2 Timothy (written)

Sunday, 15 April 2018

…traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 2 Timothy 3:4

Paul’s lengthy list of miscreants continues on once again in this verse. Here the words begin with “traitors.” The meaning of the word is obvious. Either “traitor” or “betrayer” is an acceptable translation. The word is found only in Luke 6:16, Acts 7:52, and here.

Next, he names the “headstrong.” It is again a rare word, found elsewhere only in Acts 19:36. The word literally means, “fall forward.” Thus it is someone who is reckless, rash, or whose headstrong manner is brought on by foolhardy passion.

Paul then speaks of the “haughty.” It is a word used only by Paul, and only in the pastorals of 1 & 2 Timothy. This is its final use in Scripture. The word is tuphoó, and one can see the word “typhoon” coming from it. It signifies “to blow smoke,” or “to cloud up the air.” And so figuratively it means to have a cloudy mindset which is a moral blindness leading to poor judgment. From there, further loss of spiritual perception is the natural result.

The verse finishes up with “lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.” People who are pleasure-lovers have always abounded in the world. They draw more closely to the animal instincts rather than focusing on the higher morals we are endowed with. Some focus all their pleasure on fast cars, some on sexual engagements, some on living in a drunken stupor, etc. Each of these has its own word to describe it, but these things may be used in different ways. The word here indicates that such things are engaged in simply for the pleasure obtained from them. In such a pursuit, a love and sense of God is eradicated. Whatever type of pleasure is sought after can become so addictive that it becomes its own idol in our minds. When this happens, the door to God is shut and locked.

Life application: It is important for us to evaluate individual words like those Paul is using. By developing them into their full meaning, we can see what he had on his mind when choosing those particular words. From there, we can then carefully evaluate if we bear any trace of these failings and correct them in our lives. Though an in-depth study of such things can be a bit tiring, in the end, we will have benefited greatly from the knowledge we have obtained.

Gracious heavenly Father, look upon Your people whom You have redeemed, and be merciful to us as we stray, fail in our obligations, and forget to put You first in our lives. Give Your people wisdom to turn again to You, and to reestablish our walk in uprightness and holiness before Your infinite glory. Guide us in paths which You have chosen for our feet to tread upon. Amen.

Saturday, 14 April 2018

…unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 2 Timothy 3:3

Paul continues his description of the miscreants who bring about the perilous times in the last days. The verse begins with the “unloving.” The word here comes from the concept of a person who lacks natural affection. This again transfers through what is moral to what is political. It points directly to the morally lacking thought process. The “natural affection” Paul is referring to is the bond between a parent and a child. What should be the strongest bond of all is missing when the knowledge of God is rejected. The Bible is replete with passages where children were sacrificed to Molech, and causing them to “pass through the fire,” such as in 1 Kings 17:16, 17 –

“So they left all the commandments of the Lord their God, made for themselves a molded image and two calves, made a wooden image and worshiped all the host of heaven, and served Baal. And they caused their sons and daughters to pass through the fire, practiced witchcraft and soothsaying, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger.”

The cultures Paul was exposed to left female children out to die, preferring male babies. Some buried the children alive. Albert Barnes notes that during an earlier period, “In most of the Grecian states, infanticide was not merely permitted, but actually enforced by law. The Spartan lawgiver expressly ordained that every child that was born should be examined by the ancient men of the tribe, and that if found weak or deformed, should be thrown into a deep cavern at the foot of Mount Taygetus.”

The modern parallel is of course abortion. The left is rabid in their defense of abortion and any attempt at restricting or eliminating this legalized murder is met with the strongest opposition possible. They have lost any true natural affection and have replaced it with immoral sensuality and licentiousness. This moral depravity fits naturally with the next on the list, those who are “unforgiving.”

The Greek word comes from the thought of “without libation,” or “without truce.” Pouring out a libation to a god was a way of making peace with that god and thus forming a treaty. The idea then is a person who is completely unwilling to make peace; they are implacable. There is no agreement, there is no reconciliation, and there is no felicity. Instead, there is only “us and them,” and we will never cede an inch in our battle of depravity and moral perversity.

Next are the “slanderers.” The word is an adjective that would better be rendered “slanderous.” This signifies a false accuser, or one who unjustly criticizes others in order to hurt them, even to the point of severing relations. When an article is used in front of this Greek word, it speaks of the devil.

He then speaks of those who are “without self-control.” It is translated from a single Greek word found only here in the Bible. It indicates “inclined to excess,” or “powerless.” Such a person is unable to control his inner urges, and plows ahead in whatever unhealthy addiction or perversion he is prone to. Just as a person who wears a diaper is incontinent and cannot control his physical body, such a person lacks the same ability to control himself.

He then next speaks of those who are “brutal.” Again, it is a word found only here in the Bible. It signifies someone who is not tame, but rather fierce or savage. He tears angrily at those around him, and cannot be controlled.

Finally, Paul notes those who are “despisers of good.” Again, it is a unique word in Scripture which indicates one who hates good. He is completely hostile to what is right. The things of God are abhorrent to him. He is an active enemy of his Creator and the work which God performs as is described in Scripture. He is exactly the opposite of the man called to serve the Lord in Titus 1:8. There Paul says an elder should be “a lover of what is good.” The only difference in the words is that a negative particle is added here to form the opposite thought.

Life application: It’s rather easy to find any and all of those described in this verse today. All we need to do is turn on the news and look at the left in our society. They call evil good, and they call good evil. They despise Christ Jesus, and yet they claim to be moral, pious people. Let us use their lives as examples of how not to act, and let us use Christ Jesus as our example of how to act!

Lord God, the news media, and the entertainment world, driven by left-wing ideology, is completely upside down. They exalt that which is evil, and they call out those who are moral and upright as wrongdoers. They support the murder of the unborn, and yet they refuse to hand over criminals for justice. How long will the wicked prosper? Help Your people to stand against them, and to proclaim righteousness until You come for judgment. Strengthen us, O God. Amen.

Friday, 13 April 2018

For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 2 Timothy 3:2

Paul now describes why “perilous times will come” as indicated in the previous verse. He will pen out a long list describing people whose life and conduct will bring about a stain on Christianity because of their character. As these are evaluated, remember that these type of people exist both in the church and outside of the church. Further, they have existed at all times in humanity. Therefore, Paul’s note about “the last days” in the previous verse encompass the entire church age which lies ahead from the time of his writing.

In his descriptions, he begins with, “For men will be lovers of themselves.” This is an obvious flaw that describes countless people. In the church, it is wholly inappropriate. If a person has called on Christ, it is because they realize they need to be saved. If one needs to be saved, then he realizes that he is fallen due to sin. For someone to be a lover of himself is to set himself against a need for Christ’s cleansing from sin. Self-idolatry and true worship of God through Christ cannot coexist.

Next he says, “lovers of money.” The sense here is someone whose god is money. He is greedy for it. It is his passion and desire to get rich, and to continue to increase in wealth. One can be a billionaire and not be a lover of money, and one can be a poor man and be a lover of money. The possession of money is not the issue, but rather the desire for the possession of money. Jesus, speaking under the law, stated a truth which exists at any and all times when He said in Matthew 6:24 –

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

Paul next speaks of those who are “boastful.” The word describes a person who shows himself off in a loud and arrogant way. HELPS Word Studies says of this word, “properly, a wandering vagrant (vagabond), boasting to anyone who is foolish enough to take him seriously! This kind of person claims many things he can’t really do, so he must always keep moving on to new, naive listeners.” This is a person who has an “I” problem.

The next category is the “proud.” In the Greek, it is a compound word, huperephanos. The word phaínō signifies to “shine forth.” The prefix huper is the root of our word “hyper.” Add the word “hyper” before it, and you can instantly get the sense. He “over-shines.” It is a person who goes beyond the faith that he has professed because he tries to be more than what God directs. Like the one who is boastful, this person also has a serious “I” problem.

Paul then mentions “blasphemers.” They are those who reverse both spiritual and moral conditions of reality, and who then use slanderous evil-speaking.

The next are those who are “disobedient to parents.” The family is the nucleus of a well-running society. When the family structure breaks down, the society naturally breaks down as well. And so discipline within the family must be maintained. So great is the necessity for this, that God, when speaking out the law to Israel, included this –

“If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother, and who, when they have chastened him, will not heed them, then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city, to the gate of his city. And they shall say to the elders of his city, ‘This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.’ Then all the men of his city shall stone him to death with stones; so you shall put away the evil from among you, and all Israel shall hear and fear.” Deuteronomy 21:18-21

Likewise, in Exodus 21:17, the Lord noted that anyone “who curses his father or his mother” shall be put to death. Unfortunately, modern society has completely reversed the roles and television shows commonly portray children who are insolent to their parents and who tell the parents what to do rather than the other way around. This can only lead to chaos within a society because God’s order of what is right has been rejected.

After this are the “unthankful.” Here Paul uses a word found only here and in Luke 6:35. It is a word which signifies “experiencing grace,” but it begins with a negative prefix. In other words, “not experiencing grace.” When one doesn’t understand God’s grace (unmerited favor), they will naturally be ungraceful, and unthankful.

The last in this verse is “unholy.” This is a word used only by Paul, and only in 1 & 2 Timothy. It describes someone who ignores their duty to God, disregarding it as unnecessary to their life. They will profane the name of the Lord without compunction, and simply give up right living for a life of sin and wickedness. Such degenerates are coupled with the “profane.” The profane speak of sacred things in a lewd manner. Their actions may carry the same intent. Great examples of this type of person can be found all over the film and music industries.

Life application: Paul’s list is just getting started, but you can see that it describes people at all times and in all places. When such as these creep into the church, surely perilous times will come. We always need to be on the lookout for people like this and to ensure they are not allowed to come in and destroy the fellowship. Further, we need to remember what Christ saved us from, and not allow ourselves to fall back into such sins as well.

Heavenly Father, we are warned in Your word to watch out for those who walk contrary to You, and who have no heart for the work You accomplished in our salvation. But we surely must also remember that our salvation means that we once walked contrary to You. Help us to not fall back into our sins of the past, but to conduct our lives in holiness, and in a manner which honors you. Amen.

Thursday, 12 April 2018

But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 Timothy 3:1

In the previous chapter, Paul warned Timothy of those who would “strive about words.” He said, “their message will spread like cancer.” With warnings such as this, he exhorted Timothy to be strong in the faith, avoiding things that can lead to ruin, and striving for that which is honorable. Understanding this, he now begins a section which will point to the great challenges expected as the church would develop and grow.

“But know this,” are words of surety. What he says is certain, and Timothy was to be set and prepared for it. He was to apply what he had just been instructed to his life so that he would be ready to face what lay ahead. From this, Paul then says, “that in the last days.”

This term is often used by people to claim that the church is now in the last days, as if the time that they live is seeing the fulfillment of the words. In this claim, they are implying that before their time, these things didn’t exist and that now – in their generation – they have come to pass, demonstrating that the last days are upon them. With this springboard, they have claimed that the return of Christ must be moments away.

Commentaries going back for eons have made this claim or cited others who have. However, what Paul describes here are things common to any era, and some of which are actually recorded in the epistles themselves. They are the normal state of things in any given church at any given time. As churches age, the things Paul describes arise. New churches are established to correct the errors, and things eventually devolve again. Rather than a set time which proves the Lord’s return is right around the corner, Paul’s words here speak of the entire church age. This is validated, for example, by the words of John – a contemporary of Paul –

“Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour.” 1 John 2:18

An honest reading of 2 Timothy 3:2-9 will reveal that the things Paul will speak of are to be noted throughout the church age. It may be true that wickedness will increase towards the end of the church age, and it appears that such is coming upon the world now, but the world has been on the precipice before and stepped back. Churches have likewise. Therefore, it is best to not get caught up in sensationalist teachings concerning Paul’s coming words. With this understanding, he next says, “perilous times will come.”

This is what he will begin warning Timothy about. The word “perilous” is an adjective found only here and in Matthew 8:28 when speaking of the violent demon-possessed men of the Gergesenes. They were exceedingly fierce. Thus Paul is warning that such men will arise to cause their own trouble against the church. There will be injurious times, and so he is giving advanced warning for Timothy, and thus all, to be prepared.

Life application: Paul’s warning of this verse is to Timothy. Further, it can be inferred from his other writings that he honestly thought that the return of the Lord was not far off. He was apparently not privy to the fact that the church would last over 2000 years. With this understanding, it becomes evident that his words were a warning for Timothy to be prepared in his own life for the things which he said were coming. As noted already, it is unwise to use these verses to make sensational claims about the certainty of the return of the Lord in one’s own day.

Lord God; Precious heavenly Father, and Source of all strength and grace – grant us Your peace and joy as we face our daily struggles. The stresses we face, the trials that arise, and the conflicts which surround us… these can be debilitating and overwhelming. But from You there is an infinite supply of help, if we are willing to reach out for it. You, who sent Your own Son to redeem us, certainly care for us in our redemption. And so still our hearts and invigorate our souls with Your presence. Grant us this peace, O God. Amen.

Wednesday, 11 April 2018

… and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will. 2 Timothy 2:26

The words of the verse are rather complicated, but with a bit of thought, the true meaning should come through clearly.

First, Paul has been speaking of “those who are in opposition,” meaning those whose doctrine is unsound. He was instructing Timothy to not quarrel with such in hopes that God might grant them repentance, and thus come to the truth. Understanding that, he now says of them, “and that they may come to their senses.” The Greek word is found only here in Scripture. It gives the sense of recovering from a drunken stupor. The root of the word was used twice in 1 Thessalonians 5, imploring those in the church to be sober. Paul’s admonition here is that those who have incorrect doctrine are just like those who are inebriated, they have no idea of the danger which surrounds them.

In coming to their senses, they will then be able to “escape the snare of the devil.” In having bad doctrine, a person is caught as in a snare. A snare is something unseen, and it suddenly springs up and catches the unsuspecting one. From there, he is held prisoner, or as Paul says it, “having been taken captive by him.” This is speaking of the devil. It must be remembered that the word of God has been misused by him from the beginning. By subtly changing or manipulating the word, he caused the fall of man. He attempted to do this with Jesus, but Jesus stood on the word without compromise. Anyone caught up false doctrine has been snared by the devil, and he is now in bondage to him.

This leads to the final words of the verse, εἰς τὸ ἐκείνου θέλημα, which in the literal Greek reads, “for to his will.” The major question and debate among scholars is, “Who is ‘his will’ referring to?” There are two possibilities, either the devil or God. If it is speaking of the devil, it is saying that in possessing bad doctrine, they are doing the devil’s will, and are thus subject to him. If it is speaking of God, then it is saying that once they have come to their senses, having escaped the devil’s will, they will now serve God’s will.

Without being overly dogmatic, a few points should be considered. First, verse 25 spoke of God granting “them repentance, so that they may know the truth.” The focus is on God and the truth. Secondly, two different pronouns are used in the Greek, both translated as “his.” The first is αὐτοῦ, and the second is ἐκείνου. It appears that Paul is using these different words to show a difference in subject. And thirdly, Paul is speaking of believers with faulty doctrine, not unbelievers. This goes back to verses 14-19. Therefore, it appears that Paul is speaking of God’s will. In order to accomplish this, these believers with faulty doctrine must come to their senses and escape the devil’s snare. This idea is expressed in 1 Corinthians 10 –

“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, ⁵ casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, ⁶ and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.” 2 Corinthians 10:4-6

Charles Ellicott gives his rendering of this verse –

“And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil—being held captive by him—to do His (God’s) will.”

Life application: There are verses which are difficult to discern what is actually being said, or who is actually being referred to. Rather than being dogmatic, giving both possibilities will help the reader come to a fuller knowledge of what is being said. Further, by looking at the surrounding context, the meaning usually becomes clearer. And finally, by referring to other comparable passages, the actual intent may become realized. The study of the word of God is to be taken slowly, methodically, and with great care. In the end, our doctrine must be in accord with the Lord’s intent.

O great and glorious God! How good it is to be in Your presence, and to share in Your goodness. You have fed us with the bread of Your word, You sustain us with Your open hand of grace, and You lead us in paths of righteousness – all for Your name’s sake. Help us to follow on that path, never diverting from it. Help us to receive Your grace with thanksgiving and praise, and help us to feast upon Your word daily – nourishing ourselves on that which truly sustains. All to Your glory we pray this. Amen.