Peter blesses God for new birth into a living hope through Jesus’ resurrection, and I celebrate that this isn’t theory—Jesus is alive, present, and calls us to participate with Him. We don’t pursue holiness to earn salvation; salvation is secured. We pursue holiness so His kingdom breaks into this dark world through our lives, so others see Jesus and we taste eternal life now. That’s the backdrop as Paul writes Timothy, a pastor in a corrupt Ephesus where the church is bending to culture and false teaching. The call is timely: embrace your calling and confront corruption—but do it God’s way.
Paul starts with me and you. Before correcting others, depart from iniquity, clean the vessel, and then not only flee what corrupts but pursue what fills: righteousness, faith, love, and peace. Flee means run for your life; pursue means chase hard after what looks like Jesus. This pursuit is communal. We do it “with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart,” because oneness isn’t optional—it is God’s cosmic sermon to the powers that His gospel reconciles.
Then the surprising turn: the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome. In a world that monetizes outrage, we resist foolish controversies and the inner itch to fight. Yet we do not retreat from truth. We enter the fray with an uncommon posture—kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting opponents with gentleness. This posture is not weakness; it’s alignment with how God changes people. God may perhaps grant repentance, and repentance then opens the door to truth. Kindness tills the soil; truth is the seed; repentance is the miracle God performs.
Finally, we remember who the enemy is. People trapped in falsehood are ensnared by the devil, often senseless to their captivity. We don’t fight them; we fight for them, against the powers that hold them. So we flee youthful passions, pursue kingdom character in community, refuse quarrels, and correct with patient gentleness. This is how we confront corruption without becoming corrupt—and how the world begins to wonder who we are and who our King must be.