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Just as a bridge must be built on a rm foundation, a Christian’s faith must have a solid base. Christ is the foundation of our faith.
2:16 “Unity is a grace for which we must ask the Lord that he may liberate us from the temptation of division, of con ict between us, of sel shness, of gossip. How much evil gossip does, how much evil! Never gossip about others, never! So much damage to the Church comes from division among Christians, from biases, from narrow interests” (Pope Francis, General Audience, 19 June 2013).
2:25 As a leader, Timothy will not be able to avoid dealing with disagreements and di culties. He should resolve these challenges not by attempting to outwit his opponents in debate but by “correcting opponents with kindness.”
CHAPTER 2
m. [2:15] 1:8; 2 Cor 6:7; Eph 1:13; Col 1:5.
n. [2:16] 1 Tm 4:7.
o. [2:17] 1 Tm 1:20.
p. [2:18] 2 Thes 2:2.
q. [2:19] Is 28:16; 1 Cor 3:10–15 /
Nm 16:5; Jn 10:14.
r. [2:21] 3:17.
s. [2:22] Gal 5:22; 1 Tm 6:11 /
Rom 10:13; 1 Cor 1:2.
t. [2:23] 1 Tm 1:4; 4:7; 6:4; Ti 3:9.
u. [2:24] 1 Tm 3:2–3.
v. [2:25] 3:7; 1 Tm 2:4.
w. [2:26] 1 Tm 3:7.
CHAPTER 3
a. [3:1] 1 Tm 4:1; 2 Pt 3:3; Jude 18.
b. [3:2–4] Rom 1:29–31.
c. [3:5] Rom 2:20–22; Ti 1:16.
d. [3:6] Ti 1:11.
e. [3:7] 2:25.
f. [3:8] Ex 7:11, 22; 1 Tm 6:5.
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no disgrace, imparting the word of truth without deviation.m 16Avoid profane, idle talk, for such people will become more and more godless,n 17and their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus,o 18who have deviated
from the truth by saying that [the] resurrection has already taken place and are upsetting the faith of some.p 19Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands, bearing this inscription, “The Lord knows those who are his”; and, “Let everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord avoid evil.”q
20In a large household there are vessels not only of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for lofty and others for humble use. 21If anyone cleanses himself of these things, he will be a vessel for lofty use, dedicated, bene cial to the master of the house, ready for every good work.r 22So turn from youthful desires and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord* with purity of heart.s 23Avoid foolish and ignorant debates, for you know that they breed quarrels.t 24A slave of the Lord should not quarrel, but should be gentle with everyone, able to teach, tolerant,u 25correcting opponents with kindness. It may be that God will grant them repentance that leads to knowledge of the truth,v 26* and that they may return to their senses out of the devil’s snare,w where they are entrapped by him, for his will.
3The Dangers of the Last Days.*
1But understand this: there will be terrifying times in the last
a2
days. People will be self-centered and lovers of money, proud,
haughty, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, irreligious,b 3callous, implacable, slanderous, licentious, brutal, hating what is good, 4traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5as they make a pretense of religion but deny its power. Reject them.c 6For some of these slip into homes and make captives of women weighed down by sins, led by various desires,d 7always trying to learn but never able to reach a knowledge of the truth.e 8Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so they also oppose the truth— people of depraved mind, unquali ed in the faith.f 9But they will not make further progress, for their foolishness will be plain to all, as it was with those two.
* [2:22] Those who call on the Lord: those who believe in Christ and worship him as Lord, i.e., Christians (Acts 9:14–16, 20–21; Rom 10:12–13; cf. 2 Tm 2:19, literally, “Everyone who names the name of the Lord”).
* [2:26] Some interpreters would render this passage, “Thus they may come to their senses and, forced to do his (i.e., God’s) will, may escape the devil’s trap.” This interpretation of the Greek is possible, but the one accepted in the text seems more likely.
* [3:1–9] The moral depravity and false teaching that will be rampant in the last days are already at work (2 Tm 3:1–5). The frivolous and super cial, too, devoid of the true spirit of religion, will be easy victims of those who pervert them by falsifying the truth (2 Tm 3:6–8), just as Jannes and Jambres, Pharaoh’s magicians of Egypt (Ex 7:11–12, 22), discredited the truth in Moses’ time. Exodus does not name the magicians, but the two names are widely found in much later Jewish, Christian, and even pagan writings. Their origins are legendary.
* [3:10–17] Paul’s example for Timothy includes persecution, a frequent emphasis in the Pastorals. Timothy is to be steadfast to what he has been taught and to scripture. The scriptures are the source of wisdom, i.e., of belief in and loving ful llment of God’s word revealed in Christ, through whom salvation is given.
* [3:16–17] Useful for teaching. . .every good work: because as God’s word the scriptures share his divine authority. It is exercised through those who are ministers of the word.
* [3:16] All scripture is inspired by God: this could possibly also be translated, “All scripture inspired by God is useful for. . ..” In this classic reference to inspiration, God is its principal author, with the writer as the human collaborator. Thus the scriptures are the word of God in human language. See also 2 Pt 1:20–21.