Re: 2 Timothy 2;3-4: “Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer.”
What did Paul really mean by “civilian affairs?” Is he talking about being involved in politics and other matters in the community that has nothing to do with the church, or something else? I’d appreciate your opinion on this.
I don’t think Paul was giving Timothy advice on specific activities to avoid but was reminding him not to be concerned with things that didn’t matter to his ministry. A good soldier stays focused on pleasing his commanding officer and does not allow himself to be distracted by civilian affairs because they aren’t relevant to his goal. Timothy was to stay focused on pleasing the Lord and not allow himself to be distracted by times of hardship because they weren’t relevant to his goal.