God's Firm Foundation

From Ray Stedman's Daily Devotionals;

2 Timothy 2:14-19 Nevertheless, God's solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: "The Lord knows those who are his," and, "Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness" (2 Timothy 2:19).

In other words, Paul is telling Timothy not to panic over the problems in the church. He acknowledges that there may be heresy in the congregation, there may be dissension among the members, and Timothy may have to do battle against it, but he should remember: "God's solid foundation stands firm."

That is like a coin with two sides: God's side and the human side. On God's side is, "The Lord knows those who are his," It is remarkable to recognize in the Gospels that Jesus knew that Judas was a traitor from the beginning. The Scriptures tell us that Jesus knew before He chose him that Judas was a devil. He knew those who were His and those who were not His. Paul reminds us that God's church is never going to be altered, shaken, or diminished, even by the heresies that may rage among us. God knows those who are His.

The other side of the coin is that people can know those who are God's when they see them departing from the wickedness of false doctrine and false teaching among us. We can be confident that those who really are Christians will ultimately see the error that is involved and leave it. That is where our faith can rest.