Commentary on 2 Timothy 3.1–4.17

“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come; for people will be lovers of themselves alone, greedy, insolent, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, impious, without faith, without love, slanderers, incontinent, harsh, enemies of the good, traitors, reckless, swollen, lovers of pleasures rather than of God, having the form of godliness but denying its power; and avoid these.” This is a prophecy of the holy apostle, in which he foresaw how great would be the evils of the heretics and the Jews; for in these all those things hostile to God are marked out. For the apostle himself said: “What have I to do with judging those outside?” (1 Cor 5:12). For those who think ill of God and do not fear to profess what tends to his insult, how can they be kindly in human dealings? Therefore he said: “having the form of godliness but denying its power”; because they profess themselves Christians, though they are both of most wicked work and perverse in mind. For God’s praise and power lie not in profession more than in deeds.

“For of these are those who creep into houses and lead captive silly women laden with sins, who are led by various desires, always learning and never arriving at the knowledge of the truth.” Although this fits all heretics, that, slipping into houses, they capture women with crafty and cunning words, so as to deceive the men through them after the manner of their father the devil, who got round Adam through Eve; yet it fits the Manichees above the rest. For none are so importunate, so deceitful, so captious as these, who plainly worship one thing and profess another, do one thing inwardly and claim another outwardly. For they maintain they are holy, and, with their law favoring it, live shamefully; they praise mercy, while among themselves they are caught acting unjustly; they assert that the world is to be spurned, and always go about well groomed; they boastfully proclaim that they apply themselves to fasts, while they are all seen to be fattened, only that by some art they contrive to appear pale, to deceive. The apostle, then, prophesied this chiefly about them, who plainly did not exist in the time of the apostles, nor did the Arians; since Diocletian, in his constitution, marks them out, saying: “this … and impure heresy, which,” he says, “has recently come out of Persia.” They find women who out of vanity desire to hear something new, and through what pleases them they persuade them to foul and unlawful things; for they are eager to learn, though they have no judgment to test; this is to be always learning and never to have the knowledge of the truth.

“As Jannes and Mambres resisted Moses, so these also resist the truth, men corrupted in mind, reprobate concerning the faith. But they will not advance further; for their ignorance will be evident to all, as theirs also was.” This example is from the apocrypha (Exod 7:11–12). For Jannes and Mambres were brothers, magicians or sorcerers of the Egyptians, who thought that by the art of their magic, with counterfeit rivalry, they were resisting the mighty works of God which were done through Moses. But when Moses’ power grew in his works, they were humbled and confessed, with the pain of their wounds, that God was working in Moses. Hence he says that these likewise will advance no further in the impiety of their assertion; because their unskilfulness and seduction are plain; and though unwillingly, they will nevertheless confess their unskilfulness in the end.

“But you have followed my teaching, instruction, purpose, faith, long-suffering, love, patience, persecutions, sufferings.” He wants him to be an imitator of the things he lists; for in the end these will lead not to repentance but to joy.

“Such things as happened to me at Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra, such persecutions as I endured; and from them all the Lord rescued me. But all who want to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. But wicked men and deceivers will advance to worse, themselves erring and involving others in errors.” He recalls what and how great things he suffered in order to show God’s help, by which he defends his servants and keeps them safe from Satan’s shamelessness; so as to make them secure and lift them up, that they may not fear what can be inflicted by the faithless, but may be eager in persecution, certain that all who live rightly in Christ are hated even by the members of their own body. But the wicked advance to worse when they see many giving them assent, so that they lead the rest into error. For while they are known to be wicked and deceivers and nonetheless flourish and prosper in the world, they draw some to become their imitators, so that they are to be punished not only for their own errors but also for those of the people they ruin by their example.

“But you, continue in the things you have learned and that have been entrusted to you, knowing from whom you learned them, and that from infancy you have known the sacred writings, which can instruct you for salvation.” He indicates that it is very profitable to have knowledge of the Old Testament; for he calls the sacred writings those which intimate the person of Christ and declare his incarnation for redeeming the salvation of men. He urges him to advance in these; for this antiquity is the strength of the new, knowing that he from whom he learned is a firm authority; for he saw signs and wonders done by him, to which every word yields.

“All Scripture divinely inspired is useful for teaching, for correction, for restoration, for reproof, for instruction which is in righteousness itself, so that the man of God may be ready, perfected for every good work.” It is plain that all Scripture of which God is shown to be the author is useful; for it was given for this purpose, to profit the unskilled and restore the deformed, drawing the wicked to righteousness, so that the man of God may be perfect in every good work; for by advancing step by step in the new man he constitutes him a man of God.

“I charge you before God and Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, by his coming and his kingdom: preach the word, be urgent in season and out of season; reprove, exhort, rebuke with all magnanimity and teaching.” He commands so earnestly that the gift of God be preached inviolate that, with the attestation of God the Father and Christ his Son, he warns that this must be cared for and pressed, so that by constant preaching and frequent reproof, when opportune, he may provoke to better progress; and he urges that this be done without bitterness, so that they may more readily agree with the one who reproves them.

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound teaching, but according to their own desires they will heap up teachers for themselves, having itching ears; and they will turn their hearing away from the truth and be turned to fables.” This too is likewise a prophecy of the holy apostle, who, foreknowing the future, commands that he persist earnestly in teaching, so that people formed in faith and good works and instructed in sound discipline may remain robust, so that in the last time, when some begin to turn from truth to error, they may persevere unmoved. For he says there will be such people as want to be taught according to their desires, so that they turn from constant and truthful teachers to those who teach them what they gladly hear; because truth will seem harsh to them, so that, leaving their teaching, they give themselves to fables. For they do not want their wicked works to be reproved; therefore they want teachers who will serve their morals; for their ears itch to hear fables of vanities composed under the name of teaching, in which they may delight. This is proper to none so much as to the Manichees, who have I know not what various inventions called by unheard-of names, though they are frivolous things and certain ravings.

“But be sober in all things, patient; do the work of an evangelist; fulfill your ministry. For I am already being poured out, and the time of my release is at hand.” He admonishes and exhorts him to be watchful in church discipline, to act manfully, to explain the Scriptures, so that the prudent and instructed may avoid empty fables. For the apostle, knowing that his passion was imminent, wants to leave in holy Timothy an example of godly life and sound teaching, so that through a line of succession fit teachers may never be lacking; yet he calls his passion a libation; for one who suffers for his righteousness is sacrificed to God.

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith. For the rest, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award me on that day; and not only to me but also to those who love his coming.” He recalls that he has kept all the things that were useful and favorable to himself and others; for he presented himself as a pattern to his hearers not only in words but also in deeds, so as to be a faithful steward to his author by the truth of his preaching, and, having wrestled with all care and skill against the princes and powers of the world, to leave an example of how they might be conquered; so that inviolate teaching and the lawful struggle of the contest might make them worthy to be crowned; because God, the righteous judge, will give most ample rewards to those who love him and await his Son from heaven.

“Make haste to come to me soon; for Demas has deserted me, loving this world, and has gone to Thessalonica, Crescens to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. Luke alone is with me. Take Mark and bring him with you; for he is useful to me in the ministry. But Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus.” Although all the instruction of a churchman is plainly contained in the letter, he nevertheless longs for his presence out of great love. And he gives Mark this testimony because he remembers his past labors.

“The cloak that I left at Troas with Carpus, bring when you come, and the books, but especially the parchments.” The apostle was by birth a Jew and had nothing foreign about him. Where, then, did he get a cloak? But because he was from Tarsus, whose people were plainly received into alliance with the Romans so as thenceforth to be called Roman citizens, they must therefore also have had a council, to which they assembled wearing cloaks in the Roman manner. For whoever at that time had gone out to meet the Romans with gifts were granted perpetual immunity and called Roman citizens and their brothers, as the same apostle testifies. So it may be that he had his father’s cloak, if not his own, since he had given himself wholly to the law. (Verses 14–15.) “Alexander the coppersmith showed me many evils; the Lord will repay him according to his works. Avoid him yourself, for he strongly opposed our words.” This Alexander and the Demas mentioned above were colleagues. These were with the apostle at first, feigning friendship with him; and because deceivers are proved by time, both withdrew from him. But this coppersmith, who was bolder in evil, so withdrew from him that he became an opponent of his words. Not undeservedly, then, does he warn that this man, who had dared to contradict the apostle, is to be avoided, leaving him to God’s judgment. (Verse 16.) “At my first defense no one stood by me, but all deserted me; may it not be counted against them.” He calls the afflictions and tribulations inflicted on him his defense; for suffering is life for Christians, and persecution a defense; for affliction suffered for righteousness defends one on the day of judgment, making the faithless guilty. So he complains that he was deserted at the very beginning of the affliction inflicted; and because he knows that this is the usual way, he does not want it counted against them; because the disciples too left the Lord when he was seized by the Jews, since it is written in the prophet: “I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered” (Zech 13:7).

“But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the preaching might be fulfilled and all the gentiles might hear.” Because he says he was fortified by our Lord’s help and increased in strength to fulfill the preaching among all the nations, he therefore asks that those by whom he was deserted in his need be pardoned, so that, well accepted by God, he may not seek vengeance. For he believes he was helped the more by God for this reason, that he was deserted by men. (Verse 18.) “And I was rescued from the mouth of the lion. The Lord will rescue me from every evil work and will save me into his heavenly kingdom; to him be glory for ever. Amen.” His fellow apostle Peter likewise says: “For our adversary the devil prowls around, roaring like a lion, seeking whom to devour” (1 Pet 5:8). But because he found no occasion in the apostle by which to deceive him, he stirred up affliction and punishments against him through his sons, so that, if not as a sinner, at least as a righteous man he might be removed from this life, lest he urge many to the faith. When he had nearly accomplished this, the apostle, freed by God’s providence, mocks him, testifying that he is weak, because he was snatched from his mouth, since he could not accomplish what he desired. So he rejoices that he was rescued from death by God’s help, and is so secure in God’s providence that he believes he will be freed from future temptations, and not only freed for the present but also saved on the day of judgment, and that he will reign with Christ the Lord for ever and ever. (Verses 19–21.) “Greet Priscilla and Aquila and the house of Onesiphorus. Erastus remained at Corinth; but Trophimus I left sick at Miletus. Make haste to come before winter.” Aquila and Priscilla are those with whom he lodged and worked with his hands (Acts 18:2–3). And Onesiphorus is the one to whom he bears witness in the second letter (2 Tim 1:16). Yet why was Trophimus sick in the presence of the apostle, who raised the dead? But signs were done for unbelievers; and because merit is laid up with God for different reasons, so that whoever gives thanks to God, whether in tribulation or in sickness, and does not seek help from the opposing side, advances in merits with God. And because of rains and cold he advises him to come to him in autumn. “Eubulus and Pudens, Linus and Claudia, and all the brothers greet you.” In the usual way the letter is completed with the greeting of the brothers. “The Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.” This is the apostle’s signature, which he says is the sign in every letter. And because the Son of God is the same as the son of man, he is called both Jesus and Christ; he is named by two names, so that both man and God may be signified. Yet by each name a dignity is marked, for the reason for which the names were given.