2 timothy 3:12 explained 2 timothy 3:12 explained

But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes. In the Old Testament they are not named, but they are referred to in Exodus 7:11; Exodus 8:7; Exodus 9:11. First and foremost he has an aim in life. Here the apostle, to confirm Timothy in that way wherein he walked. ". You know, I mean, talk about lovers of selves, look at the advertising. If there is no human affection, the family cannot exist. God wants you to be complete. The ancient world set duty to parents very high. Certain of the temporary persecution, he is equally certain of the ultimate glory. by George Whitefield. 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. 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). Look what they did to Jesus, and Jesus said, "If they persecuted me, they're going to persecute you" ( John 15:20 ). They will not only deceive others, but their sins and other deceivers will deceive them increasingly too. Let us then see what Paul says of the usefulness of scripture. 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. Barnes' Notes. In English we usually associate it with insult against God, but in Greek it means insult against man and God alike. That persecution which will properly furnish any evidence that we are the friends of Christ, must be only that which is "for righteousness sake" Matthew 5:10, and must be brought upon us in an honest effort to obey the commands of God. Originally the alazon ( G213) was a wandering quack. Paul suffered as he taught: a single eye to Christ and His grace made him consistent. In all life there is nothing so creative of really productive effort as a clear consciousness of a purpose. 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. Even a dog may be sorry when he has hurt his master, but there are people who, in their treatment of others, can be lost to human sympathy and feeling. If anyone proposes to accept a set of standards quite different from the world's, he is bound to encounter trouble. Men will be inflated with conceit (tetuphomenos, G5187) . Don't expect the world to applaud when you speak out against evil. Paul contrasts the conduct of Timothy, his loyal disciple, with the conduct of the heretics who were doing their utmost to wreck the Church. It has been pointed out that the writer of Revelation may well have been thinking of Ephesus when he wrote that haunting passage which describes the merchandise of men: "The cargo of gold, silver, jewels and pearls, fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet, all kinds of scented wood, all articles of ivory, all articles of costly wood, bronze, iron and marble, cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and slaves, that is, human souls" ( Revelation 18:12-13). 10 million Ukrainians without power because of Russia. At any rate the apostle presses this very strongly on Timothy. We have already seen how secluded the life of the respectable Greek woman was, how she was brought up under the strictest supervision, how she was not allowed "to see anything, to hear anything, or to ask any questions," how she never appeared, even on a shopping expedition, alone on the streets, how she was never allowed even to appear at a public meeting. There is faith, complete belief that God's commands are binding and that his promises are true. He tells such women that by his spells and incantations he can enable them to prophesy. Now when Moses appeared before Pharaoh and he threw down his rod and it turned into a snake, you'll remember that Pharaoh's magicians threw down their rods and they also became snakes, but Moses' snake swallowed theirs. Each of the chapters are done individually. 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. Men will refuse to recognize even the ultimate decencies of life. Traitors . (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. They should remember that, in this respect, they are treated as the Master was, and are in the goodly company of the prophets, apostles, and martyrs; for they were all persecuted. And so Paul is warning Timothy of certain things that will be transpiring in the last days. In the last days This often means the days of the Messiah, and is sometimes extended in its signification to the destruction of Jerusalem, as this was properly the last days of the Jewish state. The apostle mentions the Lord's delivering him out of them all, for Timothy's and our encouragement under sufferings. They did not keep the covenant that they made. 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. We've just experienced a tremendous demonstration of that in the Los Angeles basin in the last couple of weeks. Had the Lord Jesus not sent him? He is sure that in the long run it is better to suffer with God and the right than to prosper with men and the wrong. But of one thing Paul was sure--the days of the deceivers were numbered. 9 But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was. And that is precisely what Christianity demands that a man should do. If, in any manner, or in any way, he is subjected to disadvantage on account of his religious opinions, and deprived of any immunities and rights to which he would be otherwise entitled, this is persecution. "Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. How Daniels Prophecy of 70 Weeks Connects to the End Times. 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. Here we have him recurring to that which was entirely outside nature, and before its very platform existed. Oh, Jesus, you mean you believe that story? A book with a record such as it has cannot be disregarded. I don't know exactly yet what He said but when I find out I know He's going to be right. The early Church lived in an age when the time was waxing late; they expected the Second Coming at any moment. That the man of God may be perfect ( 2 Timothy 3:17 ). Indeed it may be well to remark here, that we never read of Timothy appointing bishops or elders. Now hatred is attended by cruelty, and hence arise persecutions. Paul said, you know, what kind of a life I've lived. In 2 Timothy 3:9 he meant that the teaching of evil does not necessarily become more extensive and capture a wider audience as evil becomes worse. Seeking the Gospel in Malachi, the Last Book of the Old Testament. "My God shall supply all of your needs" ( Philippians 4:19 ). They're profitable. When the Lord was entering on His ministry He says, "Woman, what have I to do with thee?" Job, tell me, have you been beyond the gates of death, do you know what it's about? The devil is the patron saint of all slanderers and of all slanderers he is chief. The real meaning of this is that all theories, all theologies, all ethics, are to be tested against the Bible. Noah escaped? For, if we do not believe their truth and goodness, they will do us no good. It is the ability to accept the folly, the perversity, the blindness, the ingratitude of men and still to remain gracious, and still to toil on. 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.) Even an unbeliever is acting unfairly unless he tries to read it. (186) Et tous ceux aussi qui veulent vivre en la crainte de Dieu. And all those also who wish to live in the fear of God., (187) Que rien ne luy est advenu que tous fideles ne doyvent aussi attendre. That nothing has happened to him which all believers must not also look for.. But thou hast fully known ( 2 Timothy 3:10 ), Now in contrast to this, boy, and what a contrast the Christian is to the world around him, and more and more, you know, more and more your lifestyle is different from the world. What a blessing. 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. We don't have the time to devote to it this evening but I would suggest that you get a good Greek lexicon and do a word study on these particular Greek words that Paul uses to describe the attitudes and the actions of people in the last days. He knew that he had suffered ill for doing well (2 Timothy 3:11; 2 Timothy 3:11): "Thou hast fully known the persecutions and afflictions that came unto me" (he mentions those only which happened to him while Timothy was with him, at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra); "and therefore let it be no surprise to thee if thou suffer hard things, it is no more than I have endured before." Compare the catalogue, Ro 1:29, &c., where much the same sins are attributed to heathen men; it shall be a relapse into virtual heathendom, with all its beast-like propensities, whence the symbol of it is "a beast" (Re 13:1, 11, 12, &c.; 17:3, 8, 11). 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. 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. We have already seen that that teaching issued in one of two things. There is teaching. There is just a certain natural love that would keep people from doing a lot of the things they are doing today. The New Testament had not yet been canonized. It is not a question here about elders, but what would abide all the same when elders could not be duly appointed. Yet. In other words, the word of God is that which thoroughly prepares me for any work that God might have for me to do. He who feeds his mind on cheap literature can in the end find nothing in the great masterpieces. C. Description of His Present Resource 2 Timothy 3:13-17. They will maintain the outward form of religion, but they will deny its power. In 2Baruch we get an even more vivid picture of the moral chaos of these last times: And envy shall rise in those who had not thought ought of. 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 All you can say is that they are "without natural affection".God has put in our heart a certain natural love as a parent for a child. When Carlyle's father was discussing the kind of minister his parish needed, he said: "What this parish needs is a man who knows Christ other than at secondhand." Paul's life contrasted with the world. Marks of Perilous Times; Excellence of the Scriptures. Man can do it but not God. Difficult is the Greek word chalepos ( G5467) . He went home and found the fire was out. But God prepares the instruments through which He works and the most important preparation is through the Word of God. This chapter has a vivid description of the great apostasy (2 Timothy 3:1-9), signs of which were already present, an appeal to Paul's own inspiring and inspired example (2 Timothy 3:10-15), and one of the most impressive paragraphs in all the Bible with reference to the inspiration of the Holy Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:16,17).For more extensive discussion of the apostasy, the man of . The way of sin is down-hill; for such proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. That is where you become thoroughly equipped to do the work that God has designed and ordained for you. 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) How is a man to walk in such a state of things as this? He must take care of the manner in which he strives. 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. THE EXPERIENCES OF AN APOSTLE ( 2 Timothy 3:10-13 continued). 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. These twin qualities of the braggart and the arrogant man inevitably result in love of insult (blasphemia, G988) . Timothy was well aware of this, even before he joined Paul in his work. 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. THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL (1) it teaches the only way to the Father is through Jesus; (2) it teaches a morality (a way of life) unpopular with the world; (3) it teaches a miraculous creation, a miraculous end; and a miraculous Savior who was resurrected; (4), Why does the world hate Christians? 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 ). Is it knowledge, or is it life, that we are trying to transmit? The words that finally decided me were those in John 18:37: 'For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. In 2 Timothy 3:13 he meant that evil becomes more intensive as time goes on. And as we pointed out, the danger always of saying some scriptures, not all scriptures, is the loss of authority. He read them and never rested until he obtained the rest of the Bible. So don't expect the world to speak well of you or to applaud you for your living a godly life and taking a righteous stand. He had not said a word about them before. Paul refers to his own experiences to illustrate the truth that the person who whole-heartedly follows God must expect persecution. Don't start trying to cut out certain stories because they don't fit your scheme because you have a little hard, you have a hard time sort of believing that. Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. To love men is to forgive them and care for them as God forgave and cares--and it is only he who can enable us to do that. human nature began to show itself out in indifference. There is little likelihood that Timothy will be easily led astray by false teaching. And that quality of conquering endurance is necessary, because persecution is an essential part of the experience of an apostle. a) Subject and Purpose of Epistle This second epistle which was written several years after the first draws a totally different picture before our eyes. 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. In the end not a book was burned; the brigand left the colporteur and went off into the darkness with the books. But the phrase may mean any future time, whether near or distant. Without natural affection ( 2 Timothy 3:3 ). First, there are the duties of an apostle. 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. Nowadays we have to restate these old pictures in modern terms. 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. Now we see that when Paul was touching the confines of that difficult and most perilous moment when John was to be left alone, he brings out as his last note that very truth which John was to develop with special care and fulness. The disorder might be so great that we might make mistakes in our anxiety; but "The Lord knoweth them that are his." my doctrine, and my manner of life, my purpose, my faith, my longsuffering, my love, and my patience, [you know the] persecutions, and the afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, and Iconium, and Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me ( 2 Timothy 3:10-11 ). 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. The true leader gives training in living. The Holy Spirit would make it to be most practical and precious. The scriptures are able to make us truly wise, wise for our souls and another world. Copyright Statement These files are public domain. . In these last terrible days men will come to have no love for good things or good persons (aphilagathos, G865) . Includes questions, verse by verse commentary, and applications on 2 Timothy 1 for life transformation. That is, without any sexual restraints. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, The page number in Thayer is given, and the column on the page follows the hyphens. "That thou hast had good teachers. The strange characteristic of ingratitude is that it is the most hurting of all sins because it is the blindest. The Kingdom had its price. It was a part of his lot. Salem Media Group. The word we have translated to be a disciple includes so much that is beyond translation in any single English word. For all scripture is given by inspiration of God ( 2 Timothy 3:16 ), Not as some would lead you to believe, some scriptures are given by inspiration of God. It is not "the commandment," as of authority, but "according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus." The woman protests that she has never done so and cannot do so. 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. 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. 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." It has become their God and thus, they are guilty as those in the Old Testament who were worshipping Mammon, who, or rather Molech who was the god of pleasure. 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. The Greek word literally is fully matured or of full age, fully matured, that the man of God might be fully matured. [2.] Closely allied with the braggart, but--as we shall see--even worse, is the man who is arrogant. There is instinctively, I think, within persons that love of a parent for a child or an adult for the child because we realize the helplessness of a child, the dependency that they have. [Note: Knight, p. Two men were talking of a great satirist who had been filled with moral earnestness. The Greek for slanderer is diabolos ( G1228) which is precisely the English word devil. 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. "Perilous times shall come." Look at our attitudes towards morality. Easy it seems to get sort of distracted and off course. 3:1 You must realize this--that in the last days difficult times will set in. The numbers of people who flocked to the various athletic contests, loving pleasure. All God-inspired scripture is useful for teaching, for the conviction of error, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work. Given the right conditions, such oppositions would be just as deadly as the great Roman persecutions. Men will be thankless (acharistos, G884) . The fact is that God loves to make His children mutually dependent; and if we are only humble, there are very few saints from whom we may not derive some good, though not always in the same way. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1975. (2 Timothy 2:1.) (12) Yea, and all that will live godly.--But St. Paul would not allow it to be thought for a moment that in the fact of his enduring persecution and suffering there was anything remarkable or singular; so he adds the words of this verse, which repeat in a peculiarly solemn way the great Christian truth that eternal glory was only to be reached by man through an avenue of sufferings. he was in Rome, he sought me out very diligently, and found me." The first is the moral character of the source or channel whence Timothy had derived what he knew. But it is asked, Must all men be martyrs? Abandoned by virtually all of those close to him for fear of persecution (cf. It is used by ancient writers on astrology to describe what we would call a threatening conjunction of the heavenly bodies. That is, he must first labour, and then partake of the fruits. Why not baptize at once every soul around? 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 ). And many shall be stirred up in anger to injure many; And they shall rouse up armies in order to shed blood. And so there comes that point where they will proceed no further: "their folly becomes manifest to all men", as Jannes and Jambres also was. The Gnostic insinuators would teach these doctrines to impressionable women. Second, there are the qualities of the apostle. (2Baruch 27). He says: "Open thy mouth, speak whatsoever occurs to thee, and thou shalt prophesy." It is the sign of a supremely decadent civilization when youth loses all respect for age and fails to recognize the unpayable debt and the basic duty it owes to those who gave it life. But the apostle remembered it all, felt deeply for if not with him, and greatly desiring to see him once more. The thing that amazes me is that he can attract people who will support him. All rights reserved. Regardless of the persecution, it is our duty to live in such a way that the world will know that we are Christians. Such is the meaning of purging himself. God is right. It denotes a savagery which has neither sensitiveness nor sympathy. We must note that Paul here makes a distinction. It should be considered as one of the proper qualifications for membership in the church, to be willing to bear persecution, and to resolve not to shrink from any duty in order to avoid it. 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. In the days between the Old and the New Testaments many Jewish books were written which expanded the Old Testament stories. This is a further reason why Timothy should endure hardship and not turn aside from the work God has given him (3-5). "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'.". 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." On the whole we here see, [1.] 2 Timothy 3:12. For it is not dogma pure and simple, it is not mere instruction; and we may thank God for it. 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. Don't expect the world to admire your godly stance. Things are very much taking this direction of late, and at the present moment.