Post by Admin on Jun 24, 2019 21:29:03 GMT
Paul shares his predictions about trouble ahead and how he sees the importance of scripture in 2 Timothy 3 (NIV).
1 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.
6 They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, 7 always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these teachers oppose the truth. They are men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. 9 But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone.
10 You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, 11 persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. 12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Here are some background thoughts on the chapter from Ligioner Ministries:
Many Christians are tempted to read 2 Timothy 3:1 as a prediction of things that are still to come, yet we have just spoken as if Paul’s reference to the last days is for Timothy’s period, which might seem incredible since Timothy lived two thousand years ago and we are still waiting for the end. But the New Testament does not envision the “last days” as something for which we are still waiting but the entire period that began when Jesus atoned for sin, was raised from the dead, ascended into heaven, and poured out His Spirit on His people. These last days will end only when He returns to judge the living and the dead; thus, we are even now living in “the last hour.” That Paul understands the last days in this way is seen in his call for Timothy to avoid in his time those evildoers who live in the last days.
Timothy’s mission is the mission of every Christian and it is really quite simple — to continue in what we have learned from the apostles and to keep on believing in their message. Believers may not depart from the apostolic and prophetic Word into new and fanciful teachings but must rather study and proclaim the old, familiar story of Jesus and His love that is found on every page of Scripture. Part of our motivation in doing this is our knowledge of the persons from whom we learned this story — the eyewitnesses of the ministry of Jesus and the prophets who did not speak by the will of men but by the power and inspiration of God the Holy Spirit. Our faith is not rooted in fiction but in the reliability of the Word of God, and we do not believe because we are looking for purpose in life but because what we affirm is the truth our Creator has revealed.
1 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.
6 They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, 7 always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these teachers oppose the truth. They are men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. 9 But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone.
10 You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, 11 persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. 12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Here are some background thoughts on the chapter from Ligioner Ministries:
Many Christians are tempted to read 2 Timothy 3:1 as a prediction of things that are still to come, yet we have just spoken as if Paul’s reference to the last days is for Timothy’s period, which might seem incredible since Timothy lived two thousand years ago and we are still waiting for the end. But the New Testament does not envision the “last days” as something for which we are still waiting but the entire period that began when Jesus atoned for sin, was raised from the dead, ascended into heaven, and poured out His Spirit on His people. These last days will end only when He returns to judge the living and the dead; thus, we are even now living in “the last hour.” That Paul understands the last days in this way is seen in his call for Timothy to avoid in his time those evildoers who live in the last days.
Timothy’s mission is the mission of every Christian and it is really quite simple — to continue in what we have learned from the apostles and to keep on believing in their message. Believers may not depart from the apostolic and prophetic Word into new and fanciful teachings but must rather study and proclaim the old, familiar story of Jesus and His love that is found on every page of Scripture. Part of our motivation in doing this is our knowledge of the persons from whom we learned this story — the eyewitnesses of the ministry of Jesus and the prophets who did not speak by the will of men but by the power and inspiration of God the Holy Spirit. Our faith is not rooted in fiction but in the reliability of the Word of God, and we do not believe because we are looking for purpose in life but because what we affirm is the truth our Creator has revealed.