His Last Letter
The great apostle Paul wrote many letters to churches and is credited with contributing most of the New Testament.
His final letter, written just prior to his death, probably around 64 or 65 AD, while in prison for the second time in Rome, comes to us in the form of 2 Timothy, where he clarifies Timothy's calling and the importance of defending the gospel and being loyal to the faith.
I want to highlight something Paul wrote that I find to be profound concerning his gospel.
2 Timothy 1:8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, 9 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, 10 but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, 11 to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.
I am especially drawn to verse 9 of these passages. "God saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ before time began."
They say the most honest and revealing important words a man will ever speak are those he speaks prior to his death. He has lived his life, and as a result, he has been able to deduce what is most important to him. He is thus able to speak with gravity concerning the things most valuable to him.
It is worth noting that, in sharing his heart with Timothy just prior to his death, Paul remains focused on the message of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. He continues to speak out against the "works-based" gospels, declaring them not to be the gospel.
He affirms his view of the gospel as authoritative on the basis of it being God's intention in Christ Jesus from before time. In other words, this gospel that Paul preached, which was not works-based but rather grace-based, was the original gospel from before the dawn of time.
This particular gospel was the reason for all of Paul's sufferings. Mosaic Law zealots went out of their way to follow him around and create problems for him, and eventually found a way to have him imprisoned due to the gospel Paul preached that did not promote the law of Moses. Paul remained loyal in his heart to his fellow countrymen, the Jews, and loved them despite being persecuted by some of them. He loved them to the point of being willing to be put away if it would bring them to faith in Christ Jesus. In his heart, he longed for their salvation by means of accepting Jesus Christ as their Messiah, so long spoken of by the prophets and through the law of Moses.
I am encouraged when I see the consistency of this beloved apostle of the faith and his unwavering commitment, all the way up to his death, regarding the purity and importance of the gospel. I hope that you, too, will be inspired by the importance and power of keeping the gospel pure and simple, as Paul did. I pray this powerful man of God's last words will land powerfully on your heart with regard to the privilege of the gospel we possess.
