Word of Encouragement (8/25/2021)
Yesterday, we started meditating on Paul’s prayer in 2 Tim. 4:22: “The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you” (2 Tim. 4:22). This prayer reminded us how wonderful it is to have Christ to be with us. But you must have noticed how Paul says, “The Lord be with your spirit.” Why does Paul limit the presence of Christ to Timothy’s spirit? If he is going to bless him, why not pray for Christ’s presence to be with Timothy’s whole person—both his body and spirit?
This doesn’t mean that Paul didn’t have any concern for Timothy’s whole being, which includes his body. He follows this prayer with another short petition—“Grace be with you.” In this second petition, he prays for Timothy’s whole person (“you”), not just for his spirit. There may be two reasons for this.
The first is the role the spiritual aspect of our being plays in our life. The word, “spirit,” can mean, among other things, “that which animates or gives life to the body,” or “the source and seat of insight, feeling, and will, gener[ally] as the representative part of human inner life” (BDAG). According to the second definition, “spirit” is synonymous with “soul” or “heart.” It is the fountain, out of which our thoughts and feelings and words and actions come. So, Jesus said, “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). Also, John said, “Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul” (3 John 1:2).
We can easily see, then, that, if Christ is with our spirits, our whole being will be well. This doesn’t mean that we will not experience any physical illnesses or infirmities. But if Christ is with our spirits, we will be able to endure it with patience and through it grow even deeper in our relationship with God. Paul knew this all too well from his personal experiences. Everywhere he went to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, not only did he see people coming to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ in amazing ways but he was also met with opposition and persecution. He was often flogged and thrown into jail. Yet, he was able to sing praises to God. When he was thrown into jail in Philippi, there was a great earthquake as he prayed and sang in jail. This led to the conversion of the jailer and his entire family, too. We also know about his “thorn in the flesh.” Even though God chose not to remove it from him despite his repeated prayers, Paul was still able to give thanks to God: “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor. 12:9-10). This can happen when Christ is with our spirits.
Another reason may be due to the semi-eschatological age, in which we live. (“Semi-eschatological” refers to the condition of this present age between the resurrection of Jesus Christ and His Second coming. This is because the age to come [the eschaton] is already here but not yet fully here; the present age continues, though it is perishing away.) After Jesus rose again from the dead, the disciples could not interact with Him as they used to before He died. So, when Mary Magdalene tried to hug Him when He appeared to her at the grave, in which He was buried, Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father...” (John 20:17). He did something similar with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. They could not recognize Him (because His resurrection effected some changes in His appearance). But He did not announce to them who He was. Instead, He expounded the Scriptures to them, showing them all the things concerning Him in all the Scriptures (Luke 24:27). And when they finally recognized Him in the breaking of the bread, He disappeared. On account of Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, they were to commune with Him through the Scriptures and the Sacraments—that is, through His presence with their spirits—not through His physical presence and interaction with them.
Brothers and sisters, Christ is with your spirit. By reviving, healing, and strengthening your spirit, He is transforming you and conforming you into His glorious image. Continue to feed upon the Word of God for your spiritual nourishment and experience Christ’s powerful redemption, which includes the redemption and glorification of your bodies!