Courage and Cowardice

2 Timothy 1:15-18

Immanuel – 5/10/26

          Paul has been condemned to die. And while he awaits his Roman execution, his heart, his prayers, and his pen, extend towards his child of faith. In this second letter to Timothy, Paul is reflecting on his own life: his struggles and sorrows, his battles and bruises, and the great hope that has always propelled him onward – even in the face of tremendous sufferings. Paul is exhorting and encouraging Timothy to live in that same way.

Already we have heard Paul say:

          Fan into flame the gift of God. (1:6)

          God gave us not a spirit of fear but of power and love and self-control. (1:7)

          Do not be ashamed of [the gospel]. (1:8)

Share in suffering for the gospel. (1:8)

Follow the pattern you…have heard from me. (1:13)

Guard the good deposit entrusted to you. (1:14)

          Paul’s calling – and Timothy’s – is difficult, a constant battle. Why would anyone want such a life? Why would anyone choose suffering over security and ease? Because the God of the gospel is worth it! From him flow salvation and purpose and grace and love and life everlasting! (1:9-10) From him flow mercy upon mercy! Living for him is infinitely better than living for yourself!

          Yes, the Christian life is not one of timid retreat, but courageous perseverance rooted in the eternal purposes of God. And yet, as we come to verses 15–18, we discover just how costly that perseverance can become.

          Paul’s commitment to the gospel, and the chains it brought him, was too much for many. Coworkers, disciples, partners in the fight, friends, where were they now? Condemned by Rome, fear of association has driven people away.

Shame scattered the weak-hearted.

In our passage today, Paul places two kinds of people side by side: those who deserted him in his suffering, and one man who was unashamed to stand beside him. One path is marked by self-preservation; the other by costly loyalty. One retreats when faith becomes dangerous; the other presses in with courage and compassion.

Today I want you to see that Jesus not only calls us to believe in him – he calls us to love courageously, to endure faithfully, and to stand with one another when the cost is high.

I also want you to see the surprising role mercy plays in this text. The mercy we show one another is evidence of the mercy we have received in Christ.

          All of this becomes evident as Paul contrasts two types of people: the loyal and the disloyal, the courageous and the cowardly. First, the cowards.

          Read vs 15

          I tend to agree with the scholars who place Paul’s second letter to Timothy sometime after the Book of Acts. Acts ends with Paul in house arrest in Rome. The hypothesis states that Paul was released from that imprisonment and was graced with another window of ministry. As he did, Paul moved around proclaiming the gospel, strengthening existing churches and planting new ones. At some point he is arrested again. There is some evidence inside 2 Timothy to suggest he was arrested in Troas.

          Both Troas and Ephesus were situated in the Roman province of Asia – that’s eastern Turkey in our time.

Paul said all who are in Asia turned away from him. We can only speculate at what this means, but here’s my theory: Paul was arrested in Troas and shortly afterward he was put on trial in Troas. In these kinds of trials it was part of the Roman judicial process for friends, coworkers, people who knew you, to show up and testify for you. They would help plead your case.

At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me.

                                                                             -2 Timothy 4:16

No one was there for Paul. No one stood by his side. No one pleaded for him. And after all he had done! What about that band of believers that traveled everywhere with him? They were all scattered. Was there a church in Troas? Had Paul ministered there? Where were they? It’s so reminiscent of when Christ was arrested and put on trial. Everyone abandoned Paul.

Among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes. We know almost nothing about these two men, except that they abandoned Paul in a time of great need. But there is one more thing we can infer: Phygelus and Hermogenes were once close with Paul. They were friends or co-laborers – and for Paul to name them means they once played a significant role in Paul’s life, or his work.

But they turned away from him. Why? Why did they abandon him?

Following the logic of the letter, I think we find the answer back in verse 8. There, Paul exhorted Timothy not to be ashamed of his chains. Evidently, Phygelus and Hermogenes were ashamed of Paul. When Paul needed them, they didn’t show up. And more than that, they turned away from him; they knowingly, willfully, disassociated with him.

How this must have wounded Paul! Do you know wounds like this? Are there people that were once close to you, but when times got hard, when affliction came upon you, where were they? And where are they now?

But worse than wounding Paul, Phygelus and Hermogenes wounded themselves. For verse 8 means that to be ashamed of Paul’s chains was to be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus. Paul is not being unclear here. When Phygelus and Hermogenes turned away from him, they were turning away from Christ.

Paul is not being petulant by naming these men and implying that, by abandoning him, they abandoned Christ. Paul was appointed by Christ as an Apostle and authorized to speak for him. In a very real sense, to be ashamed of Paul’s ministry and message was to be ashamed of Jesus himself.

So, when Paul is arrested and initially put on trial as a criminal (2:9), there’s all these people in Asia that distance themselves from Paul. Why? Because in the Roman world, to be associated with a criminal was to draw suspicion on yourself, and often worse.

Listen to these words from Hebrews.

But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometime being partners with those so treated. For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.              -Hebrews 10:32-34

To be a Christian meant to draw public reproach, affliction, and shame. For some, like for Paul, it meant imprisonment. But notice what is happening in Hebrews 10. Christians were visiting those who had been imprisoned, and their houses were being plundered.

Imagine if culture labeled our church as hateful, as extremist, as dangerous – perhaps because of our biblical convictions on homosexuality or abortion or something else. What if I were arrested and imprisoned for preaching how the gospel affects those issues.

Now imagine this: if you came to visit me in jail, to show me compassion, to be a friend in time of need, the authorities would assume you belong to my church. So would those in the community who oppose me. You would be scorned because of your association with me. “You go to that racist, homophobic, xenophobic church? I can’t believe you’re so hateful!” Then, shortly afterwards, people in our town, with the backing of the police, ransacked your home and stole your property. Would you still come to visit me if that were the cost?

Fully knowing the cost, the Hebrew Christian were willing to have their property plundered – joyfully! Phygelus and Hermogenes, and a whole host of others in Asia, were not. When faith became costly, and it was time to show how much they treasured Christ, they chose status, stuff, and security over Christ. When faith became costly, their allegiance to Christ collapsed and their cowardice was exposed. Because the way we love the body of Christ is an expression of how we love Christ!

But not everyone turned away from Paul. See how one man’s courage far overshadowed a whole crowd of cowards.

Read vs 16-18

It is evident from this passage that Onesiphorus was from Ephesus. We learn 3 things about him that are exemplary.

First, Onesiphorus searched earnestly for Paul (vs 17). We see in Acts 22:25 (and elsewhere) that Paul was a Roman citizen. As a Roman citizen, after a local trial he had the privilege of appearing in court in Rome, where the courts were presumably more noble and fair. After being transported to Rome, tried, and sentenced; it appears Paul was unceremoniously dumped into some city prison to await execution.

To search earnestly for Paul, Onesiphorus had to ask around. Before he even got to the prison, he had to expose himself as an associate of Paul. He did it anyway, unashamed, earnestly searching until he found Paul.

The second exemplary thing about Onesiphorus is that he refreshed Paul (vs 16). Roman prisons were not long-term situations. It was exceedingly rare for someone to be sentenced to years in prison. Prisons were meant to hold people until they could be given proper trial, until they were exiled, or until they were executed. Rome offered little care for criminals awaiting punishment. But citizens were allowed to bring provisions for their imprisoned loved ones.

But not Paul. Everyone had abandoned him. Hunger and cold were surely Paul’s cellmates. But Onesiphorus found him, despite the personal cost, and he often refreshed Paul. Perhaps he brought food and drink. Perhaps a blanket for sleeping. But more than that, I am certain that Onesiphorus sat with Paul, was simply present, and together they prayed. Bearing the chains of a criminal, wearing the weight of a death sentence, how refreshing the simple prayers and presence of a friend in Christ.

The third exemplary thing about Onesiphorus is the service he rendered in Ephesus (vs 18). Onesiphorus’ service to Paul was not unusual. It was a pattern in his life. We don’t know what service he rendered in Ephesus, but it was significant enough to turn Paul and Timothy’s heads.

Put these together: Paul is highlighting Onesiphorus’ courage; and not because of his gospel proclamation or disciple making prowess. Paul sees Onesiphorus’ courage demonstrated through his servant’s heart, through his steadfast compassion, through his loyalty and love. Who knows if Onesiphorus was a bold street preacher. He was a courageous friend; and he proved through friendship that he was unashamed of the gospel!

When Onesiphorus brought provision, presence, and prayer; Paul did not merely see the kindness of a friend. He saw the mercy of God. This is why Paul twice erupts into prayer:

May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus. (vs 16)
May the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that Day. (vs 18)

In each prayer you can hear Paul’s heart brimming with emotion. Mercy not just for Onesiphorus, but for his whole household!

Just as Onesiphorus found me and showed mercy to me, may he find mercy from Christ!

Paul wants his loyal, courageous friend to overflow in the mercy of Christ – on that Day! Meaning, on Judgment Day, may Onesiphorus find mercy. Wait, isn’t Onesiphorus already a Christian – and a courageous Christian at that? Hasn’t Christ already secured mercy for him at the Day of Judgment?

Absolutely! Applying what Paul wrote in 1:9 to Onesiphorus, God already saved him completely apart from his works, and God elected to show him mercy in endless ages past.

And yet, there is significance in merciful deeds. From Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount,

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.     -Matthew 5:7

Jesus is not teaching salvation by works. No! Jesus also says,

For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, for each tree is known by its own fruit.                                             -Luke 6:43-44

Jesus is teaching that those who have truly received God’s mercy become merciful people. As God has shown them mercy, so do they show mercy. If you are a good tree, then you ought to bear the good fruit of mercy.

Let’s put this another way. You don’t earn your salvation and calling and heaven because you are merciful. You are merciful because that is who you are. And if you are unmerciful – if you are a unforgiving, unkind, cold-hearted person – you are not saved. If anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17), created for good works (Ephesians 2:10). You are saved by God’s mercy so you can show mercy!  

On that Day, that final Judgment Day, your good deeds will not earn you salvation. Rather, the mercy your life has displayed will be evidence of the salvation already given to you by Jesus Christ! Imagine with me that Day when you come before the Judgment Seat. Jesus Christ will stand before and say to the Father, “This one is mine, purchased in my own blood.” The Father will smile upon you, his adopted son, and see the fruit his mercy has born in your life, and he shall say, “You shall receive mercy, blessed merciful one. Well done. Enter into my joy.”

That is the mercy Paul prays Onesiphorus finds on the Day of Judgment! For the Father to confirm it: the branches of his life were laden with good fruit. To hear the “Well done!” Oh, how deeply we know we are unworthy of such mercy. What heart will not be overwhelmed with wonder and worship when, on that Day, the Father welcomes us with mercy upon mercy? Like Onesiphorus, may the Lord grant us to find such mercy on that Day.

Now let me tie a few threads together. It took real courage for Onesiphorus to search for Paul in a Roman prison and remain an unashamedly loyal friend. Imprisoned, chained, abandoned, and awaiting execution — what mercy it was for Paul when Onesiphorus came and refreshed him.

But Onesiphorus’ courageous loyalty was not merely human kindness. It was divine mercy expressed through human hands. In the compassion of his friend, Paul experienced the compassion of God. And for a man unjustly condemned and utterly alone, what a blessing that must have been.

For there is an even greater friend than courageous Onesiphorus. We were all alone in the prison of our sins and condemned to everlasting death. But there in that dark and shameful state, Jesus moved towards us, not away from us. He bore our shame, entered our suffering, and gave mercy to the undeserving. Therefore, if there is any courage or mercy in our hearts, it is because he has placed it there.

Brothers and sisters, courage is not always loud. Sometimes courage looks like seeking out a suffering brother, sitting beside the lonely, refreshing the weary, bearing shame alongside the people of God. The coward retreats when the cost rises, when the going gets tough. But because the courageous treasure Christ above comfort, reputation, safety, and self; they will remain tenaciously merciful and steadfastly loyal.

And on that Day, the merciful shall receive mercy. For our love and compassion was evidence that we truly belonged to him.

Head: Following Jesus will cost us something. The world will pressure us to retreat in fear, shame, and self-preservation — but Christ sees every act of courageous faithfulness done in his name.

Heart: The mercy of Christ is powerful enough not only to save sinners, but to transform us into merciful people. The same mercy that forgives us also strengthens us to endure faithfully and love courageously.

Hands: Do not be ashamed of Christ, his gospel, or his people. Stand beside suffering believers, show mercy freely, and remain courageously loyal. What we do for the least of these, our brothers and sisters, we do for Jesus (Matthew 25:40).