2 Timothy 3:10-17 "The Inspiration of the Bible "

Today we shall consider  the  important subject  of the  inspiration of the Bible. The passage before us contains  an important testimony to the nature of the Bible and its divine origin. And the big question is this:  This book that you now hold in your hand – is it an ordinary book, or is it a truly extra-ordinary, God inspired book?  

And if it is an extra ordinary, God inspired book, then what is our response to it?  And what may we expect it to do to us and for us?  This question we expect to answer today. 

Our key text is found in 3:16,17 but before we  get there let us see how  Paul  comes to make this astonishing assertion  concerning the  inspiration  of the  Bible.

In this personal  letter,  Paul had  reminded Timothy,  Pastor of the church in Ephesus  concerning the way  people  will generally behave in the last days (3:1-9) – the days between Christ’s ascension and His second coming. He and we need to see this and expect this. The Christian ministry is lived and conducted in a very messy world. This does not mean however that Christians need  to conform to this world. In  Romans  12:1,2  Paul urges Christians not to be conformed to this world. Christians need to go against the flow  as  they deliberately follow Christ. For this reason  Paul exhorts Timothy to follow his teaching, conduct, aim in life, faith, patience, love, steadfastness, persecutions, sufferings. 

Paul encourages Timothy to imitate him in these things, not because Paul was anything special in himself, but   because Paul himself  was imitating and following the Lord Jesus Christ [cf. 1 Cor. 11:1 “be imitators of me, as I am of Christ“]. Notice how he includes sufferings and persecutions in the deal. These, says Paul to Timothy,are a part of your Christian discipleship. You cannot avoid them. They are part and parcel of what it means to be a Christian… “ Indeed all who desire to live a godly life in Christ will be persecuted.” (3:12) There you are! Living counter culturally is not for sissies.   

And do not ignore the second part of that sentence begun in 3:12:  “while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” (3:13). Why are they going from bad to worse and why are they being deceived? They do not listen to the Word of God (sound teaching). They do not know how to conduct themselves. They have no aim in life except to gratify and please themselves. They have no faith in God, no real  patience towards anyone , no real  love, no steadfastness… and because of this they are pawns of the devil, who has held them captive to do his will (2 Tim 2:26). Also, they would for this reason not experience the typical kinds of persecutions and sufferings that Christians experience  for righteousness’s  sake (Matt. 5:10).

And so Paul exhorts Timothy in 3:14,15, “But as for you continue  in what you have learned  and have firmly believed, knowing from who you have learned it” (cf. 2 Tim. 1:5) and how  from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.”   

Notice three things: 

1. Timothy had been discipled in the faith from childhood by his godly mother and grandmother. 

2. He himself had become convinced of what he had been taught- namely the sacred Scriptures (which is the OT!). 

3. These Scriptures had made him wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.  These Scriptures led him to faith in Christ. So, please take note that these Scriptures and the Lord Jesus Christ are inseparably connected. 

In John 5:39 Jesus Himself says that “(these Scriptures) bear witness about me…”.  

Do you remember the incident in Luke 24? Following the death of Jesus we find two depressed disciples on the road to Emmaus. They were talking to one another about the recent events surrounding the crucifixion and death of Jesus. They struggled to interpret the death of Christ and forgot that He had said that He would be raised on the third day. Jesus, who by this time had risen, met them on this road, and they were kept from recognising Him (Lk. 24:16). In this dull state Jesus  came among them and,  “beginning with Moses and all the prophets  he interpreted to them  in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself” (Lk. 24:27). From this story we learn many things, but the one thing I want us to see is that  Jesus  presented  the  OT as that inspired book  that  spoke about Him, the promised Messiah – the Saviour of  this sin sick world. 

    

So,  says Paul, “Timothy , you have been acquainted with the sacred  writings  which have led you to the Saviour, Jesus Christ.”  And to crown this  all, Paul  now  makes this powerful crowning statement concerning these Scriptures that have made Timothy and countless others  wise for salvation through faith in Christ.  

Three Reasons  Why You Can Trust The Bible [Vv. 16,17]  

1.     The Bible Is Inspired.

Some people   think that the Bible is inspired, in the sense that it inspires us in the same way a well written book  may inspire us, the focus being on you who is inspired by the reading of that book. That is not what Paul is saying here at all.  He is saying that the Scripture themselves, in their very essence and being are inspired- whether it makes you feel inspired or not. It is a fact outside you. So then we take note that, "all Scripture is breathed out by God…”.  The phrase translated directly from the Greek (theopneustos) is God-breathed, and hence our translation. The Bible is God talking. This is from the mouth of God. In the truest sense of the word the Bible is not inspired, but expired.  I know that doesn’t sound too good, but in its most literal sense, that’s what it means, at least in old English. Even now we say that when one dies, one breathes out his last; he has ‘expired’. The Bible is the expiration of God. It is the final Word of God as it is breathed out by God. 2  Peter 1:19- 21 describes how that happened.    

Notice that all Scripture (not just some Scripture) is God-breathed. There  have been many in history and even  today  who   have treated   the Bible  in  a ‘cut and paste’  fashion, choosing whatever  they like, and dispensing with whatever  they don’t like.  You cannot deal with the Bible like that. You cannot choose to believe some Scriptures and not others. 
All Scripture in every word, sentence and book is inspired. You cannot say that some books are more inspired than others.  In a subjective sense you may find Leviticus less inspiring, but in truth it is just as important as the Gospels or the book of Hebrews. In fact you cannot really understand the book of Hebrews or the Gospels without the holiness code in Leviticus. This book teaches in a most profound sense that God is holy and that every form of sin is an abomination to this holy God. It shows us that God hates sin and that sin kills.  It shows us that sin is so serious that it needs atonement, and so we find there the doctrine of the   atonement.  An animal dies in the place of the sinner.  But can an animal truly take away human sin?  The sacrificial system  in the OT points to its grand fulfillment in Christ, the Lamb of God   in the NT. This is shown in the gospels and the epistles of the NT.

The Bible’s inspiration (being God breathed) means that it is  accurate,   inerrant and authoritative, and timeless   because it is the word of God. For this reason Paul could write to the Thessalonians and say, “ We thank  God…. that you received  the Word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it, not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God.”  (1 Thess. 2:13). 

And so we have a high view of Scripture, because the internal claim of the Bible is that it is not the word or commentary of men, but the word of God.  Our own Church and Confession of Faith  rests  on this  foundation. The Bible is our final authority for faith and practice.  

Our  own 1689  Baptist Confession of Faiths reads,  

"The authority of the Holy Scripture, for which it ought to be believed, and obeyed, depends not upon the testimony of any man, or Church; but wholly upon God (who is truth itself) the author thereof, and therefore it is to be received, because it is the Word of God”.

It is one thing to say that you have a high view of the Scriptures but it is quite another thing to live and behave in accordance with the Scriptures.  Once again we see this in the Bible.  The Pharisees had a high view of the Scriptures -  in theory. But in practise they took liberty in interpreting and living out the Scriptures in a manner that suited them, and thus it became the traditions of men (e.g. Mark 7:6-9).  We face the same challenges today. The Bible is  used and abused and selectively quoted and taken out of context  by many so called Bible teachers, and by so many sects  and cults. 

Our challenge is to follow the injunction of Paul in 2 Corinthians 4:1-6. Take time to read  and appreciate this passage. 

2.     The Bible Is Profitable For Teaching, For Reproof, For Correction And For Training In Righteousness

"All Scripture is inspired by God, and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” Scripture is not only the out- breathed Word of God,  but for this very reason it is also  logical  that it must be profitable  to our souls in every way.

It is profitable for teaching. It is profitable for reproof or warning. The Bible warns us against the errors we so easily make. It warns us of the traps into which we so easily fall. It is profitable for correction. The Bible corrects and redirects our spiritual course when we have gone off in search of many things. The Bible is profitable for training in righteousness. In this sense it is not to be used as a book to bash others with. Remember that you who teach are also subject to its teaching and therefore you must teach with all humility as you also remember that you are a fellow sinner in need of instruction.  The Bible is God’s manual for training in righteousness- in practical godliness. The reason why we often do not think that the Bible is practical is because the Bible often clashes with our own desires. The truth is that the Bible’s complete counsel is true, trustworthy and very, very practical. 

3.     The Bible  Completes  Us And  Equips Us For Every Good  Work.

“...that the man of God may be  complete , equipped for every good work.”

Believing in the Word of God and living by the Word of God completes and equips us. The Bible is not just a good book of good ideas.  God wrote it for the purpose of it being lived out in our lives. We are called to live by the Book!  The Bible is the book that teaches us  about marriage. It teaches us to be a biblical husband or wife. It teaches us about parenting, and  being a good employer or employee. The Bible teaches you how to  think and cope with  depression, anxiety, guilt and a host of other emotional issues. The Bible teaches you how to cope with sickness and dying.  The Bible saves a man from being a wimp, and delivers him from being a nerd  says Geoff Thomas. It transforms him into being “the man of God … thoroughly equipped for every good work” (3:17). The Scriptures are able to make  us  thoroughly equipped for every  situation in life. 

Could it be true, that the reason some of you are  struggling so much with your personal issues, because you are not resting in the Word of God, but in your own appetites (or lack of spiritual appetite)  and desires.  

Follow the man of Psalm 1. 

The opening words  teach us, “His delight is in the law of the Lord and on his  law he meditates day and night” (Ps. 1:2). Here is a man who really loves and obeys  the Bible.  That is the true test as to whether you believe in an inspired Bible. You are not only someone who  understands the correct doctrine of Scripture in all its context, and  who reads the Bible every day, and who sits under  good, sound preaching every Sunday, but more than all those things, that  you actually love and  live   the Bible  because you have love Jesus, who gave this Word for your comfort and that you may be thoroughly equipped  for every good work.

Embracing the authority of the Word of God is vital for discipleship and a healthy Christian life. 
And  Inspiration  requires perspiration  on your part!

ACTS 24 ”The Gospel in the Midst of Accusation and Corruption”

The passage divides into three  parts: 

(i)  Vv. 1-9   Accusation 

(ii) Vv. 10-21   Defence

(iii) Vv. 22 -27  Corruption

1.     The Accusation (24:1-9)

Claudius Lysias (see 23:26) the tribune and commander of the Antonia fortress in Jerusalem had rescued Paul from certain death, when a Jewish mob almost killed him in the temple area. Not wanting to deny the Jews their justice, since there were political sensitivities, he told the Jewish accusers to meet with governor Felix in Caesarea if they wished to make charges against Paul.  And so, the Jews, commissioned by the Sanhedrin arrived in Caesarea five days after Paul had been led there by a military escort.  Among them was the high priest Ananias (24:1 cf.  23:2) and he was accompanied by some Jewish elders and a spokesman named Tertullus. Tertullus would fulfil the role of prosecutor. His name Tertullus[1] is a Roman name, and if he were a Roman it would have been a clever ploy on the part of the Jewish accusers to employ a Roman lawyer, appealing therefore to Roman law, before a  Roman governor Felix.

Tertullus began with flattery, complimenting Felix for achievements that simply weren’t true. We saw last time that Felix was actually a very unpopular and brutal   governor, and complaints were laid at highest level against him.  His administration was marked by fierce repression of Jewish dissidents. He was finally recalled from office when he used heavy-handed methods to stop riots between Jews and gentiles in Caesarea.  But  Tertullus said that Felix had brought  peace  and reforms  to the nation. This was not true, and so, by means of this  Tertullus,  the high-priest Ananias and the Jewish   were telling  Felix ( who actually  was  unpopular in the nation)  that  they were willing to support him if he would only take their side against Paul.

The trial  follows Roman law: 

(i)  There is a pre-trial hearing (they laid their case before the governor) 

(ii) the accuser  makes his charge   in  the presence of the  accused 

(iii) the accused is allowed to speak in his defense 

(iv)  the judge will give his verdict. 

Three charges are brought: 

(i)               That Paul was “a plague” (24:5a) who had stirred up riots (civil  unrest) among all the Jews throughout the (Roman) world. Since the Jewish nation was infested with troublemakers who were always forcing the Romans to intervene and restore order, the Jewish leaders schemed that this charge would make an impact.

(ii)             That Paul was a religious heretic (24:5b). He called Paul the ringleader of a sect of the Nazarenes, as if Christians were sectarians (literally heretics). Now to understand the background. The religion of the Jews was considered by the Romans religio licita- a permitted or approved religion.  The Romans who were polytheists[2] had granted it official toleration.  The Christian faith was born in the context of Judaism and the sacred Scriptures, but Jewish leaders did not consider it to be a legitimate offshoot of their religion. By referring to them as "Nazarenes" they attributed to them a name with derogatory overtones. Jesus grew up in Nazareth, and it did not have a good reputation (John 1:46).  They wanted to make Felix believe that Christianity was a dangerous, subversive, heretical movement  aiming to overthrow Roman rule.

(iii)           That Paul had desecrated the temple (24:6 cf. 21:28)  the charge that Paul had  been teaching against the law and that he had brought Trophimus,  a Gentile from Ephesus into the Court of Israel. The Romans recognized the right of the Jews to protect the Temple from anything they regarded as defilement.

We know that they are twisting the truth with flattery and false information. Such is the world that we live in. People lie habitually without a troubled conscience. Many are so  entrenched  in the lie that they  think they are telling the truth. When  many  people in a society are trapped in lie syndromes  we find that  society is becoming less capable of separating truth from falsehood. This is  one reason that so many today are resistant to the gospel.  In his second letter to  Timothy  Paul says that  in the last days,   the lie  syndrome will  invade our  society more and more. Much of this lying will take the form of self-deception (2 Tim. 3:13).

2. The  Defence  (24:10-21)

Under Roman law, Paul had the privilege of speaking in his own defense. Being given the nod (24:10), Paul   also started  by courteously acknowledging Felix role and place  as governor and  judge over the  nation.  Please note that he avoided flattery.  Following this Paul says that he  would cheerfully defend himself.  He replied to the charges one by one.

(i)               In response to the charge that he was stirring up riots  throughout the (Roman) world, he goes straight to the point and deals with their accusation as it relates to the incident in Jerusalem.   He pointed out that he had gone to Jerusalem only 12  days ago. Since it was now five days after he came to Caesarea, he had spent only about a week in the city. He had done nothing in Jerusalem to cause trouble. He had gone to Jerusalem to worship. He had not been found disputing with anyone.

(ii)             Paul acknowledges that he belongs to this sect which is called ‘the Way’- one of the earliest names for Christianity. But he denied that he belonged to an illegal sect. Rather, he faithfully followed a legal religion—the true  and ancient  religion of the Jews. He lived in perfect obedience to the moral law that his fathers received from God. In every way he  worships ‘the God of our fathers’ i.e. the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He also insisted that his belief in the resurrection of the dead was no heresy, for after all the Pharisees, a majority group in Judaism held to this belief, though the Saducees did not. In this regard he said that  he had a  clean  conscience before God and man.

(iii)           Thirdly, Paul  denies the accusation  that he  had  profaned the Temple (24:17-21). He came to worship.   In fact, what he had come to do was in keeping with James’s request in 21:23,24 to purify himself according to the law  (having been in gentile territories) and to bring alms for the nation and to present offerings (24:17). Nothing more than that. It was in the context of being found in the temple  that some Jews  from Ephesus in Asia saw him and started stirring up a crowd, accusing him  falsely. They said that he was teaching against the law, and that he had brought Trophimus,  a gentile into the temple.  But if they accused him, where were they now (24:19)? They ought to be here as eyewitnesses!  The only evidence that his Jewish adversaries  could bring against Paul  is  his belief  in the resurrection of the dead. To hold such a belief was hardly a crime. The Pharisees believed this!  

So we see  a  great defense by Paul and very skillful, and by now we are getting the real picture as to why Paul is on trial. The  gospel  of Jesus is on trial!  Jesus Christ, his death and resurrection is on trial (24:21).  The resurrection of Jesus validates  the OT teaching of the resurrection and it validates  everything that Jesus said. The Roman  empire may well have crucified Jesus , but  Paul is asserting, ‘He's alive, not just in the memory of many , but He is physically risen from the dead!’ This is the ultimate reason why Paul is on trial. It was the reason why Jesus was on trial. He repeatedly said that  after the temple of his body was destroyed he would rise again after  three days

3. Corruption (Acts 24:22-27)

This section forms almost the most disturbing part of our narrative.   Felix was apparently well-informed about Christianity (24:22).  We suspect that he knows that Paul is telling the truth, but he cannot bring himself to let Paul  go, and the reason is plain. Paul has become a political pawn. Felix knows that his reputation is not great among the Jews. To let him go would make the Jews even more unhappy with him than they already were. And so he decides to stall the judicial process on the pretext that he must wait for  Lysias, the tribune   from Jerusalem to give  further evidence.

In the meantime  Paul is kept under house arrest. He's given a surprising amount of liberty. His friends are allowed to visit him and attend to his needs. But there is the next disturbing  development surfacing here  bribery and corruption!  

We read that  a  few days later,   Felix in the company of  his Jewish  wife  Drusilla[3]  summons Paul into his presence. There they heard Paul   speak about faith in Jesus Christ and about righteousness and self-control, and the coming judgment. Paul did not hold back.  Even though his life was at the mercy of Felix, he told them that God will hold men accountable for their unrighteous lives.  He spoke about sin as the opposite of righteousness and self-control,  something  notably absent in the life of this couple. 

It seems as if in the process of Paul’s  speaking  Felix was (alarmed)  convicted by the Holy Spirit, and conveniently ordered Paul  to go away for the present (24:25). He  however brought Paul to speak with him often.  And then we read in 24:26  that he was hoping  that Paul would give him a bribe.

We see here the progressive hardening of the heart that refuses to listen to the truth and to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.  As time passed, it is seems as if  Felix’s sense of guilt decreased while his sense of greed and opportunism increased. Felix knew that behind Paul there was a growing movement  of Christians, and perhaps he was hoping that  Paul's people  would raise money for his release. 

Bribery is condemned  in Scripture (Ex. 23:8;  Ps. 26:10; Prov. 17:23; Isa. 33:15; Amos 5:12).  If the Christian  church had purchased Paul's release, it would have  endorsed corrupt practice.  Clearly Paul did not play into his hands and chose to stay  a prisoner  rather than compromising  a biblical  and moral principle. This  is an example and an encouragement  for Christians  in such  a situation. 

And so Paul waited for 2 years in Caesarea on account of Felix’s stalling of justice and corrupt nature. Finally, Felix was replaced by Porcius Festus (24:27). Felix decided not to release him (which true justice would have done) but it is said that he wanted to show the Jews a favour.

This brings us to the final matter. Why did God allow Paul (history's most successful evangelist) to be imprisoned for 2 years? The answer is given for us in the Bible. He must testify in Rome (23:11). But there is so much more that is happening here.  It is likely that   the book of Acts and the Gospel of Luke was written by Luke under Paul's supervision. In prison with considerable freedoms it is possible that it gave Luke an opportunity to do all the research and investigation needed for the writing of these two accounts.  It is also almost certain that Paul wrote his letter to the Philippians here.  

The same is true of John Bunyan who spent 12 years in jail. In this time he wrote Pilgrim's Progress and other significant books, which have reached and encouraged more people than he ever could have reached through his personal ministry. Sometimes God holds us captive for a quiet work of great importance - if not a ministry of writing, then perhaps  a ministry of prayer, or of learning to become a better imitator  of Christ’s character.

---

[1] diminutive of Latin tertius, "third"

[2]  Roman citizens were allowed to worship whatever gods they wished as long as they respected the Roman religion by making sacrifices to the Roman gods and worshipping the Roman emperor as a god. ...

[3] she was the  daughter of Herod Agrippa I,  the same Herod who beheaded James in 12:2, and  who was killed by God  in Acts 12:23

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!

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[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’