" Rejoice ( present imperative) and be glad ( present imperative ), for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. "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. The more the person who lives godly and righteous in Christ stands out. Again and again Scripture has opened for men and women the way to God. Timothy's job, for the sake of the future, involves more preservation than innovation. Boy, I'll tell you, I don't know. 9 But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was. Paul said, you know, what kind of a life I've lived. 1. Whose will is to live, or who are bent on living. There was no despising natural links or spiritual here, far from it. It is to be supposed that the younger labourer cowered somewhat, unwilling to incur the odious charge, so easily made but hard to refute, of setting himself up and taking the place of some great one. Here the apostle, to confirm Timothy in that way wherein he walked. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, and led away with divers lusts, ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth ( 2 Timothy 3:5-7 ). THE DUTIES AND THE QUALITIES OF AN APOSTLE ( 2 Timothy 3:10-13 ). But [Paul said] they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as [Jannes and Jambres] also were ( 2 Timothy 3:9 ). There is little likelihood that Timothy will be easily led astray by false teaching. 1. Why not baptize at once every soul around? Paul completes the story of the things in which Timothy has shared, and must share, with him, by speaking of the experiences of an apostle; and he prefaces that list of experiences by setting down the quality of endurance. It describes, not the spirit which accepts life, but the spirit which masters it. 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? This is evidently not the true remedy to abandon the confession of Christ: only an apostate could think of it. This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come ( 2 Timothy 3:1 ). It instructs us in that which is true, reproves us for that which is amiss, directs us in that which is good. That's just fable. Accordingly, although they are not exposed to the same assaults, and do not engage in the same battles, yet they have a warfare in common, and shall never be wholly at peace and exempt from persecutions. Given the right conditions, such oppositions would be just as deadly as the great Roman persecutions. Paul "the aged," as he says, was just about to leave this world. Noah, the earth was really flooded? How big is your God? 3:6-7 For from among these there come those who enter into houses, and take captive foolish women, laden with sins and driven by varied desires, ready to listen to any teacher but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. The way of sin is down-hill; for such proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. The disorder might be so great that we might make mistakes in our anxiety; but "The Lord knoweth them that are his." It is the normal Greek word for difficult, but it has certain usage's which explain its meaning here. Word Studies in the New Testament. A form of godliness, a profession of Christian faith without a godly life . There was infirmity in the character of Timothy. Only here and Titus 2:12. He is sure that God will rescue the man who puts his faith in him. for reproof, for correction ( 2 Timothy 3:16 ), And how often the word of God has brought correction to my course of life. ii. This might deter a sensitive saint from his duty. Now are you going to, you know, take the word of Jesus? Things will get worse as people turn away from those who teach the Scriptures, and listen to those who teach their own theories. 2 Timothy Greeting. Persons sometimes say it does not matter who taught; but God does not treat the matter so lightly. The qualities he lists are not qualifications in the sense that anyone who fulfils these requirements is an elder (for such a person may not have the elder-shepherd qualities outlined above). 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. Once Agesilaus, the Sparta king, was asked, "What shall we teach our boys?" I must do so, if I own Him only in the indispensable truth of His Lordship if I own Him simply as the One that has authority over my soul. 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. Observe, Timothy must continue in the things which he had learned and had been assured of. Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines; for it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace,Hebrews 13:9. And I filed many scriptures in that file. It is undoubtedly true at all times, and will ever be, that they who are devoted Christians - who live as the Saviour did - and who carry out his principles always, will experience some form of persecution. How is it that you could be deceived, Jesus? There is training. 10 But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience, 11 Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me. It imagines "the faith" as something to be guarded (see 2 Timothy 1:14), lest it become corrupted or . SEDUCTION IN THE NAME OF RELIGION ( 2 Timothy 3:6-7 ). John 15:19; Matthew 10:22; Matthew 10:38-39, Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus,. All that live according to the will of God revealed in his word; and to the glory of God, as the end of all their actions; and which the grace of God in the Gospel, and in their own hearts, teaches them; and who have the principles of a godly life from Christ, and derive the fresh supplies of grace and life from him, to maintain it; in whom their life is hid, and who live by faith upon him; all such that live, and that will live so, are desirous of living after this manner; in whom God has wrought in them both to will and to do, and are concerned when it is otherwise with them: these. If they had been more faithful, and more like their Master, would they have always escaped? Wow, watch out now because Jesus bought it. In his own neighbourhood he had seen Paul suffer because of his devotion to Christ (10-12; cf. . The kind of guys that went around selling snake oil or cure-alls, deceiving, defrauding people. 3:10-13 But you have been my disciple in my teaching, my training, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my endurance, my persecutions, my sufferings, in what happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra, in the persecutions which I underwent; and the Lord rescued me from them all. What am I to believe about man? And as we pointed out, the danger always of saying some scriptures, not all scriptures, is the loss of authority. It may flourish for a time, but when it is exposed to the light of truth it is bound to shrivel and die. It opened at the Sermon on the Mount. (2 Timothy 2:1.) [ See verse text ] Persecution against godly people is to be expected in this world; it's one of the few constants in life (2 Timothy 3:12). The ancient world set duty to parents very high. Therefore it is incumbent for the Christian to look to this gravely, never to be dragged by the fear of breaking unity into accrediting what dishonours the Lord. Rather they are minimum requirements that otherwise suitable people must fulfil if the church is to recognize them as elders or deacons. As teachers we should sometimes ask ourselves: what am I trying to do with these people whom I teach? If a man's goods are stolen, he can set to and build up his fortunes again; but if his good name is taken away, irreparable damage has been done. She had waded through book after book and laboured with philosophy after philosophy in an attempt to find satisfaction. Timothy was from Lystra. Thus he looks not to the coming of the Lord to receive him to Himself, but to the "appearing of the Lord," which is the usual side of the truth taken in these epistles. 10 But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience, 11 Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me. She had never tried the Bible, for a friend had convinced her by subtle arguments that it could not be true. It is often a very great safeguard for the saint of God; for, after all, it makes no small difference who says this or that. That the man of God may be perfect,2 Timothy 3:17; 2 Timothy 3:17. 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. "He read on, forgetful of time, through the hours of the night, and just as the dawn was breaking, he stood up and declared, 'I believe'.". But yet it is absolutely unavoidable that all of them shall have the world for their enemy in some form or other, that their faith may be tried and their steadfastness proved; for Satan, who is the continual enemy of Christ, will never suffer any one to be at peace during his whole life; and there will always be wicked men that are thorns in our sides. Timothy fully knew Paul's good character, which he might gather from his doctrine, manner of life, and purpose; for he gave proofs of his faith (that is, of his integrity and fidelity, or his faith in Christ, his faith concerning another world, by which Paul lived), his long-suffering towards the churches to which he preached and over which he presided, his charity towards all men, and his patience. Real teaching is always born of real experience. That Day of the Lord was to be preceded by a time of terror, when evil would gather itself for its final assault and the world would be shaken to its moral and physical foundations. At this particular time in the ordinary matters of politics one of the curses of Rome was the existence of informers (delatores, compare G1213) . And suddenly, of course, their tears were changed because Paul began to breathe and move and he stood up and he said, Let's go back in and preach some more. It may well be a proof of Timothy's courage and consecration that he had seen very clearly what could happen to an apostle and had yet not hesitated to cast in his lot with Paul. The same tone of mercy is equally promised in this #epistle as in the last. And that quality of conquering endurance is necessary, because persecution is an essential part of the experience of an apostle. "Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work." "The foundation of God standeth sure [or, the firm foundation of God standeth], having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. Now what is it that Timothy had so fully known in Paul? "The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus; for he oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain; but, when. But we, so often, make the mistake of going out ill-equipped or running without a message. The Jehovah Witnesses seeking to develop their doctrine concerning hell and that it is a place of oblivion, no consciousness, no awareness. That's proper and you should have that desire. There are those who shrink from helping on others in order to the work and doctrine of the Lord. We must note that Paul here makes a distinction. Timothy was well aware of this, even before he joined Paul in his work. But the phrase may mean any future time, whether near or distant. 2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Luke recorded the very words spoken on the mission field long ago, "Through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22); and, in the words of White, "Consistency in the life of Christ must necessarily be always opposed by the world. There will always be those who have their own twisted ideas of the Christian faith, and who wish to win others to their mistaken beliefs. This world is in rebellion against God. But no man ought to separate himself from the children of God, unless it be a dire necessity for the Lord; it is clearly not according to Christ. The adjective used is philautos ( G5367) , which means self-loving. On the other hand, if a soul confesses the name of the Lord, he must have done with iniquity. It is of use to all, for we all need to be instructed, corrected, and reproved: it is of special use to ministers, who are to give instruction, correction, and reproof; and whence can they fetch it better than from the scripture? It answers not a little to the kind of thing ,;et forth here. C. Description of His Present Resource 2 Timothy 3:13-17. He was ordered to light a bonfire and burn his books. A. M. Chirgwin has story after story of how the Scriptures came by chance into the hands of men and changed their lives. godly, Godfearingly. The fact remains that the only place in all the world where we get a first-hand account of that person and of his teaching is in the New Testament. 3 f I thank God g whom I serve, as did my ancestors, h with a clear conscience, as I remember you i . There is no occasion for the writings of the philosopher, nor for rabbinical fables, nor popish legends, nor unwritten traditions, to make us perfect men of God, since the scripture answers all these ends and purposes. And a hundred and fifty men can board it and they can submerge and go under the North Pole under the arctic ice. Description of His Past Curriculum 2 Timothy 3:10-12. You may be able to deceive people for a while, but ultimately, it's going to catch up, even as it did with Jannes. There is teaching. Ephesus was the town of a prosperous, materialistic civilization; it was the kind of town where a man could so easily lose his soul. And those who wish to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted; while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceived themselves and deceiving others. It is interesting, when Jesus in the Sermon on the mount described the Christian in the Beatitudes, after having described the traits of the Christian in the Beatitudes; you'd say, My, a man like that who is a peacemaker, who is merciful, who is hungering and thirsting after righteousness, who is meek, who is poor in spirit, surely you know the world would respect such a man. Not only did he become a Christian; he devoted the rest of his life to the distribution of the Scriptures in the forgotten villages of northern Chile. But the apostle at the same time owns, and loves to own, that which another might perhaps despise. One must try disorders and prove profession. It is able to make us wise to salvation; that is, it is a sure guide in our way to eternal life. Accordingly, there is a depth of feeling that one may safely say far exceeds the first epistle, although it had shown so much tenderness and care both for Timothy and the faithful of those days. It is the Greek parakolouthein ( G3877) and literally means to follow alongside; but it is used with a magnificent width of meaning. Job, tell me, have you been beyond the gates of death, do you know what it's about? The word is anemeros ( G434) and would be more fittingly applied to a wild beast than to a human being. Christian life is a life of purpose. 5. All that will live godly So opposite to the spirit and practice of the world is the whole of Christianity, that he who gives himself entirely up to God, making the Holy Scriptures the rule of his words and actions, will be less or more reviled and persecuted. Here we have him recurring to that which was entirely outside nature, and before its very platform existed. The Christian life does not consist only in knowing something; it consists even more in being something. Ephesus was called "The Treasure-house of the ancient world," "The Vanity Fair of Asia Minor." 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. (iii) The Scriptures are valuable for reproof. He brings out the infinite value of the Scriptures, that is of what was written, the one transcendent resource for perilous times when we have not the presence and personal help of apostles. Let us look at them one by one. "She then makes the effort to reward Marcus, not only by the gift of her possessions (in which way he has collected a very large fortune), but also by yielding up to him her person, desiring in every way to be united to him, that she may become altogether one with him." These things may be expected in the best times, and under the most favorable circumstances; and it is known that a large part of the history of the world, in its relation to the church, is nothing more than a history of persecution. They will maintain the outward form of religion, but they will deny its power. I reply, it is not always in one way that Satan persecutes the servants of Christ. Then the apostle puts before them a blessed model of that which he had before his own soul. They must expect to be despised, and that their religion will stand in the way of their preferment; those who will live godly must expect it, especially those who will live godly in Christ Jesus, that is, according to the strict rules of the Christian religion, those who will wear the livery and bear the name of the crucified Redeemer. That the scripture was given by inspiration of God appears from the majesty of its style,--from the truth, purity, and sublimity, of the doctrines contained in it,--from the harmony of its several parts,--from its power and efficacy on the minds of multitudes that converse with it,--from the accomplishment of many prophecies relating to things beyond all human foresight,--and from the uncontrollable miracles that were wrought in proof of its divine original: God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will,Hebrews 2:4. So he's referring to the Old Testament Scriptures, those which Timothy knew from the child and he called them the "holy scriptures," which they are, "and they are able to make you wise unto salvation through the faith which is in Christ Jesus." Timothy had been schooled in the Scriptures from his early youth by his mother and grandmother, and so as Paul began to, with the Scriptures, prove that Jesus was the Messiah, with Timothy's background, he could see the truth of it. But God prepares the instruments through which He works and the most important preparation is through the Word of God. (1) that they who make a profession of religion, should come prepared to be persecuted. "And God prepared a great fish and it swallowed Jonah" ( Jonah 1:17 ). THE QUALITIES OF GODLESSNESS ( 2 Timothy 3:2-5 ). . And man has prepared a great fish and they powered it with atomic engines. Now this is not given to us in the Scriptures but there are other, what are known as apocryphal books, in which these two fellows are named.