So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God. He has saved us and called us to a holy life – not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day (2 Timothy 1:8-12).
In this short passage Paul first tells Timothy not to be ashamed, and then he says that he himself is not ashamed. If Timothy, Paul’s own disciple, needed to be reminded of this, how much more do I sometimes need a reminder?
There are other places in Scripture where Paul talks about not being ashamed of the gospel (Romans 1:16 being one example). Here, however, it’s not the gospel itself but the suffering, the fact that Paul is being treated like a criminal, that he says is not a cause for shame. More than that, Paul even calls Timothy, and by implication you and me as well, to join him in suffering for the sake of the gospel. Not from a love of suffering, but from a love for Jesus, and for the people Jesus loves. Even if those people don’t deserve it. Especially if they don’t deserve it.
We must remember, though, that Paul was not persecuted despite the fact that he was a messenger from Christ, but because of it. That hasn’t changed in our era – from the massacres in Nigeria to the assassination of Charlie Kirk in Utah, it’s not just the devil who is enraged by the gospel; it’s the world too.
We bring freedom to the prisoners and sight to the blind. We preach good news to the poor, release for those are oppressed and announce the arrival, at last, of the kingdom of God (Luke 4:18-21). At the same time, however, the people we’ve been sent to minister to are not God’s friends, but his enemies (Romans 5:10, 11:28, Philippians 3:18-19, Colossians 1:21). And they are our enemies as well (Matthew 10:34-36). This also was God’s plan when he created the world; to reconcile his enemies to himself through the death of his Son.
It’s because Paul knows that this was God’s plan from the beginning that he is not ashamed to be identified with Christ, or to suffer for the sake of advancing Christ’s kingdom. God, who created the world and guided it to this point, knows how to complete what he began. Paul’s trust in him, my trust in him, will not lead to disappointment.
Love, as I’ve often heard, is not a feeling; it’s a commitment to do what is best for another person, even at my own cost. Love is sacrifice. Being “ashamed of the testimony” about Christ, then, is the opposite of love.
This is a high bar, but it’s what Jesus is asking of me, or rather, of all of us who are called by his name. It’s when we share in Jesus’ suffering, when we sacrifice our own interests in favor of his, that we will also share in his glory (Romans 8:17).