2 Timothy 3.3-Paul Lists Six More Vices Characterizing Unrepentant, Apostate Christianity During the Last Days
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Tuesday June 30, 2015
Second Timothy: Second Timothy 3:3-Paul Lists Six More Vices Characterizing Unrepentant, Apostate Christianity During the Last Days
Lesson # 64
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, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good. (NASB95)
“Unloving” is the nominative masculine plural form of the adjective astorgos (ἄστοργος), which is in the plural and means “unloving individuals” or “individuals devoid of natural affection” since it describes a person who is without natural, instinctive affection for their parents or children.
The word speaks of an uncaring attitude towards those who are of their immediate family or are friends.
“Irreconcilable” is the nominative masculine plural form of the adjective aspondos (ἄσπονδος), which is also in the plural and means “implacable individuals” or “those who are implacable” since it pertains to a person who is unwilling to be reconciled to others.
“Malicious gossips” is the nominative masculine plural form of the adjective diabolos (διάβολος), which is in the plural and means “malicious gossips” since it pertains to a person who habitually reveals personal and sensational facts about others or spreads rumors of an intimate nature out of malice toward another.
“Without self-control” is the nominative masculine plural form of the adjective akratēs (ἀκρατής), which is also in the plural and means “self-indulgent individuals” since the word pertains to lacking self-control or in other words, lacking in moral restraint.
“Brutal” is the nominative masculine plural form of the adjective anēmeros (ἀνήμερος), which is also in the plural and means “brutal individuals” or “those who are brutal” since the word pertains to one who is grossly ruthless or unfeeling.
“Haters of good” is the nominative masculine plural form of the adjective aphilagathos (ἀφιλάγαθος), which is in the plural as well and means “individuals opposed to what is good” since it pertains to a person who does not love what is good or what is in the best interests of others.
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, 3 devoid of natural affection, implacable, malicious gossips, self-indulgent, brutal, opposed to what is good. (My translation)
As we noted in our study of Second Timothy 3:2, the apostle Paul in Second Timothy 3:2-5 presents the reason for the previous command he issued Timothy in Second Timothy 3:1.
In verses 2-5, the apostle Paul makes twenty-one assertions regarding apostate Christianity during the last days.
Of course the church age occurs during the last days which extends from the First to the Second Advent of Jesus Christ.
Therefore, Paul wants Timothy to avoid unrepentant apostate Christians who will possess the ungodly character described in these verses.
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 and is speaking of unrepentant apostate Christians living during the last days.
In particular, it speaks of those Christians living during the church age which appears during the last days which began with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and end with His Second Advent and is not referring to the non-Christian.
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.
Therefore, the “people” being referred to in Second Timothy 3:2 are unrepentant apostate Christians living during the church age and which dispensation appears during the last days which occurs between the First and Second Advents of Jesus Christ.
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.
This procedure involved three steps and if after the third step they were still unrepentant, then the church was to avoid these Christians and not have fellowship with them until they did repent.
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.
Paul says that these Christians will be characterized by ungodly behavior.
He states that as a certainty this will take place during the last days and the church age dispensation appears in the last days.
The apostle also makes clear to Timothy that these unrepentant, apostate Christians will out of selfishness be characterized by ungodly behavior.
He is emphasizing that the sin nature will drive such ungodly behavior in these Christians.
He is emphasizing sin nature control over these individuals implying that they will not exercise faith in the gospel and thus consider themselves dead to the sin nature and alive to God because they are identified with Christ in His death and resurrection (cf. Romans 6:1-14).
In Second Timothy 3:2, the apostle Paul makes eight assertions about these unrepentant, apostate Christians living during the church age.
Now here in Second Timothy 3:3, he makes six more.
The first is that these individuals will be characterized as those who are devoid of natural affection for their parents or children and friends.
The second is that these individuals will be implacable in that they will be characterized as unwilling to be reconciled to others.
The third assertion maintains that these unrepentant apostate Christians will be malicious gossips.
They will be people who habitually reveal personal and sensational facts about others or spreads rumors of an intimate nature out of malice toward another.
The fourth assertion is that these individuals will be characterized as self-indulgent meaning that they lack self-control or in other words, they lack moral restraint.
They are people who are dissolute in that they are characterized by indulgence in such things as sex or alcohol.
Paul’s fifth assertion is that these individuals will be brutal in that they will be characterized as being grossly ruthless or unfeeling.
Lastly, the sixth assertion maintains that apostate Christianity during the church age will be characterized by individuals who opposed what is good or in the best interests of others.
There has always been apostasy throughout the church age.
Paul is teaching in Second Timothy 3:2-5 with these twenty-one assertions that apostate Christianity during the church age will be characterized by these ungodly vices that he lists in these verses.
History records the fulfillment of Paul’s prediction.
Apostate Christianity in his day was characterized by these vices and today it is characterized by these vices and apostate Christianity in the centuries between have been characterized as well by these vices.
Some Christians and expositors and theologians erroneously believe that one cannot be characterized by ungodly behavior after conversion and be a “true” believer.
However, 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 an unbeliever, 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.
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.