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All Sermons
Bible Passage 2 Timothy 1

2 Timothy 1:5 A Genuine Faith

  • Tony Raker
Date preached November 1, 2026

Paul’s focus for Timothy is first on a pure concise, immediately followed by a genuine faith.

2 Timothy 1:5a: “I am reminded of your sincere faith”

➤ Grammatical Usage: “sincere” or in the Greek, “anupokritos” meaning, “unfeigned; without hypocrisy”; “faith” or “pisteōs” meaning, “faithful fidelity”.

➤ Literal Interpretation: I am reminded of the reality of your faithful fidelity….

➤ Contextual/Comparison: God keeps His Word: God continually uses His Word.

  1. NOT ALL FAITH IS GENUINE
    1. FAITH THAT DISPLEASES GOD…
      1. There is little faith
        1. That fails to trust in God’s providence – Matthew 6:30
        2. That is filled with fear and doubt – Matthew 8:26; 14:31
        3. That allows human reasoning to forget God’s power – Matthew 16:8-9
      2. There is dead faith
        1. That fails to produce works – James 2:17; 20
      3. There is demonic faith
        1. Who believe in God, but only to tremble – James 2:19
        2. Who believe in Jesus, but want to be left alone – Mark 1:24
      4. There is unconfessing faith
        1. By those who may believe, but will not confess Jesus – John 12:42-43
        2. Such faith will not save, for confessing Christ is necessary – Romans 10:9-10; Matthew 10:32-33
      5. There is “circumstantial faith”
        1. Some signs of a “circumstantial faith”
          1. Praying in public, but not in private
          2. Studying the Bible when at church, but not in private
          3. A lack of personal closeness and dependence upon God
      6. There is “blind faith”
        1. God expects us to love Him with our minds as well as our hearts – Matthew 22:37
    2. FAITH THAT PLEASES GOD…
      1. Faith that is a strong conviction in things unseen
        1. Such is the Biblical definition of faith – Hebrews 11:1
        2. Especially in God and His promises – Hebrews 11:6
      2. Faith that believes God raised Jesus from the dead
        1. For such is necessary for our salvation – Romans 10:9
        2. For such is the source of great blessings – John 20:29
      3. Faith that works through love
        1. Faith that justifies by works, not by faith only – James 2:24
        2. Faith that works through love, not by works only – Galations 5:6
      4. Faith that is genuine
        1. Faith that is sincere, unfeigned – 2 Timothy 1:5
        2. The kind of faith reflects God’s love – 1 Timothy 1:5
  2. DEVELOPING A FAITH THAT IS GENUINE
    1. THROUGH THE WORD OF GOD…
      1. The Word of God is designed to produce faith – Romans 10:17
      2. Books were written to create and strengthen faith – John 20:30-31; 1 John 5:13
      3. The Bible contains evidence to develop faith (harmony of the Scriptures, scientific foreknowledge, fulfilled prophecy, eyewitness testimony, etc.)
    2. THROUGH THE FAMILY OF GOD…
      1. Timothy had been blessed being around people of faith – 2 Timothy 1:5
        1. His grandmother Lois and mother Eunice
        2. The good example of their faith undoubtedly cultivated his own
      2. Our faith is strengthened by our association with other Christians
        1. Whose frequent assemblies exhort us to love and good works – Hebrews 10:24-25
        2. Whose daily exhortations can ward off an evil heart of unbelief – Hebrews 3:12-13
    3. THROUGH WALKING WITH GOD…
      1. Abraham is the father of the faithful – cf. Galatians 3:7, 9
      2. Abraham demonstrated his faith by walking with and wherever God told Him – Hebrews 11:8-9
      3. Abraham grew in faith as he walked with God, even to where he was willing to offer his son – cf. Hebrews 11:17-18
        1. His faith was not developed all at once, but in stages
        2. It grew as he walked with God throughout his sojourn in life
        3. The same could be said of the faith of the apostles of Christ

Keys

  1. God is willing to help provide the kind of faith that pleases Him…
    1. He provides His Word to create faith
    2. He provides His Family to nurture faith
    3. He provides His Companionship to strengthen faith

    — Working together to produce “A Faith That Is Genuine”

  2. When people think of you, what kind of faith do you have that comes to their remembrance…?
    1. Does it produce gratitude as Timothy’s faith did for Paul? – cf. 2 Timothy 1:3-5
    2. Does it produce sadness, as Demas’ lack of faith undoubtedly did for Paul? – cf. 2 Timothy 4:10

➤ Conclusion: Is my faith a delight to God, noticed by others?