2 Timothy 2.18-Paul Identifies the False Teaching of Hymenaeus and Philetus and Its Consequences
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Tuesday May 19, 2015
Second Timothy: Second Timothy 2:18-Paul Identifies the False Teaching of Hymenaeus and Philetus and Its Consequences
Lesson # 47
2 Timothy 2:16 But avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness. 17 and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, 18 men who have gone astray from the truth saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and they upset the faith of some. (NASB95)
“Who” is the nominative masculine plural form of the relative pronoun hostis (ὅστις), which refers to “Hymenaeus” and “Philetus” and emphasizes that these two men were of such untrustworthy or unfaithful character that their teaching was not to be trusted.
“Have gone astray” is the third person plural aorist active indicative form of the verb astocheō (ἀστοχέω), which means “to deviate, to commit apostasy” since it pertains to going astray as a result of departing from the truth and speaks of abandoning a previous loyalty and renouncing a particular teaching.
The word refers to the failure of Hymenaeus and Philetus to exercise faith in the apostle Paul’s apostolic teaching with regards to timing of the rapture or resurrection of the church.
Thus, they committed apostasy in the sense that they abandoned the apostle Paul’s teaching with regards to the timing of the resurrection or rapture of the church.
“From the truth” refers to Paul’s apostolic teaching and specifically it refers to his apostolic teaching with regards to the rapture or resurrection of the church.
“Saying” is the nominative masculine plural present active participle form of the verb legō (λέγω), which means “to communicate” since it refers to Hymenaeus and Philetus communicating to the church at Ephesus that the resurrection of the church had already taken place and speaks of them teaching this false doctrine.
The participle form of this verb is a participle of means which is indicating that Hymenaeus and Philetus committed apostasy “by means of” teaching the resurrection or rapture of the church had already taken place.
“The resurrection” is the accusative feminine singular form of the noun anastasis (ἀνάστασις), which is clearly used with reference to the resurrection of the church or rapture of the church.
“And they upset the faith of some” is presenting the result of the previous clause.
“They upset” is the third person plural present active indicative form of the verb anatrepō (ἀνατρέπω), which means “to overthrow, to overturn” in the sense of causing someone to no longer believe in a particular teaching.
Here it denotes that Hymenaeus and Philetus were overthrowing or overturning in some Christians in Ephesus the belief in the orthodox teaching concerning the resurrection of the church by teaching that the resurrection of the church had already taken place.
“The faith of some” is composed of the following: (1) genitive masculine plural form of the indefinite pronoun tis (τις), “of some” (2) articular accusative feminine singular form of the noun pistis (πίστις), “faith.”
The noun pistis is speaking of those doctrines which the Christians in Ephesus and throughout the Roman Empire hold to or believed in which were taught by the Lord Jesus Christ and His apostles and those pastors who adhered to the apostolic teaching.
The indefinite pronoun tis means “some” referring to certain unidentified Christians in Ephesus whose belief in the orthodox teaching or apostolic teaching concerning the resurrection of the church was overthrown by the false teaching of Hymenaeus and Philetus.
Second Timothy 2:18 Those of such character who have committed apostasy with regards to the truth by communicating the resurrection has already taken place. Consequently, they are existing in the state of regularly overturning that which some believe. (My translation)
The apostle Paul continues to describe Hymenaeus and Philetus and what they were teaching which led him to categorize these two men with the false teachers in Ephesus who were adhering to the teaching of the Judaizers.
Paul asserts that these two pastors committed apostasy by teaching that the resurrection of the church had already taken place.
Hymenaeus and Philetus could have been teaching that the resurrection had already taken place at the moment of the Christian’s conversion when they were identified with Jesus Christ in His resurrection through the baptism of the Spirit.
However, Paul taught that the Christian will be raised bodily from the dead just like Jesus Christ (Rom. 6:1-11; 1 Cor. 15; Phil. 3:20-21).
Couple this with the fact that both the Sadducees and Essene branches of Judaism both rejected a bodily resurrection of the human body.
First Timothy and Second Timothy make clear that the nature of the heresies troubling the Ephesian Christian community were Jewish in nature.
So therefore, Hymenaeus and Philetus were more than likely influenced by this false teaching since the nature of the heresies in Ephesus were Jewish in nature.
Thus, the Judaizing influence caused these two pastors to believe that there was no bodily resurrection but only the identification with Christ in His resurrection at conversion through the baptism of the Spirit.
Furthermore, Graeco-Roman culture rejected the idea of a bodily resurrection from death, which undoubtedly influenced Hymenaeus and Philetus to reject Paul’s apostolic teaching concerning the bodily resurrection of the church.
By denying the resurrection of the church, Hymenaeus and Philetus were rejecting the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
This is the implication of their false teaching if one reads Romans 6:1-11, 1 Corinthians 15:12-19, and Ephesians 2:1-6.
In Second Timothy 2:8, Paul affirmed the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ and no doubt he was thinking of Hymenaeus and Philetus.
The implication of rejecting Jesus Christ’s resurrection is that one denies the deity of Jesus Christ since Paul taught in Romans 1:1-4 and 10:9 that the resurrection of Jesus Christ demonstrates that He is the Son of God.
If Jesus is not God, then the Christian is not saved from their sins and in danger of eternal condemnation since Jesus Christ’s death on the cross was accepted as the payment of sins by the Father because He is the Father’s Son.
If He isn’t God, then there can be no payment of sins since the Father can only accept a perfect sacrifice for sin which could only be accomplished by God becoming human being and dying for the sins of the world.
The Christian must be raised bodily from the dead because the human body is infected by the sin nature which results in physical death.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ solved the problem of physical death which is the direct result of the sin nature infecting the human body.
Hymenaeus and Philetus departed from obeying and teaching Paul’s apostolic teaching concerning the resurrection of the church.
Their apostasy was due to their failure to exercise faith in the apostle Paul’s apostolic teaching with regards to the rapture or resurrection of the church.
Consequently, they committed apostasy in the sense that abandoned the apostle Paul’s teaching with regards to the resurrection or rapture of the church.
They renounced Paul’s teaching with regards to the resurrection or rapture of the church.
The tragic result of this false teaching was that it caused certain members of the body of Christ to no longer believe in the orthodox teaching of the resurrection of the church.
Hymenaeus and Philetus were existing in the state of regularly or habitually overturning in certain Christians the belief in the apostolic teaching concerning the resurrection of the church by teaching the resurrection of the church had already taken place.
The term “apostasy” is used to describe the state of those Christians who were once exercising faith and obeying the teaching of the Word of God but are now in the state of unbelief and thus rejecting the teaching of the Word of God.
Hymenaeus and Philetus were in apostasy because they were once in a state of obeying the apostle Paul’s teaching which is truth but were now going in the exact of opposite direction and rejecting this teaching.
So “apostasy” speaks of a Christian doing a “180” and speaks of abandoning the orthodox teaching of Scripture and rebelling against the Word of God and no longer adhering to that which they once believed in.
These Christians do not lose their salvation since the Scriptures are clear that a Christian can never lose their salvation.
Rather these Christians are disciplined by God for their apostasy since they are His children whom He loves and those whom He loves, He disciplines (Heb. 12:4-11).
The apostate Christian must solve his problem with apostasy by confessing their sins (1 John 1:9) which restores them to fellowship with God.
They maintain this fellowship by exercising faith in the teaching of the Word of God which will result in obedience to the commands and prohibitions in the Word of God (Eph. 5:18; Col. 3:16).
Confession sin followed by faith in the Word of God resulting in obedience to the Word of God constitutes repentance for a Christian.
For the non-Christian, repentance involves exercising faith in Jesus Christ as Savior which results in the imputation of divine righteousness which in turn results in the Father declaring this sinner justified.