Lessons from Timothy¹

James Buchanan

1. The case of Timothy shows that divine grace can work on little children. In the case of adults, the truth believed is the instrumental means of conversion and sanctification. But even before children are capable of knowing the truth, they are fit subjects for God’s grace, as is evident from many passages of Scripture. We read of some who were sanctified from the womb: “Now hear, O Jacob My servant; and Israel, whom I have chosen: Thus saith the Lord that made thee, and formed thee from the womb; I will pour my Spirit on thy seed, and My blessing upon thine offspring; and they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the water courses. One shall say, I am the Lord’s; and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the Lord, and surname himself by the name of Israel.” “Hearken unto Me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, which are borne by Me from the belly, which are carried from the womb: and even to your old age I am He; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made and I will bear: even I will carry, and will deliver you.”

It was by the Spirit that the Lord Christ was sanctified in His human nature; so the angel spoke of the “holy thing” that should be born of Mary. And the prophet was sanctified by the Spirit, of whom it is said that he was called from the womb, and formed from the womb to be His servant. And when, during Christ’s personal ministry, there were “brought to Him little children, that He should put His hands on them and pray, and the disciples rebuked

¹Reprinted with editing, from the “Illustrative Cases of Conversion” in The Office and Work of the Holy Spirit. It is based on 2 Timothy 3.14,15 and follows on from the article on Timothy in the last issue.

them,” Jesus said, “Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto Me; for of such is the kingdom of heaven”. Indeed, on another occasion, “Jesus called a little child unto Him, and set him in the midst of the disciples, and said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven”.

That little children are capable subjects of God’s grace is implied in the provision that was made for their admission to the privileges of the covenant: first, by circumcision under the Old Testament and, second, by baptism under the New. And this precious truth is our warrant and encouragement in prayer, when we remember those objects of our tenderest affections at the throne of grace, while as yet they are unable to pray for themselves.

1. A sound religious education in early life is often blessed as a means of saving conversion to God. Paul traces Timothy’s religion to this source: “From a child thou hast known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation”. His early acquaintance with the Bible was a great and precious privilege. Although, from the operation of other causes, Bible knowledge does not always produce saving benefit, yet it is the instrument by which God works. It is an instrument which is in itself absolutely perfect, and is admirably adapted for the end which it is designed to serve. A great commendation is given to the Word, when it is said that it is able to make us “wise unto salvation”, that “it is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness” and that it is sufficient to make the man of God “perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works”.

The Bible contains all the truth which we must know for our salvation. Considered simply as a means or instrument, it is absolutely perfect. Every parent who really believes God’s Word, and considers it God’s instrument for the salvation of sinners, must feel it to be his most sacred obligation, as well as his sweetest privilege, to impart to his immortal children a knowledge of its precious truths. He will remember that he has in his hands an instrument which God Himself declares to be “the sword of the Spirit”, and that he has the truth which is emphatically described as “the good seed”. With mingled feelings of awe and gratitude and hope, he will seek to apply that instrument to the heart of his child and to sow that precious seed in his soul from his earliest years.

Nor will he be content with giving a few formal lessons, or prescribing a few stated tasks, but he will speak out of the “abundance of his heart”. And his conversation will be seasoned with God’s truth in those hours of affectionate and confiding conversation when the hearts of his children are most open to receive “the truth in love”. He will then remember God’s words to His ancient people: “These words, which I command thee this day, shall be in

thine heart; and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up”.

But neither formal instruction nor frequent conversation on divine truth will avail, unless they are combined with exemplary faith and piety on the part of parents. Children are quick to discern even the minutest indication of real character; and a great part of their education consists in those impressions which are made on their minds incidentally and which are often imperceptibly deepened by circumstances which escape the notice of their parents. True education is a course of training: not a system of lessons but the formation of practical habits. These depend far more on the spirit and conduct of a family than on the tasks of the school: “Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it”.

This training implies much more than mere teaching; it is best promoted by the unfeigned faith and holy living which the mother and grandmother of Timothy possessed. It is important to mark how this eminent servant of God was prepared for his future labours by the quiet but real piety of these women in the privacy of their home. The Holy Spirit Himself, in preparing a record for the permanent instruction of the Church, does not disdain to mention, in connection with the labours of an inspired evangelist, the unfeigned faith which dwelt first in his grandmother Lois and in his mother Eunice. Nor can we doubt that this is the reason why many an aged saint is spared when their work on earth might seem to be finished – to show the power of God’s grace and truth to the generation following and to leave the mark of their own characters on the tender minds of the children that are playing around them.

1. We learn from the case of Timothy that true religion is sometimes implanted in the soul of a child at a very early period and continues to grow with his growth, and strengthen with his strength, although for a time his progress may appear to be almost imperceptible. Jesus Himself said, “The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field: which indeed is the least of all seeds; but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof”; and again, “The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened”.

These parables are equally descriptive of the kingdom of God as it exists in the world, and of the kingdom of God in every single soul. Grace grows and spreads, imperceptibly, just as the mustard seed springs from the earth and the leaven diffuses in meal. This is often the blessed effect of an early religious education and, although the good seed of the Word should not spring up

as quickly as we could desire, yet, being incorruptible, we may cherish the hope that sooner or later it will produce the peaceable fruits of righteousness, perhaps long after we have been gathered to our fathers.

Conclusion: In now addressing those who, like Timothy, have enjoyed the privilege of an early religious education and who may still enjoy the company of their pious parents, or at least remember their counsels and prayers with affectionate gratitude, I must not forget that they may yet belong to two very different classes. There may be some who, like Timothy, have not only known the Holy Scriptures from their youth but have also that unfeigned faith which dwelt in him, while there may be others who enjoyed like him the advantages of a religious education and are yet destitute of saving grace. No human being may be able to distinguish between the two classes to determine which you individually belong to, but I would affectionately remind you that there are two classes even among those who have received a religious education. And it is of infinite importance that you should find out for yourselves whether you belong to the one or the other.

Paul’s exhortation is addressed to Timothy on the supposition that he was a true believer and, in its original purpose, is applicable only to those who, like him, been made wise unto salvation. But first I would address all who have shared in the advantages of early religious instruction. I would affectionately remind you that you have much reason for gratitude and also for a very deep sense of responsibility on account of the privileges you have enjoyed. Even if the instruction you have received and the example you have witnessed fail to lead you to saving conversion, be assured that they are privileges of great value and that they will form an element in your last account. You will stand at the judgement seat on a very different footing from those who live in the wretched streets and lanes of our city. God will reckon with you for how you used the Bible, your opportunities for private prayer, family worship and other means of grace, for this is the equitable law of God’s kingdom: to whomsoever much has been given, of him shall the more be required.

Let me also remind you that, as you have many advantages, so you are also in special danger. I shall mention, first, a tendency to take for granted too readily that you are truly religious, merely because you belong to a religious family and have always been used to religious observances. You may forget that religion is a personal matter and that it has its seat in the heart. Second, you are in danger of mistaking the natural fruits of a religious education for thorough conversion to God. Your knowledge, your friendly disposition, your correct habits, your church attendance – all these may be nothing more than the form of godliness, while you are destitute of its power. Third, you are in danger of supposing that, because you know a great deal more than

others, you have no need of further inquiry into spiritual things and may give your time to other pursuits.

While I warn you against these temptations, I would point out a few symptoms by which you may discover the real state of your heart. Are you conscious of a sincere desire towards God, such a desire as leads you to pray for yourself in secret as well as to join with your family in prayer? In your prayers – whether in private or with your family or in public – do you really seek after God and offer up the desires of your heart to Him? Are you convinced of sin? Have you discovered that the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked? And under a sense of sin are you seeking to be cleansed by the blood of Christ and to be purified by the grace of His Holy Spirit?

If you are thus concerned for the salvation of your soul, you are seeking it in the way that God has appointed. Then “wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart; wait, I say, on the Lord”. Paul’s exhortation may be addressed to you: “Continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them, and that from a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures”. Continue: that is, Hold fast the beginning of your confidence; do not turn away from the hope of the gospel, but continue in these things. Rather, “meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them, that thy profiting may appear to all”.

Paul deemed it necessary to address such exhortations to Timothy, his dearly beloved son. Of his unfeigned faith Paul had no doubt and gave him that honourable testimony: “Ye know the proof of him, that, as a son with the father, he hath served with me in the gospel”. If Paul was so urgent in exhorting him to flee from youthful lusts, to avoid the snares and temptations of the world, to watch over his own spirit and to maintain a constant warfare with sin, is this not an impressive proof that you too require to be strengthened and stirred up in the path of duty? His exhortation specially points to the need to use the means of grace carefully and to continue doing so; if they were necessary for Timothy, how much more for you?

Are there some who have enjoyed the advantages of a religious education and cannot yet find in themselves any of those hopeful symptoms which I have described? Are there some who cannot honestly say that they have ever made the salvation of their souls a matter of personal concern, that they have ever sought after God either in their closets or at family worship, that they are now resting on Christ’s atonement, or that they desire the Spirit’s grace? Are they, on the contrary, conscious of a repugnance to the strict views of religion in which they were brought up, of a disposition to cherish slighter

thoughts of sin and to make light of its guilt, or of a tendency to be weary of a religious life and to long after greater freedom and gaiety than their father’s house affords? Do they seldom or never read their Bible or go on their knees to pray and yet flatter themselves that there may be some easier road to heaven than their fathers trod before them?

Then let me beseech them to pause before they advance one step further in that way which appears so attractive to them. Let them instead choose a course that they will be content to live and die in. And, while they make their choice, let them remember that heaven or hell is involved in it.