2 Timothy 3.2-Paul Lists Eight Vices Characterizing Unrepentant, Apostate Christianity During the Last Days
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Wednesday June 24, 2015
Second Timothy: Second Timothy 3:2-Paul Lists Eight Vices Characterizing Unrepentant, Apostate Christianity During the Last Days
Lesson # 63
2 Timothy 3:1 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy. (NASB95)
Second Timothy 3:2-5 presents the reason for Paul’s previous command in Second Timothy 3:1.
“These men” is the articular nominative masculine plural form of the noun anthropos (ἄνθρωπος), “these men.”
The noun anthropos is in the plural and is a generic term denoting a “person, a human being” without any indication of the race or gender of that person which must be determined by the context.
“Will be” is the third person plural future middle indicative form of the verb eimi (εἰμί), which means “to possess a particular characteristics,” which are identified by the list of words which appear in Second Timothy 3:2-5.
The future tense of the verb eimi is a predictive future which indicates that, it will certainly take place that during the last days Christians will be characterized by ungodly behavior.
The middle voice is an indirect middle which indicates that Christians living during the last days or specifically those living during the church age will in their own selfish-interests be characterized by ungodly behavior.
“Lovers of self” is the nominative masculine plural form of the adjective philautos (φίλαυτος), which means “self-centered, a lover of self” since it pertains to the excessive love for oneself or excessive concern for oneself to the extent of disregarding others.
“Lovers of money” is the nominative masculine plural form of the adjective philarguros (φιλάργυρος), which means “a lover of money” since it pertains to being fond of or loving wealth or money.
“Boastful” is the nominative masculine plural form of the adjective alazōn (ἀλαζών), which means “a braggart, a boaster” since the word pertains to one who is pretentiously proud and given to bragging about it.
“Arrogant” is the nominative masculine plural form of the adjective huperēphanos (ὑπερήφανος), which means “arrogant individuals” since it pertains to a person who is ostentatiously proud in that they brag about their position and status in life and despises others who are beneath their status and position in life.
“Revilers” is the nominative masculine plural form of the adjective blasphēmos (βλάσφημος), which means “slanderous individuals” since it pertains to a person who employs abusive, insulting and slanderous speech.
“Disobedient to parents” is composed of the following: (1) dative masculine plural form of the adjective goneus (γονεύς), “to parents” (2) nominative masculine plural form of the adjective apeithēs (ἀπειθής), “disobedient.”
The adjective goneus means “parents” since it pertains a person’s biological or legal parents and is functioning as a dative of disadvantage indicating that this disobedience on the part of certain unrepentant apostate Christians during the church age will be “to the detriment of” their parents.
The adjective apeithēs is in the plural and means “disobedient ones” since it pertains to a person who is continually disobedient or existing in a state of being disobedient to their parents.
“Ungrateful” is the nominative masculine plural form of the adjective acharistos (ἀχάριστος), which pertains to a complete lack of thankfulness to another person who has helped you or been a benefactor or a parent.
“Unholy” is the nominative masculine plural form of the adjective anosios (ἀνόσιος), which pertains to a person who is not consecrated or devoted to God.
Here it speaks of unrepentant apostate Christians living during the church age who are characterized as not experiencing sanctification.
Second Timothy 3:1 Indeed continue making it your habit of taking note of this, namely that dangerous circumstances interacting will exist during the last days. 2 For out of selfishness, people will be characterized as self-centered, lovers of money, braggarts, arrogant, slanderous, disobedient individuals to the detriment of their parents, ungrateful, unholy. (My translation)
The apostle Paul in Second Timothy 3:2-5 presents the reason for the previous command he issued Timothy in Second Timothy 3:1.
Therefore, in Second Timothy 3:2-5, Paul wants Timothy to obey his command in Second Timothy 3:1 because there will be Christians who will be characterized by unrepentant ungodly behavior.
The “people” Paul is referring to in Second Timothy 3:2-5 are unrepentant, apostate Christians living during the church age.
That these individuals are unrepentant apostate Christians is indicated by the command Paul issues Timothy in Second Timothy 3:5 which required that Timothy continue making it his habit of avoiding these same people who he describes in detail in Second Timothy 3:2-5.
Paul would never command Timothy to avoid the non-Christian but only the unrepentant apostate Christian which is indicated by his teaching in First Corinthians 5:9-12.
I say “unrepentant” since Paul would not command Timothy to avoid a Christian in apostasy unless they were unrepentant.
Timothy was to follow the procedure taught by the Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 18:15-17 for administering church discipline.
So therefore, in Second Timothy 3:2-5, the Christians Paul is referring to are those who are unrepentant about their ungodly behavior and have failed to repent after having gone through the various stages of discipline administered by the church.
Here in Second Timothy 3:2, the apostle Paul makes eight assertions about these unrepentant, apostate Christians living during the church age.
First, they will be characterized as self-centered individuals meaning that they will have an excessive love for themselves to the extent of disregarding others.
Paul also asserts that they will be characterized as those who love money or wealth which was a problem addressed in First Timothy 6:3-10 and Titus 1:11.
In Second Timothy 3:2 the apostle Paul also reminds Timothy that during the last days certain unrepentant, apostate Christians will also be characterized as braggarts in that they will be pretentiously proud and given to bragging about it.
They are loud arrogant boasters who express pride in themselves or their accomplishments.
These unrepentant Christians will also be characterized as arrogant individuals in that they will be ostentatiously proud in that they brag about their position and status in life and despise others who are beneath their status and position in life (cf. First Timothy 6:4).
In Second Timothy 3:2, Paul asserts that these Christians living during the last days will also be slanderous individuals in that they will employ abusive, insulting and slanderous speech.
The apostle then asserts that these individuals will be disobedient to the detriment of their parents and thus they are individuals who will be characterized as disobeying the fifth of the Ten Commandments.
Paul asserts that there will be unrepentant apostate Christians who will be characterized as being ungrateful in that they will have a complete lack of thankfulness to others who have helped them or have been a benefactor or a parent.
They not only will show no appreciation for what other people have done for them but also they will not show any appreciation for what God has done for them through the Son and the Spirit.
Paul says these unrepentant, apostate Christians will be characterized as unholy individuals in that they will not be devoted to God or in other words they will not be characterized as Christians who are experiencing their sanctification.
They will not be characterized as living according to the standards of the gospel which reflect God’s holy standards.
This should not be a shock to the reader that Christians will be characterized by such ungodly behavior since the Bible teaches that the Christian still possesses an old Adamic sin nature despite the fact that they have been regenerated through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone.
This is why the New Testament has many prohibitions and commands directed at the Christian to abstain from ungodly behavior and to conduct themselves in a godly fashion.
Some Christians and expositors and theologians erroneously believe that one cannot be characterized by ungodly behavior after conversion and be a “true” believer but the Scripture emphatically refutes this by giving many examples in which believers practiced idolatry and committed gross sins after their conversion.
David committed adultery and murder as a believer, Peter denied the Lord three times as a believer, Solomon practiced idolatry as a believer, and the Exodus generation practiced idolatry after their conversion.
All were disciplined by God and all were believers and all committed sin and acted like unbelievers and yet they still were saved.
The New Testament prohibits believers from engaging in behavior that they use to engage in prior to conversion since it is possible because of the presence of the indwelling sin nature and the devil to become involved in idolatrous and sinful behavior after conversion.
Otherwise, there would be no need to prohibit believers from such behavior if there was no possible way that they could become involved in such things.
God’s response to such ungodly behavior of Christians is to discipline them (Hebrews 12:1-13; Revelation 3:19) in order to keep them on track in executing the His will for them to become like Christ.
There are two categories of divine discipline that are an expression of God’s love: (1) Negative: God expresses His love for His children by disciplining them in the sense that He “punishes” them when they are disobedient to His will. (2) Positive: God expresses His love for His children by disciplining them in the sense of “training” them when they are obedient to His will and in fellowship.