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believer with the Lord, anistemi is never so used. Resurrection is conceived
of in two stages. Death is likened to sleep, and normally a person first
awakes and then arises, so the believer has already been awakened and is
preparing for the literal arising in that day. The fact that the word
gregoreo `watch' (Mark 14:37; 1 Thess. 5:6) is a derivative of egeiro, but
emphasizes the need to distinguish between `rousing' and `raising'.
Anastasis refers to the dead in resurrection, egeiro to the waking and
stirring of the soul beforehand. The renewing of the mind has commenced
(Eph. 4:23; 2 Cor. 4:16).
The `out-resurrection' exanastasis (Phil. 3:11) has been discussed in
the article entitled The Prize3, which should be considered here. There
remains one other passage to be examined, a passage concerning which great
care is needed. It is the passage in 2 Timothy 2, where Paul speaks of some
who say that the resurrection is past already, and overthrow the faith of
some. This grievous error has recently been revived by one who previously
taught the truth.
In this epistle the apostle is concerned rather with the outcome of
teaching than giving doctrinal teaching himself. In his earlier epistles
Paul had laid a good foundation of truth, but in this epistle he is concerned
about godliness, and the practical outworking of doctrine. In the context of
2 Timothy 2:15 we have a number of figures: a canker (17); a foundation (19);
a seal (19); a great house (20); and vessels (20). The structure of the
section before us, is as follows:
B
16.
Exhortation.
Shun. Increase ungodliness.
Cd
17,18. Teachers and doctrine. A canker.
e
19-. God's Foundation
Sure.
error
e
-19. God's Foundation
Seal.
and
d
20,21. Teachers and doctrine.
truth
Great house and vessels.
B
22,23.Exhortation Flee.
Avoid.
Gender strifes.
The teaching which Timothy was instructed to `shun' is likened to a
`canker', and is revealed to be a distortion of the doctrine of the
resurrection. Any teaching that could be thus described, and which touched
so vital a doctrine, must be the concern of all who love the Word, who
have any responsibility with regard to the preaching and teaching of that
Word, and who desire above all things to be `approved unto God'. The word
`canker' is the Greek gaggraina (pronounced gangraina). This word is found
in our language as gangrene, which is defined as:
`A necrosis of part of the body, extending over some considerable area
in a visible mass'.
Hippocrates, who was born 460 b.c., speaks of gangrene with definition
and evident observation, and Luke the physician would not be ignorant of the
character of this dreadful affliction. The apostle puts his finger upon the
most awful characteristic of gangrene saying `It eats'. This is the word
that gives us `pasture' in John 10:9. It is evident that the apostle views
with extreme alarm the specific doctrine he is about to expose, and in the
interest of truth he even goes so far as to put into black and white the
actual names of those who taught this error, HymenAEus and Philetus. These
two names will be found in correspondence with two others, Jannes and
Jambres, the magicians at the court of Pharaoh in the days of Moses, when the