2 Timothy 1:8-11 BSB

“So do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, or of me, His prisoner. Instead, join me in suffering for the gospel by the power of God. 9He has saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works, but by His own purpose and by the grace He granted us in Christ Jesus before time began. 10And now He has revealed this grace through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has abolished death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the gospel, 11to which I was appointed as a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher.”

Now this was Paul speaking to Timothy, but there is definitely a message from God for all of us here, as well. None of us should be ashamed of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of his gospel message. Not one of us should shy away from speaking the truth of the gospel out of fear of being rejected, mocked, criticized, and falsely accused of wrong. All of us who profess faith in Jesus must be willing to suffer for the sake of the gospel as did Jesus and Paul and the other New Testament apostles. And we will suffer if what we are teaching is the truth of the gospel and not the lies being spread today.

So, what does it mean that Jesus has saved us and called us to a holy calling? It means that the whole purpose of his death on that cross was to deliver us out of our bondage (addiction) to sin so that we will now serve Jesus Christ with our lives in walks of obedience to his commands, in holy living, by the grace of God, and in the power of God, and not of the flesh. For we can do nothing in ourselves to earn or to deserve our own salvation. But Jesus didn’t give his life up for us on that cross so that we will now go on living in deliberate and habitual sin, but so we will follow him in obedience.

For God’s grace, which is bringing us salvation, is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for Jesus’ return. For Christ “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (See Titus 2:11-14; Ephesians 2:8-10) So God’s grace is not permission to keep living in sin while ignoring God’s commands.

Called to a Holy Calling
An Original Work / July 3, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love