Monday, July 23, 2018

2 Timothy 3:1-13 "Understanding Our Times"


I am constantly amazed to see how the Bible has the ability to speak to every generation and at all times. This particular letter from Paul to Timothy was written nearly 2000 years ago[1]  and yet it is as relevant today as it was in the day in which it was written. 
It is true of course, that the world has undergone massive,   breath taking changes.  In Paul and Timothy’s day there were no cars and no aeroplanes, no modern electronic and computer gadgets, no aspirin and  antibiotics, no insurance policies and retirement plans…, but  in many other regards much remains the same – God remains the same  and the heart of man remains  the same.  Nothing has changed with regard to the heart of man, and when we read these words   again in 3:1-13, we will find   our hearts and minds saying over and again … ‘this is still  true’.

Now these words from Paul which we have read do not stand on their own. They are written in the context of his second letter to Timothy. Here  Paul is concerned here  that his young  friend Timothy, pastoring  the church in Ephesus,  a difficult city, and being tempted with many kinds of fears[2], should  hold on to Jesus (2:1, 8-13) and  do   the work of  in keeping with the gentle and  meek spirit of Christ (2:24-26), continuing in what he has learned  from Paul, his mentor (3:1-15). 

It is against this background that we consider our theme, “Understanding the Times” as it arises out of 2 Timothy 3:1–13

1.               Vv. 1–5:   Understanding the general behaviour of people in the last days.
2.               Vv. 6–9:  Understanding how they affect society and a lesson from history.
3.               Vv. 10–13: Understanding what it costs to live a godly life in such a culture.

 1.  3:1-5  Understanding the general behaviour of people in the last days.

3:1 “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times difficulty…. From the New Testament perspective, the last days began with the coming of the Lord Jesus, and the last days will end at the second coming of the Lord Jesus, when the world as we know it now will end. Following that the new heavens and the new earth[3] will appear.  Many Christians think that this text refers to the last of the last days. It does not. What is written here characterises the entire church age. “There will come times of difficulty…”.  And so we take note  that evils that characterize the last days appear again and again in  our history.  Thank God that not all days are uniformly evil. My grandparents lived through two horrendous world wars. I have been spared from that, but there is no telling what our children might face. Thank God for times of peace. Thank God also for the history of Revivals, when  God mercifully intervened  time and again for the sake of His people. At such times society was reformed and evil people were restrained.  There may yet be, before the return of Christ, another great revival. I encourage you to pray and work to that end. Don’t capitulate to the darkness. Don’t use this text to promote pessimism. Don’t retreat. Remember that the gates of hell will not prevail against Christ's church (Matt. 16:18). Preach the Gospel according to  what you have in you, day in and day out, in season and out of season (2 Tim. 4:2). But know that life in this fallen world for the Christian man and woman will be difficult, and it affects the church as we shall see in v.6.

The difficulty relates to what Paul says in 3:2-5. It relates to the behaviour of people in this age. And it is demonic!  In 1 Timothy 4:1 he says, “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons.” The apostle Peter says, “Scoffers will come in the last days” (2 Peter 3:3). Jude says, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions” (Jude 1:18).

And so you find in 3:1-4 a list of typical behaviour in these days – 19 characteristics[4].   

Firstly, consider what they love:  They are ‘lovers of self’, lovers of money, not loving good lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, and in v.4.  The fundamental problem with these people is that they have a misdirected love for all the wrong things.  The greatest commandment is to love the Lord our God with all heart, soul, mind and strength and to love our neighbours as ourselves[5], and yet these people just love themselves.

Then, in between those four misdirected loves we find 15 words which describe destructive patterns of relating to others.  They are proud, arrogant, abusive (lit. blasphemers). That is what self- lovers are  like. They are self- absorbed and dismissive of others. They are   narcissistic.  In Greek mythology, Narcissus was a hunter who was known for his beauty. The story  goes  that he came to a pool, where he saw his own reflection in the water and fell in love with it, not realizing it was merely an image. Unable to leave the beauty of his reflection, Narcissus lost his will to live. He stared at his reflection until he died.  From him comes the term narcissism, a fixation with oneself and one's physical appearance or public perception.

Consider the next five words: disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable. In the Greek form these five words are all in the negative[6]. Here are people known by what they are not, rather than what they are. They do not obey their parents (Gk. goneusin apeitheis- lit. unable to be persuaded).  They are not grateful beings (Gk. acharistoi). They have no desire for holy living (Gk.  anosioi – unholy); they  have no heart – they are  without love (Gk. astorgoi). They are unappeasable (Gk. aspondos i.e. implacable, unforgiving, irreconcilable).

The remaining seven words: ‘slanderous’ (Gk. diaboloi lit. diabolical- the devil  is  a slanderer); ‘without self-control’ (Gk. akretēs lit. without power); ‘brutal’ (Gk. anēmeros lit. not gentle ); ‘not lovers of the good’ (Gk. aphilagathos);  ‘treacherous’  (Gk. prodotēs this term is  used of Judas who betrayed Jesus) ; ‘reckless’ (Gk. propetēs  lit. falling forwards – i.e. rash); ‘swollen with conceit’ (Gk. tuphoō – lit. to wrap in smoke, hence puffed up, conceited, high minded) ; lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of  God.

Here is a portrait of the godless life of mankind all over the world, in every kind of society and at all times. This is the life of people in Namibia in the 21st century. Only the gospel offers a radical solution to this problem. Only the gospel changes people from within, when we learn to put off old habits and put on the life of Christ (Eph. 4: 17-32).

Note that these people are religious! (v.5)
We are told in v.5 that they have “the appearance of godliness”. They practise a form of religion. Think of the Pharisees and the priests who stood against Jesus and His church. They were religious. Theirs was the temple, the ceremonies and the law of God, but their religion was a man-made tradition. They had exchanged the truth of God for a lie. Sadly there are so many people in this world who are like that. They are religious, but not converted. The problem with this religion is that the heart worships what it creates in its own image. True religion is to love the God who has created us in His image, and to serve Him according to His Word.   

What is Timothy to do with such a people? “Avoid such people”, says Paul. Look for the broken hearted sinner. Look for the man, the woman who despairs of themselves and who seek for God.  Introduce them to Jesus. Let them be changed by Him.

2.  3:6–9  Understanding how they affect society and a lesson from history.

Take note that these people  undermine  weak people (vv. 6,7).
Paul says “… for among them are  those who creep  into households and  capture weak women, burdened with sins  and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive  at a knowledge  of the truth” (vv.6&7). This is not a general statement that applies to all women. Timothy was raised by two strong, godly, discerning women.  Paul is describing certain women, weak in character and weak in mind, and open to manipulation. Paul is simply illustrating how unscrupulous people work.  They are predators pulling down the weak and the vulnerable, the foolish and the ignorant in society.  Paul is showing us the tactics used by these pseudo religionists.  They were literally going into homes of (especially the wealthy, middle, upper-class) women of that Greco-Roman culture who had been introduced to faith in Christ through the preaching of faithful teachers like Timothy and Titus and Paul. They were going there while their husbands were at work, and they were tickling their ears with false teaching. They go to people who haven't really grasped the truth as it is in Jesus.   They  go to people  that  are unstable in their sense of purpose and direction in life. They were led by various passions/ emotions.  They were burdened with sins (guilty consciences). They had a desire to get rid of that, but they really have not fully understood the provision of God in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sin. And so they’re weighed down with sins, and they’re looking for a way to get rid of their guilt.  They are not equipped to question what they hear. They are not like the Berean Christians, evaluating everything …  they are always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

V.v 8&9: Paul then gives an example from the OT of this kind of subversive person. Jannes and Jambres (although we don’t find their  names in the Scriptures), the Pharaoh’s so called magicians, men who  opposed Moses  and who opposed the truth (v.8), but  the fact was that in the eyes of Pharaoh and Egypt they were powerful, influential   figures  who were keeping Pharaoh and the Egyptians blindfolded  as regards the truth. Paul assures  us here that  such false prophets will not win. They will fail. This is vital for Timothy to know. It's vital for you and me to know.
So, we are provided here with a picture of our society. It is a wicked, immoral society, and yet there is plenty of religious activity, but it is a religious activity that pulls down the weak and ignorant. You need to know that. You need to understand the times. God has given us   this counsel so that we should be forewarned, and prepared, and not become discouraged.

 3.    3:10–13 Understanding what it costs to live a godly life in such a culture.

"You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life.my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions, my sufferings… yet from all the Lord rescued me…”. Make sure that you listen to godly people, and not self - driven people, whose god is money, who do not love the good and who are lovers of pleasure, and who exhibit all  the negative character traits described here. Many of the glossy magazines extol their virtues, but you all  know that they are  moral  failures. Don’t seek their company. Don’t envy them, just because they look glamourous. Don’t let their philosophies worm their ways into your home.    The Scripture says  that such “evil people and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” (v.13)  Follow people like Paul, who are lovers of God.
Those are the choices that face you. Either a life of trials and testings, because you are going against the stream  (v.11), but experiencing many  wonderful deliverances, or ‘going from bad to worse.’  You do know what Jesus desires. 
Follow Him to heaven!



[1]  the last letter from Paul  - 2 Timothy  was written  in AD 67/68
[2]  2 Tim 1:7
[3] 2 Peter 3:13;  cf. Isa. 65:17,66:22; Rev. 21:1
[4] most of these phrases here are just one word in the Greek
[5] Mark 12:29-31 cf. Deut. 6:4-5
[6] Beginning with the prefix – ‘a’

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