Hold Fast
by Robert McCurley, a friend and pastor of Trinity Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Bristol

"Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me..." (2 Tim. 1:13).

With these words, the apostle Paul prepared his young apprentice to be plunged into some of the most severe upheaval the Church of Jesus Christ has endured in two millennia. Titus' siege of Jerusalem, and with it the collapse of the world around Christ's infant church, was looming in the near future. The martyrdom of the apostle Paul under the bloody hands of tyrant Nero was imminent (4:6, 7). This second epistle to Timothy serves as a record of Paul's last written words. They exude the tenderness of a father to his spiritual son. Where did Paul set the gaze of those left in such a desperate condition? In short, he challenged Timothy to persevere in the things he had been taught.

Notice that the particular emphasis in this context is placed on maintaining the system of truth that Timothy had received. Some emphasis in modem evangelicalism is put on perseverance of life, but here it is holding to true teaching that is stressed. Paul forewarned that "perilous times would come" (3:1), and one mark of those fast-approaching times was that men would "resist the truth" (3:8). This included professing Christians who would "not endure sound doctrine" and "turn their ears away from the truth" (4:3-4). Even as the apostle wrote, some of his fellow co-laborers were abandoning him (1:15; 4:14, 16).

The direction he gave to Timothy is the same for all the faithful who have followed in his train, as he said, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution" (3:12). The trials described here have been repeated myriad times in succeeding generations of the Church. When the screws of affliction are tightened upon the Church, the faithful are confirmed and the spurious are exposed. Amidst these circumstances, Paul challenges the Church in all ages to hold fast to faithful instruction.

The command "hold fast" entails "contend [ing] earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3). It means to keep and protect the truth, and implies living faithfully in terms of that truth. Rather than shrinking back in embarrassment (1:8, 12), we are to "endure hardship as good soldier[s] of Jesus Christ" (2:3). As Machen aptly put it, "The type of religion which ... shrinks from 'controversial' matters, will never stand amid the shocks of life ... the things about which men are agreed are apt to be the things that are least worth holding: the really important things are the things about which men will fight." The persevering saint will be able to say with Paul, "I have fought the good fight. . ." (4:7). He will effectively counter the punches delivered to him "amid the shocks of life." He will hold fast.

In particular Paul asserts that we are to hold fast 'the pattern of sound words' which we have received. This is in reference to the system of truth found in the inspired Scriptures, which are alone able to make the man of God "thoroughly equipped for every good work" (3:16-17). We must uphold the truths that we have received from those who have faithfully taught us the demands of God's Word on our lives. "The claims of truth are paramount," said John Murray. As he noted, however, it is not always convenient or advantageous to adhere to the truth. There are distinct temptations at times to minimize the truth, if not to forsake it altogether. Difficult times provide the context for such temptations, and Paul was aware of that. When plagued with loss and hardship, scriptural fidelity is often forced to the back row in lieu of more pragmatic and pressing concerns. Survival is viewed as preferable to faithfulness. For the Christian, however, physical preservation is never a legitimate alternative to abandoning truth, because that would be tantamount to sinful cowardice and, in some cases, to apostasy. "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind" (1:7).

Paul demonstrates that the ability to hold fast is derived from self- conscious dependence on the power of Him who is keeping us (1:12; 4:17, 18). The reward that awaits those who persevere in the truth is a "crown of righteousness" (4:8). The crown is not for those who begin well, but for those who end well. The overcomer's, not the overachievers, will receive the prize.

The passion to hold fast to the truth is fueled by reminders that Christ's Kingdom with its high standards of truth will triumph in the end. As our Scottish Presbyterian fore- bears prayed, "Our Father in Heaven, give us the long view of our work and our world. Help us to see that it is better to fail in a cause that will ultimately succeed, than to succeed in a cause that will ultimately fail." Nations and civilizations have come and gone. No sooner do systems of thought and philosophical trends appear than they vanish away like a passing vapor. In contrast to this flux and instability, the Kingdom of our God and His reign will endure forever. If we cast our anchor deep within the pale of His Word, we will not be shaken by the winds of upheaval or dashed upon the rocks of difficulty.

God alone knows what the future holds. The truths that you have come to grasp through the assistance of ETC and other faithful voices must be upheld. We are about to be ushered into a new millennium. Regardless of what awaits us on the other side of New Year's Eve, whether good or bad, insignificant or cataclysmic, Christ requires us to bear a faithful testimony to the Truth. We are called upon to hold fast the pattern of sound words that we have received!