Articles
Vessels of Honor
“Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also vessels of wood and of earthenware, and some to honor and some to dishonor. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work” (2 Timothy 2:20-21).
We don’t have any gold dishes at our house. We may still have a silver serving piece or two somewhere, but we never use them because they are too much trouble to keep polished. Stoneware is quite popular, but apart from that, wood and earthenware have mostly been replaced by plastic and glass. Paper is often king!
Paul’s point remains. Our houses contain a variety of vessels. Some are more or less honorable, some are more or less useful. In that regard, they parallel the church. Paul’s parallel, however, is not exact. A dish cannot determine or change its makeup. People can.
Verse 21 says anyone can be a vessel of honor. In practicality, Paul’s three-fold description of the honored vessel becomes a three-fold checklist for us.
First, we must be cleansed/sanctified. Initially, we are cleansed by Jesus’ blood, (Revelation 7:14) in the washing of regeneration (Titus 3:5), a reference to baptism. However, the Apostle has a more immediate application in mind in our text. He has just been speaking of the influence of some false teachers whose views lead to ungodliness (vv. 16-19). We must cleanse or purge ourselves of such (the same verb occurs in 1 Corinthians 5:7 in a similar context). Paul then continues by telling Timothy, “Now flee from youthful lusts . . .” (v. 22). For a young preacher, that includes not only fleshly lusts but also those akin to his work: “temptations . . . to pride, to conceit, to dogmatism, to contentiousness, and to the display of his own wisdom” (Charles Erdman).
Second, we must be useful to the Master. Paul used the word useful to describe both Mark (2 Timothy 4:11) and Onesimus (Philemon 11). Usefulness to the Master brings to mind our servant status. It requires a willingness to accept whatever role the Master assigns, in whatever circumstances, and doing it to the best of our ability, with a single-minded focus on pleasing Him. This applies to all of us, yet Paul again makes a preacher application of the servant idea (vv. 24-26).
Third, we must be prepared for every good work. Christ redeemed us to be a people “zealous for good deeds” (Titus 2:14). Honorable vessels are ready, even anxious, to go to work. They are actively looking for opportunities to serve.
Let’s each ask ourselves, Am I a vessel of honor?
