“. . . and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” (2 Timothy 2:2)
Paul exhorts Timothy to not only uphold the truth of the gospel but to pass it on to others, those who have already shown themselves to be faithful stewards of God’s household and good Bible students. These will be trained to handle the truth with scrupulous care in order to ensure that the gospel will be passed faithfully and accurately to future generations after Paul and Timothy are gone. They are to focus on preaching the gospel rather than arguing over esoteric teachings and theological minutia. They will devote themselves to godly living, humility and righteousness that will serve as an example of Christ to those they teach.
Paul warns Timothy to warn them that they will encounter resistance and hardship. This is why Paul compares the one who passes on the gospel to a soldier, an athlete and a farmer. The soldier is obedient and loyal. The athlete is disciplined. The farmer is patient and hardworking. All three endure hardships, deprivation and pain faithfully and without complaint for they are focused on achieving their goals. The faithful preacher must be as dedicated and focused on the goal of advancing the Kingdom of God. He must persevere to the end with his mind focused on the goal of glorifying God above all else, even self-comfort. The Lord knows those who are His own. He knows those who seek to use Christianity as means for self-advancement or material gain. These must be rebuked and avoided. The Lord will weed such out of our fellowship as we preach the truth. There fore we ought to be focused on the truth of God amidst all the other things that compete for our attention, for it is vital that we handle rightly the word of God.