Vessels for Honor and Dishonor

2 Timothy 2:20-21

Vessels for Honor and Dishonor

A large house contains not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay. Some indeed are for honorable use, but others are for common use.

So if anyone cleanses himself of what is unfit, he will be a vessel for honor: sanctified, useful to the Master, and prepared for every good work.

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Commentary written on this passage, not on a single verse.

Henry comments on 2 Timothy 2:19-21 — read the whole passage

Public-domain commentary

Matthew Henry

From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry comments on passages, not single verses — this entry covers 2 Timothy 2:19–21. His three-level outline is real structure in the source text, so it is rendered as structure.

1662–1714

I. II. Main points1. 2. Sub-points(1.) (2.) Details

Here we see what we may comfort ourselves with, in reference to this, and the little errors and heresies that both infect and infest the church, and do mischief.

I.It may be a great comfort to us that the unbelief of men cannot make the promise of God of no effect.

Though the faith of some particular persons be overthrown, yet the foundation of God standeth sure (Ti2 2:19); it is not possible that they should deceive the elect. Or it may be meant of the truth itself, which they impugn. All the attacks which the powers of darkness have made upon the doctrine of Christ cannot shake it; it stands firm, and weathers all the storms which have been raised against it. The prophets and apostles, that is, the doctrines of the Old and New Testament, are still firm; and they have a seal with two mottoes upon it, one on the one side, and the other on the other, as is usual in a broad seal.

1.One expresses our comfort - that the Lord knows those that are his, and those that are not; knows them, that is, he owns them, so knows them that he will never lose them. Though the faith of some be overthrown, yet the Lord is said to know the ways of the righteous, Psa 1:6. None can overthrow the faith of any whom God hath chosen.

2.Another declares our duty - that every one who names the name of Christ must depart from iniquity. Those who would have the comfort of the privilege must make conscience of the duty. If the name of Christ be called upon us, we must depart from iniquity, else he will not own us; he will say in the great day (Mat 7:23), Depart from me, I never knew you, you workers of iniquity. Observe,

(1.)Whatever errors are introduced into the church, the foundation of God standeth sure, his purpose can never be defeated.

(2.)God hath some in the church who are his and whom he knows to be his.

(3.)Professing Christians name the name of Christ, are called by his name, and therefore are bound to depart from iniquity; for Christ gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, Tit 2:14.

II.Another thing that may comfort us is that though there are some whose faith is overthrown, yet there are others who keep their integrity, and hold it fast (Ti2 2:20): In a great house there are not only vessels of gold, etc. The church of Christ is a great house, a well-furnished house: now some of the furniture of this house is of great value, as the plate in a house; some of small value, and put to mean uses, as the vessels of wood and earth; so it is in the church of God. There are some professors of religion that are like the vessels of wood and earth, they are vessels of dishonour. But at the same time all are not vessels of dishonour; there are vessels of gold and silver, vessels of honour, that are sanctified and meet for the Master's use. When we are discouraged by the badness of some, we must encourage ourselves by the consideration of the goodness of others. Now we should see to it that we be vessels of honour: we must purge ourselves from these corrupt opinions, that we may be sanctified for our Master's use. Observe,

1.In the church there are some vessels of honour and some of dishonour; there are some vessels of mercy and other vessels of wrath, Rom 9:22, Rom 9:23. Some dishonour the church by their corrupt opinions and wicked lives; and others honour and credit it by their exemplary conversation.

2.A man must purge himself from these before he can be a vessel of honour, or meet for his Master's use.

3.Every vessel must be fit for its Master's use; every one in the church whom God approves must be devoted to his Master's service and meet for his use.

4.Sanctification in the heart is our preparation for every good work. The tree must be made good, and then the fruit will be good.

Historical interpretation

Seven Centuries of Reception

18 surviving comments on this passage. Each one is dated, so this reads as a timeline rather than a list.

18 quotes · AD 253–990

Ante-NicenePost-NiceneEarly Medieval

3004005006007008009001000

Select a marker to jump to its quote. Markers stagger vertically where authors wrote within a few decades of each other.

AD 253Origen of AlexandriaAnte-NiceneSourceON FIRST PRINCIPLES 2.9.8

Whoever purges himself when placed in this life will be prepared for every good work in the future.

AD 253Origen of AlexandriaAnte-NiceneSourceON FIRST PRINCIPLES 2.9.6

God who from the beginning felt it just to arrange his creation according to merit gathered the diversities of minds into the harmony of a single world, so as to furnish, as it were, out of these diverse vessels or souls or minds one house. In this house there must be “not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and of earth, and some unto honor and some unto dishonor.”

AD 258CyprianAnte-NiceneSourceEpistle LI

Then, moreover, what a swelling of arrogance it is, what oblivion of humility and gentleness, what a boasting of his own arrogance, that any one should either dare, or think that he is able, to do what the Lord did not even grant to the apostles; that he should think that he can discern the tares from the wheat, or, as if it were granted to him to bear the fan and to purge the threshing-floor, should endeavour to separate the chaff from the wheat; and since the apostle says, "But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth," should think to choose the vessels of gold and of silver, to despise, to cast away, and to condemn the vessels of wood and of clay; while the vessels of wood are not burnt up except in the day of the Lord by the flame of the divine burning, and the vessels of clay are only broken by Him to whom is given the rod of iron.

AD 258CyprianAnte-NiceneSourceEpistle L.3

For although there seem to be tares in the Church, yet neither our faith nor our charity ought to be hindered, so that because we see that there are tares in the Church we ourselves should withdraw from the Church: we ought only to labour that we may be wheat, that when the wheat shall begin to be gathered into the Lord's barns, we may receive fruit for our labour and work. The apostle in his epistle says, "In a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and of earth, and some to honour and some to dishonour." Let us strive, dearest brethren, and labour as much as we possibly can, that we may be vessels of gold or silver. But to the Lord alone it is granted to break the vessels of earth, to whom also is given the rod of iron. The servant cannot be greater than his lord, nor may any one claim to himself what the Father has given to the Son alone, so as to think that he can take the fan for winnowing and purging the threshing-floor, or can separate by human judgment all the tares from the wheat. That is a proud obstinacy and a sacrilegious presumption which a depraved madness assumes to itself. And while some are always assuming to themselves more dominion than meek justice demands, they perish from the Church; and while they insolently extol themselves, blinded by their own swelling, they lose the light of truth. For which reason we also, keeping moderation, and considering the Lord's balances, and thinking of the love and mercy of God the Father, have long and carefully pondered with ourselves, and have weighed what was to be done with due moderation.

AD 379Basil of CaesareaPost-NiceneSourceON THE HOLY SPIRIT 8.18

The infinite God, remaining changeless, assumed flesh and fought with death, freeing us from suffering by his own suffering!… He himself has bound the strong man and plundered his goods—that is, us, who had been abased in every manner of evil—and made us vessels fit for the Master’s use, the use of our free will being made ready for any good work.

AD 379Basil of CaesareaPost-NiceneSourceHOMILY ON THE WORDS: “GIVE HEED TO THYSELF.”

Every one of us, indeed, who is instructed in the holy Scripture is the administrator of some one of those gifts which, according to the gospel, have been apportioned to us. In this great household of the church not only are there vessels of every kind—gold, silver, wooden and earthen—but also a great variety of pursuits.

Vessels for Honor and Dishonor