2 Timothy, Part Eighteen
Pursue Faith, Love and Peace
2 Timothy 2v22
2nd October 2026
2 Timothy 2v22
Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love
and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure
heart.
The New Testament letters speak about the need for Christians and churches to become mature. Here are some examples:
Ephesians 4v11-15
... Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the
pastors and teachers,
to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may
be built up
until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of
God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of
Christ.
Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves,
and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and
craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.
Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every
respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.
Colossians 1v28
He [Christ] is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with
all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ.
James 1v4
Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete,
not lacking anything.
We must all flee the evil desires of youth. We must behave like adults, not children. Children tend to prioritize their physical and emotional needs and desires above doing the right thing. They care more for their own well-being than for others'. They have short-term thinking; they want what they want, and they want it now. Many of us take a long time to learn that ethical standards are important, that other people are just as important and valuable as we are, that obedience to God is better than the indulging of our own flesh, that humility is a good thing. Some people never learn these things. A Christian's wonderful destiny is to become Christlike. To be like Jesus, we must flee such youthful desires and become mature. Paul had earned the right to say:
1 Corinthians 13v11
When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I
reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood
behind me.
Instead of continuing to think, speak and act like children, we must pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace. Think about all the mature Christians you know. All of them pursue righteousness, don't they? They're not perfect but they have put most of their sin to death. They've come to hate sin, especially their own. All of them pursue faith. They know their faith in God is the most important thing they have. The invest time in Bible study, the church, celebrating the Lord's Supper, and prayer (Acts 2v42) because they know these things build up their faith, and the faith of other Christians. All of them pursue love. They're always kind, always welcoming, always patient, always forgiving. All of them pursue peace. They never cause an argument. They try to reconcile people who have fallen in to a dispute. Somehow, their very presence on a room brings peace to that room. Aspire to be like them.
Timothy was serving as a pastor, yet he needed to be reminded of these things. Pastors are not perfect. Pray for your leaders. All of us, and especially those among us who seek to be used by God to lead churches and teach the Bible, must take this verse seriously. How can we function as ambassadors for Christ if we're not acting in a godly way? How can we lead God's people into Christian maturity if we're not mature ourselves? Why would we expect people to listen to what we teach them if we continue in the evil desires of youth, showing ourselves to be immature?
There's a reason why the New Testament describes church leaders as elders. Whatever one's physical age, one should not dare to lead a church if one is not spiritually and emotionally mature.
Paul tells Timothy, and us, to grow up. We are to reject sensuality, selfishness and ambition. Instead, we are to live in righteousness, faith, love and peace along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. Mature Christians have a pure heart, a humble heart, a godly heart, a heart that seeks the kingdom of God above ones own pleasure and comfort, a heart which prioritises the things that have eternal value. A mature Christian heart is a beautiful thing, of great value in God's sight. We have this wonderful promise:
Matthew 5v8
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.