisonment as a criminal; but the word of God is not imprisoned." Paul was suffering hardship, and in fact was jailed, for the sake of the gospel—but the truth of God could not be chained down, and it could and did change those who would listen to it's message. So Paul continued, "For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory." Paul is stating here that he was willing to suffer for the sake of others. It was not just that he was willing to suffer persecution for his faith, or face trials for the cause of truth (although that was also true); he was willing to suffer so that others might have the opportunity to hear the word of God, and be saved as well. The gospel is certainly a treasure worth suffering for; but not just for yourself—it is a treasure worth suffering for to give away.
Finally, like other treasures, the gospel is a treasure worth fighting for; but as we've noted, not in the sense of keeping it for yourself. Just because the treasure of the gospel is meant to be shared freely doesn't mean that it is common or cheap. That is why it is spoken of as being entrusted to others. As we read earlier in 2 Tim 1:13-14, Paul charged Timothy, "Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you." The gospel is a treasure that is to be kept pure—and in 2:15 we see how it is to be done. "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, [rightly dividing (KJV), which is to say,] accurately handling the word of truth." (2 Tim 2:15)
If we call ourselves Christians, we need to be able to handle the truth of God—the gospel—properly; and the only way that can be done is through study. If we don't take the time to study and understand the will of God, then we ought to be ashamed, just as we read here. Not just that, the only way we can be unified as children of god—the only way we can come to understand His word alike—is to stand on the word of God alone; not any man-made creed. Brothers and sisters, we need to throw away all creed books, all church manuals and disciplines, and just use the scriptures. Then, and then alone, we will be able to "...contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints" as we are told to do in Jude 1:3.
You know, after having spoken of the salvation which is in Christ Jesus, and the eternal glory that accompanies it, Paul continued that thought by writing, "It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him; If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us; If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself." (2 Tim 2:11-13)
You see, by saying that "...if we died with Him, we will also live with Him", he was speaking of how one is saved. He used the same figure in Rom 6:3-4: "Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life." We are to put away our past sinful behavior (i.e., repent), no longer be a slave to sin, but to be a slave to Christ! It is in baptism that we put to death the old man of sin, and rise to walk again as a new man. It is in baptism that we put on Christ, and become sons of God (Gal 3:26,27).
Paul followed by writing, "If we endure, we will also reign with Him..." because, if we are to someday have that eternal glory, we must endure in this life. In the book of the Revelation, 2:10, Jesus said this to one of the churches in Asia: "...Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life." In the same way, we also are to be faithful to Christ, all our lives, even to the point of death; and if we do, Jesus will give us eternal life.
As we noted earlier, Rom 1:16 tells us that it is the gospel that is the power of God to bring about salvation; it is truly a treasure: a treasure to give, a treasure to suffer for, and a treasure to fight for.
