2 Timothy 3
- Who wrote it
- Paul (debated), in prison in Rome
- Who it was for
- Timothy, probably in Ephesus
- What was happening
- Hard times in the last days, but Timothy is to continue in what he has learned from Paul and from the Scriptures
What’s happening
"But know this: that in the last days, grievous times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, not lovers of good, traitors, headstrong, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding a form of godliness, but having denied its power. Turn away from these, also." Some of them "creep into houses and take captive gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, always learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." "Even as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind, who concerning the faith are rejected. But they will proceed no further. For their folly will be evident to all men." By contrast Timothy "followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, steadfastness, persecutions, and sufferings: those things that happened to me at Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. I endured those persecutions. The Lord delivered me out of them all. Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived." Timothy is to "remain in the things which you have learned and have been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them. From infancy, you have known the holy Scriptures which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith, which is in Christ Jesus. Every Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness, that each person who belongs to God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work."
Why the setting matters
"The last days" in the New Testament usually means the whole time between Christ's first and second comings (Acts 2:17; Hebrews 1:2; 1 John 2:18), so Paul is describing what is already beginning in Timothy's day, as the present tense in 3:5-6 shows ("turn away from these"). The list of nineteen vices echoes lists in Greek moral writing, and it is meant to describe people who look religious ("a form of godliness") but whose lives deny it. Verse 6 speaks of people who "creep into houses" and win over "gullible women" (the Greek is a diminutive that is hard to translate and has a condescending tone). We do not know who the women were or whether the picture is fair to them, and it should be read with 1 Timothy 5:13 and the wider picture of women in Paul's circle, many of whom taught and served. "Jannes and Jambres" are not named in the Old Testament; Jewish tradition gave these names to the Egyptian magicians who copied Moses' signs (Exodus 7:11), and the names appear in other Jewish writings of the period. Paul's own history (3:10-11) names three cities from his first journey (Acts 13-14), where he was driven out, stoned in Lystra, and survived; Timothy was probably from that region (Acts 16:1). The famous verse 3:16 says that Scripture is "God-breathed" (theopneustos), a word found nowhere else in the New Testament. "Every Scripture" can also be translated "all Scripture," and the "holy Scriptures" Timothy knew from childhood were the Old Testament (and the Greek translation of it); whether Paul had in mind the letters that were later collected is not clear, though 2 Peter 3:16 treats Paul's letters as Scripture. The point of the verse is its use: it equips the person of God for good work.
Who’s in this chapter
Paul
Describes the last days and offers his own life as the pattern.
Timothy
Told to remain in what he has learned and from whom.
Opponents and false teachers
Lovers of self and money, with a form of godliness but no power.
Jannes and Jambres
The Egyptian opponents of Moses in Jewish tradition.
Moses
Opposed by Jannes and Jambres.
Christ Jesus
The Lord who delivered Paul out of all his persecutions.
Talk it through
- The list in 3:2-5 describes people who still look religious. What is the difference between a "form of godliness" and its "power"?
- Paul says "all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution." How have you seen or not seen that to be true?
- Timothy is told to continue in what he learned, knowing "from whom" he learned it. Whose teaching has formed you, and does that matter for whether you trust it?
- Verse 16 lists four uses of Scripture: teaching, reproof, correction, training. Which does your own reading most often leave out?
Read 2 Timothy 3
World English Bible
1But know this: that in the last days, grievous times will come. 2For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3without natural affection, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, not lovers of good, 4traitors, headstrong, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5holding a form of godliness, but having denied its power. Turn away from these, also. 6For some of these are people who creep into houses and take captive gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, 7always learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 8Even as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind, who concerning the faith are rejected. 9But they will proceed no further. For their folly will be evident to all men, as theirs also came to be. 10But you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, steadfastness, 11persecutions, and sufferings: those things that happened to me at Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. I endured those persecutions. The Lord delivered me out of them all. 12Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. 13But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14But you remain in the things which you have learned and have been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them. 15From infancy, you have known the holy Scriptures which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith, which is in Christ Jesus. 16Every Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness, 17that each person who belongs to God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Text: World English Bible, Public domain. About our sources