At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me; may it not be counted against them. But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was rescued out of the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

1 Timothy 4:16-18

Paul was speaking of a very specific time in his life when he wrote this, that is, that at a court appearance he had no support from people in the room. Importantly, Paul does not say this by way of condemnation, rather, he has the big picture perspective. God was using that moment so that the message He sent would be shared through Paul.

So what does Paul mean when he says God will rescue him from every evil deed? Was Paul not executed? Yes, but an execution could not stop the Message which, having been shared to “all the Gentiles”, was now spreading. The proclamation was fully accomplished. And no evil deed committed against Paul could damage his Spiritual salvation.

It must also be so with us; we must keep our faith God, not humanity. Sometimes doing the right thing will mean doing it alone. But we can’t hold that against our fellow believers, either. We know Whom we serve, and what He asks us to do. The Lord will rescue us from every evil deed and bring us safely to His heavenly kingdom.

Ethan Kirl

Originally Published April 22, 2021