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:
This is now the fifth post I have written about just the first passage (2 Timothy 1:7) that I listed in a previous post about the “hidden features” of the three cross reference Bible study tools I authored. I am doing this to help you see just how much there is to enjoy in the Bible when you use the right Bible study tools and methods.
In my last post, I focused on the first clause of 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear.” In this post, I invite you to consider the next part of the verse, which tells us that God has given us the spirit of power. I will share the cross references from my latest Bible study tool, The Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury, for the key words “of power.”
of power. 2Ti 2:1, *Mic 3:8, *Zec 4:6, Luk 10:19; *Luk 24:49, *+Act 1:8; Act 6:5; *Act 6:8; Act 9:22; *Act 10:38, *1Co 2:4; *1Co 2:5.
If your device supports the reference tagger feature, you can hover your mouse pointer over each reference in turn to read the text in a pop-up window. Other devices may allow you to touch the reference on screen to bring up each text. For those who cannot access the reference tagger feature, I share the full text of each reference immediately below. If you read the passages in order, you will see how they all connect and re-enforce the truth expressed in 2 Timothy 1:7.
2 Timothy 2:1
1 Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
King James Version
Micah 3:8
8 But truly I am full of power by the spirit of the LORD, and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin.
King James Version
Zechariah 4:6
6 Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.
King James Version
Luke 10:19
19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
King James Version
Luke 24:49
49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.
King James Version
Acts 1:8
8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
King James Version
Acts 6:5
5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch:
King James Version
Acts 6:8
8 And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.
King James Version
Acts 9:22
22 But Saul increased the more in strength, and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is very Christ.
King James Version
Acts 10:38
38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
King James Version
1 Corinthians 2:4
4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
King James Version
I have found that the more I read and study the Bible, the more that studying the cross references for each verse increases my understanding of each verse I study. My hope is that everyone reading here will experience the same joy that comes from doing real Bible study.
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.