Pass it on
In Paul’s last known letter, he tells Timothy, “What you have heard from me through many witnesses entrust to faithful people who will be able to teach others as well” (2 Tim. 2:2). It was a time of transition for Paul, and the ministry of the gospel would need new leaders, new teachers.
A time of transition would eventually come for Timothy, too, so he needed to pass on “the deposit of faith” to others, so that the ministry and message would continue in future generations. But Paul did not ask Timothy to train one leader to be his replacement – he asked for more than one. He was interested in multiplication, not just in maintenance. Each generation needs to teach multiple teachers.
In Grace Communion Seminary, we aim to do this. But the job is not ours alone – it is also yours. You, too, are asked to teach people who will be able to teach others. GCS is a teacher training college. We train trainers, and one thing that we train them for is that they should also train trainers. Knowledge is not given just for a student’s personal enjoyment and satisfaction. Like any gift from God, it should be used “for the common good” (1 Cor. 12:7).
What should you teach? The most important thing is that you teach about Christ. There are many subjects that are good and helpful, like mathematics and languages, and those things can be helpful in ministry, but that is not what Paul is concerned about. He wants Timothy to teach and multiply people who can teach about Christ.
But we do not simply teach facts about Christ - that he is fully God and fully human, that he lived at a certain time in Galilee, and was crucified by the Roman rulers in Judea. He did this, he did that. Knowledge alone does not save us. Paul’s ministry involved a lot of information, but it did not stop there. His teaching also includes exhortation that grows out of that truth. Paul wanted people to be led by the Holy Spirit into a more Christ-like way of life.
Some scholars use Greek grammatical terms to describe this: the indicatives (statements) of grace should be followed by the imperatives (commands, or exhortations) of grace. This should be true in our lives, and in our preaching. When Scripture gives us commands, we teach commands, with the grace that is also proclaimed. We always need both.
If we love God, we should also love our neighbor. But love is not defined by our emotions, not by the changing whims of culture, and not by the demands of the people around us. The teachings of Jesus and his apostles give us more details about what it looks like for us to be led by God’s love.
The second thing that needs to be said is actually a clarification of the first: What we say about Jesus should be true. We want to speak truthfully about what Jesus wants us to do. That’s why it should be entrusted to faithful people. We give the truth to all people, but the ones we trust to teach others should be faithful, should repeat it accurately.
Over the centuries, and in our modern cultures today, the gospel is often garbled, often mixed up, and in places wrong. The preachers who lead people to faith may also hurt them and damage their faith because of various misunderstandings or personal agendas.
The good news is that Jesus knows how to rescue people from our fumbles, and people are saved anyway. Even so, he wants us to fumble less and to be faithful transmitters of who he is, what he did, and what he wants. This is our goal at Grace Communion Seminary. We want to be faithful stewards of information and exhortation. We look to Scripture for the most authoritative guidance on what we should believe and do. Theology helps us see how it all fits together. History courses give us perspective. Ministry courses help in certain aspects of church leadership and personal growth.
We could say more about that, I suppose, but the main point of this article is not to focus on our own work, but to encourage you to continue the work, to train additional people to be faithful teachers of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Many of us are familiar with the King James Version of 2 Timothy 2:15: “Study to show yourself approved.” It was a wonderful reminder that we all need to study. But a little further study tells us that the Greek word actually means to be diligent – not just in studying the Bible, but in all of what we do. The New Revised Standard Version has it like this: “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved by him, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly explaining the word of truth.”
Explain the truth, and do it right. Give it to faithful people who can pass it on. That’s what we’re aiming for. That’s what our Triune God by his Word and Spirit will enable us to do. It’s a joy and a privilege!
Michael Morrison, GCS News, December 2025