St. Paul’s Final Charge: Faith in the Last Days (2 Timothy 3-4)
Chapter Three
Verse 1: The Last Days
This refers to the time after you find the Lord Jesus Christ and His redemption, as well as the period leading up to the end of time—the days before the Second Coming of Christ. As we approach the end, we will witness an increase in evil. Evil will intensify, and ultimately, the deceiver will rise against Christ. Our teacher, St. Paul the Apostle, warns his disciple about the troubles arising from heretics, troubles that began during Paul’s time and have continued to grow. This encouragement serves to strengthen his disciple against despair amid the resistance and challenges posed by the enemies of faith, both from outside the Church and from within. This encouragement applies to us as well. The devil consistently opposes the truth, but we can find reassurance in the promise of the Lord Jesus Christ that the gates of Hades will not prevail against the Church, for God declares His love throughout every age. Thus, we should not be troubled by the difficult times or the spread of many heresies, as God has foretold that these events would occur.
Verses 2-4: Characteristics of the Wicked
The term “people” here refers to heretics and their followers, as well as all those who distance themselves from the Church and God’s commandments. Here, the apostle outlines the types of evils that befall those who stray from the Church or follow heretics. One sin often leads to another, resulting in behaviors such as:
- Lovers of themselves: They are proud.
- Lovers of money: Those who are self-centered may become aware of their weaknesses and attempt to compensate with wealth and possessions.
- Haughty and proud: The more money one acquires, the greater the potential for arrogance and conceit.
- Blasphemers: A person consumed by self-interest, wealth, and pride becomes enslaved to these things. Such individuals may easily deny God and reject His commandments.
- Disobedient to parents: Those who refuse to submit to God and show love for Him are likely to disrespect their parents and be ungrateful toward them.
- Ungrateful: He who rejects God and is attached to money is a grumbler because he always feels wronged and that he deserves more than he has.
- Impure: If a person is separated from God, he becomes empty, and it is easy for him to fall into various types of impurity, thinking it will satisfy him, so he progresses from evil to evil.
- Brutal: He who is enslaved to selfishness will naturally be harsh in his speech and behavior towards others.
- Without contentment: As mentioned, one who is preoccupied with material things cannot be thankful because they do not satisfy him and always lead him to grumble.
- Headstrong: He who falls into self-love becomes easily judgmental of others.
- Dishonest: The lover of money and self permits evil, and therefore his heart is impure.
- Without self-control: The actions of the selfish are not only devoid of compassion but are also cruel.
- Despisers of good: Being preoccupied with material things, they neglect good deeds.
- Traitors: He who enslaves himself to love of self and money easily betrays others.
- Slanderers: They are not satisfied with doing evil but dare to seek material things even if they harm others.
- Arrogant: That is, haughty.
- Lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God: He concludes his speech with the first characteristic he began with, which is selfishness, which makes a person reject God and not love Him.
Verse 5: A Form of Godliness
Despite their evil qualities, these individuals pretend to be godly, and through their hypocrisy, they close the door to repentance. Our teacher, St. Paul the Apostle, advises his disciple to avoid these heretics. Steer clear of the wicked; it is enough to pray for them. If you find yourself falling into one of these evil behaviors, quickly seek repentance and cling to God and the Church. This will help you break free from the bondage of sin.
Verses 6-7: Preying on the Vulnerable
These heretics often target young women who are easily influenced. The heretics sought to spread their teachings and found receptive audiences among emotionally vulnerable women. They would enter homes to disseminate their beliefs, leading some of these reckless women to accept their teachings. This resulted in a combination of doctrinal deviation and immorality. Do not be lenient with small sins, as they can lead to more serious ones. Do not be misled by Satan’s false justifications, claiming that certain relationships are necessary due to circumstances. Instead, repent quickly and sever all harmful relationships, for the salvation of your soul is of the utmost importance.
Verse 8: Jannes and Jambres
Jannes and Jambres were the leaders of the magicians whom Pharaoh summoned to oppose Moses. They attempted to match Moses’ wonders by turning their staffs into snakes, but ultimately, Moses’ snake consumed theirs (Exodus 7:10-12). Our teacher, St. Paul the Apostle, learned their names from Jewish tradition that has been passed down through generations. St. Paul describes these opponents as corrupt in mind, meaning they are inclined to evil thoughts that prevent them from accepting faith in God. Because they cling to these wicked thoughts, they are ultimately rejected in terms of their faith.
Verse 9: Their Folly Will Be Exposed
St. Paul reassures Timothy that the evil deeds of the heretics will become evident, and they will not be able to lead the believers astray within the church. God will reveal their ignorance, causing the believers to reject their beliefs. The phrase “resist the truth” refers to Jannes and Jambres, who, when confronted by Moses, acknowledged their inability and declared, “This is the finger of God” (Exodus 8:19).
Verse 10: The Example of a Godly Life
After discussing the behaviors of these wicked heretics, the Apostle explains to Timothy how the children of God should behave, using his own life as an example. Timothy is encouraged to follow St. Paul in his teaching, conduct, intentions (reflecting the love of Christ), faith, adherence to Christ and His doctrine, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, and sufferings. This highlights the importance of church tradition: faith is not just a set of doctrines written in books but a way of life handed down from parents to children.
Verse 12: Persecution is Inevitable
St. Paul declares an essential truth: the persecutions he faced are inevitable for anyone living with Christ, as the world often resists and persecutes the righteous. However, the righteous need not be disturbed by these persecutions, especially since Christ supports them, bears their troubles, comforts them, and even brings them joy amidst their suffering.
Verse 13: Deceiving and Being Deceived
The impostors, these heretics, deviate from the truth and even claim that what they say is the truth. By deceiving and being deceived, they lead people astray and, as a result, lose their ability to discern, going even further astray themselves.
Verse 14: The Power of God’s Word
The apostle tells his disciple St. Timothy that the key to a person’s spiritual strength is to fortify himself with the Word of God, which is a defense against the attacks of deceivers. The Holy Bible has the power to make him perfect, even in the absence of his teacher, the apostle St. Paul.
Verses 15-16: The Inspiration of Scripture
To “make you wise” means to impart wisdom, and this is because “all Scripture is inspired by God.” It was not written by mere humans but was inspired by the Spirit of God, who ensured it was free from error.
Chapter Four
Verses 1-2: The Charge to Preach
At the end of his final epistle, Saint Paul the Apostle offers farewell advice to his disciple as he awaits the end of his life on earth. He urges him to prioritize preaching “the word,” for the Day of Judgment is dreadful.
Verses 3-4: Itching Ears
The phrase “itching ears” refers to the ears of the wicked, who do not want to hear anything except what pleases them, due to their fixation on evil. The Apostle encourages his disciple to seize opportunities for preaching and to reach out to the wicked before their evil increases. Those who refuse to listen to preaching because they are preoccupied with their desires search for teachers who will tell them what they want to hear, allowing them to persist in their wrongdoing. These false teachers deceive them into believing they are on the right path.
Verse 5: Fulfilling the Ministry
Among the things he expects from his disciple are:
- Being Aware: Be alert to those who deviate and to false teachers, and persevere in teaching them.
- Endure Affliction: This means enduring suffering for the sake of Christ, regardless of the trials one faces.
- Do the work of an evangelist: This involves caring for all souls.
- Fulfill your ministry: This includes preaching, visiting those who are far off, and strengthening the believers.
If your heart is filled with the love of God, you will be concerned about serving those around you and encouraging them to connect with Christ and the Church. If they refuse, you will continue to pray for them.
Verse 6: A Life Poured Out
For I am already being poured out as a drink offering.
In the Law of Moses, when offerings were made to God, wine was poured over them. St. Paul likens himself to wine poured onto the sacrifice of service, meaning that his life is being poured out completely for the sake of serving God.
The time of my departure.
St. Paul senses that he is approaching martyrdom, ready to be freed from the bonds of the body and to rise to God.
Verses 7-8: The Crown of Righteousness
He reassures and encourages his disciple that he has struggled and lived for Christ and now expects to receive the heavenly crown; this crown is prepared for Paul and all believers.
I have fought the good fight.
This shows the significance of the spiritual struggle he undertook according to the teachings of the Church, supported by God’s grace.
Verse 11: Faithful Companions
Luke is the author of the Gospel named after him and the Book of Acts of the Apostles. He was one of St. Paul’s disciples and accompanied him on most of his journeys. He remained with St. Paul and supported him during his final imprisonment in Rome. St. Mark joined St. Paul on his first missionary journey and later preached in North Africa and Egypt. St. Paul felt he needed Mark, so he asked Timothy to bring him with him. This demonstrates his love and trust in St. Mark, as he intended to strengthen the believers in Rome with their support after his departure, relying on Timothy, Mark, and Luke.
Verse 12: Tychicus, a Faithful Minister
Tychicus was one of St. Paul’s disciples (Acts 20:4) who was with him during his first imprisonment in Rome. St. Paul sent him to Ephesus to lead the church in place of St. Timothy, its bishop, while he accompanied him in Rome.
Verse 13: The Books and Parchments
“Books, especially the parchments,” refers to written materials made from leaves or animal skins, containing some of the books of the Holy Bible.
Verses 14-15: Alexander the Coppersmith
Alexander the Coppersmith opposed St. Paul and incited many against him. St. Paul bore this with wisdom and cautioned Timothy against Alexander’s evil deeds, as he resisted all who preached Christ.
Verse 16: Abandoned but Forgiving
My first defense…
This indicates that St. Paul faced trials during his first imprisonment in Rome in 62 AD, and no one stood by him.
It is not counted against them.
This shows St. Paul’s paternal nature; he seeks to excuse them for their weak faith and asks God to forgive them out of love.
Verse 17: The Lord Stood with Me
St. Paul testifies that God stood with him and strengthened him, allowing him to complete his preaching. His goal was to continue preaching in Rome, and his imprisonment provided him with the opportunity to share the message of Christ with everyone who visited him. “The mouth of the Lion” refers to either Nero or Satan.
Verse 18: Delivered from Every Evil Work
St. Paul trusts that God can protect him amidst all dangers and even safeguard his life from sin, as indicated by the phrase “from every evil work,” until he reaches the eternal kingdom.
Verse 19: Final Greetings
Priscilla and Aquila: Prisca is another name for Priscilla, the wife of Aquila, who were partners with St. Paul in his ministry. House of Onesiphorus: This refers to one of Paul’s disciples who assisted him in his work and has since passed away; St. Paul asks Timothy to greet his family.
Verse 20: Updates on Co-Workers
Erastus was also one of St. Paul’s disciples. Trophimus was one of the apostles and a disciple of St. Paul, accompanying him on his second missionary journey.
Verse 22: Concluding Grace
The letter concludes with a request for God’s grace and the presence of the Lord Christ for his beloved disciple. This companionship is the greatest blessing, as it signifies God’s support and strength in the lives of His children. Additionally, we should strive not to condemn anyone. Instead, we should praise their virtues and be mindful of their feelings as much as possible. By reflecting on God’s mercy towards us, we can better show compassion to all.