2 Timothy 3.14-Timothy Must Continue to Follow the Example of Paul, His Grandmother Lois and Mother Eunice
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Thursday July 30, 2015
Second Timothy: Second Timothy 3:14-Timothy Must Continue to Follow the Example of Paul, His Grandmother Lois and Mother Eunice
Lesson # 78
2 Timothy 3:14 You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them. (NASB95)
“However” is the conjunction de (δέ), which is introducing a statement that stands in contrast with Paul’s previous statement in Second Timothy 3:13 which asserts that evil people as well as charlatans will become progressively worse while regularly deceiving as well as regularly being deceived.
Therefore, the contrast is between Timothy’s faithfulness to Paul’s apostolic teaching and the unfaithfulness of these unrepentant apostate pastor-teachers in the Roman province of Asia whom Paul describes in Second Timothy 3:13 as “charlatans.”
“You” is the nominative second person singular form of the personal pronoun su (σύ), which is referring of course to Timothy and is used for emphasis by Paul and involves a contrast.
Here the word emphasizes Timothy’s faithfulness to Paul’s apostolic teaching in contrast with those pastors in the Roman province of Asia who were unfaithful and charlatans.
“Continue” is the second person singular present active imperative form of the verb menō (μένω), which means “to conform to” and is used in relation to Paul’s apostolic teaching as well as the teaching from the Old Testament which Timothy received from his grandmother Lois and mother Eunice.
Therefore, the verb denotes “conforming” to the standard of those teachings which he had learned from Paul’s teaching and exemplifying the gospel and the teaching of his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice from the Old Testament which they exemplified.
The present imperative of menō means, “to continue making it your habit of” conforming to the code of those teachings which he had received from Paul and his mother and grandmother through instruction and observation.
“In the things” is composed of the following: (1) preposition en (ἐν), “in” (2) dative neuter plural form of the relative pronoun hos (ὅς), “the things.”
The relative pronoun hos is in the plural and means “those things which” referring to the instruction Timothy received from both Paul and his mother Eunice and grandmother Lois.
This word is the object of the preposition en, which is a marker of a standard meaning this word is specifying the rule or code of conduct.
Therefore, this prepositional phrase indicates that Timothy was to continue making it his habit of conforming to the code of those teachings which he had learned from Paul and his mother and grandmother through instruction and observation.
“You have learned” is the second person singular aorist active indicative form of the verb manthanō (μανθάνω), which means “to learn” since it pertains to acquiring information as the result of instruction, whether in a formal or informal context as well as through observation.
Therefore, the word speaks of Timothy learning how to live a godly life through instruction from Paul and his grandmother Lois and mother Eunice as well as through observing them put their teaching into practice.
“And become convinced of” is composed of the following: (1) conjunction kai (καί), “and” (2) second person singular aorist passive indicative form of the verb pistoō (πιστόω), “become convinced of.”
The conjunction kai is emphatic meaning it is introducing the verb pistoō, “become convinced of” which is advancing upon and intensifying Paul’s previous assertion that Timothy received instruction from Paul.
The advancement and intensification is that not only did Timothy learn through instruction and observation of the code of those teachings from Paul and his mother and grandmother but he also had a conviction regarding this code of these teachings.
In other words, he was convinced by what he learned from Paul’s example as well as the example of his grandmother Lois and mother Eunice.
The verb pistoō means “to become convinced of” and is used in reference to Timothy learning from the apostle Paul and his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice through instruction and observation as to how to live a godly life.
Therefore, the word denotes that Timothy “became convinced of” the code of those teachings which he received through instruction from Paul and his mother and grandmother as well as observing them put their teaching into practice.
In other words, he entered into the state of being convinced of the way a Christian should live from Paul’s example and his mother and grandmother.
Thus, it speaks of conviction regarding Paul’s teaching and his grandmother and mother teaching from the Old Testament as a result of observing them put this teaching into practice.
The aorist tense of this verb is an ingressive aorist which is used to stress the beginning of an action or the entrance into a particular state.
Here it speaks of Timothy entering into the state of being convinced by what Paul and his mother and grandmother taught him as a result of observing all three put this teaching into practice in their lives.
The passive voice of the verb pistoō is a “divine passive.”
The passive voice means that the subject receives the action of the verb from either an expressed or unexpressed agency.
The subject here is Timothy and the object is the godly conduct of Paul, his grandmother Lois and mother Eunice which was the result of applying their teaching and the unexpressed agency is the Holy Spirit.
Thus, the passive voice of the verb pistoō indicates that Timothy received the action of entering into the state of being convinced by the Holy Spirit that the teaching of Paul, his grandmother Lois and mother Eunice was the truth as a result of observing all three put their teaching into practice.
“Knowing” is the nominative masculine singular perfect active participle form of the verb oida (οἶδα), which means “to know for certain, to know without a doubt” since it pertains to having knowledge of something to the extent of having no doubt about the matter.
Therefore, this word indicates that Timothy “knew first-hand” from whom he learned how to live a godly life.
The participle form of the verb is a causal participle which presents the basis or the reason for the previous command for Timothy.
This causal participle in Second Timothy 3:14 must be interpreted in light of Paul’s statements in Second Timothy 1:5 and Second Timothy 3:10-11.
Therefore, Timothy was to continue making it his habit of conforming to the code of conduct which he had learned from Paul and his grandmother Lois and mother Eunice and indeed had become convinced of because he knew first-hand that from these three he learned through instruction and observation this code of conduct.
Timothy thus knew first-hand from these three as to how to live a godly life.
Paul’s example as well as the example of his grandmother Lois and mother Eunice was the source from which Timothy knew first-hand how to live a godly life.
Timothy learned how to live a godly life by receiving instruction from his grandmother Lois and mother Eunice as well as Paul.
He also learned from their example.
“From whom” is composed of the following: (1) preposition para (παρά), “from” (3) genitive masculine plural form of the interrogative pronoun tis (τις), “whom.”
The genitive masculine plural form of the interrogative pronoun tis, means “whom” referring to the apostle Paul as well as Timothy’s grandmother Lois and mother Eunice.
It is the object of the preposition para, which means “from” since it is functioning as a marker of source which indicates that Paul’s example as well as the example of his grandmother Lois and mother Eunice was the source from which Timothy knew first-hand how to live a godly life.
Second Timothy 3:14 You however in contrast to them continue making it your habit of conforming to the standard of those things which you have learned through instruction and observation, indeed have become convinced of because you know first-hand from whom you have learned through instruction and observation. (My translation)
The command in Second Timothy 3:14 and the reason for it are designed to encourage Timothy to continue to remain faithful to Paul’s apostolic teaching or gospel which is in line with the teaching of the Old Testament he received from his grandmother Lois and mother Eunice.
The teaching Timothy received from these three was reliable as demonstrated by the godly character of these three which stands in contrast to the character of the apostate pastor-teachers in the Roman province of Asia and Judaizers.
The false teaching of the Judaizers and those pastors who adhered to their teaching was not reliable since it produced ungodly character.
Thus, Timothy was to continue to remain faithful to the teaching he received from Paul, his grandmother Lois and mother Eunice since these three demonstrated through their conduct and character that what they taught him was truth from God.
He was to continue to reject the false teaching of the Judaizers and apostate pastor-teachers in the Roman province of Asia because the conduct and character of these men demonstrated that what they taught was not from God but lies from the devil.