Daily Bible Nugget #504, 2 Timothy 1:7

The Nugget:

2Ti 1:7  For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

My Comment:

In my previous post I gave the full Bible text for the cross references found in the original Treasury of Scripture Knowledge for the last phrase in 2 Timothy 1:7, “a sound mind.” Below, I wish to give each of those passages with my brief comment to help you see the connection I first saw when I studied this verse.

Psalms 119:80
80  Let my heart be sound in thy statutes; that I be not ashamed.
King James Version

Both 2 Timothy 1:7 and Psalm 119:80 contain the word sound. Psalm 119:80 teaches us that if we gain a sound knowledge of God’s Word in the Bible, we will not be ashamed. Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible. It is an alphabetical hymn to the written Word of God.

Proverbs 2:7
7  He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.
King James Version

God promises, in Proverbs 2:7, to provide and store up sound wisdom for the righteous and to be their buckler or shield. None of these promises indicate in any way that a person who becomes deeply interested in the Bible will lose their sanity, but the very opposite!

Proverbs 8:14
14  Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength.
King James Version

God provides counsel and sound wisdom as well as understanding and strength for living. He does that as we read and study his written Word.

Luke 8:35
35  Then they went out to see what was done; and came to Jesus, and found the man, out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.
King James Version

You will recall, if you know your Bible, that the man spoken of here had been living among the tombs and he was very strong physically so that he broke every restraint. He wore no clothes. But when he met Jesus, Jesus cast out the demons that possessed him, and restored the man to his right mind. This event ought to settle the matter once and for all.

Luke 15:17
17  And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
King James Version

Notice the man in this parable who had demanded that he receive his inheritance early went off, spent the money unwisely, and was reduced to utter poverty and near starvation. When he “came to himself” he determined to return home to his father to work not as a son, but as one of the hired servants. But his father received him with open arms and welcomed him back. When the man “came to himself” he was once again in his “right mind.” Notice the connection is not always given in exactly the same words, but the thought or subject is the same though expressed in different terms.

Acts 26:11
11  And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities.
King James Version

Notice that Paul describes how he was “exceedingly mad” against the Christians, wherever he could find them. Here, the connection is a contrasting idea about the state of Paul’s mind before he became a Christian himself. He was not in his “right mind,” but the very opposite, because his mind was against those who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ and against Jesus Christ Himself. Not until Paul met our Lord Jesus Christ in person on the Damascus road and was converted to faith in Christ did he have a sound mind.

Acts 26:25
25  But he said, I am not mad, most noble Festus; but speak forth the words of truth and soberness.
King James Version

Once Paul followed the Lord Jesus Christ, others sometimes believed he was “mad.” But the opposite was true. He now had a sound mind, and spoke the words of truth and soberness.

These are the main verses from the cross references given at 2 Timothy 1:7 for the phrase “and of a sound mind” that brought me much encouragement when I first read them when in Miss Ellen Groh’s “How to Study the Bible” summer class in 1954 when I first learned this method of Bible study using The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. I have enjoyed this Bible study method above all others these many years since.

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One Response to Daily Bible Nugget #504, 2 Timothy 1:7

  1. ken sagely says:

    hello jerry your comments on these verses from 2 timothy 1.7 were very
    helpful. i think its encouraging to see how Gods word ties togther. to me
    its proves its inspiration comparing scripture with scripture. 1 co 2.13

    thank you ken

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