“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, 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” (2 Timothy 1:8-9).
2 Timothy 1:8-9 continues with a reminder that God has saved us and called us to a holy life. This provides us with another opportunity to review two prominent Biblical concepts: salvation and holiness.
In a spiritual sense, the word “salvation” is associated with the idea of “deliverance.” It involves God’s liberation of human beings from their state of separation from Him. This state of separation exists because “…all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious standard” according to the Biblical book of Romans (3:23 NLT). For those who accept His sacrificial work on the cross. Jesus’ death serves to deliver sinful human beings from this state of separation from their Creator.
The word “holy” expresses the qualities of moral purity and ethical perfection. It also encompasses a person or thing that has been set apart from others. Taken together, these definitions tell us that God is morally perfect and completely separate from anything that is wrong, corrupt, or impure in any way.
This is important because this passage tells us that God has given us an assignment that predates time itself. That assignment involves living “…a life of holiness—not because of any of our achievements but for his own purpose” (Phillips). The achievements (or “works”) referenced in this passage comprise anything we might do to earn or merit God’s salvation.
Paul the Apostle addressed this subject in the Biblical book of Romans as well…
“Money paid to workers isn’t a gift. It is something they earn by working. But you cannot make God accept you because of something you do. God accepts sinners only because they have faith in him” (Romans 4:4-5 CEV).
As one commentator concludes…
“Many people assume that by trying to live a good life, they have done all that is necessary to get to heaven. They rest their confidence on the good works they have performed to satisfy the demands of God’s justice. This is a futile hope.
God’s law requires perfection. Since we are not perfect, we lack the necessary goodness to enter heaven. Thus goodness can never be achieved by living a good life. We can only receive it by trusting in the righteousness of Christ. His merit is perfect and is made available to us through faith.” (1)
(1) Sproul, R. C. (Ed.). (2015). The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version (2015 Edition) (p. 2231). Orlando, FL: Reformation Trust.