Paul was confident about his salvation. Even when the shadow of death was hovering over his head, he was sure about his heavenly destiny. In the last turn of his earthly race for Christ, he said with poise, “Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day…” (2 Tim 4:8). Why was Paul so secure in his salvation? He was confident because he knew he had lived a life committed to the Lord. Thus, he was able, in what would be his final epistle, to write,
2 Timothy 1:12 (NKJV)
12 For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.
The words, “have committed unto him” come from a Greek word that literally means, to deposit. Paul’s committed life was filled with deposits that he made in the bank of Christ, and he knew that Jesus was able to guard what he had deposited until the day of judgment.
What kind of deposits do you make in the Lord’s bank? Do you have a trust fund for heaven? What have you committed to the Lord? Isn’t it a shame that some folks take special care to build up savings for retirement, but give little thought about preparing for eternity?
There are three important factors that allowed Paul to make regular deposits into the Lord’s trust.
1) Paul was not ashamed of Christ. Yes, Paul had to suffer often for the Lord. Nevertheless, he was in no way ashamed of Christ or His testimony. After all, Paul was always mindful of the suffering that Christ endured for him and all others. In fact, it was Paul’s awareness of the sufferings of Christ that caused him to view suffering for Jesus as a privilege and a blessing rather than a burden (Phil. 3:10). Not being ashamed of Christ in any way allowed Paul to live for Jesus openly and boldly and to commit his time and energy to bringing glory to his Savior (Phil. 1:20).
Is there anything about Jesus of which you are ashamed? Are you ashamed that you serve a Savior who died a shameful death on the cross? Many Jews in the first century refused to acknowledge Jesus precisely because He died in what was viewed as a shameful manner. Are you ashamed of the doctrine of Christ? Are you ashamed of the church of Christ? Paul made daily deposits in the bank of our Lord because he wasn’t handcuffed by shame.
2) Paul knew Jesus. Paul walked with Jesus daily by living a life worthy of the gospel. He communed with Christ regularly by partaking of the Lord’s Supper on a weekly basis (Acts 20:7). He obviously felt a strong attachment to Jesus because of his ordeal on the road to Damascus when he saw the risen Savior and began to recognize Jesus as Lord.
Furthermore, he had constant fellowship with Christ in His sufferings. The point of it all is that Paul knew Jesus intimately. The more one knows Jesus, the more committed to Him one will be. Do you know Jesus? I know that you know who He is, but do you feel close to Him. Do you know what kind of person He is? Are you familiar with His characteristics, and are you aware of His will for you? Paul would have answered yes to all these questions. If you can honestly answer yes to these questions.
If you, too, can honestly answer yes to these questions, then I am confident that you are making regular deposits into His trust. If not, perhaps you need to spend a little more time with Him. You can do that by reading your Bible more and focusing in on passages that teach you about Jesus and who He is and what He has done for you. That will help you connect with Him like you should, and in turn help you make more of a commitment to Him in your living. Remember, faith comes by hearing the word of God (Rom. 10:17).
3) Paul had confidence in Christ. This confidence was the natural result of knowing Jesus. Anyone who really knows Jesus will trust Him and Paul did. Paul knew what he was up against in this world. He knew that his life was risky. Death was never too far away from Paul. He spoke of this in his letters to the Christians at Corinth when he wrote, “For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So death is at work in us, but life in you” (2 Cor 4:11-12). But Paul didn’t live his life in fear because he trusted Jesus. He believed that all that he had done for the cause of Christ, all the deposits he had made through the years, was safely stored in the mind of Christ.
This is not only true with Paul, but it is the case with us as well. John promised all of us that if we die in the Lord, our works will follow us (Rev. 14:13). That is just saying what Paul said in 2 Tim. 1:12 in different words.
Finally, in mentioning his confidence in Christ, Paul referred to “that Day.” The day he was alluding to was the day of judgment. That Day is coming. Paul didn’t fear it because he knew he lived a life committed to the Lord. He knew he had made plenty of deposits into the bank of Christ and that Christ was guarding every one of them. When was the last time you made a deposit? The day of judgment is coming (Acts 17:30-31). How is your trust fund for heaven looking? If it is empty, you better get busy. Time is running out (Jas. 4:14).