Louise Owen is a woman with a remarkable ability. She has what has been called hyperthymesia, or “highly superior autobiographical memory.” That is, she has an unusual ability to remember things that happened in her life. In fact, she can remember what has happened every day of her life since she was about 11 years old.
“If you say a date to me, I am instantly transported back to that day as though it happened five minutes ago. So I am remembering the emotions of the day. I remember the events, the conversations I had with people. I remember what the weather was like. Sometimes I know what I ate that day or what I was wearing. I usually describe it to people — it’s like time travel. It’s not a photographic memory where I don’t just look at a page of something and read it once and then I can recite it back verbatim. It doesn’t work like that, but it’s more emotionally photographic in that I can replay the entire day in my mind in an instant like that. And for a long time I didn’t know it was unusual. I thought that everybody remembered what happened on every day.”
If you and I had a memory like that, we probably wouldn’t need the admonition of Paul in 2 Timothy 2:8 — “Remember Jesus Christ…” But since virtually no one has a memory like Louise (perhaps no more than one to two dozen people have been identified with this remarkable ability), we do need this instruction.
We regularly (daily) need to feed our remembrance of Christ. And according to Paul, we need to remember His person, His work, and His future.
Who is Jesus Christ? The name Paul uses actually is comprised of both a name (Jesus) and a title (Christ — the anointed One, the Messiah). When Paul used them in the order of 2 Timothy 2:8 — Jesus Christ — it often is used to emphasize the humanity of Christ and His identification with the plight of all men. And when the name and title are reversed — Christ Jesus — it often emphasizes the deity of Christ and His work to provide for the sins of men.
Jesus can be a Savior because He is one of us (i.e., He is genuinely human). But He must also be more than human. He must also be divine so that He can absorb God’s infinite wrath against sin. And Paul emphasizes that second perspective in the way he uses “Christ Jesus” throughout 2 Timothy (“Jesus Christ” appears only one time in the book, while “Christ Jesus” appears 12 times) —
- It is as Christ Jesus that He is the Messiah, the One who fulfills the promises of God, including the eternal promise of God to Him (a promise to provide Christ a redeemed people who would forever honor and exalt Him, 1:9).
- It is as Christ Jesus that He is also Lord (1:2). He is the Master.
- It is as Christ Jesus that He has abolished death (1:10).
- It is as Christ Jesus that He gives sustaining grace to His own (2:1).
- It is as Christ Jesus that He is the source of salvation and glory (2:10; 3:15).
- It is as Christ Jesus that He is able to judge all men (4:1).
When you remember Christ Jesus, remember that He is not only compassionate to the needs of men because He assumed the mantle of humanity (e.g., Mk. 8:2), but He is also supreme Lord and Is able to accomplish everything you need.
Words of Grace 