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Tag: 2 Timothy 3:7

Form of godliness

Written by LWOM Amsterdam on . Posted in 2 Timothy, What’s new?.

What does it mean to have a form of godliness but deny its power in 2 Timothy 3:5?

In 2 Timothy 3, the apostle Paul describes the nature of people in the last days. In his description, he warns of people who are characterized as “having a form of godliness but denying its power” (verse 5). Paul then issues this command: “Have nothing to do with such people.”

Paul often uses contrast to emphasize an attribute he wishes to highlight. In 2 Timothy 3:1–4, he gives Timothy a long list of sinful behaviors and attitudes that are contrary to God’s will. In verse 5 he tells Timothy to avoid those who state they are Christians with their mouths—they have a “form” of godliness—but who act as unbelievers—they deny the power of godliness.

Those who have a form of godliness are those who make an outward display of religion. They present themselves as godly, but it is all for show. There is no power behind their religion, as evidenced in the fact that their lives are unchanged. They speak of God and live in sin, and they are fine with that arrangement. As commentator Charles Ellicott wrote, “These, by claiming the title of Christians, wearing before men the uniform of Christ, but by their lives dishonouring His name, did the gravest injury to the holy Christian cause” (Ellicott’s Bible Commentary for English Readers, entry for 2 Timothy 3:5).

These false Christians are destructive. Paul warns that they will “creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts” and that they are “always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Timothy 3:6–7, NKJV). He compares them to the wicked magicians who opposed Moses and warns that their folly and corrupt minds will be revealed to all eventually (verses 8–9).

The power of God, which should accompany the form of godliness, is shown through the Holy Spirit and results in the transformation of our lives. The Holy Spirit indwells the believer (1 Corinthians 6:19) and enables him to bear certain fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22–23). These are the attributes of a true Christian, as opposed to Paul’s list of sins in 2 Timothy 3:1–4.

Paul’s exhortation to Timothy falls in line with James’ explanation how to identify a true faith (James 2:14–26). True faith will be evidenced by good works, which will occur naturally. If a person says he is a Christian but shows no evidence in his life by bearing the fruit of the Spirit, we have to make a judgment about him and avoid that person. He may have a form of godliness, but he is denying God’s power by not letting himself be controlled by the Spirit. In fact, if his faith is not genuine, he cannot be controlled by God’s power, because the Holy Spirit does not dwell in him.

“The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14). The natural person may have a form of godliness, but he denies God’s power in the way he lives. Only faith in Jesus Christ can bring justification and the transformation he so desperately needs (Colossians 1:21–22; Romans 5:1–2).

Always learning

Written by LWOM Amsterdam on . Posted in 2 Timothy, What’s new?.

What does it mean to be “always learning” in 2 Timothy 3:7?

In 2 Timothy 3:1–9, the apostle Paul warns Timothy of increasing moral deterioration that will afflict humanity in the latter days. He describes such godless people as “lovers of themselves” (verse 2) and “lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God” (verse 4). They put themselves on the central throne of their affections in the place of God. Paul has false teachers and their devotees in mind when he elaborates: “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, always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth” (verses 6–7).

The women Paul mentions are easy targets for false teachers because they are vulnerable—“burdened with the guilt of sin and controlled by various desires” (2 Timothy 3:6, NLT). The weight of guilt from unrepented sin impairs one’s judgment, leaving a person susceptible to temptation and further bondage to sin (Psalm 31:10; 32:3–4). In this weakened state, one loses the ability to discern truth and make upright decisions. These women, wanting to appear wise and well-educated, became ardent disciples of the counterfeit teachers. They were always learning whatever new doctrine the false teachers promoted, but in doing so, they were never be able to understand God’s truth.

In Paul’s first epistle to Timothy, he gave a similar warning against false teachers: “Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons” (1 Timothy 4:1, NLT). The inclination to follow deceitful teachings is not unique to women nor to the end times. Since the early days of the church, both men and women have been “always learning” the latest faddish teachings and self-pleasing doctrines. Paul stresses that the tendency will increase as we draw closer to the end times (2 Thessalonians 2:3–9; 2 Timothy 3:1).

On 2 Timothy 3:7, Warren Wiersbe writes, “These false religious leaders take advantage of the problems people have, and promise them quick and easy solutions. They ‘worm their way in’ and soon control people’s lives. It is not long before these leaders grab their followers’ loyalty, money, and service. And their ‘converts’ are worse off than they were before. They still have their problems, but they have been duped into thinking that all is well” (Wiersbe, W., The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2, Victor Books, 1996, p. 250).

Always learning is a fitting description of people who continually search for other people’s advice. Paul tells Timothy, “For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear” (2 Timothy 4:3, NLT). These types of people mainly want self-satisfying experiences and feel-good sensations rather than serious truth.

People who look for truth in the wrong places will never be satisfied (Ecclesiastes 7:24–29; 8:16–17; 1 Timothy 6:7–10). Instead, they will fall prey to spiritual swindlers and pseudo-Christian charlatans controlled by deceiving spirits. No matter how much time, devotion, or money they sink into their misguided studies, they will be “always learning” but never passing the test of truth. Only those who are born of God’s Spirit can comprehend spiritual truth (1 Corinthians 2:14). Only by believing the gospel message of salvation in Jesus Christ and entering a relationship with Him do we come to the soul-satisfying knowledge of truth (John 4:7–14; 8:31–32; 14:6; 16:12–15; 18:37–38; 1 John 5:20; 1 Timothy 2:3–6; Colossians 2:2–3; 1 Corinthians 10:3–4).