I Know Whom I Have Believed

By Dale J. Babinsky     As Paul was giving his final instructions to the young evangelist, Timothy, he wrote, “For this reason I also suƫer 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” (2 Tim. 1:12NKJV). Let us notice a few things about this particular verse.     First, Paul said that he knows whom he has believed. Paul does not have any doubt about the God that he serves. From the time that Paul first saw the light on the road to Damascus and spoke to our Lord and Savior, he never turned away. Paul was steadfast in his faith, even with all of the trials he had to endure (2 Cor. 11:23-28). Paul knows God, and we can know God too. He has left us suffcient evidence (Rom. 1:20).     Second, Paul is convinced that God is able to do anything He desires. God is all powerful. He is the God who spoke all of creation into existence (Gen. 1). He is the God who parted the Red Sea for the Israelites to cross on dry ground (Ex. 14:21-22). He is the God who was gracious to Paul by giving him a second chance, when he was persecuting God in his pursuit of Christians (Acts 9:1-5). God wants to give us a second chance also. He is able to cleanse our sins in the precious blood of His Son. He is able to make us whole.     Third, Paul has committed something to God. Like Jesus on the cross, Paul has committed his spirit, his soul, his very existence into God’s hands. Paul trusts that God is able to keep his soul well guarded. Peter also spoke of God’s ability to keep our inheritance in heaven under guard (1 Pet. 1:3-5). For those who follow God, their inheritance is reserved. No thief will break in and steal it, and rust will not corrupt it. It is ours, if we will obey and remain faithful to God.     We, like Paul, can have confidence in God. We can believe. We can know that He is able. We can trust Him with our very souls!

- Dale J. Babinsky preaches for the Great Smoky Mountains Church of Christ in Pigeon Forge, TN. He may be contacted through the congregation's website - https://gsmchurchofchrist.com/