“Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work” (2 Timothy 2:20-21 ESV).
In reflecting upon this passage, several commentators offer some valuable insights that are worthy of our attention. These authors discuss the role of human preference in determining our status as honorable or dishonorable vessels before God…
“… (Those) which are most often in the Master’s hands are not necessarily the gold vessels, but the clean ones, of whatever material. Cleanliness counts more with God than cleverness. Do not be anxious about your service; be ready for the Master to use you.” (1)
“…In our homes pots and pans have no choice as to what they are going to be used for — that is entirely up to the householder — but in Scripture it is very clear that, when this is applied to human beings, a choice is involved. We see that in Verse 21: “If any one purifies himself from what is ignoble, then he will be a vessel for noble use.” We have no choice of whether we are going to be used of God or not; the choice we have is what God is going to use us for. That is up to us; it is put in our hands.” (2)
“Notice the condition of one choosing to cleanse himself and then the statement of God’s action. Sanctification is both a divine act and a human act. This pattern characterizes the covenant relationship in all of God’s dealings with humans. He always takes the initiative and sets the agenda, but mankind must respond appropriately and continue to respond.” (3)
“…it is the duty of a Christian to keep himself free from polluting influences. And if he does, his reward is not special honour and special privilege but special service… No Christian should ever think of fitting himself for honour but always as fitting himself for service.” (4)
In light of these things, we should be diligent to ask for God’s help in identifying and discarding any negative quality that might limit His desire to use us in His service. The following verse describes one such quality- and we’ll consider that quality at greater length beginning next.
(1) Meyer, Frederick Brotherton. “Commentary on 2 Timothy 2”. “F. B. Meyer’s ‘Through the Bible’ Commentary”. https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/fbm/2-timothy-2.html. 1914.
(2) Excerpted with permission from Fit to be Used © 1982 by Ray Stedman Ministries. All rights reserved. Visit www.RayStedman.org for the complete library of Ray Stedman material. Please direct any questions to webmaster@RayStedman.org https://www.raystedman.org/new-testament/timothy/fit-to-be-used
(3) Dr. Bob Utley. Free Bible Commentary, [2 Timothy 2:20] Copyright © 2014 Bible Lessons International http://www.freebiblecommentary.org/new_testament_studies/VOL09/VOL09_12.html
(4) Barclay, William. William Barclay’s Daily Study Bible, Vessels Of Honor And Of Dishonor (2Ti_2:20-21)