Ask Dr. Couch (#411)

Dr. Couch, I heard someone say that if believers are not faithful, they will not reign with Christ in the millennium. They use 2 Timothy 2:11-13 for their reasoning. What do you say?

Verses 11-13 stands complete like a poetic statement. Many believe this was a song or a doctrinal statement used by the early church that was sung or quoted in congregational meetings. The verse in question is 12 which says "If we endure, we shall also reign with Him." The "if" is a first class condition of the subjunctive and should better read "Since we shall endure…." It reads: "Since we are now abiding under (apomeno) (Him), we shall in the future be reigning together with (synbasileuo) Him."

Paul is not assigning a moral judgment on this "abiding under." He has created parallel thoughts. Verses 11-12 all run together. "To have died with Him equals we are now abiding under Him with the result with will be reigning together with Him."

"Abiding under" is the better way to translate "endure." As I have shown the word is actually upo=under, meno=abide.

I do not doubt that we will all have different roles in our reigning, but to say that we will or will not reign with Him is not what the passage is about. As those who are saved, we now are abiding under Him! BUT NOW THE BIG SURPRISE, THE KICKER! The first meaning of upomeno is not "abiding under" but is better translated "to be under suffering." The great Greek scholar Kenneth Wuest agrees with me on this!

This is the better thought in the passage. So the teacher you heard is all wrong in the way he is taking the passage!

Thanks for asking.
Dr. Mal Couch