The Spirit God Has Given Us

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7, NKJV).

The word “spirit” has several uses in the New Testament. It sometimes means “breath” or “wind.” It is also used often of man’s spirit or soul. Other times it is used of the Spirit of God. But here Paul uses it in yet another sense, referring to an inner quality or disposition that God develops within the Christian. In A. T. Robertson’s words, the apostle is describing “the human spirit endowed by the Holy Spirit.” What kind of spirit does God give to his people?

Not a Spirit of Fear

“Fear” is being just plain scared. Sometimes we keep our faith in the closet for fear of being criticized, ridiculed, rejected, or mistreated by the people around us. But such things are often the cost of discipleship. Jesus told His apostles that they would be hated because of Him, but that they should not fear those who would turn against them (Matthew 10:22,26). He explained, “Do not fear those who kill the body, but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both body and soul in hell” (verse 28).

Paul’s description of the Christian spirit comes as he admonishes Timothy to “kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you” (verse 6) and to “not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, or of me His prisoner” (verse 8). Timothy faced pressures that could frighten him into neglecting his role in God’s kingdom. So do all of us. Commenting on our text, David Lipscomb called it “a grave reminder…that all cowardice, all dread of danger, all shrinking from doing one’s duty for fear of man’s displeasure, proceeds not from the Spirit of God.” I believe it is just this sort of “cowardly” person who is described in Revelation 21:8 as a partaker of the second death. Christianity is not for the spineless.

Jesus calls us to live courageously. “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). Instead of fear, He offers us boldness and confidence — not in ourselves, but in Him. “But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul” (Hebrews 10:39). “For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we may boldly say: ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?’ ” (Hebrews 13:5,6).

A Spirit of Power

“Power” is strength or ability. In the Bible, this word usually describes the work of God. Here it is God’s power instilled in His people — not miraculous power, but the power of a transformed life. It is “vigour [sic] and resolution of mind in all we are called to do…a spirit of energy in all that concerns the work of God, in opposition to everything like indifference, unsteadfastness, unfruitfulness” (Brewster). Paul reminded the Philippians, “it is God who works in you” (Philippians 2:13), and prayed that the Colossians would be “strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might” (Colossians 1:11).

Every Christian should feel an undying sense of urgency in carrying out the commands of God. When we are faced with souls that are lost, disciples who need uplifting, or people who need compassion, we are compelled to act. Jesus’ disciples are tireless as we “engage in good deeds to meet pressing needs”(Titus 2:14; cf. Galatians 6:9). What’s more, we have God’s promise to supply the power to overcome every obstacle and see the task through. His people choose confidence over cowardice. “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58).

A Spirit of Love

The love Paul has in mind is that purposeful, selfless love which he so deftly portrays in 1 Corinthians 13. Without it, our praise is hollow, our devotion is shallow, and our sacrifice is vain (1 Corinthians 13:1-3). We need more than power to achieve spiritual victory. We cannot overcome without the love that “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (verse 7). “The love of country, and wife, and children, and home, makes the most timid bold when they are assailed; and the love of Christ and of a dying world nerves the soul to great enterprises, and sustains it in the deepest sorrows” (Albert Barnes).

A Spirit of a Sound Mind

Paul’s term here denotes good judgment and self control. The NRSV renders it “self-discipline.” This word family appears several times in the New Testament, especially in the letters to Timothy and Titus, where it is applied to Christians in various walks of life. R. C. H. Lenski calls it “the exercise of a sane, balanced mind” which “guides our power” and “applies the intelligence and the purpose of our love.”

Christians are people of prudence and discretion. God instructs us to “think so as to have sound judgment” (Romans 12:3). Energy and compassion are useless if they are unrestrained and unguided. We are to think, not merely feel and act. Lots of religious folks want to live in a fuzzy, feel-good, dream world with no tough choices. But Christianity is not a sedative. Our Lord wants us to be sober and alert (1 Peter 5:8) and “have our senses trained to discern good and evil” (Hebrews 5:14). That training is found in “the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:15).

Conclusion

I like Brewster’s comments on this verse in The Preacher's Homiletic Commentary: “All its principles are calculated to support each other and to form by their union a complete and consistent character. We see the spirit of power, without love, hardening into austerity, and, without soundness of mind, rushing into extravagance. We see the spirit of love, without power, sinking into a soft timidity, and, without soundness of mind, yielding the most sinful compliances. We see the spirit of a sound mind, without power, settling in sloth, and, without love, souring into selfishness. Without the spirit of power, all is feebleness; without the spirit of love, all is ferociousness; without the spirit of a sound mind, all is foolishness. The first is the acting hand, the second the feeling heart, the third the directing head.”