Strategy of Temptation: Undermine God’s Authority (2 Timothy 3:1–17; 4:1–4)
Did God really say, “You must not eat from any tree in the garden?” - Genesis 3:1
The deaf community is one of the largest unreached groups. Fewer than 1 percent of deaf people call themselves Christians. Because the deaf cannot be reached by traditional means, the church has to think creatively and strategically to reach the millions of deaf people around the world.
1. All of us are born spiritually deaf
a. The Bible is clear that all of us, apart from the intervening work of the Holy Spirit, are functionally deaf in a spiritual sense
b. What was true in Isaiah’s day and in Jesus’ time continues to be true today: “This people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears” (Matt. 13:15; cf. Isa. 6:9–10).
1) “For this people's heart has grown dull,? and with their ears they can barely hear,? and their eyes they have closed,?lest they should see with their eyes? and hear with their ears?and understand with their heart? and turn, and I would heal them.’” - Matt. 13:15
2) “And he said, “Go, and say to this people:?“‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand;?keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’?Make the heart of this people dull,? and their ears heavy,? and blind their eyes;?lest they see with their eyes,? and hear with their ears,?and understand with their hearts,? and turn and be healed.” (Isa. 6:9,10)?
2. All of us exercise selective spiritual hearing
a. Much like Eve did in the Garden
1) When Satan approached Eve in the Garden, he did so with great cunning
2) Without directly contradicting God’s Word, he cast just enough suspicion on God’s command to cause Eve to reconsider her belief
3) The strategy worked: Eve told the serpent that they were not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, nor were they to touch it
4) Touching the tree was never a divine prohibition
b. Much like Paul describes in his letter to Timothy?
3. Satan always works to undermine God’s authority.
a. Often, he uses our own sinful desires as the means by which we start to bend God’s Word to accommodate our preferences
b. We let the Bible say what we want it to say, and in this way we become guilty of the “itching ears” syndrome
c. Though we may maintain external forms of spiritual commitment, we are not truly following Christ?
4. Authentic Christian commitment turns on the willingness to hear God’s Word—and obey it fully, even when we meet its demands with reluctance.?
5. Conclusion: Apply the Word - How can we be confident that our interpretations of Scripture stay true to God’s intended meaning?
a. One way is to examine whether the Bible ever makes us uncomfortable
b. Does what God says threaten what we want, or does He ask us to relinquish something impossible?
c. If this is true, the Holy Spirit might be exercising spiritual conviction in our lives
Exegesis of 2 Timothy 3:1-4:4
1. Who’s the author? Paul
2. Who’s the recipient? Timothy
3. Where? Paul in prison again (1:15, 2:9), with no hope of release this time (4:6-8). In his prior imprisonment, he was under house arrest; now he’s actually in jail and abandoned by everyone for fear of persecution (1:15, 4:9-12)
4. What’s the purpose? Paul is passing “the mantle” of ministry to his son-in-the-faith, Timothy, telling him what to watch out for and what his calling really entails
Coming into this, Paul has just finished encouraging Timothy to be a worker “approved by God,” not to worry about his youth, but that God has appointed him to leadership and authority. He is to be sober and mature-minded, not distracted by “youthful passions” and “foolish, ignorant controversies.”
3:1 - “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty.”
- “The last days” - this “age,” the time between Jesus’ first and second comings
- “times of difficulty” - “times” here refers to epochs, not specific clock/date references; “difficulty” is the same word used in Matt. 8:28 to refer to the savage nature of two demon-possessed men
3:2-4 - “For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,”
- This list of attributes characterizes the leaders of the dangerous seasons; description of unbelievers similar to the Lord’s in Mark 7:21-22
3:5 - “having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.”
- “Appearance” refers to outward shape or appearance
- Like the unbelieving scribes and Pharisees, false teachers and their followers are concerned with mere external appearances (cf. Matt. 23:25, Titus 1:16)
- Their outward form of Christianity and virtue makes them all the more dangerous
3:6 - “For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions,”
- Weak in virtue and knowledge of the truth, and weighed down with emotional and spiritual guilt over their sins, these women were easy prey for the deceitful false teachers
3:7 - “always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.”
- 1 Tim. 2:4 uses this same phrase, equating it with being saved; Paul is identifying these people who often jump from one false teacher or cult to another without ever coming to and understanding of God’s saving truth in Jesus
- The present age (since Jesus’ first coming) has been loaded with perilous false teaching that cannot save, but does condemn (vv. 14, 16-17; 1 Tim. 4:1)
3:8 - “Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith.”
- “Jannes and Jambres” - not named in the Bible, but likely two of the Egyptian magicians that opposed Moses (Ex. 7:11,22; 8:7,18-19; 9:11). According to Jewish tradition, they pretended to become Jewish proselytes, instigating the worship of the golden calf, and were killed with the rest of the idolaters (Ex. 32)
- “the truth” - same as above
- “opposed” - the same word is translated “debased” in Rom. 1:28 and comes from a Greek word meaning “useless” in the sense of being tested (like metal) and shown to be worthless
3:9 - “But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men.”
- “folly…plain” - Sooner or later, it will be clear that these false teachers are lost fools, as it did with Jannes and Jambres
3:10,11 - “You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me.”
- “persecutions” - From a Gr. verb that lit. means “to put to flight.” Paul had been forced to flee Damascus (Acts 9:23-25), Pisidian Antioch (Acts 13:50), Iconium (Acts 14:6), Thessalonica (Acts 17:10), and Berea (Acts 17:14)
- “Antioch…Iconium…Lystra” - As a native of Lystra (Acts 16:1), Timothy vividly recalled the persecution Paul faced in those three cities
- “the Lord rescued me” (Cf. 2 Tim. 4:17-18, Ps. 34:4,6,19; 37:40; 91:2-6,14; Isa. 41:10; 43:2; Dan. 3:17; Acts 26:16-17; 2 Cor.1:10) - The Lord’s repeated deliverance of Paul should have encouraged Timothy in the face of persecution by those at Ephesus who opposed the gospel
3:12 - “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,”
- Faithful believers must expect persecution and suffering at the hands of the Christ-rejecting world (cf. John 15:18-21, Acts 14:19-22)
- - “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.”
“But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe. When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.”
3:13 - “while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.”
- All the dangerous movements of the false teachers (vv.1-9) will b become increasingly more successful until Christ returns (cf. 2. Thess. 2:11)
3:14 - “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it”
- To further encourage Timothy to stand firm, Paul reminds him of his godly heritage (see 1:13)
3:15 - “and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.”
- “from childhood” - lit. “from infancy” - Timothy’s mother and grandmother (see 1:5) faithfully taught the OT scriptures so that he was ready to receive the gospel when Paul preached it
- “have been acquainted with the sacred writings” - a common designation of the OT Greek-speaking Jews
- “wise for salvation” - The OT Scriptures pointed to Christ (John 5:37-39) and revealed the need for faith in God’s promises (Gen. 15:6; cf. Rom. 4:1-3)
- - Thus, they were able to lead people to acknowledge their sin and need for justification in Christ (Gal. 3:24)
- - Salvation is brought by the Holy Spirit using the word (Rom. 10:14-17; Eph. 5:26-27; 1 Pet.1:23-25)
- “faith in Christ Jesus” - Though not understanding all the details involved (cf. 1 Pet. 1:10-12), OT believers including Abraham (John 8:56) and Moses (Heb. 11:26) looked forward to the coming of the Messiah (Isa. 7:14;9:6) and his atonement for sin (Isa. 53:5-6). So did Timothy, who responded when he heard the gospel
3:16 - “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,”
- Paul is referring to both OT and NT writings (cf. Rom. 7:12; 2 Cor. 10:10; 1 Tim.1:15; 2:3; 4:4; cf. 2 Pet.3:15,16)
- “breathed out by God” - sometimes God told the Bible writers the exact words to say (e.g., Jer. 1:9), but more often he used their minds, vocabularies, and experiences to produce his own perfect, infallible, inerrant word (see 1 Thess. 2:13; Heb. 1:1; 2 Pet. 1:20-21)
- - Note: Inspiration only applies to the original autographs of Scripture, not the Bible writers; there are no inspired Scripture writers, only inspired Scripture. God is so identified with His word that when Scripture speaks, God speaks (cf. Rom. 9:17, Gal. 3:8)
- - Scripture is sometimes called “the oracles of God” (Rom 3:2) and cannot be altered (John 10:35, Matt. 5:17-18; Luke 16:17; Rev. 22:18-19)
- “teaching” - the divine instruction or doctrinal content of both the OT and NT
- “reproof” - rebuke for wrong behavior or belief; Scripture exposes sin (Heb.4:12-13) that can then be dealt with through confession and repentance
- “correction” - restoration of something to its proper condition; Scripture not only rebukes wrong behavior, but also points the way back to godly living
- “training in righteousness” - Scripture provides positive training (as of a child) in godly behavior, not merely rebuke and correct wrong behavios (Acts 20:32, 1 Tim. 4:6, 1 Pet.2:1-2)
3:17 - “that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
- “man of God” - a technical term for an official preacher of divine truth (see 1 Tim. 6:11)
- “competent” - capable of doing everything one is called to do (cf. Col. 2:10)
- “equipped for every good work” - enabled to meet all the demands of godly ministry and righteous living; the Word not only accomplishes this in the life of the man of God but in all who follow him (Eph. 4:11-13)
4:1 - “I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom:”
- “charge” - better, “command” - the Greek has more force
- “in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus” - Greek construction allows “in the presence of God, even Christ Jesus,” probably the best rendering since he is about to be introduced as judge (cf. John 5:22). Everyone who ministers the word of God is under the omniscient scrutiny of Christ.
- “Christ Jesus, who is to judge” - suggests imminency - Christ is about to Judge. Paul is emphasizing the unique accountability that all believers, and especially ministers, have to Christ as Judge--not a judgment of condemnation, but of evaluation. With regard to salvation, believers have been judged already and declared righteous - they are not longer subject to the condemnation of sin (Rom. 8:1-4)
- “the living and the dead” - Christ will ultimately judge all men in three distinct settings:
- - the judgment of believers after the rapture (1 Cor. 3:12-15, 2 Cor. 5:10)
- - the sheep and the goats judgment of the nations, where believers will be separated from unbelievers (Matt. 25:31-33, for entrance into millennial kingdom)
- - the great white throne judgment of unbelievers only (Rev. 20:11-15)
- - Here, Paul is referring to judgment in general, encompassing all three.
- “his appearing” - or “shining forth,” a concept used by ancient Greeks to describe the supposed appearance to men of a pagan god. Here, Paul is referring generally to Christ’s second coming
4:2 - “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.”
- “the word” - The entire written word of God, His complete revealed truth as contained in the Bible (cf. 3:15-16; Acts 20:27)
- “be ready” - Gr. word here broadly means “sudden” or “forceful”; here suggests ideas of urgency, preparedness, and readiness, as of a soldier preparing for battle or a guard alert for any attack -- imperative for a faithful preacher (Jer. 20:9; Acts 21:11-13; Eph. 5:15-16; 1 Pet. 3:15)
- “in season and out of season” - the faithful preacher must proclaim the word when it is popular and/or convenient, and when it is not; when it seems suitable to do so, and when it seems not. Dictates of popular culture, tradition, reputation, acceptance, or esteem in the community (or in the church) must never alter the true preacher’s commitment to proclaim God’s word
- “reprove, rebuke” - the negative side of preaching the word (cf. 3:16, “reproof” and “correction”); “reprove” refers to correcting behavior of false doctrine by using careful biblical arguments to help a person understand the error of his actions; “rebuke” deals more with correcting motives by convincing of sin and leading to repentance
“exhort...teaching” - positive side of preaching (the “teaching” and “training” in 3:16)
4:3 - “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound[c] teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,”
- “not endure” - refers to holding up under adversity; can be translated “not tolerate.” Paul warns Timothy that, in the dangerous seasons of this age, many people would become intolerant of the confrontational, demanding preaching of God’s word (1:13-14; 1 Tim. 1:9-10;6:3-5)
- “sound teaching” - the Scripture and the doctrine is teaches
- “itching ears…their own passions” - “Professing Christians, nominal believers, in the church follow their own desires and flock to preachers who offer them God’s blessings apart from his forgiveness, and his salvation apart from their repentance. They want to be entertained by teachings that will produce pleasant sensations and leave them with good feelings about themselves. Their goal is that men preach ‘to suit their own passions.’ Under those conditions, people will dictate what men preach, rather than God dictating it by His Word.” (MacArthur)
4:4 - “and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.”
- “myths” - refers to false ideologies, viewpoints, and philosophies in various forms that oppose sound doctrine (cf. Titus 1:14; 2 Peter. 1:16)
