August 17, 2014 2nd Timothy Chapter 3

2nd Timothy Chapter 3

Originally posted Thursday, October 2, 2008

2nd Timothy, Chapter 3:1-9 Godliness in the Last Days

In the previous chapters our author has introduced the setting for his description of the "distressing times" of the last days. Those who had been enamored of "myths and speculations" were presented as teaching a heresy that claimed the resurrection had already happened, presumably in baptism and the giving of the Holy Spirit. Such a teaching could - and apparently did, lead to a false assurance of an irrevocable salvation (once saved always saved). The consequence of such an error - that "will spread like gangrene," was the disintegration of the moral/ethical order of the church community. The author has looked upon this decay and seen it as a portend of the last days which will be filled with distress. As we have read in the Synoptic Gospels, early Christianity associated the approaching Parousia with persecution, the fracturing of the social order even in the family (Mk. 13:9-13). Drawing on Old Testament prophecy (Joel 2:28-32) and Jewish apocalyptic thought, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit was also linked to the events preceding the end. For Paul and his literary offspring, including our author, the beginning of the end was inextricably linked to the resurrection of Christ and the experience of Pentecost (Acts 2:14-21) - the "pouring out" of the Holy Spirit. It was on this basis that Paul believed the Day would come in his own lifetime.

Once defining the present hour, the writer presents a litany of vices which he sees as already present and active in the churches. The list can be summed up by vs. 5 which condemns those who participated in such behavior as "holding the form of godliness (piety) but denying its power." They attend worship, present their offerings and put on a mask of respectability. In reality they are as Jesus said of the Pharisees, "whitewashed tombs," beautiful on the outside but inside filled with the unclean bones of the dead (Mt. 23:27). The writer follows his string of epithets with a warning to avoid those he has described and gives the example of how they insinuate themselves into the favor of "silly women" whom they "captivate" - apparently for monetary gain, with their "myths and speculations." The writer demonstrates a rather low opinion of the spiritual character of these women who, according to him, although having received appropriate instruction, have not been able to "arrive at the knowledge of the truth." He likens the false teachers to two characters in Exodus, Jannes and Jambres. The names do not appear in the cited story and were added by later Jewish tradition. It is the story of the Egyptian magicians who opposed Moses by copying his miracles as he turned his staff into a snake and later river water into blood (Exod. 7:8-13, 20-22). As these two magicians opposed the truth of the God of Moses, so these men of "counterfeit faith" oppose the truth of the Gospel. However, these men will fare no better than the Egyptian magicians whose acts of magic were no match for the power (truth) of God. Moses' snakes ate theirs and the bloody Nile had a devastating effect.

2nd Timothy, Chapter 3:10-17 A Charge to Timothy

The author appeals to the better instincts of the churches. He reminds them of what they have learned from Paul, of his teachings and character, his being persecuted in many places yet always he endured and was rescued by God. Those who wish to live the same godly life as did Paul can expect their own persecutions. But the "wicked people" he has characterized as being of a "counterfeit faith" will fare much the worse. They may deceive others but they will end up having deceived themselves, believing their own false teaching and bearing the punishment for it. As for the recipients of this letter, the author exhorts them to continue in their quest for godliness and to remember Paul, the one from whom they first learned of the mystery of faith (Eph. 3:1-6; 1Tim. 3:16). In addition, "From their infancy" they have been taught the "sacred writings (Old Testament) from which they learned of "salvation through faith in Christ." The author uses the evocative adjective, "God-breathed," as a term for what was understood to be God's inspirative participation in the development of scripture. It does not mean that God "dictates" the words to the writer bypassing human agency. Inspiration comes through the spiritual intersection between the human mind and the "still small voice" of silence. Such "God-breathed" inspiration, recorded by the hands of human experience is useful in living the righteous life, "equipped for every good work."