He says that in them difficult times would set in. He must take care of the manner in which he strives. It may be that, since we are only human, we cannot live entirely without differences with our fellow-men, but to perpetuate these differences is one of the worst--and also one of the commonest--of all sins. What we have learned we must labour to be more and more assured of, that, being grounded in the truth, we may be guarded against error, for certainty in religion is of great importance and advantage: Knowing, (1.) And many shall be stirred up in anger to injure many; And they shall rouse up armies in order to shed blood. repentance from dead works and of faith toward God. Anosios does not so much mean that men will break the written laws; it means that they will offend against the unwritten laws which are part and parcel of the essence of life. false accusers, incontinent ( 2 Timothy 3:3 ). 2. VERSION, NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica. And Jesus himself had said: "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake" ( Matthew 5:10). What does 2 Timothy 3:13 mean? He is the man whom God resists, for it is repeatedly said in scripture, that God receives the humble but resists the man who is proud, huperephanos ( G5244) ( James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5; Proverbs 3:24). 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. If they had been more faithful, and more like their Master, would they have always escaped? One dark night in a forest in Sicily a brigand held up a colporteur at the point of a revolver. Men will be lovers of their own selves ( 2 Timothy 3:2 ). He warns Timothy of the fatal end of seducers, as a reason why he should stick closely to the truth as it is in Jesus: But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, c., 2 Timothy 3:13; 2 Timothy 3:13. The term "godly" (eusebos) means "piously" (Thayer 262-2-2153). That which finishes a man of God in this world is the scripture. He was one that needed to lean on an arm stronger than his own. Their falsity would be demonstrated and they would receive their appropriate reward. Therefore, isolation is never desirable, though it may be sometimes necessary. Others must do that kind of work in future. Word Pictures in the New Testament. God had made Jesus to be Lord and Christ, preached Peter on that day of power, when as yet much lay hid, and the great instrument of the revelation of the mystery was still shrouded in the darkness of midnight. Timothy was from Lystra. The page number in Thayer is given, and the column on the page follows the hyphens. But we have also been supplied with many precious promises which reassure us that His grace is sufficient, His strength is perfected in our weakness, that suffering for Christ's sake is a privilege for the child of God, and that no amount of trials, tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, or the sword, is able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.May we grasp this truth in His strength, and remember that in this world we will have tribulation but that if we fellowship in the suffering of Christ, we will also be glorified with Him Who loved us so much that He died for us, that we might live for Him forever. The Greek word is that men will become anosios ( G462) . And in the end they shall perish together with them." (1) that they who make a profession of religion, should come prepared to be persecuted. Observe, As good men, by the grace of God, grow better and better, so bad men, through the subtlety of Satan and the power of their own corruptions, grow worse and worse. At this particular time in the ordinary matters of politics one of the curses of Rome was the existence of informers (delatores, compare G1213) . On the other hand, it is unholy to tamper with evil. [1.] by George Whitefield. In these terrible days men would be braggarts and arrogant. And may not their freedom from it prove that they have surrendered the principles of their religion, where they should have stood firm, though the world were arrayed against them? 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. Easy it seems to get sort of distracted and off course. Here he mentions his persecutions and afflictions at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra, besides what he suffered elsewhere. 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. She had never tried the Bible, for a friend had convinced her by subtle arguments that it could not be true. Man can do it but not God. We usually try to avoid it on Friday evening if we can, but sometimes our schedules are such that we just don't have time to. 1 Paul, a an apostle of Christ Jesus b by the will of God according to c the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus,. 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. 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 . Yet most people today have never heard of John Gill. In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. There is only one test for falsity--"You will know them by their fruits." Copyright Statement These files are public domain. 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. (ii) The Scriptures are of use in teaching. 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. 3:10-13 The more fully we know the doctrine of Christ, as taught by the apostles, the more closely we shall cleave to it. Deliberately he lit it. "And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also." Everything today is, you know, for the body beautiful. Timothy had a great advantage in being trained up under such a tutor, and being apprised of the doctrine he preached. Now many people have a legitimate and proper desire to be used of God. A. Characteristics of the last days 3:1-13. 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. Jesus said, "You do search the scriptures: because in them you think you have life; but actually, they are testifying of me" ( John 5:39 ). Now these seem to many very difficult indeed to combine. 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 age of children is the age to learn; and those who would get true learning, must get it out of the Scriptures. These twin qualities of the braggart and the arrogant man inevitably result in love of insult (blasphemia, G988) . And that is precisely what Christianity demands that a man should do. It is not a question here about elders, but what would abide all the same when elders could not be duly appointed. 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. One only meets Satan when traveling in an opposite direction! We have already seen that that teaching issued in one of two things. There is no part of John's doctrine more strikingly characteristic than life in Christ. There is faith, complete belief that God's commands are binding and that his promises are true. For example, "37-1-2459" means the reference is on page 37, is in column 1, and is word number 2459.). Again and again Scripture has opened for men and women the way to God. human nature began to show itself out in indifference. This might deter a sensitive saint from his duty. In fact, all who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. Look at our attitudes towards morality. We should be asking: what, if any, is the unifying purpose which binds all this activity together? How are we to walk so as to please the Lord when disorder reigns, claiming to be the only true order? 2 Timothy 3:12 New International Version 12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, Read full chapter 2 Timothy 3:12 in all English translations 2 Timothy 2 2 Timothy 4 New International Version (NIV) In short, let us know that we are Christians on this condition, that we shall be liable to many tribulations and various contests. Love of self is the basic sin, from which all others flow. 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. Vincent, Marvin R., D.D. Description of His Past Curriculum 2 Timothy 3:10-12. Marks of Perilous Times; Excellence of the Scriptures. In the light of this warning from the Saviour, no Christian should be surprised at persecution. And the reason why he makes it so urgent not to be turned aside was, that the time would come when men would not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts they should heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they should turn away their ears from the truth, and should be. 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. I am reminded of the prophet of God who spoke concerning Israel, and he said, "They have sown the wind, and now they must reap the whirlwind" ( Hosea 8:7 ). Perilous Times 2 Timothy 3:1. The Greek verb kratein ( G2902) means to control. The Christian life does not consist only in knowing something; it consists even more in being something. It follows from this: (1) That they who make a profession of religion, should come prepared to be persecuted. He had not said a word about them before. And they use the book of Job as their proof text. 12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. There is love. Verse 2 Timothy 3:4. 2 Timothy 3:12, "Yes, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus, shall suffer persecution.". ", and [as such they are] profitable ( 2 Timothy 3:16 ). They were never meant to be anything else but visions; we do violence to Jewish and to early Christian thought if we take them with a crude literalness. The man who has exhausted the normal pleasures of life and still unsated, will seek his thrill in pleasures which are abnormal. "I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers, with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day, greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears." 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. God takes care of His people, and ensures them a blessed end. 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. Godly = adv. I think the next major event, Revelation 4:1 . THE DUTIES AND THE QUALITIES OF AN APOSTLE ( 2 Timothy 3:10-13 ). If what be claims for scripture is true of the Old Testament, how much truer it is of the still more precious words of the New. He returned after the first missionary journey to visit the Churches he had founded, "strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God" ( Acts 14:22). 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. II. It denotes a savagery which has neither sensitiveness nor sympathy. The defeat of error depends not on skill in controversy but in the demonstration in life of the more excellent way. Heavenly Father, thank You for the privilege of being one with Christ, positioned in Him, and clothed in His righteousness. Things were so bad that Tacitus could say: "He who had no foe was betrayed by his friend." 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known In other words, they simply remain in spiritual infancy and keep repeating the first stage of their Christian faith, over and again, without pressing on to spiritual maturity.Many are falsely taught that becoming a Christian will secure a quiet life and provide a ticket to prosperity, with numerous earthly blessings and a free pass from God, to prevent or remove any difficulties or dangers that may arise. At the end of each reading, the brigand said: "That's a good book; we won't burn that one; give it to me." Now they're right out where little kids can go in and pick them up and leaf through them. Now hatred is attended by cruelty, and hence arise persecutions. "The Lord grant unto him that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day." The technique would be the same in the days of Timothy as it was in the later days of Irenaeus. Of course it was infinitely higher, it is needless to say, in the Master; but the servant was as closely as possible following in His steps. And then again "the husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits." And, let every one that nameth the name" not of "Christ," but "of the Lord depart from iniquity." Nor do I at all see that any Christians should be above learning, if others can teach. They still, you know, pay their respects. 3. If there is no human affection, the family cannot exist. Perverse Men 2 Timothy 3:2-4 . It is the Greek parakolouthein ( G3877) and literally means to follow alongside; but it is used with a magnificent width of meaning. live godly in Christ(Ga 2:20; Php 1:21). It appears it was not merely in Rome. Then the word went on to widen its meaning until it meant any braggart. [4.] Sponde is the word for a truce or an agreement. He must maintain this confidence, knowing that the Scriptures are divinely given and that they are Gods means of instructing people in right belief and right living. The moment a man makes his own will the centre of life, divine and human relationships are destroyed, obedience to God and charity to men both become impossible. Get Your Bible Minute in Your Inbox Every Morning, 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. "Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ." They choose to lay, again and again, the early foundations of their Christian faith i.e. His connection with the church, but "of the seed of David," the fulfiller of the promises, and object of the prophecies. It is the word alazon ( G213) and was derived from the ale, which means a wandering about. (2 Timothy 1:1.) The word is huperephanos ( G5244) . And I will tell you what scriptures are inspired and which ones aren't. Verse of the Day , 2 Timothy 3:12 Treasury of Scripture Knowing, God, My Praise (Study In God - All I Need-19). But God prepares the instruments through which He works and the most important preparation is through the Word of God. His mind was caught; he took it back. 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. They had been long accustomed to the truth, and alas! 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. There might be a mixture of timid shrinking from pain and shame. It is not meant that the Scriptures are valuable for finding fault; what is meant is that they are valuable for convincing a man of the error of his ways and for pointing him on the right path. I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers," what singular language this from Paul! "All scripture is given by inspiration of God.". Christian life is a life of purpose. 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. Now this is in particular a difficulty for saints, when they have revived before the soul the blessedness of maintaining the unity of the Spirit. It is easy for a professed Christian to avoid persecution, if he yields every point in which religion is opposed to the world. Then are we Christ's disciples indeed, John 8:31. And leaving guilelessness, will draw near to malice; And forsaking the commandments of the Lord. It is easy for a professed Christian to avoid persecution, if he yields every point in which religion is opposed to the world. That is where you become thoroughly equipped to do the work that God has designed and ordained for you. You can you see what's happened even in the last twenty-five years. It is Paul's charge that such people are "willing to learn from anyone, and yet never able to come to a knowledge of the truth." Titus, we know, did so; but God took care that it should never be positively stated about Timothy. She had been finding life, as she herself said, futile and meaningless. They love pleasure more than they love God; that's the indictment. Paul concludes this section with an appeal to Timothy to remain loyal to all the teaching he had received. Be assured, that if you do not bring the Spirit of God into these matters, perhaps your cloak, perhaps a book, will become a snare to you. 1. "It denotes living in the right attitude to God and to things divine. It was not merely now that they had made their consciences bad and slipped away from faith. In the first part of this chapter 2 Timothy 3:1-8, Paul reminds Timothy of the great apostasy which was to be expected in the church, and states some of the characteristics of it. Right out of the gate, Second Timothy presents itself as a conservative letter, understanding "conservative" in the most literal sense of the word. "And God prepared a great fish and it swallowed Jonah" ( Jonah 1:17 ). Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. They claimed that their children learned the law even from their swaddling clothes and drank it in with their mother's milk. ii. Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: they are men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith ( 2 Timothy 3:8 ). As Timothy was about to enter upon a new phase of his ministry, without the apostle's presence or living counsel, the latter charges him with great emphasis, "before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; preach the word, be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine." Men will be thankless (acharistos, G884) . 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. Good. For him the light of eternity already shone strongly on present things, instead of taking him completely out of them. Seeking the Gospel in Malachi, the Last Book of the Old Testament. "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'.". Years later that same brigand turned up again. Those who would learn the things of God, and be assured of them, must know the Holy Scriptures, for they are the Divine revelation. 2 Timothy 3 Commentary; 2 Timothy 4 Commentary; HENRY ALFORD 2 TIMOTHY COMMENTARY The Greek Testament. Such offence can and does happen yet. And when you lose authority you have anarchy. Second, there are the qualities of the apostle. The study of the Scriptures trains a man in righteousness until he is equipped for every good work. The Kingdom had its price. 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. But we must exclude that which is contrary to His name; and the very same desire to prove one's love, one's faith, one's appreciation of Christ, will make one anxious not to be dragged into that which is not for His glory. Those who deceive others do but deceive themselves; those who draw others into error run themselves into more and more mistakes, and they will find it so at last, to their cost. Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. And so Paul, you know, how I've lived; my faith, my longsuffering, my love, my patience, and the persecutions and afflictions that came to me. If anyone proposes to introduce into his life a loyalty which surpasses all earthly loyalties, there are bound to be clashes. Word Studies in the New Testament. C. Description of His Present Resource 2 Timothy 3:13-17. Thus he comforts Timothy at the same time that he admonishes him. Thus the apostle comes to the close of his ministry, and touches upon the line of St. John. The early Church lived in an age when the time was waxing late; they expected the Second Coming at any moment. Timothy fully knew what was the great thing that Paul had in view, both in his preaching and in his conversation: "Thou hast known my purpose, what I drive at, how far it is from any worldly, carnal, secular design, and how sincerely I aim at the glory of God and the good of the souls of men." Here we find the perilous times fairly brought before us. No one can possibly mistake him. And how profitable is the word of God to us today! (2) they who are persecuted for their opinions, should consider that this may be one evidence that they have the spirit of Christ, and are his true friends. He tells him further to "hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. The word is almost exactly the English swelled-headed. That is the inevitable way to ruin, for no man can master anything unless he first masters himself. 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. Timothy's job, for the sake of the future, involves more preservation than innovation. Friday evenings, you know, everybody out looking for their weekend companion, incontinent, no sexual restraints. There was no despising natural links or spiritual here, far from it. How is a man to walk in such a state of things as this? 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. In English we usually associate it with insult against God, but in Greek it means insult against man and God alike. This of itself indicates that the epistle provides for a time when it is no longer simply a question of recognising persons coming out of the world. 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. They must not lie by us neglected, and seldom or never looked into. For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. What Does It Really Mean That Your Body Is a Temple? THE VALUE OF SCRIPTURE ( 2 Timothy 3:14-17 ). Not so the apostle Paul. There are persons who think that the approach of death is intended to blot out everything here. 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? for instruction in righteousness ( 2 Timothy 3:16 ): And righteousness is just actually the act of being right or doing right or living right.
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