2 Timothy 3:1

Timothy must not think it strange if there were in the church bad men; for the net of the gospel was to enclose both good fish and bad, Mat 13:47, Mat 13:48. Jesus Christ had foretold (Mt. 24) that there would come seducers, and therefore we must not be offended at it, nor think the worse of religion or the church for it. Even in gold ore there will be dross, and a great deal of chaff among the wheat when it lies on the floor.

I. Timothy must know that in the last days (Ti2 3:1), in gospel times, there would come perilous times. Though gospel times were times of reformation in many respects, let him know that even in gospel times there would be perilous times; not so much on account of persecution from without as on account of corruptions within. These would be difficult times, wherein it would be difficult for a man to keep a good conscience. He does not say, "Perilous times shall come, for both Jews and Gentiles shall be combined to root out Christianity;" but "perilous times shall come, for such as have the form of godliness (Ti2 3:5) shall be corrupt and wicked, and do a great deal of damage to the church." Two traitors within the garrison may do more hurt to it than two thousand besiegers without. Perilous times shall come, for men shall be wicked. Note, 1. Sin makes the times perilous. When there is a general corruption of manners, and of the tempers of men, this makes the times dangerous to live in; for it is hard to keep our integrity in the midst of general corruption. 2. The coming of perilous times is an evidence of the truth of scripture-predictions; if the event in this respect did not answer to the prophecy, we might be tempted to question the divinity of the Bible. 3. We are all concerned to know this, to believe and consider it, that we may not be surprised when we see the times perilous: This know also.

II. Paul tells Timothy what would be the occasion of making these times perilous, or what shall be the marks and signs whereby these times may be known, Ti2 3:2, etc. 1. Self-love will make the times perilous. Who is there who does not love himself? But this is meant of an irregular sinful self-love. Men love their carnal selves better than their spiritual selves. Men love to gratify their own lusts, and make provision for them, more than to please God and do their duty. Instead of Christian charity, which takes care for the good of others, they will mind themselves only, and prefer their own gratification before the church's edification. 2. Covetousness. Observe, Self-love brings in a long train of sins and mischiefs. When men are lovers of themselves, no good can be expected from them, as all good may be expected from those who love God with all their hearts. When covetousness generally prevails, when every man is for what he can get and for keeping what he has, this makes men dangerous to one another, and obliges every man to stand on his guard against his neighbour. 3. Pride and vain-glory. The times are perilous when men, being proud of themselves, are boasters and blasphemers, boasters before men whom they despise and look upon with scorn, and blasphemers of God and of his name. When men do not fear God they will not regard man, and so vice vers. 4. 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 rebel against them? 5. Unthankfulness and unholiness make the times perilous, and these two commonly go together. What is the reason that men are unholy and without the fear of God, but that they are unthankful for the mercies of God? Ingratitude and impiety go together; for call a man ungrateful, and you can call him by no worse name. Unthankful, and impure, defiled with fleshly lusts, which is an instance of great ingratitude to that God who has provided so well for the support of the body; we abuse his gifts, if we make them the food and fuel of our lusts. 6. The times are perilous when men will not be held by the bonds either of nature or common honesty, when they are without natural affection, and truce-breakers, Ti2 3:3. There is a natural affection due to all. Wherever there is the human nature, there should be humanity towards those of the same nature, but especially between relations. Times are perilous when children are disobedient to their parents (Ti2 3:2) and when parents are without natural affection to their children, Ti2 3:3. See what a corruption of nature sin is, how it deprives men even of that which nature has implanted in them for the support of their own kind; for the natural affection of parents to their children is that which contributes very much to the keeping up of mankind upon the earth. And those who will not be bound by natural affection, no marvel that they will not be bound by the most solemn leagues and covenants. They are truce-breakers, that make no conscience of the engagements they have laid themselves under. 7. The times are perilous when men are false accusers one of another, diaboloi - devils one to another, having no regard to the good name of others, or to the religious obligations of an oath, but thinking themselves at liberty to say and do what they please, Psa 12:4. 8. When men have no government of themselves and their own appetites: not of their own appetites, for they are incontinent; not of their own passions, for they are fierce; when they have no rule over their own spirits, and therefore are like a city that is broken down, and has no walls; they are soon fired, upon the least provocation. 9. When that which is good and ought to be honoured is generally despised and looked upon with contempt. It is the pride of persecutors that they look with contempt upon good people, though they are more excellent than their neighbours. 10. When men are generally treacherous, wilful, and haughty, the times are perilous (Ti2 3:4) - when men are traitors, heady, high-minded. Our Saviour has foretold that the brother shall betray the brother to death and the father the child (Mat 10:21), and those are the worst sort of traitors: those who delivered up their Bibles to persecutors were called traditores, for they betrayed the trust committed to them. When men are petulant and puffed up, behaving scornfully to all about them, and when this temper generally prevails, then the times are perilous. 11. When men are generally lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. When there are more epicures than true Christians, then the times are bad indeed. God is to be loved above all. That is a carnal mind, and is full of enmity against him, which prefers any thing before him, especially such a sordid thing as carnal pleasure is. 12. When, notwithstanding all this, they have the form of godliness (Ti2 3:5), are called by the Christian name, baptized into the Christian faith, and make a show of religion; but, how plausible soever their form of godliness is, they deny the power of it. When they take upon them the form which should and would bring along with it the power thereof, they will put asunder what God hath joined together: they will assume the form of godliness, to take away their reproach; but they will not submit to the power of it, to take away their sin. Observe here, (1.) Men may be very bad and wicked under a profession of religion; they may be lovers of themselves, etc., yet have a form of godliness. (2.) A form of godliness is a very different thing from the power of it; men may have the one and be wholly destitute of the other; yea, they deny it, at least practically in their lives. (3.) From such good Christians must withdraw themselves.

III. Here Paul warns Timothy to take heed of certain seducers, not only that he might not be drawn away by them himself, but that he might arm those who were under his charge against their seduction. 1. He shows how industrious they were to make proselytes (Ti2 3:6): they applied themselves to particular persons, visited them in their houses, not daring to appear openly; for those that do evil hate the light, Joh 3:20. They were not forced into houses, as good Christians often were by persecution; but they of choice crept into houses, to insinuate themselves into the affections and good opinion of people, and so to draw them over to their party. And see what sort of people those were that they gained, and made proselytes of; they were such as were weak, silly women; and such as were wicked, laden with sins, and led away with divers lusts. A foolish head and a filthy heart make persons, especially women, an easy prey to seducers. 2. He shows how far they were from coming to the knowledge of the truth, though they pretended to be ever learning, Ti2 3:7. In one sense we must all be ever learning, that is, growing in knowledge, following on to know the Lord, pressing forward; but these were sceptics, giddy and unstable, who were forward to imbibe every new notion, under pretence of advancement in knowledge, but never came to a right understanding of the truth as it is in Jesus. 3. He foretels the certain stop that should be put to their progress (Ti2 3:8, Ti2 3:9), comparing them to the Egyptian magicians who withstood Moses, and who are here named, Jannes and Jambres; though the names are not to be met with in the story of the Old Testament, yet they are found in some old Jewish writers. When Moses came with a divine command to fetch Israel out of Egypt, these magicians opposed him. Thus those heretics resisted the truth and like them were men of corrupt minds, men who had their understandings perverted, biassed and prejudiced against the truth, and reprobate concerning the faith, or very far from being true Christians; but they shall proceed no further, or not much further, as some read it. Observe, (1.) Seducers seek for corners, and love obscurity; for they are afraid to appear in public, and therefore creep into houses. Further, They attack those who are the least able to defend themselves, silly and wicked women. (2.) Seducers in all ages are much alike. Their characters are the same - namely, Men of corrupt minds, etc.; their conduct is much the same - they resist the truth, as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses; and they will be alike in their disappointment. (3.) Those who resist the truth are guilty of folly, yea, of egregious folly; for magna est veritas, et praevalebit - Great is the truth, and shall prevail. (4.) Though the spirit of error may be let loose for a time, God has it in a chain. Satan can deceive the nations and the churches no further and no longer than God will permit him: Their folly shall be manifest, it shall appear that they are imposters, and every man shall abandon them.

Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

III.

(1) This know also.—Better rendered, But know this. The Apostle had warned Timothy (2Ti_2:3-13) not to allow fear of oncoming peril and trouble to paralyse his efforts in the Master’s cause, for the Lord’s true servant should never lose heart, and then had proceeded (2Ti_2:14-26) to detail how these efforts of his were to be directed, showing him how his teaching should stand in contrast with that of the false teachers. St. Paul now (2Ti_3:1), having told him that although there was no reason to fear, yet warns him that grave dangers to the Church would surely arise, and that God’s servants, like Timothy, must be prepared to combat.

In the last days.—The majority of commentators have referred “the last days” here spoken of to the period immediately preceding the second coming of the Lord—a day and an hour somewhere in the future but hidden, not merely from all men, but from the angels, and even from the Son (Mar_13:32).

It seems, however, more in accordance with such passages as 1Jn_2:18 : “Little children, it is the last time”—where the present, and not an uncertain future is alluded to—to understand “the last days “as that period, probably of very long duration, extending from the days of the first coming of Messiah—in which time St. Paul lived—to the second coming of Christ in judgment. The Jewish Rabbis of the days of St. Paul were in the habit of speaking of two great periods of the world’s history—“this age,” and “the age to come.” The former of these, “this age,” including all periods up to Messiah’s advent; the latter, “the age to come,” including all periods subsequent to the appearance of Messiah. We find the same idea embodied later in the Talmud (treatise “Sanhedrim”) 6,000 years are mentioned as the duration of the world, 2,000 years, waste or chaos, 2,000 years under the law, 2,000 years the days of Messiah.” This last period, “the days of Messiah,” are often alluded to by the Hebrew prophets under the expression, “in the last days”—literally, in the end of days. (See Isa_2:2; Hos_3:5; Mic_4:1.) The words of 2Ti_3:5, “from such turn away,” would require certainly a strained interpretation if we are to suppose that the “last days” referred to a time immediately preceding the end, or, in other words, the last period of the Christian era. The sad catalogue of vices is, alas, one with which all ages of the Church of Christ has been too well acquainted. The Christian teacher has no need to look forward to a future time of deeper iniquity, when in the Church of the living God will be found those who will deserve the dreary titles of this passage. The Church of his own age will supply him with examples of many such, for “In a great house . . . are there not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood, and earth, and some to honour and some to dishonour.”

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

1. This know also] Lit., ‘take notice of this,’ the present tense. Our Lord in Luk_12:39 has the same formula.

in the last days] ‘Not only the very last days, towards the end of the world, but in general (according to the Hebrew phrase) the days to come, or the future time, whether nearer or afar off. He supposeth this would begin to happen in the age of Timothy, 2Ti_3:5 from such do thou (thou, Timothy) turn away and avoid them,’ Bp Bull, Serm. xv. init. So Calvin, ‘universum Ecclesiae Christianae statum.’

perilous times shall come] Lit. ‘difficult,’ grievous; the meaning is well seen from the only other place where it occurs in N.T. Mat_8:28, ‘two possessed with devils exceeding fierce,’ i.e. difficult to deal with, ‘so that no man could pass by that way.’ ‘Shall come,’ lit., will set in. Vulg. ‘instabunt,’ ‘will be upon us,’ ‘will be present.’ In Gal_1:4 the perfect participle is used, ‘this present evil world.’

1–5. Appeal to Timothy for pure life in view of the worse days and lives to come

The same three thoughts are still in St Paul’s mind, viz. (1) his own life’s work and suffering now closed, (2) Timothy’s life and teaching as the pattern still for other ministers, (3) the false teachers to be shunned and stopped. They are blended in an old man’s artless way as each is uppermost, (3) 2Ti_3:1-5; (2) 5; (3) 6–9; (2) 10; (1) 10–12; (3) 13; (2) 14–17. But the main central thought—anxiety for Timothy—comes in, after the others, three times.

The connexion with chap. 2. seems to be: ‘do your best to win back those who are only in the first stage of opposition (see 2Ti_2:25, ‘those that are setting themselves contentiously’); there will be men ere long too far gone for this in evil living and false teaching; from these there is no help for it but to turn away.’

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

2Ti_3:1

Perilous times shall come.

Perilous times

I. The manner of the warning.

This know also.

1. It is the duty of ministers to foresee and take notice of the dangers which the churches are falling into.

2. It is the great concern of all professors and believers to have their hearts very much fixed upon present and approaching dangers.

3. Not to be sensible of a present perilous season is that security which the scripture so condemns; and I will leave it with you under these three things--

(1) It is that frame of heart which of all others God doth most detest and abhor. Nothing is more hateful to God than a secure frame in perilous days.

(2) A secure person, in perilous seasons, is assuredly under the power of some predominant lust, whether it appears, or not.

(3) This senseless frame is the certain presage of approaching ruin.

II. The evil itself. Perilous times--times of great difficulty, like those of public plagues, when death lies at every door.

III. The manner of introduction--Shall come. Our great wisdom then will be to eye the displeasure of God in perilous seasons, since there is a judicial hand of God in them: and we see in ourselves reason enough why they should come.

IV. The time and season of it--In the last days. You may take it in what sense you will: the last days, the days of the gospel; the last days towards the consummation of all things; the last days following the days of the profession of churches; and the last days with many of us, with respect to our lives.

1. The first thing that makes a season perilous is, when the profession of true religion is outwardly maintained under a visible predominancy of horrible lusts and wickedness (see 2Ti_3:2-5).

(1) Because of the infection.

(2) Because of the effects. When predominant lusts have broken all bounds of Divine light and rule, how long do you think human rules will keep them in order?

(3) Because of the consequences--the judgments of God (2Th_2:10-11).

2. A second perilous season is, when men are prone to forsake the truth, and seducers abound to gather them up that are so; and you will have always these things go together. If it be asked, how we may know whether there be a proneness in the minds of men in any season to depart from the truth? there are three ways whereby we may judge of it.

(1) The first is that mentioned in 2Ti_4:3. When men grow weary of sound doctrine, when it is too plain, too dull, too common, too high, too mysterious, one thing or other that displeases them, and they would hear something new, something that may please.

(2) When men have lost the power of truth in their conversation, and are as prone and ready to part with the profession of it in their minds. Do you see a man retaining the profession of the truth under a worldly conversation? He wants but baits from temptation, or a seducer to take away his faith from him.

(3) The proneness to depart from the truth, is a perilous season, because it is the greatest evidence of the withdrawing of the Spirit of God from His Church.

3. A third thing that makes a perilous season is, professors mixing themselves with the world, and learning their manners. Such a season is dangerous, because the sins of professors in it lie directly contrary to the whole design of the mediation of Christ in this world. Christ gave Himself for us, that He might purge us from dead works, and purify us unto Himself a peculiar people (Tit_2:14). Ye are a royal nation, a peculiar people.

4. Another perilous season is when there is great attendance on outward duties, but inward, spiritual decays.

5. Times of persecution are also times of peril.

Use

1. Let us all be exhorted to endeavour to get our hearts affected with the perils of the day wherein we live.

(1) Consider the present things, and bring them to rule, and see what Gods Word says of them.

(2) If you would be sensible of present perilous times, take heed of centring in self. Whether you pursue riches, or honours, while you centre there, nothing can make you Sensible of the perils of the day.

(3) Pray that God would give us grace to be sensible of the perils of the day wherein we live. Use

2. The next thing is this, that there are two things in a perilous season--the sin of it, and the misery of it. Labour to be sensible of the former, or you will never be sensible of the latter. Use

3. Remember there is a special frame of spirit required in us all in such perilous seasons as these are. And what is that? It is a mourning frame of spirit. Use

4. Keep up church watch with diligence, and by the rule. When I say rule, I mean the life of it. Use

5. Reckon upon it, that in such times as these are, all of us will not go free. (John Owen, D. D.)

Perilous times in the last days

1. The notification of an event as future--Perilous times shall come.

(1) Times wherein it will be hard for people to keep their feet, to know how to carry themselves, to keep out of danger, and keep a good conscience.

(2) Shall come. They will be on men, in the course of providence, to try what metal they are of; as darkness comes on after light, and adversity after prosperity; in their turn.

2. The time of that event--In the last days. The days of the gospel are the concluding period of time. In these last days are several particular periods; the first of which was the last time of the Jewish state, beginning from the time of our Saviour, to the destruction of Jerusalem; and more periods followed, and some are yet to come; but from the time of our Saviour to the end of the world, is the last days.

3. The notice to be taken of that event--This know also; rather, Now know this; consider it duly, and lay it to heart, that being fore warned, ye may be armed against the perilous times.

I. We shall consider the days of the gospel as the last days. And so we may take them up in a threefold view.

1. As the last days of the world, the latter end of time. With rela tion to them that oath is made (Rev_10:6). The morning and forenoon of the world are over; it is afternoon with it now, and drawing toward the evening.

2. As the days of the last dispensation of grace towards the world, with which Gods dealing with sinners for reconciliation shall be closed (Rev_10:7). There have been three dispensations of grace in the world: the Patriarchal dispensation in the first days; the Mosaical dispensation in the middle days; and now the Christian dispensation in the last days. The first two are now off the stage, and shall never come on again; the third now is; and after it there shall never be another.

3. As the best days of the world in respect of the greatest advantages attending them. The last works of God are always the greatest, as ye may see in the account of the Creation (Gen_1:1-31.); so the circumstances of the world to come are greater than those of this. The gospel-dispensation far excels the other two, in clearness, extensiveness, and efficacy, through a larger measure of the Spirit.

II. The difficult and perilous times that come on in gospel days. We must inquire what makes these perilous times.

1. An old controversy lying over untaken up. They that are in debt are always in danger. The Jews were from generation to generation murderers of their prophets; there was an old debt on the head of the generation in our Saviours time (Mat_23:31); and made their time perilous, for it was like a train lying, which at last came to blow them up (verse 35). So good Josiahs days were perilous times, by reason of an old controversy laid in the days of Manasseh his grandfather (2Ki_23:26). Our times are so, by reason of the iniquity of the late times, which is like that of Baal-peer, that brought a plague on the congregation of the Lord (Jos_22:17).

1. Error or corruption of principles spreading. This was foretold to happen in the latter days (1Ti_4:1).

2. Immoralities abounding. (T. Boston, D. D.)

Evil of the last days

These (evil characters) will swarm like flies in the decay of the year. (C. H. Spurgeon.)

Corruptions within

Not so much on the account of persecutions from without as on the account of corruptions within. (M. Henry.)

Traitors

Two traitors within the garrison may do more hurt to it than two thousand besiegers without. (M. Henry.)

Fidelity in evil times

The worse the times we live in are, the greater will our honour be, if we be faithful. It was Lots commendation that he was good in Sodom, and Job in an heathenish Uz. The more sin abounds, the more our grace should abound; and the more sin appears in the world, the more should we appear against it. The Lord hath done more for us of this last age of the world than He ever did for our forefathers, and therefore He expects more from us than He did from them; where He bestows much He looks for much again; where we bestow double cost, we look for a double crop. It is a shame for us if we do not do our work better by sunlight, than others that have had but twilight. (T. Hall, B. D.)

Sin makes the times bad

It is worth our noting that the apostle doth not place the peril and hardness of the last times, in any external calamity or penal evils, as sword, plague, famine, persecution; but in the prodigious sins and enormities of such as profess religion. Sin is the evil of evils, and brings all other evils with it. Let the times be never so miserable, and the Church lie under sad persecutions; yet if they be not sinful times, they are not truly perilous times, but rather purging and purifying times. (T. Hall, B. D.)

Sinners swarm even in gospel days

Vermin of this kind will then abound everywhere; weeds grow nowhere so rank as in fat soil. (T. Hall, B. D.)

Prudence in perilous times

This spiritual prudence can hurt neither pastor nor people, but will advantage us much. This pre-vision is the best means of prevention; in vain is the snare laid in the sight of a bird. Observe Gods singular love unto His people, in that He warns them of perilous times long before they come. The people of God, and specially His ministers, His Timothies, should be so prudent as to know and observe when perilous times are approaching, as the prudent man foresees the evil of punishment before it comes (Pro_22:3-5). (T. Hall, B. D.)

Time aiding proficiency in sin

As it is in every art, by length of time, custom, and experience, it is improved to a greater degree of fineness and exactness; so it is in this of sinning; time and experience make men more cunning in ways of sin, and more subtle to defend them. (T. Hall, B. D.)

Making the times better

We should all make the times and places we live in the better, and not the worse, for us. (T. Hall, B. D.)

The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

2Ti 3:1-2. The apostle, at the close of the preceding chapter, having intimated to Timothy that false teachers did and would arise in the church, he, in the beginning of this chapter, foretels that in future times, through the pernicious influence of corrupt doctrines propagated by these teachers, many professing Christians, and, among the rest, the false teachers themselves, would become so wicked, that it would become dangerous to the truly pious to live among them. As if he had said, It is the more necessary to urge thee, as I do, to use every precaution and every effort which may tend to preserve the purity and honour of the Christian Church, since, after all we can do for this purpose, sad scenes will open in it. This know also — Besides what I formerly told thee concerning the apostacy, (1Ti 4:1,) that in the last, or latter days — That is, under the gospel dispensation, called the latter days, as being intended to wind up the economy of providence, and to remain in full force even to the end of the world: perilous times shall come — In which it will be difficult for the faithful followers of Jesus to discharge their consciences, and yet, at the same time, to maintain their safety. For men — Even within the pale of the outward church, will be — In great numbers, and to a higher degree than ever, lovers of themselves — Only, (the first root of evil,) not of God and their neighbours. “The vices mentioned in this and the two following verses have always existed in the world. But their being spoken of here as characteristic of the latter days, implies that, besides being common in these days, they would be openly avowed and defended. Accordingly, it is well known, the clergy of the Romish Church have defended all the enormities mentioned by the apostle, encouraged the people by their false doctrine to commit them, and gone before them in the practice of them.” Covetous — Φιλαργυροι, lovers of money, (the second root of evil,) so as to be impelled to the basest practices, by the hopes of obtaining it. The Catholic clergy, it is well known, have carried their love of money to such a height, that they pretend to sell heaven for money, even to the wickedest of men, under the name of indulgences; boasters — Of what they have, or are, or can do; proud — Thinking highly of themselves on these accounts; blasphemers — Of God, and revilers of their fellow-creatures; disobedient to parents — Notwithstanding all the obligations they are under to them. “In the language of the Hebrews, parents signified superiors of every denomination. The disobedience of the Romish clergy to princes and magistrates, and even their dethroning princes, is well known. It may also signify their encouraging children to become monks and nuns, contrary to the will of their parents.” Unthankful — To other benefactors, and to God for the blessings of providence and grace; unholy — Though they profess themselves to be devoted to God, and consecrated to his service by the most solemn rites.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

III. PREDICTION OF THE APOSTASY AT THE CLOSE OF THE APOSTOLIC AGE, AND CONFIRMATION OF TIMOTHY AGAINST IT, 2Ti_3:1-17.

1. False and demoralized character of the coming heretics, 2Ti_3:1-9.

1. This know—Of this prediction we may note, 1. That 2Ti_3:5 shows that the apostasy described was to be in the Church; and, 2. That it should be in Timothy’s time. 3. 2Ti_3:9 shows that the apostasy would be exposed (not cut off) by the second advent of Christ. 4. The whole, with 2Ti_4:6, shows that it is to take place after St. Paul’s departure, (as in Act_20:29, uttered to this same Ephesus,) and so at the close of the apostolic age.

Last days—Note, 1Ti_4:1.

Perilous—Difficult times for a Timothy to deal with.

Shall come—Shall gradually set in.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY NOTES

2Ti_3:1. In the last days.—In the time just before the Lord’s appearing, in which wickedness will come to a head—a head that will be crushed. Perilous times shall come.—“Grievous seasons will ensue.”

2Ti_3:2. Lovers of their own selves.—“No man ever yet hated his own flesh,” says St. Paul. The men here spoken of are they who make undue provision for softness and ease, the self-indulgent. Covetous.—Obliterates the similarity of sound. As we might say, “lovers of selves” and “lovers of silver” as, it ministers to self. Boasters.—“The word originally designated the vagabond mountebanks, conjurors, etc., and from them was transferred to any braggart or boaster vaunting himself in possession of that which was not his” (Trench). Proud.—R.V. “haughty.” Such as out of a swollen estimate of their own importance look down on others. Quoting Pro_3:34, St. James and St. Peter remind us that “God resisteth”—sets Himself in battle-array against—“the proud.” Unthankful.—The graceless. The only other use in the New Testament describes those who take good from the hand of the all bountiful Father without grace (Luk_6:35).

2Ti_3:3. Without natural affection.—Especially that between parents and children. Trucebreakers.—R.V. “implacable.” “The absolutely irreconcilable” (Trench). False accusers.—R.V. “slanderers.” Gr. διάβολοι (whence “devils”). Despisers of those that are good.—Gr. “no friends of the good.”

2Ti_3:4. Traitors.—The word is used of Judas (Luk_6:16) and the Jewish authorities (Act_6:15). It means men among whom there is no fidelity. Heady.—R.V. “headstrong”—lit. “falling forward”—the reckless, impetuous. Lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God.—R.V. “rather than lovers of God.” If the love of pleasure, coarse or refined, is paramount, it will be at the cost of the love of God.

2Ti_3:5. Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.—It is a new heathendom under a Christian name which St. Paul here describes.

MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.—2Ti_3:1-5

The End of the Christian Dispensation.

I. It will be a period of great moral danger.—“In the last days perilous times shall come” (2Ti_3:1)—difficult and grievous times, when it will be difficult to know what is to be done, what to believe, who to believe, how to act. There will be indifference to revealed truth, nay, to all truth; making light of error, and not reproving it; holding that all religions are so far right and acceptable, and that there are a thousand ways to heaven, if there be a heaven or a hell at all. Laxity of opinion and laxity of morals will prevail. Immorality will overflow in every form, and not be condemned. A loose faith, a loose practice, an easy law, an easy gospel, all the worst forms of a benumbing latitudinarianism will prevail.

II. It will be a period in which all kinds of vice will abound (2Ti_3:2-4).—The catalogue of sins enumerated in these verses indicate a relapse of the professing Christian Church into the worst vices of the rankest heathenism. Even the young will be infected with the degeneracy of the times. The leading characteristic of the sinners of that age is described in the phrase, “Lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God.”

III. It will be a period in which true godliness will be falsified.—“Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof” (2Ti_3:5). Vice is only aggravated when it is practised under the garb of religion; its assumed guise renders it not less but more detestable: it is a daring attempt to drag God down to the level of our sins. Samuel Rutherford has said that there is a spice of hypocrisy in us all. This may be so; but it is another thing when we consciously and deliberately act the hypocrite. The hypocrite maps out the road to heaven, knows it well, has sounded with plummet the depths of the promises, and can talk about them. But he has accepted a two-parts Christ. There is a little pet sin snugly tucked up in a warm corner of his heart that he is unwilling to part with. Christ is his priest, his prophet, but he will not have Him as his king; he will not have this Man to reign over and in him.

IV. It will be a period in which there will be little hope of reclaiming the apostates.—“From such turn away” (2Ti_3:5). Their case is hopeless; all efforts to benefit them are unavailing; they must be left to the just recompense of their evil ways. It is the acme of obstinate wickedness when all hope of recovery has to be abandoned. If the gospel is persistently rejected, there is no possibility of salvation. It is a sad reflection that there may be those now in our midst who are as desperately vile as any in the last days can be.

Lessons.—

1. The last days will be conspicuous for abounding iniquity.

2. The last days will be a severe trial of faith.

3. The last days will witness the signal punishment of the unbelieving.

GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES

2Ti_3:1-2. Self-love.

I. Self-love pursuing what is upon the whole absolutely best for us is innocent and good.

II. There can be no culpable self-love but in respect of temporal things.—Even in this respect there may be degree of self-love, not only innocent but praiseworthy.

III. A vicious self-love.—

1. Manifested in pride.

2. Sensuality.

3. Avarice or self-interestedness.

Lessons.—

1. Self-lovers are not greater enemies to others in intention than they are in effect to themselves.

2. There can be no such thing as true happiness separate from the love of God and our neighbours.—Waterland.

2Ti_3:5. A Form of Godliness without the Power.

I. A form of godliness.—

1. An outward profession of religion.

2. An affectation of godly discourse.

3. Affecting certain modes and fashionable gestures of godliness.

4. A reliance on outward duties of religion.

II. A man may have a form of godliness when yet he is very far from the power—the truth and reality of it.—Formalists are described in 2Ti_3:2-4.—Bishop Bull.

The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.

VI

Prophecy of grievous times, and warning against dangerous, false teachers

2Ti_3:1-9

1, 2This know1 also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men2 shall [will] be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemous, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy. 3Without natural affection,3 truce-breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are 4good, Traitors, heady, high-minded [puffed up?] lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; [,] 5Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. 6For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and 7lead captive4 silly women5 laden with sins, led away with divers lusts; Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 8Now as Jannes and Jambres6 withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. 9But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was.

EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL

2Ti_3:1. This know also (comp. 1Ti_4:1). The Apostle passes on now to a new part of his Epistle, which proceeds regularly on to 2Ti_4:5. Just as, in the first chapter, he directed a glance over Timothy’s past life, and, in the second chapter, communicated to him weighty hints and doctrines for the present, so now he turns towards the future, while at the same time he once yet again enjoins upon him, for his consideration, the admonitions already given, through reference to the speedy approach of troublous times. As in 1Ti_4:1, he had foretold in what style the falling away from the faith would reveal itself, so now he announces the outward immorality which would be coupled with this falling away, notwithstanding the preservation of the Christian name and of Christian forms. What the Apostle here communicates is not a mere subjective supposition, but wholly, as in 1Ti_4:1, the fruit of a revelation of the Spirit.—In the last days, ἐν ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις. Not a statement, in a general way, of the Christian era, as, e.g., Act_2:17; Heb_1:1, but in particular of the last days of this era, which precede immediately the last, personal Parousia of the Lord (1Pe_1:5; 2Pe_3:3). The Apostle also directs the attention of Timothy expressly to a world-period still future, the germs of which, nevertheless, were then visible (see 2Ti_3:6; 2Ti_3:9), though it must not be forgotten that he expected the return of the Lord as nigh at hand.—Perilous times shall come, ἐνστήσονται; not = imminebunt, but = aderunt, days of which the word (Eph_5:16), “Ubi vix reperias, quid agas,” shall be applicable in full force.

2Ti_3:2. For men shall be, &c. Such men as the Apostle here describes, there have been at all times, and the Apostle does not say that they will be then such for the first time, nor that all men without exception shall be such, but he describes (exceptis excipiendis) the moral-spiritual physiognomy of the times which he beholds approaching, in which the beneficent influence of the gospel upon the heart, the household, and the daily life will be less seen than in the apostolic age.—Lovers of their own selves, φίλαυτοι (ἅπαξ λεγόμ.). Original cause of all wickedness, so that they make their own I the centre of their thinking, feeling, willing, and doing.—Covetous, φιλάργυροι; wholly like the Pharisees (Luk_16:14; comp. 1Ti_3:3).—Boasters, ἀλάζονες; noisy self-assertors, like criers in the markets, who rove about everywhere. Ambrose, insolentes.—Proud, ὑπερήφανοι; who not only plume themselves at all times upon their own advantages, but also look down contemptuously upon others.—Blasphemers, βλάσφημοι (1Ti_1:13); used specially in reference to God, employed here more generally.—Disobedient to parents (comp. Rom_1:30), where, in like manner, several of the corruptions here named are stated. The rejection of lawful authority is also, in Judges 8, a distinguishing trait of the antichristian way of doing, and is here, moreover, adduced as the source of the sins now to be mentioned.—Unthankful, ἀχάριστοι; men who will know nothing of thanks for heavenly or for earthly benefits (comp. 1Ti_1:9; Luk_6:35).—Unholy, ἀνόσιοι; profane, irreligious, to whom nothing holy is holy.

2Ti_3:3. Without natural affection, ἄστοργοι; not only sine affectione (Vulg.), but sine affectione naturali (comp. Rom_1:31).—Truce-breakers, ἄσπονδοι; “as well those who will make no compact, as those also who do not hold to a compact they have made—breakers of agreements;” Huther.—False accusers, διάβολοι (1Ti_3:11; Tit_2:3).—Incontinent, ἀκρατεῖς; who cannot control themselves (comp. 1Co_7:5).—Fierce, ἀνήμεροι; untamed, wild.—Despisers of those that are good, ἀφιλάγαθοι; for the opposite, see Tit_1:8. Εχθροὶ παντὸς ἀγαθοῦ; Theophylact.

2Ti_3:4. Traitors, προδόται; not openly (which would conflict with 2Ti_3:5), but men with whom neither truthfulness nor faith is found.—Heady, προπετεῖς; rash, fickle (Act_19:36), men under the influence of their prejudices, who do not act according to high principles, but by the pressure of circumstances.—High-minded, τετυφωμένοι (comp. 1Ti_3:6; 1Ti_6:4), beclouded wholly through vain self-delusion.—Lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God, φιλήδονοι μᾶλλον ἤ φιλόθεοι; who pursue pleasure more than they ask after God (comp. 1Jn_2:15; Rom_16:18; Php_3:18).

2Ti_3:5. Having a form of godliness, ἔχοντες μόρφωσιν εὐσεβείας. Μόρφωσις stands here as antithesis to substance (Wiesinger); and also, observing, in thorough pharisaic style, the forms of the service of God with the neglect of the essence of the thing.—But denying the power thereof (viz., τ.εὐσεβείας), τὴν δὲ δύναμιν αὐτῆς ἠρνημένοι; so that they not only miss the power of godliness, but wilfully reject it (comp. the delineation of false prophets, Mat_7:15-20). With these last traits, in a measure the summary of all the preceding, into which they resolve themselves as into a higher unity, the Apostle ends this large register of sins.—From, such turn away, καὶ τούτους ἀποτρέπου. He says, therefore, without any qualification, Ἀποτρέπεσθαι; occurring here only = ἐκτρέπεσθαι, aversari (1Ti_6:20). When we compare this unqualified admonition with the requisition to gentleness which is given in 2Ti_2:24-26, in respect of the erring, it becomes clear that the Apostle had in his mind there entirely different men from those here. But if one ask how he could warn against such men with so great assurance, it becomes obvious, from 2Ti_3:6, that he already recognized their προδρόμοι and spiritual kith in the immediate neighborhood of Timothy.

2Ti_3:6. For of this sort, &c. Such will these persons be, for that can be seen from their forerunners already at hand.—Which creep into houses, ἐνδύνοντες εἰς τὰς οἰκίας. It is known within what narrow limits, in the East, mutual intercourse between the sexes was confined. The evil-minded persons here designated would venture, so much the less, to carry on their designs publicly, since they not only had an evil conscience, but would, besides, endeavor to preserve the appearance of godliness most carefully (2Ti_3:5).—And lead captive silly women, γυναικάρια; designation of a measurably contemptible class of females; the slighting expression denotes their weakness, and the ease with which they are led astray Αἰχμαλωτίζειν, strictly to make captive in war; here, to bind to one with body and soul. Calvin: “Dicit, eas captivas duci, propterea quod variis artificiis ejusmodi pseudo prophetæ eas sibi obnoxias reddunt, partim curiose omnia rimando, partim blandiendo.”—Laden with sins, σεσευρωμένα ἁμαρτίαις (comp. Rom_12:20); cumulatæ peccatis, and are thereby so inconstant that they lend an ear readily to false teachers, who promise them rest through the enticing discourse of a wisdom concealed yet from others.—Led away with divers lusts. ἀνόμενα ἐπιθυμίαις ποικίλαις. Over against the awakened conscience stands ever the governing sinful passion, which seeks satisfaction in a system set forth and lauded by unprincipled teachers (2Ti_3:1-5). As the Lord already accused, in His day, the Pharisees, and those learned in the Scripture, of a like thinking and acting (Mat_13:14), especially in respect of widows, so also was it the business of the false teachers, in the days of Paul, to operate, before all, upon women. They were most easily led; at the same time, also, they were instruments for the gratification of the sensual desires of their corrupters; and when once they became bound, body and soul, to their cause, they could soon, in their turn, win new adherents. From different testimonies of the church-fathers, made with allusion more or less explicit to this word of the Apostle, it appears that the ancient heretics availed themselves especially of this instrumentality in the furtherance of their designs. In this respect, the passage of Jerome, in his letter to Ctesiphon, is classical: “Simon Magus hæres in condidit adjutus auxilio Helenæ meretricis; Nicolaus Antiochenus, conditor omnium immunditiarum, choros duxit fæmineos; Marcion quoque Romano præmisit mulierem ad majorem lasciviam, Apelles Philemonem comitem habuit; Montanus Priscam et Maximillam primum auro corrupit, deinde hæresi polluit; Arius, ut orbem deciperet, sororem principio ante decepit. Donatus Lucillæ opibus adjutus est, Elpidium cæcum Agape cæca duxit, Priscilliano juncta fuit Galla.”—“Simon Magus founded his heresy by the help of Helena, a prostitute; Nicolaus of Antioch, the founder of all impurities, led about troops of women; Marcion also sent in advance a woman to Rome for his greater pleasure; Apelles had Philumena for a companion; Montanus first corrupted Prisca and Maximilla with gold, and then polluted them with heresy; Arius, that he might deceive the world, deceived first the sister of his prince; Donatus was aided by the fortune of Lucilla; the blind Agape led the blind Elpidius; Galla was allied to Priscillian.”—[But Jerome himself sought and enjoyed especially the association of women. If it be true that heresiarchs have been aided by them, it is equally true that they have rendered, in all ages of the Church, valuable assistance in all good work.—E. H.]—Silly women (γυναικάρια = little women [perhaps, according to the modern phrase, small specimens of the sex.—E. H.]).

2Ti_3:7. Ever learning, and never able to come, &c. A fine irony, which renders the Apostle’s inward hatred of this sham-holy life all the more conspicuous. Because learning is not the actual design in the intercourse of these women with the false teachers named here, but only the means and excuse for the gratification of their sinful, bad desire, they never come to an end with it.—And never able to come to the knowledge of the truth, because moral receptivity, the disposition of the heart, which, according to Joh_7:17, is granted, fails them wholly. Calvin: “Discunt, ut sunt curiosæ, deinde animo inquieto, sed ita, ut nihil unquam certi nec veri assequantur. Hoc autem præposterum est studium, cui non respondet scientia. Quamquam videntur sibi tales egregie sapere, sed nihil est, quod sciunt, dum veritatem non tenent, quæ fundamentum est omnis scientiæ.”

2Ti_3:8. Now as Jannes and Jambres. Paul shows, by an example, still more particularly the relation in which known misguided minds had placed themselves towards Christian truth. Jannes and Jambres, according to the Jewish tradition, were the chiefs of the Egyptian magicians, who tried their arts over against the wonders of Moses, and thereby held Pharaoh back from faith in the word, and from obedience of the command of God. According to the legend, they were brothers (the names were written variously; e.g., Ἰωάννης instead of ̓Ιαννῆς, and Μαμβρῆς instead of ̓Ιαμβρῆς), sons of Balaam, first the teachers, afterwards the opponents of Moses, and who perished also in the Red Sea during the pursuit of the Israelites (see Wetstein on the place). As to the question how the Apostle could have come into possession of the statements here given, Origen answered that he had derived it from a liber secretus. Theodoret, on the other hand, that he had become acquainted with it from Jewish tradition, and from revelation of the Holy Ghost. It is worthy of remark, that not only Jewish, but also heathen writers (Pliny and Numenius), mention both names; whence we may properly conclude that this tradition must have been pretty generally diffused, and from these grounds may also assume that Paul, as he elsewhere quotes Greek authors and cites proverbial expressions, so also he derived something for once out of the not always muddy source of Jewish tradition; which, moreover, he does not use, while he appeals to it, to prove anything doubtful, but only to represent his meaning more distinctly through reference to traditionary names and actions, the correctness of which may, in other respects, remain uncertain, When he says, Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, ὅν τρόπον, it is not indispensably necessary thence to conclude that the false teachers, who were opposing themselves, made use of the same means as Jannes and Jambres; but it can just as well signify that they did the same with like furiousness. We cannot, however, pronounce the former view utterly incredible, when we think of Simon Magus, of Elymas the sorcerer, of the vagabond devils-conjurers amongst the Jews, and of the deceiving magical art practised from of old at Ephesus (comp. Act_19:19). Amid the wide extension of Chaldæan wisdom and art in those days, and taking into account the immoral character of the false teachers here branded, it is probable à priori that they would not have been ashamed of such instrumentalities, which were eminently fitted to work upon the senses and the fantasy, and also found a powerful support in the superstition of the multitude.—Men of corrupt minds, κατεφθαρμένοι τὸν νοῦν (comp. 1Ti_6:6). The Apostle has in his mind not the darkening of the understanding, but the moral baseness of their disposition.—Reprobate concerning the faith, ἀδόκιμοι περὶ τὴν πίστιν; who are not, in respect of the faith, in condition to stand the tests (Tit_1:16)—the natural result of the moral disorder which was delineated in the immediately preceding words. Over against this temporary supremacy of error and of sin, the Apostle has occasion to remind both himself and Timothy that this power will not last forever.

2Ti_3:9. But they shall proceed no farther. This positive assurance does not at all contradict the opposite warning (2Ti_2:16), and the prophecy that follows (2Ti_3:13). Here the Apostle speaks of the outward result; there, on the other hand, of the intrusive advance from bad to worse. Not without reason did Luther often apply these words to the priests of Rome. Bengel: “Non proficiunt amplius, quamquam ipsi et eorum similes proficiant in pejus.” The history of most heresies actually teaches that error constantly spreads, but that the eyes of many are thereby opened so much the quicker. Comp. Conybeare and Howson on this place. We must expect this here, no less than with the Egyptian magicians, just because absurdity and unrighteousness so often overstep all bounds.—For their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was (comp. Exo_8:18-19; Exo_9:11).

DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL

1. As Peter and John, so also the Apostle Paul, towards the close of his life, becomes prophet, and announces the remote destinies and the future of the Church. The apostolical Charisma completes itself in the prophetic. The general delineation of the crimes in the last days, which the Saviour Himself (Matthew 24.) has given, is not mechanically repeated, but is enriched with a number of new traits. It is here also revealed that the optimistic view of the World, which expects but a continuous triumph of humanism, an advance steadily to a higher freedom, culture, and dignity in the future, cannot stand before the tribunal of Scripture.

2. It is a remarkable revelation of the divine Nemesis, that they who, with the denial of the faith, begin not seldom with the beautiful phrase, that they are zealous for morality, and wish to maintain the morals of the gospel, while they reject dogma, just upon this road advance gradually to the most decided immorality. He who digs out the tree, cannot also enjoy the fruit. Emancipation from all authority theoretically, leads practically to the promulgation of the rights of the flesh.

3. It is a remark as demonstrable as it is humiliating, that as the truth, so also error and sin have found ever a powerful support in the weaker sex (comp. 1Ti_2:14). There lies in the womanly character the foundation, as for the highest development of the power of faith, so also for the highest revelation of the power of sin (comp. Rev_3:17.). Josephus also states that the Pharisees especially had found much support amongst the women (“Antiq.,” 17, 2). Compare the account, moreover, of the rich Fulvia of Rome, who was induced, by two Jewish impostors, to furnish a considerable sum of gold, under the supposition that it was for the temple at Jerusalem (18, 3).

4. The opposition of the Egyptian magicians against Moses was in no wise the fruit merely of human cunning and deception, but was the work of dæmonic powers out of the kingdom of darkness, which, as a new period for the kingdom of God began with Israel’s redemption, revealed its force in increased measure, and employed the magicians as its instruments.

5. “The battle of wickedness against the truth is from the beginning; the whole world-history is a struggle between the kingdoms of light and of darkness. Jannes and Jambres are a type of all seducers and deceivers, as Moses is a type of all faithful witnesses of the truth. How does hostility to the truth manifest itself? At first, the truth and its witnesses are rendered suspicious, and there is complaint of falsehood and error. Then, a counterpart of the truth is set up—a phantom, which is decked out with all deceiving attire. At last, the witnesses for the truth are attacked with persecution;” Heubner.

6. Just because error becomes more scandalous the longer it lasts, do its defenders find it impossible to carry it on permanently. Its triumph becomes its overthrow. Error is a palace of ice, which at last must melt and tumble down necessarily, when but one ray of the sunlight of truth penetrates it.

7. If the sins here designated be, in and of themselves, so abominable, they are still worse when they are revealed in a preacher of the gospel. The word of Baxter to his brethren is of force here: “When Satan has led you to destruction, then surely he employs you to lead others to destruction. Oh, what a victory does he think he has won, when he has made a preacher corrupt and faithless, when he has entangled him in the snares of covetousness, or of some offence. He will boast against the whole Church, and say: ‘These are your holy preachers! You see how it ends with their strictness, and whither they come with it!’ He will boast against Christ Himself, and say: ‘These are your heroes! I can make Thy best servants false to Thee—Thine own stewards deceive Thee,’ ” &c.

HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL

True love does not conceal danger, but warns against it.—In how far can the doctrine (Ecc_7:10), even in the sphere of Christianity, avail in respect of the ever-increasing sin and misery of the future?—The higher the sun rises, so much the more does it lift vapors from the earth.—Egoism the source of all evil.—The relation in which children are accustomed to place themselves towards their parents, is also a sign of the time, and a measure for judgment of their inner sentiment towards God.—The difference and the agreement of false prophets in the differing centuries of Christianity.—The show and the power of godliness: (1) How often does the one take on outwardly the form of the other; (2) how it is possible to distinguish each from the other.—Whence comes it that the errors of a false Gnosis have, at all times, found so much sympathy in many women’s hearts?—The blending of religiosity with refined sensuousness.—Resistance of the truth: (1) Its weapons; (2) its sworn comrades; (3) its stubbornness; (4) its final fate.—Also even in the sphere of error, nothing new under the sun (Ecc_1:9-10).—The truth triumphs often late, but nevertheless surely at last.—The power and the impotence of error.

Starke: Spener: Self-love is twofold: (1) A proper and divinely commanded (Mat_22:39); (2) an unrighteous and sinful.—False accusers are hateful in name and deed; they are diaboli, devils, and have the devil’s trick.—To be rash, and to rush on, to the injury of another, belongs to the corrupted being of the world.—Show, pomp, and ostentation of Christianity enough, but there is dearth of what is best.—What is shell, without kernel?—One cannot get rid utterly of bad people, otherwise one must leave the world; enough that one knows their wickedness, and abstains from their scandalous ways, and avoids as much as possible their society (1Co_5:10).—Hedinger: The more dangerous it is for women in the world, so much the more must they keep watch over themselves, and implore God for assistance amid temptations (Psa_143:10).—[Comp. Monod’s famous Sermons, “La femme,” Sermons, troisième Série, Paris, 1859.—E. H.]—Let no one think, when he has carried on his rascality for a long while, that he will go forever without hindrance and punishment.—Errors and false doctrines have indeed the show of truth, but the mask is easily torn off them (1Ti_4:1-6).—Cramer: If the magicians of Pharaoh could not hinder the purpose of Moses, God will carry on His work indeed, notwithstanding the devil still blocks its way so often.

Heubner: How does the Christian judge of his own time?—The Christian understands his own age best.—Never can one vice remain alone.—The corrupt heart makes itself averse to the good.—When the most powerful agencies for improvement are at work, then, by the rejection of them, must the result be a correspondingly scandalous deterioration.—On the part of many, employment with religion is a sort of pastime and amusement; dispositions so formed always rove, and never come home.—To a true faith belongs a true upright heart.—The fate of the old enemies of the truth gives consolation to the friends of truth.

Lisco: Of the false teachers of the last days: (1) Of their moral corruption; (2) of their frightful end.—Of the tares in the Lord’s Church.—(Fastday Sermon): Of the shadow-side of life, which we recognize in the light of the gospel.

Footnotes:

[1]2Ti_3:1—[γίνωσκε. γινώσκετε is the reading adopted by Lachmann, after A. G. Huther inclines to this. The usual reading is retained by Tischendorf, is in the Sin., and is defended by our author.—E. H.]

[2]2Ti_3:2.—[Cod. Sin. omits the article before ἄνθρωποι.—E. H.]

[3]2Ti_3:3.—[ἄστοργοι; omitted in Cod. Sin.—E. H.]

[4]2Ti_3:6.—[αἰχμαλωτεύοντες. The weight of authority is in favor of αἰχμαλωτίζοντες, adopted by Griesbach, Lach mann, Tischendorf, Huther, Wordsworth, &c—E. H.]

[5]2Ti_3:6.—The article τὰ of the Recepta is mot genuine.

[6]2Ti_3:8.—[Vulg., Mambres.—E. H.]

Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures (Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical), ed. John Peter Lange, English translation edited by Philip Schaff (1864–1880) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

III. THE LAST DAYS AND THEIR PERILS

CHAPTER 3

1. The characteristics of the last days (2Ti 3:1-7)

2. What the last days mean for the true believer (2Ti 3:8-13)

3. The need of the Word of God (2Ti 3:14-17)

2Ti 3:1-7

Little comment is needed on these words. They are a prophecy. The apostle by the Spirit of God reveals what shall come in the last days. It is a description of the moral qualities in the vast number of professing Christians of the last days, “who have the form of godliness,” that is, go “to church,” profess a creed of some sect, and are outwardly religious, “but deny the power thereof.” Three times they are shown to be lovers. “Lovers of themselves”--they live for themselves and know nothing of self-denial, they live and walk in the flesh. “Lovers of money”--this is what the word covetous means. Greed controls their activities so that they can enjoy themselves and live luxuriantly and in pleasure. And therefore “they are lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God.”

The same class is mentioned in Php 3:1-21, they are the enemies of the cross of Christ, minding earthly things. Their end is destruction. Compare 2Ti 3:1-4 with the last verses of the first chapter in Romans. There the characteristics, morally, of heathendom are given, and here the characteristics of the professing masses of nominal Christendom. There is no difference between the two, only the condemnation of the profession, the unsaved, religious element in Christendom is greater. There is no need to point out how this prophecy given by the aged apostle has come true. We live in the midst of these conditions, and are surrounded by them on all sides. Evil teachers began in apostolic days to creep into houses, winding about silently like a serpent, and captured silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts. How much more true this is today.

2Ti 3:8-13

What true believers may expect in the closing days of this age, if they walk in separation and are faithful in their testimony, is the theme of these verses. Jannes and Jambres were the Egyptian sorcerers who withstood Moses. Jewish tradition gives the information that the magicians of Exo 7:11-22 bore these names. The Spirit of God assures us here that this is correct. Another Jewish tradition claims that they were the sons of Balaam. They worked by imitations. They produced by Satanic powers certain miracles which were imitations of God’s power. Such is the case in our own days. Christian Science, Spiritism and other systems are the sphere where Satan’s power of imitation is manifested. Satan also imitates in a still more subtle way the work of the Holy Spirit. All this will work on till finally (after the Church has been called away) the times are reached as prophetically described in 2Th 2:3-12. And like the folly and wickedness of Jannes and Jambres were manifest, so will these deceivers and perverters of the truth be uncovered. This will be when the Lord comes.

How happy in the Lord Paul must have been that he could point to himself as an example. The grace of God had enabled him to be all he writes to his beloved son Timothy. “But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, long suffering, charity, patience, 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.” Paul endured persecutions because he was a faithful minister of the Lord Jesus Christ and did not shun to declare the whole counsel of God. “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” If the believer is true to the Lord, if he lives in separation, the world, and especially that which is called “the religious world,” with its unscriptural aims and endeavors, will not applaud him, but he will have to bear the reproach of Christ and suffer persecution. Why do so few Christians suffer persecutions? Because they have not purged themselves from the vessels unto dishonor, and are consequently yoked with unbelievers.

“But evil men and seducers (juggling impostors) shall wax worse, deceiving, and being deceived.” Things morally and religiously are therefore not getting better in this age. There is no hope apart from the coming of our Lord.

2Ti 3:14-17

The inspired Scriptures of God are the need, the supreme need of the believer in the last days. Timothy had known the sacred Scriptures (the Old Testament) from a child, and of these Scriptures Paul writes, “they are able to make thee wise unto salvation, through faith that is in Christ Jesus.” He exhorts him therefore, “Abide thou in the things which thou hast learned, and of which thou hast been assured, knowing of whom thou hast learned them.” Then the assuring statement of the Holy Spirit, the author of the Scriptures, that all Scripture is inspired of God. It is well known that the revised version has dropped the “is,” so that it reads “every Scripture given by inspiration of God.” We do not accept this, for it opens the way to deny that parts of the Scriptures are given by inspiration of God.

“We are told we have to read as, ‘Every Scripture inspired of God,’ as if it distinguished such from other Scriptures side by side with them, and therefore we had to distinguish in like manner. At once the human mind is set in supremacy over the Scripture, and we become judges of it instead of its judging us. But the apostle has been already pointing out the sacred Scriptures of which he is speaking when he says ‘all Scripture.’ Nothing is Scripture in the sense he uses the word except that which is in the sacred Scriptures, and nothing that is in them is without that inspiration of God which makes it ‘profitable for doctrine, for conviction, or instruction in righteousness’“ (Numerical Bible).

How important it is to hold fast the great truth that the Bible is the Word of God, and therefore “God-breathed.” All apostasy starts with the denial of this fact. The Scriptures are the permanent expression of the mind and will of God. It is not merely that the truth is given in them by inspiration, but they are inspired. They are the expression of His own thoughts. They are our only authority. Upon the constant use of them depends everything. Without adhering to the Scriptures and being obedient to them, we also would be swept along by the current of apostasy. They are the one thing profitable. Note the order: Profitable for doctrine, which we get alone from the Word of God, and which is the foundation of everything. Then follows “reproof” or conviction, and that is followed by correction and instruction for righteousness. It starts with the doctrine and leads, after conviction and correction, to righteousness. And then the man of God, obedient to the Scriptures in all things, is perfect, thoroughly finished unto every good work.

Arno C. Gaebelein, The Annotated Bible (1913–1922) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

False Teachers and False Brethren of the Last Days. 2Ti 3:1-9

A description of the dangerous teachers:

v. 1. This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

v. 2. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

v. 3. without natural affection, truce-breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,

v. 4. traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;

v. 5. having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof. From such turn away.

v. 6. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,

v. 7. ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

This entire passage is prophetical in character, it being the Lord’s intention to give to all pastors to the end of time a warning: But understand this, that in the last days there will be upon us perilous times. The apostle is not referring in general to the entire time of the New Testament, but he is prophesying of the time immediately preceding the Day of Judgment. In those days there will be upon the Christians dangerous times, characterized not only by a moral degeneracy of the human race in general, but also of the so-called visible Church. See Mat 24:12; Mat 23:24.

This condition the apostle now describes at length, saying that men will be lovers of self, in the bad sense, egoism and self-centeredness being their main characteristic, causing them to seek only their own advantage and ignoring the needs of their neighbors. Lovers of money they will be, covetousness being one form of selfishness, money and wealth being the sum and substance of all happiness to them. These two points, however, selfishness and avarice, are the roots from which such a behavior is developed as to cause the dissolution of all social relationships. For it follows, first of all, that they become boastfully proud, assuming an honor for themselves which they do not deserve. At the same time they are haughty, puffed up with a sense of their own importance, looking down upon others. But it is a false pride to which they have become addicted, for which reason the next step is their becoming blasphemers. They not only desecrate everything that is holy and divine by their absence of proper honor and respect, but they defame both God and their neighbors by their superciliousness. Their own person, their supposed rights, they want to elevate at all costs, those of others may be trodden under foot. Since they do not recognize divine authority, they also will not regard the rights of men: they are disobedient to parents, they refuse to honor the representatives of God. Ungrateful they are, neither recognizing nor appreciating the love which others show them. They are irreligious, profane, irreverent, the divine rules and laws having no effect upon them. They are callously indifferent to every form of true affection, they repress even the feeling of natural relationship and its obligations. Even when friendships and compacts are entered upon and assurances of faithfulness have been given, they do not consider themselves bound by their promises. At the slightest provocation they show themselves implacable. In such cases, moreover, they do not hesitate to become defamers of their neighbor, of besmirching the good name of such as they have called friends; all feeling for truth and fairness is killed in their hearts. They are therefore kept in check by no restraint, they are without self-control and have long ago forgotten the meaning of true temperance. All ennobling influences are set aside by them, they are fierce and savage; neither religion nor morality, neither common decency nor laudable custom, have the power to keep them in control, They are without all love for mankind and everything that is good; they take no interest in any schemes or plans for the amelioration of conditions among men. For that reason they are also treacherous, addicted to the ways and methods of traitors; if people depend upon them, they will betray their trust without a single qualm. They are reckless, without cool consideration of situations, not weighing any possible consequences. This follows, in turn, from the fact that they are conceited in their own mind, so thoroughly convinced of their own excellencies that they have lost their sound judgment. They are lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God; they prefer the desires and pleasures of this world to the fear and love of God. Of true piety and love toward God there is hardly a vestige. And so the apostle summarizes the entire sad picture in the words: Having a form of religion, but denying its power. They find it to their advantage to keep up so much of a show of sanctity and piety, by imitating the manner of true Christians, that the impression may be registered as though they were truly devout Christians. Often, however, the mask is torn from this professional piety, and the picture which is then revealed may well fill all men with horror. There is only one thing to be done when such men become manifest in their true colors, namely, to avoid them, to have nothing to do with them. The nearer we come to the last day, the more the necessity for ceaseless vigilance becomes apparent.

Even in the early Church there were suck hypocrites and false Christians, a fact which causes the apostle to make the application of his warning at once: For to these belong those that enter into the houses and lead captive silly women laden with sins, agitated by various lusts, always learning and never being able to come to the knowledge of truth. To this class of people belong also certain men that arrogate to themselves the right to teach. They insinuate themselves, they worm themselves into the houses, into the families; without a call they manage to gain entrance into houses, into the confidence of their inmates. This has ever been a characteristic of false prophets, that they claimed the right to convert people to their own pernicious views without having been sent by the Lord, Mat 7:15; Jer 14:14. A favorite method of theirs in our day is to send pamphlets and folders to people belonging to congregations. Thus they become busybodies in other men’s matters. The Mormons and other sects are especially aggressive along these lines. Their object is, if possible, to have a conversation with the women of the house in the absence of the husband, especially with such as come under the heading "silly women," such as give strong evidence of their peculiar weakness, of their tendency to be governed by their feelings. All too often a sectarian religious agent, one that is versed in all the blandishments that are intended to make an impression upon women, and knows how to gain their confidence, will succeed in deceiving and leading captive such women, in getting a hold upon them, in making them his willing followers. These women are almost invariably such as are burdened with the knowledge of various trespasses, that feel the guilt of some specific transgressions, particularly against the Sixth Commandment. In their case the false peace and comfort preached by the false teachers is readily accepted; the interest taken in their case flatters their vanity, and they forget all thoughts of real repentance. They become a prey to the suggestions of the errorists all the more readily since they are agitated in their minds with various lusts, not only vanity and the desire for luxuries, but also voluptuousness. History has shown time and again that it was just the false teachers that caused gullible women to be deceived, and the stories connected with some religious cults are often the essence of unsavoriness. And no wonder; for, as the apostle shows, such women are actuated by an altogether abnormal desire for diversion. They are always making a pretense at learning, while, as a matter of fact, they are only on the lookout for every kind of sensational news connected with religion. There is nothing stable, nothing reliable in their interest. Therefore they never come to the knowledge and understanding of the truth; they lose the ability for real study of God’s Word and will. What a solemn warning to the women of all times!

Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

2Ti 3:1

Christian Use of the Old Testament.

We stop at the last epistle of Paul to Timothy with something of the same interest with which one pauses at the last hamlet of the cultivated valley when there is nothing but moor beyond. It is the end, or all but the end, of our real knowledge of primitive Christianity; there we take our last distinct look around; further, the mist hangs thick, and few and distorted are the objects that we can discern in the midst of it.

I. But this last distinct view is overcast with gloom. "In the last days perilous times shall come." Then there follows a picture of what men would be, who in word and form were Christians, but indeed led the lives of the worst heathens. But the Apostle relies that Timothy would in his own generation struggle against this evil, because he had from a child been familiar with that revelation of God which is profitable for the teaching of truth and for the removing of error, for correcting all that was amiss, and fostering every seed of good in us, for the perfecting of God’s servants in all good works. This is St. Paul’s testimony to the importance of the Scriptures of the Old Testament, when as yet the truths of Christ’s Gospel were known more by the hearing of the Apostle’s teaching than by the teaching of their written words.

II. The predominant characteristic of the Old Testament is awe. In it we see one thing above all others insisted on, the worship of God and the keeping of His law. God is everywhere exalted; whilst the wisdom, the glory, the power, and the pretended righteousness of man, are all humbled in the dust together. Is not this the very impression which we need, in order to go with true and wholesome feelings to the cross of Christ? The Old Testament makes us understand that as the law of faith exalts most highly the law of works, so the law of works, on the other hand, is no less the highest and only true exaltation of the law of faith in Christ Jesus.

T. Arnold, Sermons, vol. vi., p. 245.

References: 2Ti 3:1-16.—Expositor, 1st series, vol. x., p. 365. 2Ti 3:4.—G. Johnson, Christian World Pulpit, vol. xxxii., p. 36. 2Ti 3:4-17.—H. W. Beecher, Ibid., vol. i., p. 154; Preacher’s Monthly, vol. v., p. 193. 2Ti 3:5.—Homilist, vol. v., p. 131; J. S. Pearsall, Christian World Pulpit, vol. vi., p. 193; J. H. Hitchens, Ibid., vol. xxvi., p. 284; Clergyman’s Magazine, vol. i., p. 28; vol. iii., p. 11. 2Ti 3:10-17.—H. W. Beecher, Christian World Pulpit, vol. xi., p. 148. 2Ti 3:13.—Preacher’s Monthly, vol. ix., p. 103. 2Ti 3:14.—Clergyman’s Magazine, vol. iii., p. 80. 2Ti 3:14, 2Ti 3:15.—Ibid., vol. ii., p. 1.

2Ti 3:14-17

There can be no reasonable doubt what is meant by the sacred writings with which Timothy had been familiar from his infancy. His mother, Eunice, was "a Jewess which believed," and the first care of a devout Jewish mother would be to instruct her child in the knowledge of those "oracles of God," the charge of which was one of the chief glories of her nation, and to fulfil the Divine precept: "These words which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart, and thou shalt teach them diligently to thy children." The term "sacred writings" which St. Paul employs here is a peculiar one. It is found nowhere else in the New Testament. It designates the Old Testament scriptures as a collection of writings clearly defined and separated by an acknowledged line of demarcation from ordinary secular books, a collection round which the tradition of the Jewish Church had, so to speak, erected a fence, enclosing them like the hallowed precinct of a consecrated building.

I. The Old Testament is a trustworthy historical record. This is repeatedly implied, though not directly asserted, in the discourses of our Lord. He stamps with His own authority the essential truth contained in the account of man’s creation in the book of Genesis, when He appeals to the primeval order as the basis of the sanctity of the marriage bond, and quotes as the ordinance of the Creator Himself words which we read there as the historian’s comment upon the facts which He records.

II. No less full is the Lord’s own testimony to the prophetic and typical character of the Old Testament scriptures. He blames the Jews who searched them, because they failed to learn the lesson which they were intended to convey. They thought that eternal life lay in the letter, not in Him of whom the letter testified. A true insight would have made them recognise in Jesus the Messiah for whom they waited. But while they boasted of their trust in Moses, they failed to believe his writings, and missed the sight of the Prophet of whom he wrote. Our Lord teaches that the Old Testament is full of types. Actions and events, and ordinances therein recorded, held concealed within them a deep significance of spiritual or prophetic meaning.

III. Our Lord deduces from the Scriptures authoritative rules of conduct and far-reaching moral principles. "The two commandments, on which hang all the law and the prophets," form an epitome of religion and morality, which is of universal application, and they are the sum and substance of the Old Testament teaching. The Old Testament supplies a principle of conduct, yet withal it is not in every respect a perfect director. For—IV. Its rules require expansion. The law was the lesson given for man’s childhood, and childhood requires clear and definite rules for its guidance. But now, in the full age of the new kingdom, the principles which underlay and animated the old rules must take their place. The more we study the New Testament, the more we are convinced that the Old Testament is a part and parcel of the same Divine revelation, and that the two cannot be divorced or sundered. In the words of St. Jerome, "Those who banish the doctrine of the Old Testament from the commonwealth of God, while they reject the Old Testament do not follow the New, for the New is confirmed by the testimonies of the Old.

A. F. Kirkpatrick, Oxford Undergraduates’ Journal, Jan. 31st, 1878.

References: 2Ti 3:14-17.—H. W. Beecher, Christian World Pulpit, vol. vii., p. 27; Clergyman’s Magazine, vol. vi., p. 171. 2Ti 3:15.—Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. xxxi., No. 1866; J. N. Norton, The Kings Ferry Boat, p. 81; Fletcher, Thursday Penny Pulpit, vol. ix., p. 267; H. W. Beecher, Forty-Eight Sermons, vol. i., p. 165; R. D. B. Rawnsley, Village Sermons, 3rd series, p. 256; Church of England Pulpit, vol. xiii., p. 39; H. W. Beecher, Christian World Pulpit, vol. ix., p. 72; A. Saphir, Ibid., vol. xix., p. 305; W. Braden, Ibid., vol. xxxii., p. 250; R. F. Horton, Ibid., vol. xxxvi., p. 56; Clergyman’s Magazine, vol. ii., p. 159.

2Ti 3:15-16

The Bible the True Guide.

What are we to say to objections that may be raised to this or that portion of the Old Testament? Are we to close our ears to these objections? The answer to this question must depend in a great measure on the condition of life in which God has been pleased to place us, and upon our own opportunities, attainments, and means of examining these objections thoroughly. The main end for which we have been sent into the world is to serve God, to promote His glory, and to save our souls and the souls of others. St. Paul tells Timothy he had great reason to bless God that from a child he had known the Holy Scriptures, which were the things that were able to make him wise unto salvation, through faith in Christ Jesus, and that "All scripture is given by inspiration of God." St. Paul therefore clearly implies that children may know the Scriptures, and be made wise unto salvation by them, through faith in Christ Jesus, without being troubled and perplexed with any of those objections to which I have referred. It is enough for them to know that Jesus Christ, as the Son of God, received the whole of the Old Testament as the Word of God.

I. If we men are to have true wisdom we also must become as little children; we must approach Divine things in a reverent spirit of love; mysteries are revealed to the meek. How many persons now approach the Bible as the Pharisees approached Jesus Christ, to entangle Him in His talk! They approach the Bible in order to criticise, cavil, and carp at it; they reverse the true order of things; they walk, shortsighted men, treating the word of God as if it were a culprit; they treat the Bible as a magistrate would treat a criminal; they forget that the day is coming when they themselves will stand as prisoners at the bar of Jesus’ awful judgment-seat, and that they themselves will be tried there, and that the Bible itself will judge them at that awful day. No wonder that they are stricken with blindness; blindness is the inevitable punishment of pride and presumption; and their cavils at the Bible are the natural fruit of their boldness, which is their retribution.

II. Another requisite for readers of the Bible is patience. If we wait patiently with faith, God rewards us for our patience by explaining these hard sayings. Thus he tried Abraham by promises which seemed impossible; but Abraham believed God, and what seemed impossible thus came to pass, and Abraham thus became the father of the faithful. We ought to expect difficulties in a revelation from such a being as God with such a creature as man; therefore, we ought not to be staggered by them. These difficulties in the Old Testament are not as great as the difficulty of rejecting Jesus Christ who received the whole of the Old Testament. These difficulties are but as molehills compared with that mountain of difficulty. All these difficulties are dissolved in the crucible of faith; we even rejoice in them because they are trials of our faith in Christ; and this we know is "the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith." And so these difficulties are to us like fair leaves and like beautiful flowers, of which our unfading wreath and celestial garland of angelic glory will be woven.

Bishop Wordsworth, Penny Pulpit, No. 3934.

2Ti 3:16

Unity of Plan in the Old Testament.

I. The most cursory glance will show us that the Old Testament is divided into four parts—the Pentateuch, the historical books, the poetical books, the prophetical books, and I may say at once that I regard the Song of Solomon as the climax of the whole; all that precedes leads up to it, all that follows flows from it. It is a mountain summit, where you may see Jesus only in His transfiguration glory: a Pisgah height where the Moses of the law gives up the ghost, and whence, gazing down the vista of prophecy, you may see the good land which God has prepared for His people; or, varying the metaphor, I see the river of life, whose sources are in eternity, in the Pentateuch, dashing down the crags of Sinai and of the law; in the historical books, meandering through the broad plains of history; in the poetical books, rushing through the narrow rocky bed of personal religion, until it flows into this lovely little Loch Katrine of the Song of Solomon, and thence flows forth in fuller volume through the prophetical books until it loses itself at last in the ocean of eternal love. In the Pentateuch God appeals to man’s conscience; in the historical books, to man’s intellect; in the poetical books, to man’s heart, and in the prophetical books He opens to men the future.

II. In the Pentateuch God appeals to man’s conscience; in the historical books, to man’s intellect; and he is bidden to survey human history, and see whether it is not always well with them who fear the Lord, and ill with those who reject Him. The historical books, for the most part, run in pairs, in which the positive and the negative side of this truth is put before us. In Joshua and Judges God is brought before us as the Deliverer, and we are asked to examine the history of the children of Israel from this point of view. In I. and II. Samuel God is regarded as the King; in I. and II. Kings we are asked to trace the history of those who revere and those who despise God’s prophets; in I. and II. Chronicles the same period of history is examined, but from a different point of view—namely, the reverence which different kings showed, or neglected to show, for the public worship of God.

III. In the poetical books we come to personal religion; in the prophetical books the future is spread out before you, and, gazing down the avenue of the prophets, the Lord will not hide from you those things which He is about to do; but, in spite of sin, failure, and rebellion, you will see the purposes of God remaining true, until, in the last chapter of the last of the minor prophets, you see the Sun of righteousness arising with healing in His wings, and you wait on the tiptoe of expectation for the opening of the New Testament, when the dayspring will arise and the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord.

E. A. Stuart, Children of God, p. 11.

Dogmatic Truth our Heritage.

By the "mystery" St. Paul here seems to mean a knowledge, Divine in its source, concealed and kept back for a time, but now imparted, or as we say, revealed. Now this Divine knowledge is chiefly summed up under two heads, according to the subject on which it treats. It treats, firstly, of God as teaching us concerning Himself; and secondly, of human nature, man as related to God.

I. The mistaken complaint of many at present is not so much that God has not given enough knowledge in revealing the mystery of godliness, but that He has given too much. They claim, that is, to set it aside wholly or in part, as involving a needless restriction on the free action of the mind, or to remould and alter it, as clashing with some conclusions of human wisdom. The forms of error are endless, and shift with the shifting phases of the human mind. But truth in its relation to them is older than them all, and stands fast through them all, and will doubtless survive them all, as it has already survived many. Thus the best, nay the only possible complete defence against error lies in active living convictions of the truth.

II. Repeatedly in Scripture is the Gospel faith spoken of as something held in common by all Christians. It is not matter of opinion, of deduction, or of induction. God’s truth is given for all alike. He makes himself known in Christ, not to a priestly coterie but to mankind. Therefore the Church has educated the nation: men of the purest lives and brightest gifts have thought it their highest privilege to trim the lamp of Divine truth. And before literature was diffused, and access to comments, or indeed to Scripture itself was common, the creeds of the Church did their work in keeping alive a saving knowledge amongst the people, and yet remain as standards of doctrine, and compendiums of Scripture truth. No term of science conveys to our minds what it ought, until we draw out all that it implies: and thus when we wish to be exact in our statements we are forced to be somewhat cumbrous in our terms. Men submit to this in science, but they seem to fret against it in theology; and then they reproach it as being dogmatic, without considering that this is the necessary characteristic of truth Divine in origin, and dealing with subjects to which human experience cannot reach.

H. Hayman, Rugby Sermons, p. 8.

References: 2Ti 3:16.—R. Thomas, Christian World Pulpit, vol. xii., p. 261; H. W. Beecher, Ibid., vol. xxviii., p. 97; F. W. Farrar, Ibid., vol. xxix., p. 88; H. Wace, Ibid., vol. xxxvi., p. 241; J. Clifford, Daily Strength for Daily Living, p. 373; F. W. Farrar, Everyday Christian Life, p. 143.

2Ti 3:16-17

The Profitableness of Scripture.

We have here two great affirmations concerning the Scriptures. First, they are inspired of God; next, they are religiously profitable.

I. First, however, it is necessary to bear in mind the distinction between inspiration and revelation. Inspiration is an inbreathing and vital quickening of whatever may be the normal faculties of a man, whereby their natural force and religious sensibilities are augmented; such as we conceive the processes of the Holy Ghost to be in ordinary religious life, only, here, special in its forms and measures. Revelation is knowledge imparted from without: facts and truths of which we are ignorant are made known to us. If every inspiration is not a supernatural revelation, neither is supernatural revelation a mere inspiration of natural faculty. Both are to be distinctly recognised.

II. The Apostle affirms that the sacred writers are inspired of God—God-breathed, the recipients of a Divine afflatus. The range and variety of the profitableness of Scripture must be noted. It is a book for human life; not for churches nor for devotions only, but for every domain and relationship of human beings. (1) It is profitable for doctrine, for teaching true ideas or principles of religious life. It makes men wise unto salvation. Men feel and act according to the thoughts and sentiments which they entertain. No wise man will undervalue correct theological notions: they are indispensable conditions of goodness. According to the Apostle the Scriptures are the distinctive source of our theological teaching. True doctrines concerning God and religion are revealed in the Bible. (2) The other great idea of the profitableness of Scripture is represented by the words "reproof," "correction." Be the book historically what it may, come whence it may, its moral and religious ministry to men cannot be denied it: and it is the most conclusive evidence of its Divine authority. As a book of moral and religious truth only will it live: as such only need we wish it to live. So long as human souls feel sin and sorrow, so long will they prize the salvation and comfort of the Scripture.

H. Allon, The Indwelling Christ, p. 123.

References: 2Ti 4:1.—Clergyman’s Magazine, vol. v., p. 272. 2Ti 4:1, 2Ti 4:2.—Church of England Pulpit, vol. xvii., p. 157. 2Ti 4:1-22.—Expositor, 1st series, vol. x., p. 443. 2Ti 4:2.—Clergyman’s Magazine, vol. i., p. 129. 2Ti 4:4.—Christian World Pulpit, vol. xx., p. 40; Plain Sermons by Contributors to "Tracts for the Times," vol. v., p. 287.

The Sermon Bible, ed. William Robertson Nicoll (1888–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Division 4. (2Ti 3:1-17.)

The testing every way.

The apostle goes on now to the last days. He anticipates no recovery, save that of individuals, from the state of things which he has brought before us. On the contrary, men will "wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived." It is quite true that God has again and again, as history shows us, come in for the deliverance of numbers, and we are prone to take this as encouragement to believe that there may be, after all, a recovery of the mass. Scripture gives no hope of such a condition. The history of Israel under the Judges is that which is being repeated today; and here we see that, in spite of all that God may work in this way, still there is, on the whole, more and more, a growing degeneracy and departure from God.

1. In the last days, then, -days which cannot be succeeded, therefore, by any of a different character, -difficult times would be present, a state of things characterized by almost all that characterized the heathenism of old, as the apostle has pictured it for us in the epistle to the Romans. This in itself would be only the repetition, therefore, of what has existed before, and people might still ask, "Is the world, in fact, growing worse?" "Have not these things always been?" The thing that distinguishes the last days from all that have preceded them is, that with the indulgence of every evil lust, men "lovers of their own selves, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God," there is still a "form of piety," but which denies the power of it. This is what we find in days like the present, the wearing out of Christianity in its power to affect the masses, -even to keep under real control the evil which more and more displays itself in its true character. Along with this, the form of piety may, nevertheless, have been spread. Mere open ungodliness carries its own condemnation with it, and therefore men will deceive themselves to the uttermost in a way most palpable to all outside themselves, and grace be turned effectually by them into license. From these, says the apostle, turn away. The show of piety is, of course, just what makes the times so difficult. Everywhere, things are not what they seem. The process of corruption was already beginning in the days of the apostle himself. He could point to those who entered into houses, leading captive silly women laden with sin, led by various lusts; always learning," upon the one hand; and yet "never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." A solemn reason this is, indeed, for lack of progress wherever it exists. It is not in any weakness of mind; it is not by any power of deception, even, on the part of others; nothing of this can deceive those who are not, first of all, self-deceived -who do not yield themselves, in fact, to the deception. Man is always in this sense master of himself, and God judges him as this. Whatever may be the power of the enemy, the skill of the god of this age in blinding men so as to shut out the glory of Christ from them, yet it is only the disobedient and unbelieving from whom he can shut it out. God has not delivered man over into his hands in such a way as not to allow escape to be always possible and sure to the soul that in the consciousness of its need will turn to Him.

2. The character of the opposition is still further dwelt upon. "As Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so these, also, withstand the truth." It was by the imitation of the miracles wrought by Moses that the Egyptian sorcerers sought to blind, and did blind, the king of Egypt. Juggling, of course, it was, and no true miracle; and no deliverance at all was even attempted by them. They could only increase the evil by what they did, and not relieve it. They could bring frogs up out of the river, but they could not take them away. They could turn water into blood, or seem to do so, but could never turn back the blood into water. Thus they could not possibly unfasten the hold of judgment upon them or upon their false gods, and there came a time in which this was fully evident, in which they had themselves to own that there was the finger of God manifest; as therefore in that which they had done there was no finger of God. Just so with the deceivers that were coming in, withstanding the truth by imitations of it, but which could not imitate the blessed salvation of God, for those in conscious need of it. As "men of corrupt mind, reprobate concerning the faith," they too would come to a point in which their folly would be fully manifest. The fruit of God’s blessed word, the power of His Spirit, cannot, after all, be imitated. This has its own unmistakable evidence for every one who has eyes to see. The apostle points Timothy, in view of these things, to his own "doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, endurance," in all that came upon him. His life was formed by the doctrine, and his doctrine was in the power of the Spirit of God. Out of all the persecutions the Lord had delivered him, and "all that will live piously in Christ Jesus" must expect to suffer after the same manner, while "evil men and juggling impostors" would continually "wax worse and worse." Thus there is no hope but in the coming of the Lord Himself.

3. The apostle was about to depart, but there was still an ample provision made for the sustenance of God’s people, however evil the days might be. For Timothy there was the satisfaction of knowing of whom he had learned the truth, the apostle’s teaching being in fullest harmony, and, indeed, the ripe fruit of what had been made known to him from a child in sacred Scriptures, able to make "wise unto salvation through faith that is in Christ Jesus." Thus we see how even the apostle’s words are not and could not be left to stand for themselves and be merely their own witnesses. God has been acting and speaking in the world from the beginning, and all truth must connect itself thus with that which He has been doing and saying. The Scriptures of which the apostle here speaks to Timothy, are, of course, the Old Testament Scriptures; but we see everywhere how thoroughly the apostle appeals to them, and how the written Word is in this way honored by the living speaker, even though speaking that which might be newly revealed by the Spirit of God. How important to realize this unity of the divine testimony all the way through the ages; and how clearly we can understand the effort of Satan now, first of all, to destroy, if possible, the power of that testimony from the beginning, so as to leave the Christian faith cut off really from its foundation! Scripture was, as we know, that by which the Bereans tested the word of the apostle himself, and they are commended for it.

We see, on the one hand, how the Old Testament handed on its disciples to the New, and how the New, also, was needed in order to give its full power to the older revelation. Thus, while he says that the sacred Scriptures he had known were able to make Timothy wise unto salvation, he adds: "through faith that is in Christ Jesus." In fact salvation, in all that is implied in it in the New Testament, is plainly something additional to the Old Testament. Men could not speak before Christianity of being saved, in the same way in which now we commonly speak of it. Salvation was, in general, even where we find the word, a deliverance from dangers or from circumstances of trial, from the power of the enemy, no doubt; but scarcely anywhere a proper salvation from sin; yet how important the witness of the old revelation when the new was being announced, and to us, also, to whom it has been announced! Nothing that God has given but has a permanent value which remains for us to all time. "All Scripture is inspired of God, and profitable for doctrine."

Here we come to a passage which is most contested, of course, and which we are told we have to read as, "Every scripture inspired of God," as if it distinguished such from other scriptures side by:side with them, and therefore we had to distinguish in like manner. At once the human mind is set in supremacy over the Scripture, and we become judges of it instead of its judging us. But the apostle has been already pointing out the sacred Scriptures of which he is speaking when he says "All Scripture." Nothing is Scripture in the sense he uses the word except that which is in the sacred Scriptures, and nothing that is in them is without that inspiration of God which makes it "profitable for doctrine, for conviction, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." The apostle Peter afterwards speaks of Paul having written to the Hebrews "according to the wisdom given to him," and puts the epistle that he had written among "the other Scriptures" -plainly as having the same character which is claimed for "all Scripture" here. The word, of course, may mean merely " writing," but "The Writings," for us, are those distinguished from all other writings. It is impossible to confound them, for a soul that has the secret of God, though Rome has added, as we know, certain apocryphal books -yet who, with his eyes open, could accept one of them as upon an equal footing with those that have always been counted as Scripture? Who could add one book to the number of those that we possess? or who could mend one of them so as to justify his emendation to the Christian conscience?

Of course, I am not speaking of the correction of texts, where there is manuscript authority for the correction, but simply of a correction manifestly from man’s mind, with all the learning in it which they boast of in the present day. When can they give us a Bible in this way that even they (who as specialists are supposed to have authority to commend it for us) will be able to agree about amongst themselves? Scripture has suffered, indeed, how much from the ignorance that we have of it, and from the little faith which has produced the ignorance! We have found little instruction, it may be, and no edification, from many parts that can be pointed out; and it is man’s way continually either to throw the blame of this upon God, or to vindicate Him at the expense of the Word that He has given; but the more we search into these barren passages with the remembrance of what the apostle has spoken here, the more we shall find how truly there is in them also that which is of ample importance to justify their place in the word of God; and if we cannot find even a genealogy recorded to be "profitable for doctrine," it is (to say the least, most probably it is,) because we have begun by decreeing that it is not there, and therefore have never truly and devoutly searched for it. But the fact is, the higher the claim we make for Scripture, the more shall we find Scripture itself justifying the claim. The more we believe in the perfection of every part, the more we shall come to realize that perfection everywhere in it. Let us hold it fast that all Scripture, as inspired of God, is in fact, and must be, "profitable for doctrine." God in it all is providing for us that which shall have blessing for our souls, not mere facts of history or something which is merely barren knowledge, but that which is to mold and fashion us, and put us in communion with the mind of Christ. For this we need every part of it, and it is the loss of so much practically for our souls that makes us so much lacking in true knowledge of every kind.

Let us notice that, first of all, the apostle puts the doctrine as that for which Scripture is "profitable." Doctrine must come first, as the basis of everything. Truth must be ours before there can be the application of truth; and then, let us notice that the apostle immediately brings that application home in a personal way to ourselves. The first use of the doctrine is for "conviction." It is light that shines upon us, shines upon all the road in which we are, but which discovers, necessarily, in a world like this, among a people such as we are, that which must humble and bring down all the pride of our hearts, so that not as philosophers shall we receive it, but as sinners, though, through God’s grace, saved sinners also. But "conviction" here, of course, is not the primary conviction merely. As we go on, it accompanies us at every step. We learn ourselves under this light more and more, and we learn what the world is. But the light is none the less blessed on that account, because it displays the evil of so much that it shines upon. "Correction" is that which is to follow "conviction," while "instruction in righteousness" carries us on to the positive side of things, and occupies us with the good in itself, and not merely enables us to distinguish it from the evil. But thus the man of God is by Scripture itself made complete, "thoroughly furnished to every good work."

It does not say, as we have often insisted upon, that every man may be complete, although Paul’s heart would indeed desire that it might be possible to "present every man perfect in Christ Jesus;" yet it is only as men of God that we can be thus complete, thus furnished. If we are not that, we shall inevitably stumble over Scripture, in some part of it, as "they that are unlearned and undisciplined," Peter tells us, do. Scripture is not written so that every one, apart from his moral condition altogether, may be able to possess himself of it, and it is not, indeed, written so that every one may, with a little pains, understand the whole. It speaks, as we know, with the sweetest familiarity, and with the encouragement that is ever of God; but it manifests itself, nevertheless, as that which is beyond us, higher than ourselves, the revelation of One who necessarily is that, and whose ways and thoughts we may be led on into more and more, just because they are always still beyond us. But how wonderful, then, is this "God-breathed" Scripture, as the word "inspired" means! It is in this sense that we can call it all the word of God. There is no need for overlooking and no comfort in overlooking the human element, but that human element is always penetrated with the divine, and lifted into and empowered for that which is higher than man, and beyond him.

F. W. Grant, The Numerical Bible (4th ed., 1903) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Chapter 33

THE LAST DAYS-THE BEARING OF THE MENTION OF JANNES AND JAMBRES ON THE QUESTION OF INSPIRATION AND THE ERRORS CURRENT IN EPHESUS. - 2Ti_3:1-2; 2Ti_3:8

IN the first chapter the Apostle looks back over the past; in the second he gives directions about the present; in the third he looks forward into the future. These divisions are not observed with rigidity throughout, but they hold good to a very considerable extent. Thus in the first division he remembers Timothys affectionate grief at parting, his faith and that of his family, and the spiritual gift conferred on him at his ordination. And respecting himself he remembers his teaching Timothy, his being deserted by those in Asia, his being ministered to by Onesiphorus. In the second chapter he charges Timothy to be willing to suffer hardships with him, and instructs him how to conduct himself in the manifold difficulties of his present position. And now he goes on to forewarn and forearm him against dangers and troubles which he foresees in the future.

There are several prophecies in the New Testament similar to the one before us. There is that of St Paul to the Ephesian Church some ten years before, just before his final departure for the bonds and afflictions which awaited him at Jerusalem. "I know that after my departing grievous wolves shall enter in among you, not sparing the flock; and from your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after." {Act_20:29-30} The Epistles to Timothy show that this prediction was already being fulfilled during the Apostles lifetime. There is, secondly, the prophecy respecting the great falling away and the revealing of the man of sin, which is somewhat parallel to the one before us. {2Th_2:3-7} Thirdly, there is the similar prediction in the First Epistle to Timothy. {1Ti_4:1-3} And besides these three by St. Paul, there are those contained in 2Pe_2:1-2 about the rise of false teachers, and in the First Epistle of St. John {1Jn_2:18 and 1Jn_4:3} about the coming of antichrist. Those in 2 Thessalonians and 2 Peter should be compared with the one before us, as containing a mixture of present and future. This mixture has been made the basis of a somewhat frivolous objection. It has been urged that the shifting from future to present and back again indicates the hand of a writer who is contemporary with the events which he pretends to foretell. Sometimes he adopts the form of prophecy and uses the future tense. But at other times the influence of facts is too strong for him. He forgets his assumed part as a prophet, and writes in the present tense of his own experiences. Such an objection credits the feigned prophet with a very small amount of intelligence. Are we seriously to suppose that any one would be so stupid as to be unable to sustain his part for half a dozen verses, or less, without betraying himself? But, in fact, the change of tense indicates nothing of the kind. It is to be explained in some cases by the fact that the germs of the evils predicted were already in existence, in others by the practice (especially common in prophecy) of speaking of what is certain to happen as if it were already a fact. The prophet is often a seer, who sees as present what is distant or future; and hence he naturally uses the present tense, even when he predicts.

The meaning of the "last days" is uncertain. The two most important interpretations are:

(1) the whole time between Christs first and second coming, and

(2) the portion immediately before Christs second coming.

Probability is greatly in favor of the latter; for the other makes the expression rather meaningless. If these evils "were to come at all," they must come between the two Advents; for there is no other time: and in that case why speak of this period as the "last days?" It might be reasonable to call them "these last days," but not "last days" without such specification. At the present time it would not be natural to speak of an event as likely to happen in the last days, when we meant that it would happen between our own time and the end of the world. The expression used in 1Ti_4:1 very probably does mean no more than "in future times; hereafter" (εν υστεροις καιροις). But here and in 2Pe_3:3 the meaning rather is "in the last days; when the Lord is at hand." It is then that the enemy will be allowed to put forth all his power, in order to be more completely overthrown. Then indeed there will be perilous, critical, grievous times (καιροι χαλεποι). The Apostle treats it as possible, or even probable, that Timothy will live to see the troubles which will mark the eve of Christs return. The Apostles shared, and contributed to produce, the belief that the Lord would come again soon, within the lifetime of some who were then alive. Even at the close of a long life we find the last surviving Apostle pointing out to the Church that "it is the last hour," {1Jn_2:18} obviously meaning by that expression that it is the time immediately preceding the return of Christ to judge the world. And some twenty years later we find Ignatius writing, to the Ephesians, "These are the last times (εσχατοι καιροι). Henceforth let us be reverent; let us fear the longsuffering of God, lest it turn into a judgment against us. For either let us fear the wrath which is to come, or let us love the grace which now is" {Eph. 11} Only by the force of experience was the mind of the Church cleared so as to see the Kingdom of Christ in its true perspective. The warning which Jesus had given, that "of that day or that hour knoweth no one, not even the angels in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father," seems to have been understood as meaning no more than the declaration "in an hour that ye think not the Son of man cometh." That is, it was understood as a warning against being found unprepared, and not as a warning against forming conjectures as to how near Christs return was. Therefore we need not be at all surprised at St. Paul writing to Timothy in a way which implies that Timothy will probably live to see the evils which will immediately precede Christs return, and must be on his guard against being amazed or overwhelmed by them. He is to "turn away from" the intense wickedness which will then be manifested, and go on undismayed with his own work,

"Like as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also withstand the truth." The Apostle is obviously referring to the Egyptian magicians mentioned in Exodus. But in the Pentateuch neither their number nor their names are given; so that we must suppose that St. Paul is referring to some Jewish tradition on the subject. The number two was very possibly suggested by the number of their opponents: Moses and Aaron on one side, and two magicians on the other. And on each side it is a pair of brothers; for the Targum of Jonathan represents the magicians as sons of Balaam, formerly instructors of Moses, but afterwards his enemies. The names vary in Jewish tradition. Jannes is sometimes Johannes, and Jambres is sometimes either Mambres or Ambrosius. The tradition respecting them was apparently widely spread. It was known to Numenius, a Platonic philosopher of Apameia in Syria, who is mentioned by Clement of Alexandria ("Strom.," I 22.), and quoted by Origen and Eusebius as giving an account of Jannes and Jambres ("Con. Cels.," IV 51.; "Praep. Evang.," IX 8.). In Africa we find some knowledge of the tradition exhibited byAppuleius, the famous author of the "Golden Ass," who like Numenius flourished in the second century. And in the previous century another Latin writer, Pliny the Elder, shows a similar knowledge. Both of them mention Jannes as a magician in connection with Moses, who is also in their eyes a magician; but Pliny appears to think that both Moses and Jannes were Jews. It is highly improbable that any of these writers derived their knowledge of these names from the passage before us; in the case of Pliny this would scarcely have been possible. His "Natural History" was published about A.D. 77, and at that time the Second Epistle to Timothy must have been known to but few, even among Christians. The author of the apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus very possibly did derive his knowledge of the names from St. Paul; yet he may have had independent sources of information. He represents Nicodemus as pleading before Pilate that Jannes and Jambres worked miracles before Pharaoh; "but because they were not from God, what they did was destroyed." Whereas "Jesus raised up Lazarus, and he is alive". {1 Ti. 5}

One of the ablest of English commentators on these Epistles remarks upon this passage, "It is probable that the Apostle derived these names from a current and (being quoted by him) true tradition of the Jewish Church." And in a similar spirit a writer in the "Dictionary of the Bible" thinks that it would be "inconsistent with the character of an inspired record for a baseless or incorrect current tradition to be cited."

Let us look at the phenomena of the case and see whether the number and the names appear to be trustworthy or otherwise, and then consider the question of inspiration. To drag in the latter question in order to determine the former, is to begin at the wrong end.

That there should be a pair of brothers to oppose a pair of brothers, has been pointed out already as a suspicious circumstance. The jingling pairing of the names is also more like fiction than fact. Thirdly, the names appear to be in formation, not Egyptian, but Hebrew; which would naturally be the case if Jews invented them, but would be extraordinary if they were genuine names of Egyptians. Lastly, Jannes might come from a Hebrew root which means "to seduce," and Jambres from one which means "to rebel." If Jews were to invent names for the Egyptian magicians, what names would they be more likely to fasten on them than such as would suggest seductive error and rebellious opposition? And is it probable that a really trustworthy tradition, on such an unimportant fact as the names of the enchanters who opposed Moses, would have survived through so many centuries? Sober and unbiased critics will for the most part admit that the probabilities are very decidedly against the supposition that these names are true names, preserved from oblivion by some written or unwritten tradition outside Scripture.

But is it consistent with the character of an inspired writer to quote an incorrect tradition? Only those who hold somewhat narrow and rigid theories of inspiration will hesitate to answer this question in the affirmative. No one believes that inspired persons are in possession of all knowledge on all subjects. And if these names were commonly accepted as authentic by the Jews of St. Pauls day, would his inspiration necessarily keep him from sharing that belief? Even if he were well aware that the tradition respecting the names was untrustworthy, there would be nothing surprising in his speaking of the magicians under their commonly accepted names, when addressing one to whom the tradition would be well known. And if (as is more probable) he believed the names to be genuine, there is still less to surprise us in his making use of them to add vivacity to the comparison.

Nothing in Gods dealings with mankind warrants us in believing that He would grant a special revelation to an Apostle, in order to preserve him from so harmless a proceeding as illustrating an argument by citing the incorrect details which tradition had added to historical facts. And it is worth noting that nothing is based upon the names; they occur in what is mere illustration. And even in the illustration it is not the names that have point, but the persons, who are supposed to have borne them; and the persons are real, although the names are probably fictitious. Still less are we warranted in believing, as Chrysostom suggests, that St. Paul by inspiration had supernatural knowledge of the names. As we have seen, the names were known even to Gentiles who cannot well have derived their knowledge from him; and why should he have received a revelation about a trifle which in no way helps his argument? Such views of inspiration, although the product of a reverential spirit, degrade rather than exalt our conceptions of it. The main point of the comparison between the two cases appears to be opposition to the truth. But there is perhaps more in it than that. The magicians withstood Moses by professing to do the same wonders that he did; and the heretics withstood Timothy by professing to preach the same gospel as he did. This was frequently the line taken by heretical teachers; to disclaim all intention of teaching anything new, and to profess substantial, if not complete, agreement with those whom they opposed. They affirmed that their teaching was only the old truth looked at from another point of view. They used the same phraseology as Apostles had used: they merely gave it a more comprehensive (or, as would now be said, a more catholic) meaning. In this way the unwary were more easily seduced, and the suspicions of the simple were less easily aroused. But such persons betray themselves before long. Their mind is found to be tainted; and when they are put to the proof respecting the faith, they cannot stand the test (αδοκιμοι).

There is nothing improbable in the supposition that St. Paul mentions the magicians who withstood Moses as typical opponents of the truth, because the false teachers at Ephesus used magic arts; and the word which he uses for impostors (γοητες) in ver. 13 {2Ti_3:13} fits in very well with such a supposition, although it by no means makes it certain. Ephesus was famous for its charms and incantations (εφεσια γραμματα) and around the statue of its goddess Artemis were unintelligible inscriptions, to which a strange efficacy was ascribed. The first body of Christians in Ephesus had been tainted by senseless wickedness of this kind. After accepting Christianity they had secretly retained their magic. The sons of the Jew Sceva had tried to use the sacred name of Jesus as a magical form of exorcism; and this brought about the crisis in which numbers of costly books of incantations were publicly burned. {Act_19:13-20} The evil would be pretty sure to break out again, especially among new converts; just as it does among Negro converts at the present day. Moreover, we know that in some cases there was a very close connection between some forms of heresy and magic: so that the suggestion that St. Paul has pretensions to miraculous power in his mind, when he compares the false teachers to the Egyptian magicians, is by no means improbable.

The connection between heresy and superstition is a very real and a very close one. The rejection or surrender of religious truth is frequently accompanied by the acceptance of irrational beliefs. People deny miracles and believe in spiritualism; they cavil at the efficacy of sacraments and accept as credible the amazing properties of an "astral body." There is such a thing as the nemesis of unbelief. The arrogance which rejects as repugnant to reason and morality truths which have throughout long centuries satisfied the highest intellects and the noblest hearts, is sometimes punished by being seduced into delusions which satisfy nothing higher than a groveling curiosity.

William Robertson Nicoll, ed., The Expositor's Bible (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1887–1910) — public domain. 65 of 66 books (1 Corinthians is not separately keyed, as that volume carries no machine-parseable verse references); section-level commentary keyed to the opening verse. Introductory and overview sections not keyed to a specific passage are excluded.

3:1–4:8 Timothy must stay on course through difficult times ahead.

3:1-5 Paul describes what people will be like in the last days (see also 1 Tim 4:1-5; 2 Pet 2:1-22; 3:3; Jude 1:18), which had already begun (2 Tim 3:5, 6-9).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

2Ti 3:1. Τοῦτο δὲ γίνωσκε, but know this) The apostle’s statement is quite distinct, 1Ti 4:1.—ἐν ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις, in the last days) which had at that time begun to be, 2Ti 3:5, at the end. A similar expression is found at 2Pe 3:3; Jud 1:18.—ἐνστήσονται) shall come unexpectedly. The future, in respect of prophecies that had gone before.—καιροὶ χαλεποὶ, perilous times) when it will be difficult to discover what should be done.

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

2Ti_3:1. Consequent on the previous exhortations we have a foreshadowing of the evil state of things in the future.

τοῦτο δὲ γίνωσκε] Even if the plural γινώσκετε be the correct reading, it does not follow that the epistle was directed to others beside Timothy; when an exhortation is general in nature, there is nothing strange in an extension of the point of view.

ὅτι ἐν ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις] comp. 1Ti_4:1; Grotius wrongly translates: posthac. It denotes a definite period, not, however (as in Act_2:17; Heb_1:1), the present, the time between the appearance of Christ in the flesh and His second coming to judgment (Heydenreich), nor the time in which the errors shall come to an end (Mack), but the time immediately preceding Christs παρουσία, in which time, according to apostolic prophecy, the might of the wicked one shall be fully revealed in order to be completely overcome; comp. 2Pe_3:3; Jud_1:18.

ἐνστήσονται] ἐνίστημι, as an intransitive verb, has the sense of be near at hand, but in such a way that it passes over into the sense of be present; thus in Rom_8:38, 1Co_3:22, ἐνεστῶτα and μέλλοντα stand in sharp antithesis as things present and things future. Bengel therefore is correct: aderunt. The same is the case with the Latin instare; hence there is no ground for finding fault with the Vulg. instabunt (de Wette), since in the future something future was denoted. Luther is not quite exact: will come.

καιροὶ χαλεποί] de Wette: critical times; καιρός is not simply the time, but the state of things at the time.

The next verses show in what way these καιροί will show themselves to be χαλεποί.

Meyer — Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament — English translation by Peter Christie, edited by Frederick Crombie (T&T Clark, 1880) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

2Ti 3:1-9 . Evil times are upon us; we have indeed amongst us specimens of the perennial impostor, worthy successors of Jannes and Jambres. The shortlived nature of their success, will be, however, patent to all.

2Ti 3:1 . ἐν ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις ἐνστήσονται : Although St. Paul had abandoned his once confident expectation that the Lord would come again during his own lifetime, it is plain that here, as in 1Ti 4:1 , he regards the time now present as part of the last days. See ἀποτρέπου … εἰσιν οἱ ἐνδύνοντες , 2Ti 3:5-6 . The prophetical form of the sentence is a rhetorical way of saying that things are going from bad to worse. The same account is to be given of 2Pe 3:3 ; Jud 1:18 . St. John says plainly, “It is the last hour” (1Jn 2:18 ). See note on 1Ti 4:1 .

ἐνστήσονται : will be upon us, instabunt (Vulg.).

χαλεποί : grievous (R.V.); but not necessarily perilous (A.V.) to those who feel their grievousness.

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Ch.

3:1-9.] Warning of bad times to come, in which men shall be ungodly and hypocritical:—nay, against such men as already present, and doing mischief.

1.] But (the contrast is in the dark prophetic announcement, so different in character from the hope just expressed) this know, that in the last days (see 1Ti 4:1, where the expression is somewhat different. The period referred to here is, from all N. T. analogy (cf. 2Pe 3:3: Jud 1:18), that immediately preceding the coming of the Lord. That day and hour being hidden from all men, and even from the Son Himself, Mar 13:32,—the Spirit of prophecy, which is the Spirit of the Son, did not reveal to the Apostles its place in the ages of time. They, like the subsequent generations of the Church, were kept waiting for it, and for the most part wrote and spoke of it as soon to appear; not however without many and sufficient hints furnished by the Spirit, of an interval, and that no short one, first to elapse. In this place, these last days are set before Timotheus as being on their way, and indeed their premonitory symptoms already appearing. The discovery which the lapse of centuries and the ways of providence have made to us, χρονίζει ὁ κύριός μου ἐλθεῖν, misleads none but unfaithful servants: while the only modification in the understanding of the premonitory symptoms, is, that for us, He with whom a thousand years are as one day has spread them, without changing their substance or their truth, over many consecutive ages. Cf. ref. 1 John,—where we have the still plainer assertion, ἐσχάτη ὥρα ἐστίν) grievous times shall come (we can hardly express ἐνστήσονται nearer in English: ‘instabunt,’ of the Vulg., though blamed by De W., is right, in the sense in which we use ‘instant’ of the present month or year (Ellic. quotes Auct. ad Herenn. ii. 5, ‘dividitur (tempus) in tempora tria, præteritum, instans, consequens’); ‘aderunt’ of Grot. and Bengel amounts in fact to the same. See note on 2Th 2:2):

Henry Alford, The Greek Testament (1849–1861) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

3:1—4:8. —Further appeal to Timothy for boldness and loyalty, based on the thought of the last days and of the Final Judgment.

Remember, times will grow more difficult (1): professing Christians will prefer self and pleasure to God (2-5): false teachers will oppose the truth; their hearers will be at the mercy of each caprice and each novelty: they will have a temporary success (6-9, 4:3. 4). But I trust you to face persecution and to remain loyal to my teaching, for you have my example to guide you (10-14): you have Holy Scripture to fit you for your task (15-17): the thought of the Judgment and the coming Kingdom both to awe and to encourage you (4:1-5), and my approaching death will throw all the responsibility upon you (6-8).

In this paragraph there is still the contrast between empty talk and real work, cf. 3:5, 7, 17 πᾶν ἔργον ἀγαθόν, 4:5 ἔργον: but more markedly that between the source of the teaching—the Apostolic teaching, 3:10, 4:3, and Holy Scripture, 3:15, as opposed to myths, 4:4: that between the character of the teacher, loyalty to tradition, 3:14 μένε, as opposed to love of novelty, 3:13, 4:3: that between the result, in the one case, wisdom and salvation, 3:15, in the other, failure to lay hold of the truth, 3:7, and folly, 3:9.

Paraphrase. But things are not yet at their worst: we have been warned that, as the last days approach, there will be moments very difficult to face. Men’s affections will be set not on God, but on self, on money, and on pleasure. This will make them braggarts about what they have, overbearing to those who have not, quick to rail both at God and man, disobedient to parents, with no sense of gratitude to any, no respect for divine things or for human affection, implacable when offended, ready to speak evil of others, with no control over their own passions, no human tenderness, no love for what is good or for those who are good, quite ready to betray their brethren, reckless in speech and action, conceited and puffed up. They will have all the externals of religion, but have long set at defiance its power over their lives. These, too, you must avoid. For it is from a society like this that arise those teachers who creep into private houses and take captive silly women, whose consciences are burdened with past sins, who are at the mercy of caprices of every kind, and so, though always pretending to learn, yet have no power of coming to any knowledge of truth. Yet, though these are their only followers, these men—just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses—oppose the truth, men whose intellect is completely debased, who can stand no test as to their faith. But they will not be able to get far; for their utter folly will be quite clear to every one, exactly as that of Jannes and Jambres was shown to be. But you I can trust, for you heartily became my follower; you listened to my teaching, imitated my manner of life; my aims became your aims, my faith your faith, my forbearance, my love, my endurance passed on to you; you know all my persecutions and sufferings; what sufferings befell me in Antioch, in Iconium, in Lystra; what persecutions I bore up against: yes, and the Psalmist’s words came true, “out of them all the Lord delivered me.” Aye, and all who are minded to live a religious life in union with Christ Jesus will be persecuted. And malicious men will grow more malicious, impostors will get worse and worse, deceiving others and deceived themselves. But I appeal to you—stand firm in those truths that you first learned and in which your past life confirmed you, knowing who your teachers were, knowing, too, that from your cradle you have been taught religious teaching from Scriptures which have it in them, if you have true faith in Christ Jesus, to give you the true wisdom which leads to salvation. All Scripture is inspired by God, and therefore is useful for all your task—for teaching truth, for conviction of sin and refuting of false doctrine, for correction of faults, for discipline of character in the right way. It was given to make every one of God’s men fit for his task, for it can fit him completely for every good work.

1. γίνωσκε] not exactly “know,” as if the writer were communicating a new piece of knowledge, but “recognize,” “realize” the fulfilment of what you have heard; cf. Eur. Alc. 418, γίγνωσκε δὲ ὡς πᾶσιν ἡμῖν κατθανεῖν ὀφείλεται. ὅτι . . . χαλεποί, a semiquotation of some eschatological prediction (cf. I 4:1), of the woes that would precede the παρουσία: cf. Mar 13:19, Mat 24:12, 2Th 2:2 ὅτι ἐνέστηκεν ἡ ἡμέρα, 2 P 3:3, Jud 1:18. This implies that the last days are already present and Timothy has to face them 5.

ἐν ἐσχ. ἡμέραις] the days preceding the παρουσία, based on Isa 2:2 ἐν ταῖς ἐσχ. ἡμ., Act 2:17. The omission of the article perhaps emphasizes the quality of those days “in days which are last and therefore worst”; cf. ἐσχάτη ὥρα, 1Jn 2:18; ἐν καίρῳ ἐσχάτῳ, 1 P 1:5 (ubi v. Hort). Ign. Eph. 11, ἔσχατοι καιροί: cf. also Gen 49:1 of Jacob in anticipation of his death, συνάχθητε ἵνα ἀναγγείλω ὑμῖν τί ἀπαντήσει ὑμῖν ἐπʼ ἐσχ. τῶν ἡμέρων, which suggests little more than “hereafter.”

χαλεποί] hard for teachers, for the servant of the Lord to keep the spirit of 2:24-26; cf. Eph 5:16 ἐξαγοραζόμενοι τὸν καιρόν, ὅτι αἱ ἡμέραι πονηραί εἰσι.

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The seventh admonition: we may not hope for any Church in this world without corruption: but there shall be rather great abundance of most wicked men, even in the very bosom of the Church, which notwithstanding shall make a show and countenance of great holiness and charity.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

CHAPTER III.

Dangerous times in the latter days, from the apostasy and

wickedness of men, of whom an affecting description is given,

1-7.

It shall happen to them as to Jannes and Jambres, who withstood

Moses, 8, 9.

The apostle speaks of his persecutions and sufferings, and shows

that all those who will live a godly life must suffer

persecution, 10-12,

because evil men and seducers will wax worse and worse, 13.

Timothy is exhorted to continue in the truths he had received,

having known the Scriptures from a child, 14, 15.

All Scripture is given by Divine inspiration, 16, 17.

NOTES ON CHAP. III.

Verse 1. 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. But the phrase may mean any future time, whether near or distant.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

1 But know this By this prediction he intended still more to sharpen his diligence; for, when matters go on to our wish, we become more careless; but necessity urges us keenly. Paul, therefore informs him, that the Church will be subject to terrible diseases, which will require in the pastors uncommon fidelity, diligence, watchfulness, prudence, and unwearied constancy; as if he enjoined Timothy to prepare for arduous and deeply anxious contests which awaited him. And hence we learn, that, so far from giving way, or being terrified, on account of any difficulties whatsoever, we ought, on the contrary. to arouse our hearts for resistance.

In the last days Under “the last days,” he includes the universal condition of the Christian Church. Nor does he compare his own age with ours, but, on the contrary, informs Timothy what will be the future condition of the kingdom of Christ; for many imagined some sort of condition that would be absolutely peaceful, and free from any annoyance. In short, he means that there will not be, even under the gospel, such a state of perfection, that all vices shall be banished, and virtues of every kind shall flourish; and that therefore the pastors of the Christian Church will have quite as much to do with wicked and ungodly men as the prophets and godly priests had in ancient times. Hence it follows, that there is no time for idleness or for repose.

John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.

This know also,.... That not only men of bad principles and practices are in the churches now, as before described in the preceding chapter, but that in succeeding ages there would be worse men, if possible, and the times would be still worse; this the apostle had, and delivered by a spirit of prophecy, and informed Timothy, and others of it, that he and they might be prepared for such events, and fortified against them:

that in the last days perilous times shall come; "or hard" and difficult times to live in; not by reason of the outward calamities, as badness of trade, scarcity of provisions, the ravages of the sword, &c. but by reason of the wickedness of men, and that not of the profane world, but of professors of religion; for they are the persons afterwards described, who will make the times they live in difficult to others, to live soberly, righteously, and godly; the days will be evil, because of these evil men: or they will be "troublesome" times, very afflicting and distressing to pious minds; as the places and times, and men and customs of them were to Lot, David, Isaiah, and others: and also "dangerous" ones to the souls of men; who will be beguiled by their fair speeches, and specious pretences, to follow their pernicious ways, which will bring destruction upon them; their doctrines will eat as a gangrene, and their evil communications will corrupt good manners, before observed. And these times will be "in the last days" of the apostolic age, and onward to the end of the world: the Jews generally understand by this phrase, when used in the Old Testament, the days of the Messiah; and which are the last days of the world, in comparison of the times before the law, from Adam to Moses, and under the law, from thence to Christ; and even in the times of the apostles, at least towards the close of them, great numbers of men rose up under the Christian name, to whom the following characters well agree, as the Gnostics, and others; and who paved the way for the man of sin, the Romish antichrist, whose priests and votaries are here likewise described to the life: so that these last days may take in the general defection and apostasy of the church of Rome, as well as those times, which followed the apostles, and those which will usher in the second coming of Christ. The Ethiopic version renders it, "in the latter days will come an evil, or bad year".

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

Ver. 1. Perilous times] Gr. καιροι χαλεποι, hard times. Hard hearts make hard times. Eiusmodi tempera descripsit (saith Casaubon of Tacitus, and the same may we say of St Paul) quibus nulla unquam aut virtutum steriliora, aut virtutibus inimiciora; he describeth these last and loosest times of the world, barren of virtues, but abounding with vices. There was never any but Noah, that with two faces saw both before and behind. But that Ancient of days, to whom all things are present, hath here told us that the last shall be the worst.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

This know also - The “object” of this reference to the perilous times which were to occur, was evidently to show the necessity of using every precaution to preserve the purity of the church, from the fact that such sad scenes were to open upon it. The apostle had dwelt upon this subject in his First Epistle to Timothy 2 Tim. 4, but its importance leads him to advert to it again.

In the last days - Under the gospel dispensation; some time in that period during which the affairs of the world will be closed up; see the 1Ti 4:1 note, and Heb 1:2 note.

Perilous times shall come - Times of danger, of persecution, and of trial. On the general meaning of this passage, and the general characteristics of those times, the reader may consult the 2Th 2:1-12 notes, and 1Ti 4:1-3 notes. There can be no doubt that in all these passages the apostle refers to the same events.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Know. Do not be troubled at the many evils, persecutions, and heresies, which rise up against the Church. There have ever existed such since the Church was first established, and such ever will exist. Did not Jannes and Mambres rise up against Moses? (Calmet) See 1 Timothy iv. 1.; 2 Peter iii. 3.; Jude 18. --- That in the last days. It only signifies hereafter. And the advice St. Paul give to Timothy, (ver. 5.) now these avoid; shews that some of those false teachers should come in St. Timothy’s days. We may observe that few agree exactly in translating or expounding the sense of so many Greek or Latin words, which express the vices of such heretics; but the difference is so small, that it need not be taken notice of. (Witham)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

We met with this term,

last days, 1Ti 4:1, and

there said that the Scripture by that term understands all the time from Christ’s ascension to the end of the world. We meet with the term, Gen 49:1; Isa 2:2; Mic 4:1; Act 2:17; Heb 1:2; Jam 5:3; 2Pe 3:3. Of these days some are later than others, but it appears by Act 2:17; Heb 1:2, that that whole period of time is so called.

Perilous times shall come; in the Greek it is, difficult times, that is, times when it will be difficult for Christians to keep their lives or estates, or any happy station in the world, with a good conscience, by reason of the plenty of ill men that should live in those times, and make them so difficult.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Warnings and Exhortations Regarding the Last Days

1-9. In the days immediately preceding the Second Coming, the Lord had taught that iniquity would abound. St. Paul reminds Timothy of this truth as a warning to him, for when those days would come neither he nor any one on earth knew; they might be close at hand, and the existing wickedness might be the commencement of the final iniquity. The depravity then would be terrible, and already in its degree it existed, and must be resisted.

1. In the last days] 'But of that day and that hour knoweth no man' (Mar_13:32), not a St. Paul, not a St. John (1Jn_2:18). 5. A form of godliness] an outside appearance of it. Denying the power thereof] the outward form of piety not having power to influence their lives for good.

6. Creep into houses] the constant habit of proselytisers to evil, who do not shrink from crooked and base means of accomplishing their purpose. Lead captive] having lost all freedom of will, like prisoners taken in war.

7. Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth] an exquisite description of that restlessness of mind, which leads to excessive curiosity upon religious subjects, but does not minister to genuine knowledge or faith.

8. These] the teachers who are leading men and women on to this depravity and weakness.

Jannes and Jambres] the names of the Egyptian magicians in Exo_7:11-22, according to Jewish tradition.

9. They shall proceed no further] they shall not be able to continue to resist Timothy with success, any more than the magicians were capable of finally resisting Moses (Exo_8:18; Exo_9:11).

10-17. Exhortation. Timothy was well instructed in the OT. and in the gospel preached by St. Paul, and he must 'abide in the things that he had learnt and been assured of.'

10. Hast fully known] RV 'didst follow.'

11. Timothy was well acquainted with all that happened to St. Paul at Antioch of Pisidia, Iconium, and Lystra in his First Missionary Journey, when he was himself converted to Christianity (Act_13:50; Act_16:1).

14. Of whom thou hast learned them] From Eunice and Lois.

15. The holy scriptures] RV 'the sacred writings,' i.e. the OT., which, when read in the light of the faith of Christ Jesus and with trust in Him, gave sufficient instruction for his salvation.

16. All scripture] RV 'every scripture.' The AV is right, because St. Paul is here contemplating the OT. not as a work made up of many writings, but as one book. So in Eph_3:15; 'the whole family in heaven' (AV) is right, not 'every family' (RV); Eph_2:21, 'all the building groweth' (AV), not 'each several building' (RV); Act_2:36, 'Let all the house of Israel know' (AV and RV); Act_7:22, 'all the wisdom of the Egyptians' (AV and RV), because contemplated as one subject; Mat_2:3, 'all Jerusalem' (AV and RV). All scripture] In this passage the 'scripture' denoted is the OT. only, but when the expressionis afterwards applied to the NT. (2 Pet 316), it implies that the same characteristics will be found in the NT. as are here enumerated in reference to the OT. Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable] RV 'scripture inspired of God is also profitable.' There is nothing whatever to show which of these renderings is the better. The profitableness of Scripture consists in its teaching, convicting, correcting, training. It is profitable both for faith and piety.

The assurance which St. Paul has of Timothy's piety leads up to his final appeal in the next chapter.

J. R. Dummelow, A Commentary on the Holy Bible (Macmillan, 1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

But know this for this know also, A.V; grievous for perilous, A.V Grievous times (kairoi). "Grievous" is not a very good rendering. "Perilous," though in some contexts it is a right rendering, is a little too restricted here. "Difficult," "trying," "uneasy," or the like, is nearer the sense. They are times when a Christian hardly knows which way to turn or what to do. He has to live under a constant sense of hindrance and difficulty of one sort or another.

Vers. 1-17.

Holy Scripture the strength of the man of God.

There is marvellous force in the application to the Christian bishop and evangelist of the title THE MAN OF God When we remember the course of faithful and untiring labour, and patient unflinching suffering, which was run by those to whom alone this title was given in the Old Testament Moses and Samuel and Elijah, and other prophets of God we feel at once that the application of this title to the ministers of Christ under the New Testament teaches them with incisive power that the like spirit must be found in them if they are worthy to be classed with the men of God. Evidently the "man of God" must not be afraid of a man that shall die, or a son of man which shall be made as grass; he must not shrink from bearing witness for God before an unbelieving and gainsaying world; he must not be a lover of ease or pleasure, or of the praise of men; he must not be greedy of gain or covetous of reward; he must not be a man of strife and brawls, but a man of love and peace; he must be zealous for God"s honour and glory; he must be a staunch upholder of God"s truth against errors and false doctrines; and he must be a man of prayer, and very devout towards God; for otherwise how shall he be called a "man of God"? But how shall this unearthly character be maintained? When those perilous times are at their height in which all the natural affections of men seem to be blighted, and all the natural safeguards against the growth of evil seem to be overborne by the floods of ungodliness, when a proud boasting spirit, as empty as it is pretentious, carries men into all kinds of unseemly action, and when religion itself, far from guiding men in holy paths, degenerates into hypocrisy and faction and opposition to that which is good, how shall the man of God maintain his integrity, abide in the true doctrine of God, and hold his own against the teachers of lies, and the seducers of weak and silly souls? God has provided him with an all-sufficient weapon of attack and of defence. In those holy Scriptures which were given by inspiration of God, the man of God finds a spiritual furniture suitable forevery need. By the study of it he acquires fresh wisdom for his task, and by its spirit his own spirit is nourished and refreshed. In the light of its bright truth the pernicious errors of seducers are exposed; by its counsels waverers are established, the weak are strengthened, the crooked are set straight again. Conversant with its heavenly doctrine, the man of God is never at a loss for a word of rebuke, of comfort, or exhortation. And while, on the one hand, he is able to refute every new heresy that arises, by reference to the unchanging Word of God, on the other he daily acquires some new insight into the depths of revelation for his own edification and that of others. He finds that the manifold and many-sided wisdom of the Scriptures is as able to cope with the intellectual difficulties of the nineteenth century as it was with the Gnosticism of the East in the first centuries of Christianity. And so, while some turn away their ears from the truth, and turn aside unto fables, the man of God finds his faith daily strengthening and increased, and looks forward fearlessly to the time when the folly of the sceptic shall be evident to all men, and the truth of God"s Word shall be vindicated before the whole creation at the appearing of Jesus Christ in the glory of his kingdom.

HOMILIES BY T. CROSKERY Ver. 1.

The perilous times of the apostasy.

The apostle next proceeds to predict a further progress in error, with the view of putting Timothy on his guard and sharpening his diligence.

I THE PERIOD OF THIS APOSTASY. "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

1. The language does not point to the closing days of the Christian dispensation, for it resembles the language of the Apostle John is the last time where the present is undoubtedly referred to, and not the future.

2. The contextual injunction, from such turn away," applies to the present rather that, to a far distant future. The Christian Church has in all ages shown a condition of things only too closely represented by the moral picture in the context. The apostle implies that there were "vessels of dishonour" in the "large house" in his own day, such as Hymenaeus and Philetus, as well as "vessels unto honour.

3. The language has a wide latitude, covering the whole space of the Christian dispensation. The evil had begun to work in the age of Timothy, but the worst development of anti-Christian apostasy will be in the closing days of the dispensation. The "days of the Messiah" are often alluded to in the Hebrew prophets as "in the last days;" literally, "the end of days" (Isa_2:2; Hos_3:5; Mic_4:1)

II THE DANGEROUS CHARACTER OF THIS APOSTASY. "Perilous times shall come.

1. It will be a time of damager to the faith of God"s people.

2. It will be a time of peril to their lives.

3. It will be a time of abounding wickedness as well as error. T.C.

HOMILIES BY R. FINLAYSON Vers. 1-17.

Grievous times.

know this, that in the last days grievous times shall come." They were in the first days of the Christian era; the times foretold were to be in the last days of that era. There is an intended indefiniteness about the days; nothing is said about their commencement, or about the period over which they are to extend. They are to embrace distinct times, but all characterized by grievousness. From what follows we may infer that the grievousness of the times will consist in the prevalence of moral evil, and in the strange coexistence of moral evil with Christian forms. There will be difficulty in knowing how to act, and also in acting according to knowledge in the face of strong, quasi-Christian solidarities of evil. From a source of revelation open to him, the apostle was able to write with certainty regarding the coming of grievous times in the last days. There is not excluded the ultimate triumph of religion in this world which is taught elsewhere.

I CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MEN IN THE GRIEVOUS TIMES. "For men shall be lovers of self." "Such men as the apostle here describes there have been at all times, and the apostle does not say that they will be then such for the first time, nor that all men without exception shall be such, but he describes the moral spiritual physiognomy of the times which he beholds approaching." We are not to include in this first part of the description all who are influenced by self-love; for it is only right before God that we should be influenced by an intelligent regard to our interest. The persons intended are the selfish a word which was only brought in by the Puritan divines toward the middle of the seventeenth century. They are those who exclude God from the central place to which he is entitled in their life. They are those who exclude others from the place of interest to which they are entitled. They thus put self in a false position make it the beginning and end of all their thoughts and actions. They properly take the place of pre-eminence in the apostle"s list; for all classes of sinners are after the selfish type, i.e. put forward self in some way or other that does not accord with eternal truth. In the grievous times will be large developments of selfishness. "Lovers of money." From similarity of composition in the Greek words, the apostle passes on from lovers of self to lovers of money. Under this head are not to be included all seekers of money; for it is right to seek money for good ends. Neither are there to be included all who seek money for selfish ends. But we are to think rather of the avaricious, i.e. those who seek to retain money in a selfish way. They look upon it as that which will make them self-sufficient in the future; and therefore they grudge to spend it even on present necessity. The times will be grievous when the avaricious increase. "Boastful." Derived from a word signifying "a wandering about," this word designated first the vagabond mountebanks, conjuors, quacksalvers, or exorcists, "full of empty and boastful professions of cures and other feats which they could accomplish.

Men do not need to go about crying up, advertising, that which is of great value. What men generally boast of is some external advantage which is of little consequence in comparison with the moral worth which should be associated with it. The times will be grievous when the gift is exalted above the moral use to which it is put. "Haughty." The haughty are literally, in the Greek, those who show themselves above their fellows. In the glass of their own minds, they behold themselves standing along with others; and the comparison they make is in their own favour. Their estimate is false in respect of the importance attached to that in which they pride themselves, and in respect of the importance attached to that for which they despise others. Birth is an advantage, but not the only advantage, nor the greatest advantage, and must be taken along with service and character. In the grievous times there will be a great amount of pride. "Railers." The word is "blasphemers," but it would be inconsistent with holding the form of godliness to think of blasphemers in the usual sense in English. It is better, therefore, to think of those who use evil words to each other, i.e. words of contempt, or words of bitterness. There is to be a large development of evil speaking in the grievous times. "Disobedient to parents." Selfishness is early to show itself in the form of self-will. The young generation are to show impatience of being ruled by their parents, which is sure to grow into impatience in respect of all rightful rule. In the grievous times there is to be a large development of lawlessness, beginning in the family circle. "Unthankful." Those who are allowed to have their own way in early life are not likely to grow up to show gratitude to parents for what they have sacrificed for them, nor are they likely to show gratitude in the ordinary intercourse of life, nor can we think of them showing gratitude to God for his mercies. Ingratitude is to be a striking feature of the grievous times. "Unholy." There are certain sanctities which are everlasting, which are anterior to all law and custom, which belong to the Divine constitution of things, e.g. the sanctities of the marriage bond. The unholy are those who have no reverence or love in their hearts for these everlasting sanctities. In the grievous times the most sacred bonds are to be disregarded. "Without natural affection." Affection is that which sweetens life. In the grievous times affection is to die out, even for those for whom nature specially claims affection. Parents will act unnaturally toward their children. "Implacable." The word supposes a state of variance. In the grievous times men are not to come to terms with those who have given them offence, but are to pursue them with all the might of their vengeance. "Slanderers." They are not to be content with pouring contempt and bitterness on one another in ordinary evil speaking, but they are to attack one another with falsehoods. Thus the diabolic character is to be developed in the grievous times. "Without self-control." With self-will uncurbed in early life, it is not to be wondered at that the men of the grievous times are to be men who have lost self-control. "Fierce." In the grievous times there will be loss of self-control, proceeding to deeds of violence. "No lovers of good." In keeping with the personal reference before and after, we prefer to translate, "no lovers of good men." With evil so active in them, the presence of good men will be burdensome to them. They are therefore likely to make the times grievous to the good, by unjustly treating them. "Traitors." Fidelity is the sacred bond that joins friend to friend. In the grievous times friend will be often found betraying friend. "Headstrong." In the grievous times men will go to daring lengths. "Puffed up." The explanation of their daringness is, that they have no right sense of their own position before God their insignificance, impotence, and responsibility. "Lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God." Men will be daring especially in sensual gratification. Pleasure will he preferred to God. "Holding a form of godliness, but having denied the power thereof." The remarkable thing is that the men who have been described (we do not need to think of the characteristics being all combined) should hold a form of godliness. The relation of the form of godliness to the men who make the grievous times, is that it conceals their true character. It is self throughout, in a more or less hateful form, and therefore the real power of godliness is denied. But it does not appear so nakedly and hatefully to be self where there is a form of acknowledging God. The relation of the form of godliness to the grievous times is, that it allows evil to work more insidiously. It is not so difficult to meet pure heathenism as it is to meet a Christianity that has become heathenish. Advice. "From these also turn away." Paul would have things put on a basis of reality. Between Timothy and such men there could be no sympathy. Why keep up a semblance of fellowship? Both for them and for him it was better that the line of demarcation should be drawn, and that all further intercourse should proceed on the footing that they did not belong to the same Christian society.

II THE MEN OF THE GRIEVOUS TIMES ANTICIPATED. "For of these." The apostle follows up his description of the men of the evil times by the advice to turn away from them, as though they were already present. The explanation he gives is that there were forerunners of them, men of the same spiritual kith. Characteristics.

1. Influence with women.

(1) Manner of their influence. "Are they that creep into houses, and take captive silly women." Their converts were among women, which was not matter of reproach to them. But it was matter of reproach that it was women so habitually that they sought to influence, and that they did not go openly about the work of influencing them. They crept into houses, as though they did not wish to be seen. And that mode of entrance suggested the employment of other methods than the direct force of truth. By the methods employed they got the women completely into their power. It was matter of reproach to the women that they gave themselves up to such teachers, and therefore they are called silly women.

(2) Explanation of their influence. "Laden with sins, led away by divers lusts, ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." They were not women of the right stamp. In relation to their past they were laden with sins. In relation to their present they were led away by divers lusts led away to divers, and even conflicting, sources of gratification. They needed a salve for their conscience, and yet a salve that allowed continued gratification. This salve was supplied by the false teachers. They were always getting some new point from them, which gave satisfaction for the time, but they never came any nearer resting in the truth. The reason was that they had not the right moral conditions. Their object was, not to get such truth (to be found in the gospel) as would have delivered them from the guilt of their sins and the power of their lusts, but to have lengthened out to them a mingling of sensual and intellectual gratification.

2. Withstanding the truth.

(1) Type of their opposition. "And like as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also withstand the truth; men corrupted in mind, reprobate concerning the faith." The apostle here makes use of Hebrew tradition. Jannes and Jambres are not mentioned in the Old Testament, but Hebrew tradition identifies them with the chief of the magicians who withstood Moses. Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and it became a serpent; and the magicians "they also did in like manner with their enchantments." It is also recorded that they succeeded in imitating the first two plagues. They thus withstood Moses stood between him and the effect which his miracles were intended to produce on Pharaoh. So the false teachers produced a spurious imitation of the truth, teaching what resembled the gospel without being the gospel. As the gospel teachers had also to a late period (Gal_3:5) the power of working miracles, so we can understand that these teachers made use of magical arts in confirmation of their quasi-gospel teaching. They thus withstood the truth came between the gospel and the effect it was fitted to produce. In thusacting they were corrupted in mind; their motives were not good. Their object was not to advance the truth, or to benefit those whom they taught, but to advance themselves and to obtain their own ends with their female converts. They were also reprobate concerning the faith; they were making it abundantly clear that their adherence to the faith was a complete failure.

(2) Type of their defeat. "But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be evident unto all men, as theirs also came to be." So Luther used to say of the priests by whom he was opposed. The false teachers used secret and spurious methods with success; but, though they might wax worse and worse themselves (ver. 13), the time of their exposure was come. So was it with Jannes and Jambres. They were in undisturbed possession of power till Moses appeared on the scene. They seemed to be succeeding when they turned their own rods into serpents; but they suffered defeat when Aaron"s rod swallowed up their rods. They seemed to be recovering their success when they imitated the first plague, and again when they imitated the second plague; but they were baffled in their attempt to imitate the third plague. They were in connection with another plague shown to be defeated, when they could not stand before Moses because of the boils. Moses succeeded in getting the children of Israel out of Egypt; and Hebrew tradition tells that Jannes and Jambres perished in the Red Sea. This is the history of all false teaching, of all spiritual trickery. It may succeed for a time, but its very success often works its ruin. The time comes when its impostures are found out, and it can proceed no further. So we can believe that the great development of evil in the last days will end in complete exposure, and in the brilliant triumph of good.

III CONTRAST IN TIMOTHY.

1. Timothy reminded of his conduct at a former period, which was a following of Paul as his guiding star.

(1) A leading up to sufferings. "But thou didst follow my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, long suffering, love, patience, persecutions, sufferings." The period referred to is Timothy"s early ministry. He then acted as assistant to Paul, and what Paul gratefully calls to mind was his close following of him as a disciple. He not only followed him so as to be familiar with details, but followed him so as to direct his course by what he saw in him. The great lines of his teaching, the great lines of his conduct, Timothy made his own. The special purpose of his life (ruling so many details), which was to spread the gospel of Christ, was also after Paul. So, too, was his disposition towards Christ, viz. faith, especially in his power to make his gospel to tell upon men. So, too, was his disposition toward opponents, viz. his long suffering with their bitter opposition. So, too, was his disposition toward those in whose interest he laboured, viz. love for their souls. So, too, was his disposition under all the adverse conditions of his ministry, as appointed for him, viz. patience. This forms a point of transition to past troublous times when Paul was persecuted, and persecuted so as to be a sufferer in many ways. Even to the apostle"s persecutions and sufferings Timothy"s following extended; i.e. he thoroughly appreciated the fidelity which led to them and brave bearing under them. They may have had to do with his joining the apostle, and determined his own relation to persecutions and sufferings.

(2) Sufferings specified. "What things befell me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured." At Antioch he suffered expulsion. At Iconium he had to flee from maltreatment, particularly stoning. At Lystra under Jewish instigation, the mob stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. Such were the persecutions, the last especially sharp and extreme, under which Paul bore up, of which Timothy bad a distinct impression, and which were fitted to embolden him still.

(3) Comfortable issue of the sufferings. "And out of them all the Lord delivered me." He was cared for by the great Head of the Church, to whom all power in earth had been committed, to whom it belonged to order the earthly destiny of his servants. The Lord, who had more work for him to do, delivered him out of all the machinations of his enemies gave him up to sorrowing friends when he was left for dead by his enemies.

2. Timothy forewarned.

(1) Regarding persecutions. "Yea, and all that would live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." To live godly is to take the rule of our life from God. This can only be carried out in communion with Christ Jesus. Were all living according to the Divine rule around us, we should be abundantly encouraged. But seeing we live in the midst of so many who hate goodness and do not like to be reminded of God, we must expect to suffer persecution, i.e . to be misjudged, to be opposed, to be assailed, if our godliness is active and aggressive against evil, as it should be. We must have a mind to live godly, whatever consequences it entails. It was because he lived according to the Divine rule that Paul was stoned. As the principle involved was universal, Timothy, in proportion to the vitality of his godliness, must expect to suffer persecution.

(2) Regarding evil men, and especially one class of them. "But evil men and impostors shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived." Of the evil men that make persecutions, the worst specimens had not yet been seen. The rule is that good men wax better and better, the good men of one generation outstripping the good men of former generations. This may not apply to particular specimens, for we do not find any to outstrip Paul. But it is true of good men as a class that, with better helps, more experience to go by, better education, better books, better methods, better organization, they are of more value to the society to which they belong. We have laymen in our Churches now whose Christian enlightenment and activity is above what any previous generation has seen. While the good are better, the bad are worse. This applies especially to the class specified, who, with reference to what has before been said, are called impostors, or tricksters in religion. The original reference of the word is to those who chanted their spells in a sort of howl. We have worse specimens of withstanders of the truth than Jannes and Jambres were, or their successors in the early times of Christianity. Infidels are a worse class of men now than they were half a century ago. The incantations used in the free thinking press are of a more dangerous nature than any potions or howlings that were resorted to by magicians of old. Our free thinkers are deceivers; they habitually subject Scripture to the most unfair treatment. And deceiving, they are also deceived; conscious of their own trickery, they do not subject the statements of their friends to examination, but are known for their amazing credulity.

3. Timothy incited to present duty founded on past early training.

(1) Early teaching. "But abide thou in the things which thou hast learned." Timothy was no longer in the position of the child taught, but in the position of a teacher of others. To one in that position it might have been thought that the appropriate thing would have been advice about his reading and he does appear to have had books and parchments from the apostles but the advice which he gives him here is to continue in the things which he had learned, i.e. as a child. And there was really nothing better for him; nothing except this, that the Messiah whom Lois and Eunice taught him to look forward to was now come, and that there had been done to him and by him all that the Old Testament Scriptures had said of him. And so to those who are grown up, and have power to think and to read and to grasp things with a firm grasp, there is never anything better than the old story of Jesus and his love, learned at a mother"s knee.

(2) Early teaching along with early convictions. "And hast been assured of." We should read," Thou didst learn, and wast assured of." It is Timothy"s early convictions that we are to think of. He not only got the teaching from Lois and Eunice, but it became matter of personal conviction to him. He could set to his own seal to what he had been taught. He knew the worth of a mother"s religion in the peace, restraint, hope, it brought into his own soul. It was a legitimate argument for Paul to use with Timothy, not to turn his back on his early convictions, to hold to the God of his childhood. When life was lived according to God"s ideas, such as Timothy"s was, he was not to be inconsistent and to make the latter part disagree with the former. "There is but one way of making all our days one, because one love, one hope, one joy, one aim, binds them all together; and that is by taking the abiding Christ for ours, and abiding in him all our days. Our true progress consists, not in growing away from Jesus, but in growing up into him; not in passing through and leaving behind the first convictions of him as Saviour, but in having these verified by the experience of years, deepened and cleared, unfolded and ordered into a larger though still incomplete whole.

(3) Personal element in teaching. "Knowing of whom what persons thou hast learned them." "Timothy was supposed to have a complete set of recollections from his mother woven into his very feeling of the truth itself. It was more true, because it had been taught by her. There was even a sense of her loving personality in it, by which it had always been, and was always to be endeared. On the other hand, it will be always found that every kind of teaching in religion which adds no personal interest or attraction to the truth, sheds no light upon it from a good and beautiful life, is nearly or quite worthless. And here is the privilege of a genuinely Christian father and mother in their teaching, that they pass into the heart"s feeling of their child, side by side with God"s truth, to be forever identified with it, and to be, themselves, lived on and over with it, in the dear eternity it gives him.

(4) When teaching begins. "And that from a babe thou hast known." Those who carry the idea of individual responsibility through everything have a difficulty here in the dating of religious instruction from the very earliest age. James Mill, the author of the "History of India," taking the education of his more remarkable son, John Stuart Mill, into his own hands, proceeded on the principle that a religious upbringing would be an interference with free development, and systematically kept all religious ideas out of his mind till he considered him able to form an independent and unbiassed judgment upon the subject of religion. Our objection to that course is that it is a virtual selling of the child to the devil. If God and truth are not presented to the mind till a matured judgment can be formed, it is not as though there had not been experience, but the mind is already warped and religion is placed at a fearful disadvantage. Eunice proceeded on the right principle when she seized the earliest opportunity of influencing the mind of Timothy in favour of religion.

(5) Scriptural teaching.

(a) Name. "The sacred writings." The name is suggestive, in the first place, of a written revelation, which has the advantage over oral tradition (the form of revelation which obtained for the first two or three thousand years) in that it does not lie so open to the action of prejudice. Men may come with all manner of prejudices to it, but it is there to witness for itself to every unprejudiced mind. The name is suggestive, in the second place, of many writers being employed in the communication of Divine truth, which is much better than one with his particular idiosyncrasy entering into his writings, inasmuch as all classes of minds can be thus suited, and if they are not attracted by one mode of stating the truth, they may be attracted by another. The name is suggestive, in the third place, of writings connected with religion, such as there do not seem to have been in connection with the religions of Greece and Rome. The Bible can be employed for the instruction of children, inasmuch as it is truly a child"s book as well as a man"s book. What is needed, at the first stage at least, is truth in the concrete form; and this is to be found in the Bible, which, with some things hard to be understood, has yet many a simple statement and story that is fitted to fill the child"s imagination and to touch the child"s heart. Eunice had only the Old Testament Scriptures to draw upon: the Christian parent has now an immense advantage, in the addition of the New Testament, and especially of the four Gospels, and in the greater facilities which a printed Bible gives him for getting Bible images and lessons into the mind of the child.

(b) Property. "Which are able to make thee wise unto salvation." They form a directory to salvation, containing all the information and pleading with the soul which are necessary. To one inexperienced in the ways of the world it is a great advantage to have a friend at hand, able on every occasion to give a sound advice, to expose fallacies, to put forward weighty considerations. Inexperienced in the ways of the world we certainly are, liable to be deceived by appearances, to be buoyed up with false hopes. In giving us the Scriptures, God acts the part of a friend, giving us the best advice, opening our eyes to reality, so that, with all our inexperience, it is as though we possessed boundless stores of wisdom. They are able to make wise unto salvation, but they may not; for there are some who make themselves wiser than God"s Word, and think they know better about things than God does, and so perish by being wise in their own conceits and refusing to be guided.

(c) Condition of efficiency. "Through faith which is in Christ Jesus." The Scriptures cannot do more than make us wise unto salvation; they are not to be put in the place of Christ, whose connection with salvation is more than that of a directory is of the most intimate nature, who is really the efficient Cause of salvation, the Receptacle of salvation; and they only do their work when they bring us up to Christ, and also induce in us that state of mind which is here called faith, which instrumentally appropriates the salvation which is in him.

IV SUFFICIENCY OF SCRIPTURE.

1. Ground of sufficiency. "Every Scripture inspired of God." According to this translation the inspiration of Scripture is taught, not explicitly but implicitly. We are to regard it as taken for granted that Scripture is God-breathed. Inspiration extends to every part of Scripture. This is a doctrine of vital importance to the Church. Its bearing is that there is not only the absence of error, but the presence of positive perfection in relation to the whole want of man under the present order of things. The Divine influence, however operating, is guarantee that in Scripture, in its manifoldness, we have all fundamentally that needs to be said to man on the subject of religion, and in the form that is best fitted to have deep and lasting effect upon his spiritual nature as a whole. The difference is very perceptible in the post-apostolic literature. "Even where we recognize a lofty flight of the spirit as in the Ignatian Epistles, the inspiration repeatedly is merely a religious enthusiasm, a subjective romance, showing itself in an almost revelling desire for martyrdom, moving and even infectious; so that many who read an Ignatian Epistle for the first time feel themselves doubtless more excited and stirred than by a Pauline one; but this very feature proves that it is not really inspired; for the Spirit who founded the Church does not tolerate the extolling of one isolated tendency in the soul, and cannot bear

2. such subjective partiality of view, be it ever so strong, ever so apparently admirable.

3. Fourfold use. "Is also profitable." In reading the Scriptures what we are to seek above all things is that the truth contained in them may be brought into contact with our minds for our profit. "For teaching." There is first a revealing power in the Bible. It teaches us much that we could not otherwise have known. It supplies us with what is necessary not only for a correct, but a lofty, conception of God. It acquaints us with our fallen state, and with God"s dealings with us for our salvation. "For reproof." The reproving power of the Bible results from its great revealing power, along with the state in which it finds us. The light it sheds is not for our justification, but for our being convicted of departures both from truth and righteousness. "For correction." The corrective power of the Bible starts from our being convicted as out of the straight path. By proper directions, admonitions, warnings, encouragements, it brings us back into the straight path. "For instruction which is in righteousness." The disciplinary power of the Bible is specified as being within the sphere of righteousness. In the lofty demands it makes the loftier the further we advance it gives us the spiritual drill which makes for right habits.

4. Completeness aimed at. "That the man of God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work." The man of God is man according to the Divine idea. Many excellences go to make the complete man, intellectual, emotional, practical. God desires to see the complete man; and he has given the Bible for that end. The completeness thought of is that of man as a worker, producing good thoughts, good words, good actions. God desires to see the completely furnished worker, and he has given the Bible for that end. It is true that we come very far short of the Divine ideal of our humanity; the reason will be found to be that we neglect the help provided for us. We do not consult God, but our own prejudiced thoughts. Let us go back to the Bible, to be convicted of our error, and corrected, and severely exercised toward the complete man. R.F.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

In the last days - The time of the gospel dispensation, commencing at the time of our Lord's death, is peculiarly styled the last days. Grievous - Troublesome and dangerous.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

Chapter III

Ver. 1. This know, (It is scarcely worth while to advert to the plural reading of A, F, γινώσκετε, strangely preferred by Lachmann and Huther; for γίνωσκε has the support of א, C, D, K, L, Vulg., Syr., and Coptic versions.) however, that in the last days grievous times shall set in. The introduction of the mournful topic discussed in this section of the epistle is made with a but, or a however, because forming a sort of contrast to the hopeful issue indicated at the close of the preceding chapter respecting the opponents there referred to. Timothy, and those following him in the administration of the affairs of the church, are warned against entertaining too sanguine expectations—admonished to bear in mind that, however they may succeed with particular persons in repressing incipient disorders, and winning men back to sobriety of mind, there was to be a great development of evil in the approaching future, not only of the outlying world, but also of the Christian church. This gloomy prospect is associated with the last days (ἐν ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις;—without the article, because the expression itself is sufficiently individualizing as to the time meant; Winer, Gr. § 19). But while in one sense this term is specific enough, in another it is attended with a considerable amount of vagueness. In prophecy it was often used for the far distant future, especially as connected with Messianic times (see the Sept., for example, at Num 24:14; Isa 2:2, Isa 9:1; Jer 23:20; Dan 2:28, Dan 10:14, etc.). And about the gospel age, it would appear that the expression, with some slight variations—such as John’s ἐσχάτη ὥρα (1Jn 2:18)—had become appropriated generally to the period or dispensation of Messiah. So, in Heb 1:1 and 1Pe 1:23, this whole period is distinguished from the times of the fathers and the prophets which preceded, by being designated “the last days,” or “the last of the days;” and we learn from other sources that the Jews of later times familiarly used the same mode of speech (Schöttgen, Hor. Heb., on this passage). It does not appear that in this respect they were wont to distinguish between the “latter” days and the “last” days (see at 1Ti 4:1). And it is somewhat doubtful how far the apostles attempted to go beyond their countrymen in any more discriminating use of such expressions. They were discouraged by our Lord from expecting to get definite revelations of the times and the seasons pertaining to the future of His kingdom (Act 1:6); and while they throw out, from time to time, prophetic intimations of events, both of an adverse and a prosperous kind, which should mark its progress, they leave us much in the dark as to either the absolute or the relative times of their occurrence. In particular, the deplorable manifestation of corruption and godlessness which here, for example,—and at 2Pe 3:3, also in 1Jn 2:18, and 2Th 2:1-12,—is coupled with the last days, appears from the descriptions to deepen as those days proceed, and to reach, one is apt to think, a culmination not far from their close in the second advent; while yet the evil is represented as either actually begun in the apostolic age, or just on the eve of beginning to develope itself The grievous times or seasons (χαλεποί, grievous in a moral respect; difficult, hence perilous) which the apostle in this passage associates with the last days, are at the same time said to be pressing on—ἐνστήσονται, aderunt (Bengel), they will immediately be present, are even now close at hand—so that all should be on the outlook for them. Indeed, consisting as they do in spiritual defections from the life of the gospel, and consequent moral depravations, they are never wholly wanting in any age of the church, though at certain periods and in particular localities they become more rife and rampant than in others. “I think,” says Theodoret, “that it was our time which is here predicted. For our life is full of these evils; and while we bear about us an aspect of piety, it is the image of wickedness which we produce by our works.” So, many have in substance said, of their particular time, both before and since; so, doubtless, they will say in the future; and what is written of the evil in the epistolary or apocalyptic portions of New Testament Scripture, is but an expansion of the prophetic glimpses given by our Lord in some of His parables (such as the Wheat and Tares, the Wise and Foolish Virgins), and in His discourse on the last times, which speaks of false teachers and prophets, delusions, iniquity abounding, and the love of many waxing cold (Matthew 24). It was not that Christianity was in any measure to produce the corruptions and disorders that were in prospect, but simply that they should exist in spite of the divine grace and reformatory agencies it was bringing into play, and to some extent also should take advantage of its hallowed name under which to cloak, or more effectually prosecute, the work of evil.

Patrick Fairbairn — An Exposition of Ezekiel (1851), Jonah (1849), and The Pastoral Epistles (1874) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

know

Apostasy, Summary: Apostasy, "falling away," is the act of professed Christians who deliberately reject revealed truth

(1) as to the deity of Jesus Christ, and

(2) redemption through His atoning and redeeming sacrifice 1Jn 4:1-3; Php 3:18; 2Pe 2:1. Apostasy differs from error concerning truth, which may be the result of ignorance Act 19:1-6 or heresy, which may be due to the sphere of Satan 2Ti 2:25; 2Ti 2:26 both of which may consist with true faith. The apostate is perfectly described in 2Ti 4:3; 2Ti 4:4. Apostates depart from the faith, but not from the outward profession of Christianity 2Ti 3:5. Apostate teachers are described in; 2Ti 4:3; 2Pe 2:1-19; Jud 1:4; Jud 1:8; Jud 1:11-13; Jud 1:16.

Apostasy in the church, as in Israel Isa 1:5; Isa 1:6; Isa 5:5-7 is irremediable, and awaits judgment; 2Th 2:10-12; 2Pe 2:17; 2Pe 2:21; Jud 1:11-15; Rev 3:14-16.

The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

As if our apostle had said "O my son Timothy, be not thou discouraged, neither let any of thy successors be dismayed, at the sects and schisms, at the heresies and blasphemies, at the vice and impiety, which will be found in and among persons in the last days, when certainly know, that perilous times shall come; where, by the last days, understand all the times from Christ’s first coming in the flesh, to his second coming to judgment; in the beginning of times several sorts of persons, yea, several sects and parties of men, arose, to whom the following characters did belong; namely, proud, covetous, boasters, and the like.

As the judaizing teachers, who urged the necessity of circumcision, and the observation of the ceremonial law; also the Gnostics, and followers of Simon Magus, have these characters applied to them in those early days; and it were well if the church of Rome, in these latter days, could clear herself of these characters, which are found upon her, as the marks and badges of an apostate church.

Learn hence, 1. That the days we now live in are the last days, and our times the last times.

2. That the last times are, and will be, the worst times, perilous times, full of sin and full of trouble. Old age is the dregs of life, the world draws upon its lees, the dregs are apparent: In the last days perilous times shall come.

William Burkitt's Expository Notes on the New Testament (1700–1703) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

ARGUMENT 6

APOSTASIES OF THE LAST DAYS

1. “But know this, that in the last days perilous times shall come.” It is overwhelmingly patent to all Bible readers that we are living in the time of the end of the Gentile dispensation, the last preceding the millennial kingdom, even now conspicuously dawning on all the earth in the holiness movement belting the globe, the bright morning star heralding the swift approach of the glorious Sun of righteousness, destined soon “to rise upon the earth with healing in his wings,” forever expelling the black darkness with which Satan’s dismal night has enveloped the globe six thousand years, since the bright day of Eden suffered total eclipse.

2. “For men shall be lovers of themselves;” i.e., selfish lovers of money. Never in all the ages were money-loving and money-getting so rampant as at the present day, when the people are blind to what does not glisten, and deaf to what does not jingle. Paul says the covetous man is an idolater. According to that Scripture, pulpits and pews are filled with idolaters. “Proud blasphemers, disobedient to parents.” O how sadly are these dark adjectives everywhere verified! How fearfully is parental authority rejected by the proud and incorrigible! “Ungrateful, unholy.” Preachers in solid platoons, with the Holy Bible lying before them, have the diabolical audacity to preach against holiness, to please and captivate their proud, worldly, and wicked members for the sake of filthy lucre. “Without natural affection.” Not only are family relations ignored, but murders, especially infanticides, are common. “Covenant breakers.” It is no trouble to join any of the popular Churches without so much as a conviction of sin; solemnly obligating themselves in the presence of God, angels, and men, “to renounce the devil and all his works,” they never even think of giving up Satan’s frolics, fandangos, and the pleasures of sin, thus not only falsifying but perjuring themselves, and sadly verifying the words of Jesus, “Making them twofold more the children of hell.” “Devilish, incorrigible, furious.” What awful adjectives to apply to Church members. For he is not speaking of aliens, but professors of Christianity. I have been personally notified of a number of preachers committing murder and other high crimes. Only ten days ago a Church member in this State was hung for murder. “Opposed to the good.” God’s true people meet their most terrible opposition in the ministry and membership of the popular Churches.

4. “Traitors, headstrong, puffed up, lovers of pleasure, rather than lovers of God.” The Church members of the present day sadly verify these dark adjectives. Despite all that can be done, they will have the pleasures of sin, showing predominant love of the world, its foolish amusements, silly pastimes, and carnal indulgences, and actually no love of God, pastors apparently powerless to restrain them, with folded arms giving way to the overmastering tide of sin and worldliness.

5. “Having the form of godliness.” This clause shows positively that the Holy Ghost is here describing Church members, for none others have the form of godliness. How rapidly we are sweeping to the end! I am a mournful witness to the sad verification of this black catalogue of sins in the Churches of the present day. Forty years ago these vices and follies were not tolerated in the Churches, excommunications constantly occurring in all denominations, thus keeping the Churches expurgated of these wicked characters. Sad this day to see them in the majority, and ruling the Churches! “And denying the power of the same” (i.e., godliness). Justification brings us into the kingdom of peace, and sanctification into that of power. Without sanctification, an everlasting tide of internal strife with inbred sin sets hard against you, liable any moment to sweep you away into condemnation. John Wesley says: “Justification saves us from evil habits, but sanctification from evil tempers.” On all sides myriads of preachers and millions of members, representing the influential denominations, are denying sanctification, which is the “power of godliness.” I do not mean that they verbally deny it. But really they ignore and reject it, some evading altogether, by identifying it with conversion, others postponing it till death, and still others running it into vague gradualism, denominated growth in grace, and thus eliminating the very possibility of the experience, all like Pilate and Herod uniting in the crucifixion of the holiness movement, God’s relief train, which he has sent to the rescue of the wrecked. “And from these turn away.” This is too plain to need comment. It is the positive commandment of Almighty God to turn away from all religious people who deny the power of godliness, which is sanctification. John Wesley advised the people, when a preacher spoke against Christian perfection, to retire from the congregation, but go back to the next meeting, thus opening the door of reformation. “Brother Godbey, would you advise me to withdraw from the membership of a Church that fights holiness?” If you have not sufficient grace to serve as God’s faithful missionary (for certainly such a Church is good missionary ground), to shine and shout among them courageously, holding up the banner of holiness to the Lord, I would certainly advise obedience to the above commandment of the Holy Ghost, “From such turn away.” One thing is certain: if you do not draw them, they will draw you, dragging you into hell with them. You can not possibly participate in their frolics, festivals, and worldliness, and keep your experience. Millions of young converts have been frozen out, and dragged back into the world by frolicking Church members. If you fall into their trend, you are gone, world without end. So you had better obey this commandment, “From such turn away,” unless you stay with them to pray, testify, exhort, preach, suffer persecution, shine and shout for Jesus, thus using the dead worldly Church as a missionary field.

6. “For of these are those who are creeping into houses and leading captive silly women, having been laden with sins, led about by various lusts.” How signally is this verse verified in the jealous proselytic rivalry everywhere prevalent among the fallen Churches! For this reason discipline has become a lost art. They fear the excommunicated will join their neighbor, giving a numerical majority to their competitor. Not only have they ceased to excommunicate the wicked, but all sorts of subterranean stratagems are indulged, as Jesus says, “Compassing sea and land, and making him twofold more the child of hell.” “Silly women” is a translation of gunaikaria, a diminutive from gunee, a woman. Hence, it means little women. As the word is in the neuter gender, it means men as well as women. Among heathen the women have never been educated; consequently they are proverbial for their ignorance and liability to abduction in all sorts of ways responsive to the intrigues of designing demagogues. Hence, the idea conveyed by the Greek in this passage is that these uncultured, ignorant, feeble-minded people become a prey to ecclesiastical proselyters. Certainly this prophecy is now receiving its literal fulfillment.

7. “Always learning, and never able to come to a perfect knowledge of the truth.” This floating element manipulated indiscriminately by the proselyting sects, they profess and join in every protracted meeting. Perhaps, in the mercy of God, they sometimes get converted, but instead of progressing into holiness—i.e., a “perfect knowledge of the truth”— collapse again, and fall a prey to another proselyter. If they could only once get sanctified and settled in Christ, their floating would cease.

8. “In which manner Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so these also resist the truth, men corrupt as to their mind, reprobate concerning the faith.” These proselytic pastors and custodians of the fallen Churches are here compared to Jannes and Jambres, those Egyptian magicians, Satan’s preachers, who antagonized Moses, by the power of the devil counterfeiting his miracles, turning their rods into serpents. But the serpent transformed out of Moses’ rod devoured those of Jannes and Jambres, illustrating the superiority of God’s power to that of the devil.

Satan in all ages has wrought miracles, by ancient sorcery, Egyptian magic, medieval witchcraft, and is now doing a big work through spiritualism, Christian science, and hypnotism. The devil is so much wiser and stronger than men that he can do any amount of works miraculous in human estimation, because beyond our comprehension. Yet you must remember that Satan is a finite being, and can not perform omnipotent miracles, which belong only to God. I doubt not but multitudes of preachers at the present day, in fulfillment of this alarming latter-day prophecy, are literally manipulated by the devil, like Jannes and Jambres, and “reprobate concerning the faith;” i.e., hopelessly given over to the devil.

9. “But they shall proceed no farther.” Soon our Lord is coming to execute terrible judgment and retribution on the wicked nations and fallen Churches. “For their folly shall be made manifest to all, as theirs was also.” Our Lord is coming in his glory to take up his saints, leaving the wicked world and Babylonian sects to the awful retributions of the great Tribulation, when the ancient of days will descend in flaming fire and execute judgment on the enemies of his Son, thus hackling out of the world everything that will not do for the coming kingdom. (Act 3:23.) Then the counterfeit millions in pulpit and pew will all be revealed.

10, 11. Here Paul alludes to his terrible persecutions. At Lystra, where God gave him Timothy, they actually stoned him to death; meanwhile he went up and spent that memorable hour in heaven. (2 Corinthians 12.) Thus recapitulating his wonderfully eventful life of toil, privation, and persecution, he exhorts Timothy to be courageous and stand the storm.

12. “And all wishing to live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” The reason why none but the holiness people are persecuted at the present day, is the simple fact that the devil is not fool enough to waste his ammunition on dead game. He is as much opposed to genuine religion as in the days of the martyrs. The reason why the common Churchism of the day provokes no opposition, is because the devil has no objection to it. He is perfectly willing for you to take your choice between the inside and the outside way to hell. But if you go for real religion—i.e., entire sanctification—with all your might, look out for the artillery of hell; it is sure to be turned against you.

13. “But wicked men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.” The ejaculation is vociferated from popular pulpits on all sides, “The world is getting better,” and they tell us the coming of the Lord is a great way off. Peter predicted these men, mocking and scoffing,

“Where is now the promise of his coming.” (2Pe 3:4.)

I prefer to believe the Holy Ghost, who says the world will get worse to the end, the Gentile age winding up like the antediluvian, amid awful corruptions and terrible destruction. They call me a pessimist. I can afford to be called anything in company with Peter, Paul, and Jesus. They, along with all the prophets, old and new, are pessimists on sin, but optimists on grace. All finite beings are progressive, Satan himself no exception, with all of his people in earth and hell getting worse all the time. Every age has got worse to the end, winding up in terrible calamities; i.e., Eden with the fall, the Antediluvian with the flood, the Patriarchal with the plagues of Egypt, the Messianic with bloody Calvary, the Mosaic with the destruction of Jerusalem, and Pentecostal now hastening its awful terminus in the great Tribulation. While the wicked are progressing fearfully in sin, it is equally true the righteous are making glorious progress in grace. Never did the true people of God understand the Bible so well as now. Never did the world know such missionary enterprise as at the present day. Millions of martyrs now tread the earth. All they need is some one to kindle the fire. They are ready to seal their faith with their blood.

14, 15. Here is another beautiful allusion to Timothy’s godly parentage, which so eminently qualified him for the mighty work God permitted him to do.

16. “All Scripture is God-breathed.” This beautiful word (E.V., given by the inspiration of God) is theopneustos, from theos, God, and pneuma, breath. Hence, it literally means God-breathed, or the breath of God. O what a wonderful Bible we have—”the breath of God!” While every translation is inspired in its integrity, really and substantially the message of God, the verbal inspiration is only in the original; i.e., the Greek of the New and the Hebrew of the Old Testament. The holiness movement is destined to inaugurate a new era in the appreciation of the originals. Every young preacher should go straight to the Greek Testament and master it. As the Old Testament is all repeated and focalized in the New, and we are living under the New Testament dispensation, therefore the Greek of the New Testament is infinitely more important than the Hebrew of the Old. If possible, master and utilize the Greek Testament, giving sufficient attention to the Hebrew to handle it with dictionaries. O what a blessed privilege to read the very words which God breathed into the inspired writers, and enabled them to transmit to us! “Profitable for teaching.” The school of Christ, with the Bible as the only textbook, is next door to heaven. It is a blighting shame that the Bible is not studied and taught in every Church. God says, “My people perish for lack of knowledge.” How sadly do we see this truth verified on all sides! Outside of the holiness movement, Church members are shamefully ignorant of God’s Word, and the fewest number of preachers competent to teach it, in consequence of their deplorable experimental deficiencies, since the Bible is strictly and preeminently an experimental book, which must go through our hearts if we ever walk through the city of God. “For conviction.” Without conviction there can be no conversion, sanctification, nor anything else but damnation. Here is the radical deficiency in the popular ministry. As a rule, it is destitute of conviction, and very convenient for Satan to use as a greased plank over which to slide the people into hell. The true gospel, if faithfully preached, is the most stirring thing in the universe. It will burn people out or in; i. e, either bring them to God, or drive them away. When did Paul ever preach at any place without raising a row? “For correction” The Bible is the straightedge by which every human life is to be regulated In architecture everything has to come to the straight, or be thrown out. Hence, God’s Word is the effectual cure for all sin and heresy. “For instruction in righteousness:

17. “In order that the man of God may be perfect, having been thoroughly perfected unto every good work.” “Perfect” is from the Latin facio, to make, and per, complete. Christ came to destroy the work of the devil, which is sin, thus restoring man to the image and likeness of God, and preparing him to do his will on earth as the angels do it in heaven. Hence, Christian perfection removes everything out of the heart impedimental to our full efficiency in the service of the Lord. We have Churches full of people dumb as the pews they encumber, deluded by the diabolical falsehood that they are excusable for their silly dumbhood and utter worthlessness in the Lord’s vineyard; meanwhile the Holy Spirit is grieved because they will not let him wholly sanctify them, and give them tongues of fire, thus making their religion enjoyable to themselves, profitable to others, and glorifying to God. Thus this beautiful grace of perfection qualifies you for every good work by eliminating all hindrances out of your heart, forever crowning every duty with delight.

William B. Godbey, Commentary on the New Testament (1896–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

2 Timothy Chapter 3

Now this evil influence would too surely be exercised. The power of the holy truth of God would be lost in the assembly and among Christians; and those who bore this name would become (under the influence of the enemy) the expression of the will and passions of man, while still maintaining the forms of godliness; a peculiar condition, which betrays in a remarkable way the influence and the work of the enemy. This was to be expected; and they would be perilous days.

The open opposition of the enemy is doubtless a painful thing, but he deceives souls by the specious appearances of which the apostle here speaks-that which bears the name of Christianity, that which before men has the character of godliness, and which the flesh will accept as such much more readily than that which, because it is true godliness, is contrary to the flesh. Nevertheless all the worst features of the human heart are linked with the name of Christianity. What then does the testimony become? It is, so to speak, an individual prophecy, clothed in sackcloth.

There is activity in this perilous evil of the last days: these deceivers would creep into houses, and gain the ear of feeble souls, who, governed by their passions, are ever learning yet never learn. Teachers like these resist the truth, they are men of corrupt minds, reprobate as to the faith; but they shall proceed no farther. God will make manifest their folly and their falseness by means even of their own pretensions, which they can no longer maintain.

The man of God is to turn away from such men while they are yet deceiving and exercising their influence. God will expose them in due time. All will then judge them, and condemn their pretensions; the spiritual man does so while they are deceiving the others in security.

We may remark here that which evidences the sad and dangerous character of the days of which the apostle is speaking. If we compare the lists of sins and abominations, which Paul gives at the beginning of the Epistle to the Romans, as characterising heathen life and the moral degradation of men during those times of darkness and demon-worship, with the catalog of sins that characterise those who have the form of godliness, we shall find that it is nearly the same, and morally quite the same; only that some of the open sins which mark the man who has no outward restraint are wanting here, the form of godliness precluding them and taking their place.

It is a solemn thought, that the same degradation which existed among heathens is reproduced under Christianity, covering itself with that name, and even assuming the form of godliness. But in fact it is the same nature, the same passions, the same power of the enemy, with but the addition of hypocrisy. It is only the departure from, and corruption of, the true doctrine of the Mediator; as Paganism was that of the true doctrine of the only God.

Different directions are given for the conduct of the man of God, with regard to the vessels unto dishonour, and the men who act in the spirit of the last days. From the former he is to purge himself: he is to think of faithfulness in his own walk; and by cleansing himself from those vessels which do not honour the name of Christ, which (although in the great house) do not bear the stamp of a pure desire for His glory, he shall be a vessel unto honour, fit for the Master’s use. By keeping apart from such vessels, he is sheltered from the influences that impoverish and degrade the testimony he has to render to Christ; he is pure from that which deteriorates and falsifies that testimony.

In the other case-that of the men who gave the character of “perilous” to the last days, the corrupt opposers of the truth, bearing the name of godliness-with regard to these his testimony is to be distinct and plain. Here he is not merely to cleanse himself; he testifies his moral abhorrence, his loathing, of those who, being, the instruments of the enemy, bear this character of formal piety. He turns away from them, and leaves them to the judgment of God.

Timothy had the walk and spirit of the apostle for his pattern. He had been much with him; he had seen, in times of trial, his patience and his sufferings, the persecutions he had endured; but the Lord had delivered him out of all. It would be the same with all who sought to live according to godliness, which is in Christ Jesus:[7] they should endure persecution. Evil men and seducers would wax worse and worse, deceiving others, and being, at the same time, deceived themselves.

The character of the last days is strongly marked here, and gives no hope for Christianity as a whole. The progress of evil is described as developing itself in two distinct characters, to which we have already alluded. The great house-Christendom as a whole- in which there are vessels to dishonour, from which we are to purge ourselves, and the positive activity of corruption, and of the instruments who propagate it and resist the truth, although they who corrupt themselves assume the form of godliness. Under this last aspect the wicked will go on growing worse and worse; nevertheless the hand of God in power will demonstrate their folly.

We may distinguish, in this second category, the general character of pride and corruptness in all who submit to this malignant influence, and those who themselves labour to extend it. Of the latter of this class, the apostle says, are they who creep into houses. The character is that of the mass who are seduced but there are seducers. These resist the truth, and their folly shall be manifested. It may be that God may demonstrate it, wherever there is faithfulness, in order to save His own from it; but, in general, their evil work will go on, and the seduction grow worse and worse, until the end, when God will make manifest the folly of those who have departed from Him and given themselves up to the errors of the human mind, and laboured to maintain and propagate them.

The apostle then tells Timothy of the safeguard on which he may rely to preserve himself, through grace, steadfast in the truth, and in the enjoyment of the salvation of God. Security rests upon the certainty of the immediate origin of the doctrine which he had received; and upon the scriptures received, as authentic and inspired documents, which announced the will, the acts, the counsels, and even the nature of God. We abide in that which we have learnt, because we know from whom we have learnt it. The principle is simple and very important. We advance in divine knowledge, but (so far as we are taught of God) we never give up, for new opinions, that which we have learnt from an immediately divine source, knowing that it is so. By a source immediately divine, I mean, a person to whom God Himself has communicated the truth by revelation with authority to promulgate it. In this case I receive what he says (when I know him to be such) as a divine communication. It is true that the scriptures always remain as a counter proof, but when-as in the case of the apostles-a man is proved to be the minister of God, gifted by Him for the purpose of communicating His mind, I receive what he says in the exercise of his ministry as coming from God. It is not the assembly that is in view in this case. It cannot be the vessel of divine truth directly communicated to it from God. Individuals are always that. We have seen that its part is to confess the truth when communicated, not to communicate it. But we here speak of a person to whom and by whom God immediately reveals the truth-such as the apostles and prophets. God has communicated to them, as elect vessels for this purpose, that which He desired to communicate to the world, and they have so communicated. None could do it who had not received it himself from God as a revelation: if this is not the case, the man himself has some part in it. I could not then say, “I know of whom I have learnt it,” as knowing that it came immediately from God and by divine revelation.

When God had something to communicate to the assembly itself, He did it by means of such persons as Paul, Peter, & etc. The assembly is composed of individuals; it cannot receive a divine revelation in a mass, as the assembly, except it be by hearing in common a divine voice, which is not God’s way. The Holy Ghost distributes to every one, severally as He will. There are prophets, and the Spirit says, “Separate unto me Barnabas and Paul.” Christ has given gifts to men, some apostles, some prophets, & etc. Accordingly the apostle says here, not “where,” but “of whom” thou hast learnt these things.

Here, then, is the first foundation of certainty, strength and assurance for the man of God with regard to divine truth. It has not been revealed to him immediately. It was Paul and other instruments, whom God chose for this special favour. But he knows of whom he has learnt it; even of one (here it was Paul) to whom it had been directly made known by inspiration, and who has authority from God to impart; so that they who learn of him know that it is divine truth, exactly as God communicated it (compare 1Co 2:1-16), and in the form in which He was pleased to communicate it.

There is another means, which has a character of its own; the scriptures, which are as such the foundation of faith to the man of God, and which direct him in all his ways. The Lord Jesus Himself said (speaking of Moses), “If ye believenot his writings, how shall ye believe my words?” His words were the words of God; He does not contrast the authority of what He said with that of the written word, but the means of communication. God has been pleased to employ that means as a permanent authority. Peter says “No prophecy of scripture ....”. There have been many prophecies which are not written; they had the authority of God for those persons to whom they were addressed. For the word speaks more than once of prophets-who must therefore have prophesied-with out communicating their prophecies to us. They were instruments for making known the will of God, at the moment, in order to guide His people in their actual circumstances, without its being a revelation necessary to the people of God at all times, or applicable either to the world, to Israel, or to the assembly in all ages. It was not a general and permanent revelation from God for the instruction of the soul at all periods.

A multitude of things, spoken by Jesus Himself are not reproduced in the scriptures; so that it is not only a question of from whom we have heard a truth, but also of the character of that which has been communicated. When it is for the permanent profit of the people or the assembly of God, God caused it to be written in the scriptures, and it abides for the instruction and the food of His children in all ages.

The expression, “knowing of whom thou hast learned them,’’ establishes us on personal apostolic authority, viewing the apostles as teachers authorized by the Lord. John says, “They who are of God hear us.” It is not necessary that scripture should be written by apostles; God has made known therein His will and the truth, and has committed the sacred deposit to His people for the profit of all ages. The scriptures have authority as such. And it is not that which, as a spiritual man, one may receive from them, that by which we have profited (as to application to one’s soul that is indeed all); but it is the entire holy scripture, such as we possess it, which has this authority.

From his childhood Timothy had read the holy scriptures; and these writings, such as he had read them as a child, guarded him-as divine authority- against error, and furnished him with the divine truths needful for his instruction. To use them aright, faith in Christ was requisite: but that which he used was the scripture known from his youth. The important thing to observe here is that the apostle is speaking of the scriptures, as they are in themselves, such as a child reads them; not even of that which a converted or spiritual man finds in them, but simply the holy writings themselves.

It may perhaps be said, that Timothy as a child possessed only the Old Testament. Agreed: but what we have here is the character of all that has a right to be called holy scripture. As Peter says as to the writings of Paul, these, “They wrest, as they do also THE OTHER SCRIPTURES.’ [8] title to that name, its writings possess the same character and have the same authority as the Old Testament.

The scriptures are the permanent expression of the mind and will of God furnished as such with His authority. They are His expression of His own thoughts. They edify, they are profitable: but this is not all-they are inspired. It is not only that the truth is given in them by inspiration. It is not this which is here stated. They are inspired.

The greater part of the New Testament is comprised in the first source of authority, “knowing of whom thou hast learnt them,” namely, all that which the apostles have written; because, in learning the truth therein, I can say I know from whom I have learnt it-I have learnt it from Paul, or from John, or from Peter, & etc. But, besides this, being received as scriptures, they have the authority of divine writings, to which, as a form of communication, God has given the preference above the spoken word. They are the permanent rule by which every spoken word is to be judged.

In a word the scriptures are inspired. They teach, they judge the heart, they correct, they discipline according to righteousness, in order that the man of God may be perfect, that is, thoroughly instructed in the will of God, his mind formed after that will and completely furnished for every good work. The power for performing these comes from the actings of the Spirit. Safeguard from error, wisdom unto salvation, flow from the scriptures j they are capable of supplying them. We are to abide in that which we have learnt from the apostles, and to be governed by the writings of God.

Footnotes for 2 Timothy Chapter 3

7: We get the difference of the state of things in this case also., It is not all Christians who will be persecuted, but all who will live godly in Christ Jesus.

8: This too is the real sense of Rom 16:26, where we should read, “by prophetic writings.

John Nelson Darby — Synopsis of the Books of the Bible: the New Testament (c. 1857–1862) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

1–5. In the last days. In the last ages of the world. The expression is often used of the gospel dispensation. Perilous times. Grievous, times of distress.

B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.

Connecting Statement:

Paul lets Timothy know that in the future people will stop believing the truth, but he should continuing trusting God's word even when he is persecuted.

In the last days

Possible meanings are 1) this is a time later than Paul's time. AT: "in the future just before Jesus returns" or 2) this refers to the Christian age, including Paul's time. AT: "during this period of time before the end"

difficult times

These will be days, months, or even years when Christians will endure suffering and danger.

lovers of themselves

Here "lovers" refers to brotherly love or love for a friend or family member, a natural human love between friends or relatives. This is not the kind of love that comes from God. AT: "self-centered"

without natural affection

"not loving their own families"

unable to reconcile

"not agreeing with anyone" or "not living in peace with anyone"

not lovers of good

This can be stated in positive form. AT: "haters of good"

reckless

doing things either without thinking about what bad things could happen or even knowing that bad things could happen

conceited

thinking they are better than other people

translationWords

last day

love

boast

haughty

blasphemy

disobey

holy

slander

self-control

good

betray

God

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

1–9. THE CORRUPTIONS OF THE FUTURE

1. γίνωσκε. Lachmann reads γινώσκετε with AG g, but nearly all other authorities support the singular γίνωσκε; γινώσκετε, indeed, does not yield any tolerable sense.

1. In this melancholy forecast the Apostle is describing a recrudescence of heathenism, with its attendant wickedness, which he assures Timothy will take place in the ‘last days’ of the Church, rather than the prevalence of forms of heresy. The crying evil of those corrupt times will be that men professing to be Christians (2Ti 3:5) will yet be conspicuous for all the worst vices of paganism. The germ of the evil may be seen in the present (2Ti 3:5), and he warns Timothy against the methods of the heretical teachers which will ultimately have such disastrous results, by perverting the truth and by enfeebling the consciences of those whom they ensnare.

τοῦτο δὲ γίνωσκε calls special attention to the prediction which follows. See crit. note.

ἐν ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις, in the last days, sc. of the present dispensation. The prospect of the Second Advent of Christ was a vivid reality to St Paul; he seems at times to have expected it soon (esp. see 1Th 1:10, 2 Thessalonians 2), but at any rate he was not in the habit of contemplating the existing order of things as permanent. For the phrase ἐν ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις, cp. 2Pe 3:3 and Jud 1:18; and see note on 1Ti 4:1.

ἐνστήσονται καιροὶ χαλεποί, will ensue troublesome times, seasons of trial when it will be hard to keep the path of duty. χαλεπός only occurs again in N.T. at Mat 8:28 (of ‘fierce’ demoniacs).

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Comp. the beginning of 1 Timothy 4.

This know [τουτο γινωσκε] . The phrase N. T. o. Comp. Paul 's ginwskein uJmav boulomai I would have you to know, Phi 1:12; and qelw de uJmav eiJudenai I would you should know, 1Co 11:3.

In the last days [επ εσχαταις ημεραις] . The phrase only here in Pastorals, Act 2:17, Jas 5:3. Similar expressions are ejn kairw ejscatw in the last season, 1Pe 1:5 : ejp' ejscatou twn cronwn at the last of the times, 1Pe 1:20 : ejp' ejscatou cronou at the last time, Jude 18 ejp' ejscatwn twn hJmerwn at the last of the days, 2Pe 3:3 : ejn uJsteroiv kairoiv in the latter seasons, 1Ti 4:1. The times immediately preceding Christ 's second appearing are meant. Comp. Heb 1:2; Jas 5:3.

Perilous times [καιροι χαλεποι] . Only here and Mt 8:28. Lit. hard times : schwere Zeiten. Kairov. denotes a definite, specific season. See on Mt 12:1; Act 1:17.

Shall come [ενστησονται] . Or will set in. Mostly in Paul. Only here in Pastorals. See on Gal 1:4.

Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.