II Timothy 1:18-19—“… concerning faith have made shipwreck”

This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare; Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck (II Tim. 1:18-19).

ARMINIAN ARGUMENT:

Appeal is made to this text by Arminians to support the idea that the saints can lose their salvation.

(I)

Rev. George C. Lubbers

[Source: “Exposition of I Timothy,” in The Standard Bearer, vol. 37, no. 18 (July 1, 1961), p. 419]

[It] had not gone well with this Hymeneus and Alexander, with “some” others in the church. They had not heeded the work of Paul to walk as children of light, and to reprove the unfruitful works of darkness (Eph. 5:11). Not heeding the warnings of putting off the old man and putting on the new man, they had not walked as children of the light. Instead they cast away a good conscience! The wrath of God, which comes upon the children of disobedience, came upon them. They suffered shipwreck in the faith … Now the idea of “suffering shipwreck” is certainly that of irreparable loss—not arriving at the destination, the harbor to which sail was originally set. The anchor, safe and sure within the holy place, does not hold. They are drift-wood under the wrath of God. The assurance of the forgiveness of sins is gone. Faith is interrupted. There is nothing left. The thing that they lost in the “shipwreck” is faith. They lost it in the objective sense of the truth of the gospel. That Christ was delivered for our offenses and raised for our justification, they no longer hold and believe. And the result is that when they try to find some stability they are simply cast from one error and demoniacal lie to the other. Never finding rest for their souls, they go from bad to worse.

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(II)

More to come! (DV)