But God prepares the instruments through which He works and the most important preparation is through the Word of God. If, in any manner, or in any way, he is subjected to disadvantage on account of his religious opinions, and deprived of any immunities and rights to which he would be otherwise entitled, this is persecution. What we have learned we must labour to be more and more assured of, that, being grounded in the truth, we may be guarded against error, for certainty in religion is of great importance and advantage: Knowing, (1.) It may flourish for a time, but when it is exposed to the light of truth it is bound to shrivel and die. In his own neighbourhood he had seen Paul suffer because of his devotion to Christ (10-12; cf. The man who is huperephanos ( G5244) , said Theophrastus, has a kind of contempt for everyone except himself. Certain of the temporary persecution, he is equally certain of the ultimate glory. He nourishes an all-consuming, all-pervading pride; and in his heart there is a little altar where he bows down before himself. It was a part of his lot. Nothing can sanction this. From childhood he has been guided by the Scriptures, and his faith in those Scriptures gives him assurance in his salvation (14-15). Thus the apostle comes to the close of his ministry, and touches upon the line of St. John. The final condemnation of these people is that they retain the outward form of religion but deny its power. That which finishes a man of God in this world is the scripture. for instruction in righteousness ( 2 Timothy 3:16 ): And righteousness is just actually the act of being right or doing right or living right. "He kicked the world about," said one, "as if it had been a football." Now this is not given to us in the Scriptures but there are other, what are known as apocryphal books, in which these two fellows are named. And a less confession than this God never permitted the church to accept; nor in fact in Jerusalem itself was less ever accepted than the naming the name of the Lord. Paul said, you know, what kind of a life I've lived. This is God's attitude to men. But now before his heart just as in principle before the dying Lord Himself, wonderful to say two things come together: a deeper sense of what is in God, as revealed in Christ Himself, before there was any creation at all; and on the other hand so much the deeper sense also of what could be owned in nature. Far more harm is done from want of thought than almost anything else. In 2Baruch we get an even more vivid picture of the moral chaos of these last times: And envy shall rise in those who had not thought ought of. The man who is mastered by his lower passions will gratify them in the most shameless way, as the streets of any great city will show when the night is late. A great many certainly flatter themselves that they are thus favoured; but the cases are uncommon where it is more than pretence. This may be either an injury done to his feelings, his family, his reputation, his property, his liberty, his influence; it may be by depriving him of an office which he held, or preventing him from obtaining one to which he is eligible; it may be by subjecting him to fine or imprisonment, to banishment, torture, or death. The oldest Greek laws disfranchised the man who struck his parents; to strike a father was in Roman law as bad as murder; in the Jewish law honour for father and mother comes high in the list of the Ten Commandments. If a man's goods are stolen, he can set to and build up his fortunes again; but if his good name is taken away, irreparable damage has been done. At "that day" will be the display of whatever has been endured, as well as done, for the Lord's sake. And a hundred and fifty men can board it and they can submerge and go under the North Pole under the arctic ice. 2. "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise." by George Whitefield. Observe, Timothy must continue in the things which he had learned and had been assured of. How big is your God? This may be either an injury done to his feelings, his family, his reputation, his property, his liberty, his influence; it may be by depriving him of an office which he held, or preventing him from obtaining one to which he is eligible; it may be by subjecting him to fine or imprisonment, to banishment, torture, or death. 10 But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience, 11 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. But when dying upon the cross, He calls to John to behold His mother. Paul cites three instances when he had to suffer for Christ. Vincente Quiroga of Chile found a few pages of a book washed up on the seashore by a tidal wave following an earthquake. Timothy was well aware of this, even before he joined Paul in his work. He did so to help him realize that he faced no unknown situation in Ephesus and to enable him to combat it intelligently. 2 Timothy 3:12 New International Version 12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, Read full chapter 2 Timothy 3:12 in all English translations 2 Timothy 2 2 Timothy 4 New International Version (NIV) That's proper and you should have that desire. The defeat of error depends not on skill in controversy but in the demonstration in life of the more excellent way. It's twelve thousand miles a second, but that's pretty fast, too. B. II. At the end of each reading, the brigand said: "That's a good book; we won't burn that one; give it to me." Would you find it easier if it, if the account said, And a submarine surfaced and the captain got out on deck and, you know, they hauled Jonah in and they submerged again and headed towards Joppa and let him off the port. Thank You that Your grace is sufficient for any attack that the evil enemy of my soul can throw at me, and that nothing can ever separate me from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus. It is said that, after hearing an evangelical sermon, Lord Melbourne once remarked: "Things have come to a pretty pass when religion is allowed to invade the sphere of private life." These things may be expected in the best times, and under the most favorable circumstances; and it is known that a large part of the history of the world, in its relation to the church, is nothing more than a history of persecution. The term "godly" (eusebos) means "piously" (Thayer 262-2-2153). First and foremost he has an aim in life. He warns Timothy of the fatal end of seducers, as a reason why he should stick closely to the truth as it is in Jesus: But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, c., 2 Timothy 3:13; 2 Timothy 3:13. They should remember that, in this respect, they are treated as the Master was, and are in the goodly company of the prophets, apostles, and martyrs; for they were all persecuted. Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary. We must remember that they were Gnostics and that the basic principle of Gnosticism was that spirit was altogether good and matter altogether evil. The words that finally decided me were those in John 18:37: 'For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. What Does It Mean That There Is No One Holy Like God? We can still see this kind of man in fairs and market-places shouting the virtues of a patent medicine which will act like magic. I believe God intended that you should enjoy life.There is nothing wrong with having pleasure. This is the right thing to do. Rather they are minimum requirements that otherwise suitable people must fulfil if the church is to recognize them as elders or deacons. Now this is in particular a difficulty for saints, when they have revived before the soul the blessedness of maintaining the unity of the Spirit. And he embraced Christianity, but he was probably standing there in Lystra when the people in the city stoned Paul until they thought he was dead and dragged him out of the city. It's instructing you on the right kind of life. Observe, (1.) All rights reserved. The most amazing things may happen if he does, for there is a saving wisdom here that is in no other book. "The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus; for he oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain; but, when. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1977. Amidst all the stories one fact stands out--Jannes and Jambres became legendary figures typifying all those who opposed the purposes of God and the work of his true leaders. e Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.. Guard the Deposit Entrusted to You. Here we come back to where we started; such men place their own wishes in the centre of life. The promise of the Messiah, the details of the Messiah, they are all there. We must note that Paul here makes a distinction. Men will be disobedient to their parents. "All scripture is given by inspiration of God. I reply, it is not always in one way that Satan persecutes the servants of Christ. The word we have translated to be a disciple includes so much that is beyond translation in any single English word. He would not have him to be spreading doubtful opinions; but what he had heard from the apostle himself he need not scruple to give out freely. But yet it is absolutely unavoidable that all of them shall have the world for their enemy in some form or other, that their faith may be tried and their steadfastness proved; for Satan, who is the continual enemy of Christ, will never suffer any one to be at peace during his whole life; and there will always be wicked men that are thorns in our sides. Every man going his own way. 2 Timothy 3 - Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible - StudyLight.org THE EXPERIENCES OF AN APOSTLE ( 2 Timothy 3:10-13 continued). (3) If we are persecuted, we should carefully inquire, before we avail ourselves of this consolation, whether we are persecuted because we live godly in Christ Jesus, or for some other reason. It is able to make us wise to salvation; that is, it is a sure guide in our way to eternal life. He blames the Jews who searched them, because they failed to learn the lesson which they were intended to convey. The kind of guys that went around selling snake oil or cure-alls, deceiving, defrauding people. "Evil men and seducers will wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived." The essence of persecution consists in subjecting a person to injury or disadvantage on account of his opinions. It is something more than meeting his opinions by argument, which is always right and proper; it is inflicting some injury on him; depriving him of some privilege, or right; subjecting him to some disadvantage, or placing him in less favorable circumstances, on account of his sentiments. The history of the Christian Church teaches us that falsity cannot live. But shun profane and vain babblings.". The Greek verb kratein ( G2902) means to control. We must remember that this was written just at the beginning of the years of persecution, when it was becoming a crime to be a Christian. That's not the kind of promises we really enjoy, is it? The Jewish Rabbis ranked high in the list of sins what they called the sin of insult. When Job was talking to his friends and they were talking to him about the future, and Job said, Oh, I wish I were dead. (2 Timothy 1:1.) This is a further reason why Timothy should endure hardship and not turn aside from the work God has given him (3-5). He had not said a word about them before. Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. And many shall be stirred up in anger to injure many; And they shall rouse up armies in order to shed blood. He went home and found the fire was out. Men will be without human affection (astorgos, G794) . A man may embrace some absurd opinion, and call it religion; he may adopt some mode of dress irresistibly ludicrous, from the mere love of singularity, and may call it conscience; or he may be boorish in his manners, and uncivil in his deportment, outraging all the laws of social life, and may call this deadness to the world; and for these, and similar things, he may be contemned, ridiculed, and despised. Activity of service was no longer before him. 3 f I thank God g whom I serve, as did my ancestors, h with a clear conscience, as I remember you i . It means to follow a person mentally, to attend diligently to his teaching and fully to understand the meaning of what he says. (3.) THE DUTIES AND THE QUALITIES OF AN APOSTLE ( 2 Timothy 3:10-13 ). He said that one isn't inspired; obviously inspired. Be assured, that if you do not bring the Spirit of God into these matters, perhaps your cloak, perhaps a book, will become a snare to you. God is right. They must not lie by us neglected, seldom or never looked into. A man may embrace some absurd opinion, and call it religion; he may adopt some mode of dress irresistibly ludicrous, from the mere love of singularity, and may call it "conscience;" or he may be boorish in his manners, and uncivil in his deportment, outraging all the laws of social life, and may call this "deadness to the world;" and for these, and similar things, he may be contemned, ridiculed, and despised. They were said to be the two servants who accompanied Balaam when he was disobedient to God ( Numbers 22:22); they were said to have been part of the great mixed multitude who accompanied the children of Israel out of Egypt ( Exodus 12:38); some said that they perished at the crossing of the Red Sea; other stories said that it was Jannes and Jambres who were behind the making of the golden calf and that they perished among those who were killed for that sin ( Exodus 32:28); still other stories said that in the end they became proselytes to Judaism. He read them and never rested until he obtained the rest of the Bible. It is the ability not to lose patience when people are foolish, not to grow irritable when they seem unteachable. This again has stumbled the minds of men. Lear's words remain true: "How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is. 4. With his or her commitment to follow Christ faithfully the Christian sets the course of his or her life directly opposite to the course of the world system. 2 Timothy 3:12 MEANING - kingjamesbibleonline.org 2 Timothy 3:12-13 Commentary | Precept Austin It is to be supposed that the younger labourer cowered somewhat, unwilling to incur the odious charge, so easily made but hard to refute, of setting himself up and taking the place of some great one. Paul goes on to other qualities of an apostle. Persecution is Every Christian's Lot - 2 Timothy 3:12 What does 2 Timothy 3:12 mean? | BibleRef.com That is the inevitable way to ruin, for no man can master anything unless he first masters himself. They will not only deceive others, but their sins and other deceivers will deceive them increasingly too. It is of use to all, for we all need to be instructed, corrected, and reproved: it is of special use to ministers, who are to give instruction, correction, and reproof; and whence can they fetch it better than from the scripture? "Beloved, consider it not strange concerning the fiery trials which are to try you, as though some strange thing has happened to you" ( 1 Peter 4:12 ). 1. They were never meant to be anything else but visions; we do violence to Jewish and to early Christian thought if we take them with a crude literalness. Now are you going to, you know, take the word of Jesus? It is not meant that the Scriptures are valuable for finding fault; what is meant is that they are valuable for convincing a man of the error of his ways and for pointing him on the right path. He was comparatively alone. The Jews divided all time into this present age and the age to come. This he had known most extensively, but it was closed; no longer had he before him any prospect of having to fight the battles of the church of God. 1. Whether Timothy made it to Rome before Paul's execution is not known. You can you see what's happened even in the last twenty-five years. It is well to maintain the largest heart for everything that is really of Christ. He said, "A wicked and an adulterous generation seeks after a sign; but no sign will be given it, except the sign of the prophet Jonah: For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth" ( Matthew 12:38-40 ). There were those who would revenge themselves on an enemy by informing against him. It answers all the ends of divine revelation. [Note: Knight, p. Such offence can and does happen yet. What is a man well taught in the truth for, if not to communicate his knowledge to others that are faithful, but not equally instructed in the word of God? "It denotes living in the right attitude to God and to things divine. Right out of the gate, Second Timothy presents itself as a conservative letter, understanding "conservative" in the most literal sense of the word. And the reason why he makes it so urgent not to be turned aside was, that the time would come when men would not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts they should heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they should turn away their ears from the truth, and should be.
