Paul regarded these as man-made things; but the great books for a man's soul were the God-inspired ones which tradition and the experience of men had sanctified. [2.] The thing that amazes me is that he can attract people who will support him. Possibly he did appoint them; but there is no scriptural proof of it. So the Greek word that is used here to describe these that are going around, leading captive the silly women, is the same Greek word that was used to describe quackery, and that's probably they're quacks, Paul is saying. It would all be over, where, you know, the miseries would all be gone.What's the first thing God said to Job? It is the Greek parakolouthein ( G3877) and literally means to follow alongside; but it is used with a magnificent width of meaning. On his mother's side Timothy was a Jew, although his father had been a Greek ( Acts 16:1); and it is clear that it was his mother who had brought him up. It is given by inspiration of God (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Timothy 3:16), and therefore is his word. But of one thing Paul was sure--the days of the deceivers were numbered. It is to be remembered that a man may lose his soul far more easily in prosperity than in adversity; and he is on the way to losing his soul when he assesses the value of life by the number of things which he possesses. The age of children is the learning age; and those who would get true learning must get it out of the scriptures. "I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. There was no longer the freshness of a new thing; and where the heart was not kept up in communion with the Lord, the value of divine things was less felt, if it did not quite fade away. That's just fable. Product Information. Men will be thankless (acharistos, G884) . Let me remark, that there are comparatively few indeed that receive truth without help of others directly from God. But let not a man who will do this, suppose that he has any claim to be numbered among the martyrs, or even entitled to the Christian name. There is a sense in which slander is the most cruel of all sins. A man may embrace some absurd opinion, and call it religion; he may adopt some mode of dress irresistibly ludicrous, from the mere love of singularity, and may call it conscience; or he may be boorish in his manners, and uncivil in his deportment, outraging all the laws of social life, and may call this deadness to the world; and for these, and similar things, he may be contemned, ridiculed, and despised. Here we have him recurring to that which was entirely outside nature, and before its very platform existed. Jesus said, "As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be at the coming of the Son of man" ( Luke 17:26 ). 2 Timothy 3:12. Whether Timothy made it to Rome before Paul's execution is not known. Judaism had its divine institutions and hopes, but the truth is found in Christendom only: nevertheless in Christendom, who fails to discern Jewish elements and heathenish enormities? THE EXPERIENCES OF AN APOSTLE ( 2 Timothy 3:10-13 continued). 2 Timothy 3 He preached in the same church as C. H. Spurgeon over one hundred years earlier. At Ephesus some of the greatest roads in the world met. In vain shall we endeavor to detach Christ from his cross; for it may be said to be natural that the world should hate Christ even in his members. Would you find it easier if it, if the account said, And a submarine surfaced and the captain got out on deck and, you know, they hauled Jonah in and they submerged again and headed towards Joppa and let him off the port. McLean, Virginia: MacDonald Publishing Company, n.d. Wuest, Kenneth S. Wuests Word Studies From the Greek New Testament. For that very reason it is unanswerable that, whatever a man might argue about the rest of the Bible, it is impossible for the Church ever to do without the Gospels. Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary. 2 Timothy 3 Commentary; 2 Timothy 4 Commentary; HENRY ALFORD 2 TIMOTHY COMMENTARY The Greek Testament. Finally, we have his assertion of the blessed Lord's care, and his confidence in Him that He would preserve him from all evil to His heavenly kingdom; closing this solemn and touching epistle (it would seem the last words he wrote) with salutations to various saints. "But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. 2 Timothy 3:12, "Yes, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus, shall suffer persecution.". Promotions are withheld, invitations are denied, and a snickering unpopularity are the daily portion of many precious souls working in a hostile, atheistic environment. Paul said, you know, what kind of a life I've lived. Two men were talking of a great satirist who had been filled with moral earnestness. You can you see what's happened even in the last twenty-five years. And the word perfect of course is always that of completeness. When our Lord was pleased to take upon himself the form of a servant, and to go about preaching the kingdom of God; he took all opportunities in public, and more especially in private, to caution his disciples against . The coming of the Lord will in no way manifest the faithfulness of the servant; His appearing will. Right out of the gate, Second Timothy presents itself as a conservative letter, understanding "conservative" in the most literal sense of the word. Again, it is startling. But when dying upon the cross, He calls to John to behold His mother. They love pleasure more than they love God; that's the indictment. It is as if he said to them: "You have been well warned." (2Baruch 27). Abandoned by virtually all of those close to him for fear of persecution (cf. In the last days perilous times will come: The word translated perilous has the idea of troubles, difficulty, and stressful situations. Titus, we know, did so; but God took care that it should never be positively stated about Timothy. In Brazil Signor Antonio of Minas bought a New Testament which he took home to burn. It is the whole spiritual experience, so to speak, of the apostle. Why does the world hate Christians? Marks of Perilous Times; Excellence of the Scriptures. And the word of God comes and it brings a balance, it brings a correction, it brings a correct perspective.It's profitable. And he embraced Christianity, but he was probably standing there in Lystra when the people in the city stoned Paul until they thought he was dead and dragged him out of the city. But after giving the characteristics and traits of the godly man, Jesus then in the final Beatitudes said, "Blessed are ye, when men shall persecute you, and revile you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake" ( Matthew 5:11 ). At that time Timothy was just a very young boy, probably in his mid-teens and yet he was attracted to Paul the apostle because of the message that Paul bore. And there came that place where, hey, Moses performed a miracle of God and they backed away. There are still Church dignitaries whose main thought is their own dignity; but the Christian is the follower of him who was meek and lowly in heart. Everything today is, you know, for the body beautiful. He is sure that the ungodly man will go from bad to worse and that there is literally no future for the man who refuses to accept the way of God. 2 Timothy 3:12 "Many are the afflictions of the righteous," the psalmist writes (Psalm 34:19).Peter supplies a partial answer to this in I Peter 4:12: "Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you, as does Paul's statement in II Timothy 3:12: "Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer . Or life, or death, or life after death? 2 Timothy Greeting. "That thou hast had good teachers. Paul instructed Timothy concerning what God had revealed would take place in the last days. When we know the afflictions of believers only in part, they tempt us to decline the cause for which they suffer. But they do enshrine the permanent truth that some time there must come the consummation when evil meets God in head-on collision and there comes the final triumph of God. It is not simply now to follow these, as urged in the first epistle (1 Timothy 6:11); but he adds a most characteristic word in the second epistle. Who is talking all these words without knowledge? Real teaching is always born of real experience. It was a part of his lot. A. Characteristics of the last days 3:1-13. The Jewish Rabbis ranked high in the list of sins what they called the sin of insult. Oh God, I want you to use my life. In the Old Testament they are not named, but they are referred to in Exodus 7:11; Exodus 8:7; Exodus 9:11. In short, let us know that we are Christians on this condition, that we shall be liable to many tribulations and various contests. God is right. This statement does not contradict what Paul said in 2 Timothy 3:9. That desire for more. There is only one test for falsity--"You will know them by their fruits." One day a visitor came to the ward and left a supply of gospels. The real meaning of this is that all theories, all theologies, all ethics, are to be tested against the Bible. If anyone proposes to accept a set of standards quite different from the world's, he is bound to encounter trouble. But let him not infer, "therefore," that he is to be enrolled among the martyrs, and that he is certainly a real Christian. As far as appointment went, Titus had a commission to establish elders in each city of Crete; but not so Timothy, as far as the inspired records speak. Those who are well instructed in the Scriptures will always be ready when an opportunity arises to do good (16-17).Since Gods servants must give him an account of their service, they should not miss any opportunity to teach the Scriptures, though they must always speak in a manner suited to the circumstances (4:1-2). And that's what creates the problem all the way through. For him the light of eternity already shone strongly on present things, instead of taking him completely out of them. Now it is interesting that as Paul is referring to the Scriptures here, he is, of course, referring to the Old Testament Scriptures. I am not at liberty of course to leave Christendom, I dare not get out of the great house at all; indeed I cannot (at any rate without becoming an apostate) leave the house of God, however bad its state may be. Now, it is doubtless as true as it ever was, that a man who will live as the Saviour did, will, like him, be subjected to some such injury or disadvantage. And that is precisely what Christianity demands that a man should do. Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution - Paul takes occasion from the reference to his own persecutions, to say that his case was not unique. Let us look at them one by one. We can still see this kind of man in fairs and market-places shouting the virtues of a patent medicine which will act like magic. Is it knowledge, or is it life, that we are trying to transmit? To take pains and to endure are requisite even in what pertains to this life. Story of Jonah has provoked a lot of problems for people, only because of their concept of God. They appear to think that if you hold life in Christ to be the one thing that is most precious, to be the prize that your heart reverts to, all owning of anything short of this would be out of place; but it is exactly the contrary. When Job was talking to his friends and they were talking to him about the future, and Job said, Oh, I wish I were dead. In other words, you may go along for a while, but ultimately it's going to catch up with you. Christianity changed all that and a new set of problems arose. And many shall be stirred up in anger to injure many; And they shall rouse up armies in order to shed blood. THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL Practical Bible study on 2 Timothy 1. That is, it is not enough that I should walk with the Lord individually, but I must clear myself of association with that which is contrary to His name. The task of the apostle is not only to tell men the truth; it is also to help them do it. The Greek word is that men will become anosios ( G462) . The one was suited to upset the young, the other to beguile the old. That the man of God may be perfect,2 Timothy 3:17; 2 Timothy 3:17. The word is propetes ( G4312) , precipitate. When children are disobedient to their parents, and break through the obligations which they lie under to them both in duty and gratitude, and frequently in interest, having their dependence upon them and their expectation from them, they make the times perilous; for what wickedness will those stick at who will be abusive to their own parents and It is needful to exercise judgment now. It begets disregard of God, thinking that it does not need him and that it knows better than he. Do you have a hard time accepting that man can build a great fish that can swallow men and keep them under water for several days and deposit them later at a port?Hey, hey, wait a minute then. There was a certain heretic called Marcus who dealt in magic. Have you ever seen an age when people were more conscious of their own selves? But now before his heart just as in principle before the dying Lord Himself, wonderful to say two things come together: a deeper sense of what is in God, as revealed in Christ Himself, before there was any creation at all; and on the other hand so much the deeper sense also of what could be owned in nature. Noah, the earth was really flooded? The same Spirit that breathed reason into us breathes revelation among us: For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, but holy men spoke as they were moved or carried forth by the Holy Ghost,2 Peter 1:21. This the apostle guards Timothy against, and indeed ourselves, he warns him how seduction would go on more and more, but "from such turn away." The first is the moral character of the source or channel whence Timothy had derived what he knew. They'll say, Crucify him, rather than applaud. Turning to the SECOND EPISTLE, we find that, although there is the same grand truth of the Saviour God maintained, the state of things had become sensibly worse, and the hour for the apostle's departure from the world was drawing near. For it is not dogma pure and simple, it is not mere instruction; and we may thank God for it. Then in 2 Timothy 3:1-17 he proceeds to show us not merely a picture of the condition that Christianity will fall into, but, besides, a state of things that would be produced by this confusion. Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. It means to follow a person physically, to stick by him through thick and thin. In the days between the Old and the New Testaments many Jewish books were written which expanded the Old Testament stories. The kind of guys that went around selling snake oil or cure-alls, deceiving, defrauding people. 2 Timothy 3:12 Context. On account of his opinions, he may be held up to ridicule, or treated with neglect, or excluded from society to which his attainments and manners would otherwise introduce him, or shunned by those who might otherwise value his friendship. We are not meant to titillate our minds with the latest intellectual crazes; we are meant to purify and strengthen ourselves in the moral battle to live the Christian life. It was a kindred error, though in an opposite direction, to that which false teachers sought to infuse among the Thessalonians: there that the day of the Lord was come, producing panic; here that the resurrection was past, leading, to ease. shall suffer persecution; it is the will of God, and the appointment of heaven; Christ has foretold it, that so it shall be; and he the head has suffered it himself, and it is necessary that his members should, that they may be conformed unto him; it is the way Christ himself went to glory, and through many tribulations his people must enter the kingdom; and this is the common lot and certain case of all the saints, in one shape or another; for though all do not suffer confiscation of goods, beating, scourging, imprisonment, or a violent death; yet all are more or less afflicted and distressed by wicked men, and are subject to their reproaches and revilings, which are a branch of persecution; and that for professing Christ, and living a godly life in him and under his influence: and since such suffer as Christians, and not as evildoers; and this is the common condition of the people of God, in this world, it should not be thought strange, but be cheerfully endured; to encourage to which is the apostle's view in this passage. Men will be implacable in their hatreds (aspondos, G786) . For example, "37-1-2459" means the reference is on page 37, is in column 1, and is word number 2459.). In either case the word describes a certain harshness of mind which separates a man from his fellow-men in unrelenting bitterness. Afterwards he also speaks of his own work and of that which he was suffering. His answer was: "That which will be most useful to them when they are men." The great thing is to do the will of God, let others say what they please; and so the apostle Paul exhorts Timothy. It is said that, after hearing an evangelical sermon, Lord Melbourne once remarked: "Things have come to a pretty pass when religion is allowed to invade the sphere of private life." Others must do that kind of work in future. Paul suffered as he taught: a single eye to Christ and His grace made him consistent. 2. Accordingly the apostle reminds Timothy of this. Then the apostle brings out most important directions for the days that were then coming in, but now come, and more. Look at the rapid deterioration of our society. Paul goes on to list the things in which Timothy has been his disciple; and the interest of that list is that it consists of the strands out of which the life and work of an apostle are woven. I've never found that in one of those little Bible promise books, I mean, promise things yet. And this, I believe, is much to be considered. The Greek verb kratein ( G2902) means to control. In 2 Timothy 3:13 he meant that evil becomes more intensive as time goes on. ", The Lord said it's "what comes out of the mouth of a man, that defiles a man" ( Matthew 15:11 ). 3:14-17 But as for you, remain loyal to the things which you have learned, and in which your belief has been confirmed, for you know from whom you learned them, and you know that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that will bring you salvation through the faith which is in Christ Jesus. The insult which comes from anger is bad but it is forgivable, for it is launched in the heat of the moment; but the cold insult which comes from arrogant pride is an ugly and an unforgivable thing. No man is saved unless he is on fire to save his fellow-men. "The cloke," then says he, "that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest, bring with thee, and the books," not only the clothing, but even that which he is to read, "especially the parchments;" what he was going to write on, probably. Paul "the aged," as he says, was just about to leave this world. There were false teachers who were quick to take advantage of that. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear" (it was what Timothy was manifesting), "but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. Any conversion which makes a man think of nothing but the fact that he has been saved is no true conversion. Description of His Past Curriculum 2 Timothy 3:10-12. What Does It Mean That There Is No One Holy Like God? As I read the things that are happening in our modern-cultured Orange County, as I read the reports from the social department on the child abuse, I just shake my head in disbelief because a person could not possibly do these things unless they were without natural affection.