“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17
“Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.” 2 Peter 1:20 – 2:1
Verses 1-2 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope; 2 Unto Timothy, my own son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.
The Apostle Paul identifies himself as the author of this epistle or letter. The custom was to begin a letter with the name of the writer as opposed to today’s practice of identifying the writer at the end of a letter. An apostle is a messenger or one sent forth with orders. Originally this title applied to the twelve apostles of Christ, but later came to include other Christian teachers/preachers such as Timothy and Barnabas and Silvanus. In this case, the Apostle Paul states he was a messenger following the orders of the LORD Jesus Christ. The epistle was for Paul’s oft times companion Timothy who was also called Timotheus. He first appears in Scripture in the book of Acts chapter 16. The Apostle uses his trademark phrase of grace and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ.
Application: Notice that the Apostle Paul states, “by the commandment of God our Savior, and Lord Jesus Christ”. He does not say by the commandment of God our savior and by the Lord Jesus Christ. He was not saying he was a messenger of Jesus by the commandment of Father God and by the commandment of His Son Jesus. That would mean there were two deities or two gods. He was saying he was a messenger by the commandment of God (who is) our Saviour and (who is) Lord Jesus Christ. So if you, the reader haven’t seen this before in this web site Bible study, to clarify confusion due to Catholicism where they teach three gods – God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit – Scripture teaches there is only one God who manifests or reveals Himself in three ways. He, as the Father, is a Spirit invisible to mankind. “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.” John 1:18 He chose to inhabit a body of flesh which He named Jesus (Joshua in Hebrew meaning savior) so that mankind could relate to Him. And He chose to dwell in His people as the Holy Ghost/Spirit. “No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.” 1 John 4:12 He is God Almighty and is omnipresent so He can be all three manifestations at the same time. Notice that the Apostle Paul refers to the LORD Jesus Christ as “which” is our hope and not as “who” is our hope. And what is the hope he is referring to? It is a joyful and confident expectation of eternal life through His death on the cross for the sins of the world.
Timothy was not related to the Apostle Paul. He was led to the LORD and then discipled by the Apostle who was his mentor and so is referred to as a son in the faith. Metaphorically, it means a relationship formed between men by the bonds of love, friendship, and trust. Timothy was a spiritual son to the Apostle Paul.
Application: Just as parents are responsible for their newborn child, so are Christian believers responsible to those they lead to Jesus Christ. When a baby is born, parents do not abandon it to survive on its own, but care and nurture it until it can function adequately in life. Likewise, a newborn believer should not be abandoned, but needs to be discipled until enough knowledge of Jesus and His Word is learned so that the believer can function adequately in the Christian spiritual life.
Verses 3-4 As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine, 4 Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.
Apparently, when the Apostle Paul left Ephesus, he left Timothy there to help the Church with issues regarding doctrine. The Greek word translated as “charge” is “paraggelo” and it means to transmit a message along from one to another, to declare, to announce, to command or to order. So there were “some” in Ephesus teaching another doctrine and therefore another Jesus and it was Timothy’s job to stop this false teaching.
Application: “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” Jude 3 The Christian doctrine which makes up the Faith was given by God once and only once. It does not change. It is not added to or taken away from. It remains the same and never changes because God remains the same and never changes. There are doctrines of devils, doctrines of men, and doctrines of different church denominations. These doctrines change. And behind every doctrine is a spirit. God’s doctrine never changes and can be relied upon by believers because His Spirit is behind it. Evil spirits are behind all other doctrines, plain and simple.
The Greek word translated as “fables” is “muthos” and it means an invention, a falsehood or a fiction. So, as is the nature of man, someone would come along with a speech or a story that was false, but the people would pay attention to it. In time, the true Gospel could/would be confused with the lie. This is a serious situation which can be seen today where most mainstream organized evangelical establishment churches teach the Scofield doctrine which is total falsehood resulting in Christian believers who cannot see the truth of the events happening all around them and who do not have a clue of where they are in Bible prophecy. This falsehood has been around for over a 100 years and if spoken against the individual exposing the falsehood is deemed heretical.
Application: There are all kinds of religious fables that have developed down through the ages. An example is seen in the Catholic institution regarding their saints. For years they promoted saint Christopher who was the patron saint of travel. People worshiped and prayed to him and had little St. Christopher statues in their cars and wore St. Christopher medals on a chain around their necks. Then Pope John the 23rd decided either Christopher didn’t exist or he was not really sainthood material and that was that. Then in 1969 Pope Paul VI remove 96 more saints. All the fables around these saints were then in question. The only truth is found in the pages of Scripture because it is God’s truth.
The Greek word translated as “genealogies” is “genealogia” and it means a genealogy, or a record of descent or lineage. The entire Jewish nation and religion was based on genealogies and it still is. There are other false religions today that place great emphasis on genealogies. The Apostle Paul, a Jew who would have known the importance of these to Jewish people, says to not pay attention to them. It doesn’t matter from whom one is descended because he knew that under the New Covenant, all people were welcome to come into the spiritual kingdom of God. It was not a private organization open only to those who could prove they were descended from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He wrote this clearly as recorded in Galatians 3:28 “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.”
Application: When a religious organization claims to be Christian but teaches doctrine contrary to Scripture, it is a false religion. Mormonism teaches that should someone become a Mormon, they must trace their dead ancestors so that the new convert can be baptized for these dead ancestors. The Mormon institution built a records vault in 1965 in Granite Mountain in Utah where they reportedly have a huge collection of records that can be accessed for the purpose or researching ancestors. Scripture nowhere commands people to search for information about dead people. The dead are dead, and they are judged and sentenced to either Heaven or Hell. The living should have better things to do with their time which is a gift from God and should be used wisely. Scripture nowhere commands living souls to be baptized for the dead. Baptism is for the converted soul and is only done after there has been repentance. Those dead people that died in their sins did not repent. None of these doctrines make sense or are Scriptural.
Verses 5-7 Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned: 6 From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling; 7 Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm.
Instead of fables and endless genealogies, what the Christian believer should be focusing on is brotherly love, good will towards others, keeping a clear conscience and having sincere faith without hypocrisy. Apparently, some people in the Ephesus church were not following the teachings of the Apostle Paul and were engaged in empty talk and also wanting to teach others when they really didn’t know their topic or even completely understand that which they wanted to teach. In short, they didn’t know what they were talking about.
Application: “Some are called, some are sent, and some just got up and went” was a favorite saying of Pastor David Meyer. What he meant was that there were people leading churches or teaching in Bible schools and seminaries that really should not be there as they had not been called by God but had decided for whatever reason to pursue a career in religion or in the church denomination of their choice. They were making a career and business out of what should be a ministry in the service of the LORD Jesus Christ. They were not true ministers of the Gospel being led by the Holy Ghost/Spirit. This is true today, which is why each Christian believer needs to ask the LORD for discernment when attending a new church or considering a new church as their permanent place of worship.
Verses 8-11 But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully; 9 Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, 10 For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine; 11 According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.
The Apostle Paul does not define what he means by “the law”, but this writer believes that he is referring to the Mosaic law rather than to Roman law. Not really sure, but since all just laws are based on Mosaic law, this writer feels safe to make this assumption. You decide for yourself. Regardless, the law is good as it provides structure and order in society. The enforcement of the law (Mosaic) is not necessary for the righteous man or woman as they do not break the law but respect it and live within its constraints. And the righteous man or woman do not break the laws of civil governments and live within its constraints as long as these laws do not conflict with those of God. So the Apostle Paul lists a variety of sins or crimes that violate law. And he states that the purpose of the law is for those people who violate the law, who disobey the law, who disregard and disrespect God, and who are devoted to sin. In other words, the law is for the wicked.
Verses 12-14 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; 13 Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. 14 And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.
The saying, “There but by the grace of God go I” is very true. Any man or woman is capable of being one of the nouns listed in the verses above and capable of sinning against the law of God and against the law of civil governments. It is God’s saving grace that keeps people from a life of wickedness and sin. The Apostle Paul speaks of what kind of man he was before meeting Jesus Christ and being transformed and placed into ministry by the will of the LORD. He persecuted God’s people, he harmed and wronged God’s people, and he spoke evil of that which the LORD Jesus Christ came to establish and for which He died, the Church. He knew very well that it was God’s love and mercy that allowed him to change and to be forgiven.
Application: God loves His created mankind and He is very tolerant of those who sin out of ignorance and unbelief. So He sent Jesus and He established the Church so that ignorant and unbelieving people could know the truth and be saved from their wickedness and sin. The problem is that so few Christian believers want to go and evangelize the lost. Imagine what kind of world this would be if every believer responded to the ministry of the Gospel like the prophet Isaiah. “Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.” Isaiah 6:8
Verses 15-16 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. 16 Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.
The Greek word translated as “acceptation” is “apodoche” and it means reception, acceptance or admission. So the faithful (true or trustworthy) saying that can be accepted because it is true is that Jesus came to save sinners. This was the reason for His birth, death, and resurrection. Often it can be heard through preaching and teaching all kinds of reasons for the coming the Jesus Christ to this Earth. The reason for His coming and the components of His ministry are not to be confused. He didn’t come to Earth just for the purpose of healing the sick or raising the dead. He didn’t come to Earth just for the purpose of establishing a New Covenant, etc.. His purpose for coming was to save sinners. All that He did during His ministry was secondary to that goal and was demonstrating a loving God who did not and does not want people to perish and spend eternity in Hell. The Apostle Paul testifies of his sinful past and then of his salvation through Jesus Christ as a witness to unbelievers of the character of God and of His love for mankind. What God did for the Apostle Paul He will do for all people willing to follow Him.
Verse 17 Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
This verse is a prayer of praise that any Christian believer can use. The LORD Jesus Christ is the only true King. He is eternal (existing forever; without beginning or end), He is immortal (imperishable, living forever), He is invisible (unseen), and He is God Almighty. He deserves honor (high respect, esteem) and glory (praise, worship, and thanksgiving from His people) for ever (for always).
Verses 18-20 This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare; 19 Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck: 20 Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme. (1 Timothy 1)
The Greek word translated as “war” is “strateuomai” and it means to be a soldier or to fight. The Greek word translated as “warfare” is “strateria” and it is metaphor for the spiritual battle all Christian believers encounter from the world, the flesh and the Devil. The Apostle Paul is reminding Timothy of prophecies that are not recorded here but which apparently were regarding his calling to the ministry of the LORD Jesus Christ and which must have indicated the type of ministry Timothy was to have. Like all faithful servants of Jesus, there will be resistance from the powers of darkness that must be met with spiritual force as the spiritual war against all things of God by Satan and his fallen angel army will continue until the end of time. The Apostle Paul wanted Timothy to spiritually fight the battle, remembering the prophecies that he knew pertained to him, and in so doing, keep the Faith and keep a clear conscience that he was in the will of God.
The name, Hymenaeus, only appears in Scripture here in the verse above, and in 2 Timothy 2:17, so there is not enough information available to comment on who this man was and what exactly he did or did not do to oppose the Apostle Paul. The man, Alexander, may be the same man spoken of in 2 Timothy 4:14 as “the coppersmith” who also opposed the Apostle Paul. The Greek word translated as “put away” is “apotheomai” and it means to thrust away, push away or repel, to reject or to refuse. So it would seem that these two men rejected in a forceful manner the Gospel message presented by the Apostle Paul in such a way as to destroy what belief they had if they had any, or to destroy the work of the Apostle and possibly the faith of other believers. Not really sure.