Living Unto Righteousness

Living Unto Righteousness

2 Timothy 1:7 (Favorite Scripture #15)

“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-control.” 2 Timothy 1:7 (NIV)

The Apostle Paul wrote these words to Timothy... Timothy being a young pastor facing hardship, opposition, and the weight of ministry in a culture hostile to the Gospel. It was a lot like the world we live in today.

Paul himself was in prison, awaiting execution. Yet rather than giving in to despair, he encourages Timothy to stand firm, reminding his young protégée that fear does not come from God.

Of course, these words from Paul speak to all of us: we are NOT called to be a fearful people, driven or motivated by our anxieties... but we are called and empowered by the Holy Spirit working thru us... as believers and followers of Christ... to express and live the virtues of Christ’s power, love, and self-control... which are marks of a life that’s rooted in the Gospel.

“God has not given us a spirit of fear.” The Greek word for “timid” or “fear” means cowardice or trepidation... it’s an inner shrinking back from danger or responsibility.

Fear is not neutral; it is spiritual bondage. It cripples obedience. It silences witness. It turns faith into retreat.

John Calvin actually said: “There is nothing that Satan so much desires as to make us distrust God and to tremble under our afflictions, as if He had forsaken us.” (Commentary on 2 Timothy 1:7)

Calvin is reminding us that fear is the seed of unbelief. But faith, strengthened by the Spirit, resists this fear. The Holy Spirit does not produce cowardice in the believer; He produces courage grounded in the sovereign grace of God.

Our faith teaches us that those: “whom God hath accepted in [Christ]… can neither totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace; but shall certainly persevere therein to the end.” (WCF 17.1)

Because our salvation rests not in ourselves but in God’s immutable purpose, we are freed from the fear of failure. The Spirit assures us of our perseverance.

Of course, the Spirit empowers believers not for self-serving indulgence... but for Gospel endurance. It’s not physical strength... it’s divine enablement to obey, to witness, and to persevere.

Paul told Timothy in the next verse (18): “join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God.”

“The power of God is not given to make us famous or successful, but to make us faithful.” (R.C. Sproul, The Holiness of God)

This is resurrection power that raised Christ from the dead (Rom. 8:11) now strengthens each of us to live boldly for Him. True Gospel courage has nothing to do with personality or temperament; it flows from our union with Christ.

“What is your only comfort in life and in death?” - “That I am not my own, but belong—body and soul, in life and in death—to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ.” (Heidelberg Q1)

To belong to Christ is to be empowered by His Spirit. Which mean... no matter the situation... our strength, as Believers, is not his own... our strength is the power of the Holy Spirit working thru us, and most often, in spite of us.

So, the Spirit of God gives us power to do and to live Christ. But, power to live for Christ is pretty meaningless without love.

Love is the chief evidence of the Christian life. It’s the outflow of the Gospel, for “we love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). The Spirit produces in us a Christlike love that overcomes bitterness and fear of others.

It has been said that [Christian] “love is the overflow of joy in God that meets the needs of others.” (John Piper, Desiring God)

This means true love is not sentimental but sacrificial—it flows from delight in God’s grace. The Spirit’s love drives us outward, toward service, mission, and mercy.

Love fulfills the moral law of God by commanding us to preserve the life, dignity, and welfare of our neighbor. Love is obedience empowered by grace.

Paul says, “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-control.” The Spirit gives “self-control” (or sound mind). This is the Spirit’s sanctifying work—producing discipline, wisdom, and steadiness in our thoughts and actions.

We certainly live in an age of emotional volatility and moral chaos... but Christ’s Spirit equips each of us... as believers... with spiritual clarity and restraint.

Sinclair Ferguson writes: “The work of the Spirit is to bring the believer’s mind and heart into harmony with the mind and heart of Christ.” (Sinclair B. Ferguson, The Holy Spirit)

Our minds and hearts united in harmony with Christ will produce the fruit (or evidence) of the grace of God... as our desires and thoughts are shaped more, and more, according to God’s will.

The Westminster Shorter Catechism Q.35 defines sanctification as: “The work of God’s free grace, whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God, and are enabled more and more to die unto sin and live unto righteousness.”

God in Christ has not called us to fearful... because He has given us Himself. The Spirit within us is the Spirit of Christ.

Stand firm. Fear not. The Spirit of God is in you.

“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love, and self-discipline.” (2 Timothy 1:7, NIV)