2 Timothy 2:11

2 Timothy 2:11 says, It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him:  Paul said this was a faithful statement, which I believe could mean two things.  One is that faithful means true and the other is that faithful means it was made by faith in what Paul was about to say.  Paul said that if we were dead with Christ, we would also live with Him.  This means spiritually dying to self and spiritually living for God.  Just as Jesus died to self-will every day before He physically died on the cross, we should die to self-will every day after we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord.  Still, we will at times come up short of this.  

Verse twelve adds, If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:  Paul said that if we suffered with Jesus Christ because of our faith in Him that we would one day reign with Him.  I don’t believe that reign means that we will be in power but that we will be a part of His kingdom where He will reign.  The opposite was also true.  If we deny Jesus Christ in our life, He will deny us when He returns to reign over His kingdom.  

Verse thirteen continues, If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.  Paul said our lack of belief does not change Who Jesus Christ is.  He is the faithful Savior of all, but we must accept His gift of salvation by faith for it to save us.  If we refuse to, it doesn’t change what He did for us.  

Verse fourteen concludes, Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers.  Paul said that Timothy was to remind believers of the truth of the gospel before the Lord so that they wouldn't strive or argue about words that were vain or meaningless as for as salvation is concerned.   As Christians, we may have different ideas about certain things the Bible says, but we should never allow these to become our focus.  If they are about anything other than being saved by faith in Jesus Christ and living under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, they are of no value to our salvation.