2 Timothy 3 Bible Study Notes

2 Timothy 3 

3:2 - "lover of themselves", that is definitely a present age problem. We are constantly told to love ourselves, to follow our heart, to embrace who we are as an individual. But the Lord has a very different way about loving oneself and living your life. Just like what Paul said in Romans 12:3, "For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith."

          We must see ourselves as we really are, the bad we are in the flesh but the glory of what we are in Jesus Christ, for "apart from Him we can do no good thing." (Psalm 16:2). We must remember that the "heart is deceitful above all things." (Jeremiah 17:9) And we must constantly be submitting to the lordship of Jesus Christ. Yes we are made as individuals with unique personalities but even that needs to be put under the Lordship of Jesus Christ because we pick up a lot from the world around us.

          The "lovers of themselves" is the first thing mentioned which could be the and root of all else listed. Life self focused and self centered.

"the message is the same: You make your own rules, you answer to no one. You are the one that matters, the universe revolves around you."

3:5 - When we talk about the power of godliness, we often mean it in the sense of "power to give me what I want." But this is exactly opposite of what Paul meant here. The power of godliness that men will despise in the last days is the power it should have to guide their lives; power in the sense of rightful authority - and many, many, today deny that God has the power to tell them what to do through His Word

"Have nothing to do with these people" also translated "turn away from such people" - no matter how strong you think you are they will influence you. For "bad company corrupts good character" (1 Corinthians 15:33)

3:6 - "all kinds of evil desires" or "all kinds of evil lusts"

           Led away by various lusts: Obviously, the spirit of the last days finds its appeal to us by exciting various lusts within us. It appeals to the desire to be excited sexually, or romantically, or to have our desires for comfort or wealth or status satisfied.

3:8 - Jannes and Jambres were magicians who opposed Moses before Pharaoh.

3:10-12

Carefully followed means that Paul did not merely teach Timothy these things in an academic sense; Timothy learned these things by carefully following Paul's example. The best kind of Christianity is not only taught, it is also caught by seeing it lived out in other people.

Doctrine, manner of life, purpose,

What we believe will determine how we live

Paul's life had purpose, it was not without direction, he was going somewhere.

All these things flowed from Paul's doctrine, what he believed, "his teachings" - out of that came Paul's way of life, his purpose, his faith, his patience, his love, his endurance, his persecutions, his sufferings... literally everything came out of the overflow of what he believed.

This is why Christians are persecuted, "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." (John 3:19)

3:11 "yet the Lord rescued me from it all"

Paul has such faith in the Lord's hand on His life and the Lord's timing. He truly knows the peace that surpasses understanding. Nothing was going to stop Paul from following hard after Jesus, not persecution or imprisonment or even death.

3:16

God-breathed. According to 2 Peter 1:20, 21

How you view scripture will completely change your life. If you believe it is literal and infallible than you will have great hope and assurance. How sad it is that some people don't believe the word of God is truly the word of God.  

The Bible is unique in its continuity: It was written over 1600 years, over 60 generations, by more than 40 authors, on three different continents, in different circumstances and places, in different times, different moods, in three languages, concerning scores of controversial subjects, but it speaks with one united voice

2 Peter 1:19 - the Word of God is more sure than when the Lord opened the heavens and said "this is my Beloved Son with whom I am well pleased"! Crazy!

God's ability to precisely predict future events in the Bible is His own way of building proof for the Bible right into the text. It proves that it was authored by Someone who not only can see the future, but Who can also shape the future.

          For example, there are at least 332 distinct Old Testament predictions regarding the Messiah which Jesus fulfilled perfectly (such as His birth in Bethlehem, His emergence from Egypt, His healing of the sick, His death on the cross, and so forth). Collectively, the combination of this evidence together is absolutely overwhelming.

When we take in the Bible literally it can transform us from the inside out. It leads us in the way of righteousness. It is not only a love letter to us from the Lord but it is also a guide to how to live a life to honor and glorify Him so that others may see our life just like Timothy saw Paul's, full of love and purpose and want to know this God that we love so much we are willing to give up everything to be more like Him. Don't try and fix yourself, everything about following Jesus is about the heart and the Spirit. Don't read your Bible and try to physically look more like Jesus, read your Bible and take in the very word of God and be prayerful, seek the Lord and seek His scriptures and you will naturally become more like Him, you will naturally have more faith because faith comes from one way, hearing the word of God.

Romans 12:2