God’s Word to the Churches 2 Timothy 3:1-7
Paul is imprisoned in Rome, possibly in the Mammertime prison, a subterranean cistern that can still be seen in Rome today. He knew that he would shortly be executed, writing this letter at the height of Nero’s persecution of the church.
He writes two final letters that are addressed to Timothy but clearly written to be read widely by churches. Paul is desperately concerned about the young churches in and around Ephesus that were losing their focus. Wrong leaders were getting into influential positions and were drawing people away from the apostolic gospel that centred on Jesus. The second letter to Timothy is possibly his final letter and he writes with such passion. He wants the churches to realise where these problems ultimately stem from.
Satan opposes the teaching of God’s Word
In the New Testament the phrase ‘the last days’ refers to the era we live in now, the time between the ascension of the Lord Jesus to heaven and his final return as King and Judge.
“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves . . .” 2 Timothy 3:1
It is because such times are coming that Paul emphasises the importance of good Christian leaders who teach sound doctrine, those who persistently teach God’s truths as revealed in Scripture. Paul has just made an extraordinary distinction; he contrasts the work of Satan’s servants, who were leading the churches astray, with the work of the Lord’s servant who teaches God’s word.
“And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.” 2 Timothy 2:24-26
Ultimately God’s people are in a spiritual battle against Satan and his representatives. Jesus had emphasised this when he was talking with some Jews who opposed him. He told them that they were not children of Abraham, but of Satan.
“‘If you were Abraham’s children,’ said Jesus, ‘then you would do the things Abraham did. As it is, you are determined to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. You are doing the things your own Father does.’ . . . ‘ You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your fathers desire.’” John 8:39-41, 44
Please note that Jesus recognised his role to be the faithful passing on of His Fathers message, a commission he has now seconded to his followers.
Today Satan is still out to destroy God’s church in any way he can. From the first temptation in the Garden of Eden and ever since, Satan has used attractive lies to try and seduce people away from God’s way. The twentieth century gave the world many movements that promised much but were in fact lies. Marxism and various communist ideologies do not work simply because they are based on false premises. They overlook the inherent selfishness of man. National Socialism (Naziism) makes the same mistake. Both systems also have to rely on lies to progress in societies but it is these same lies that eventually lead to their downfall. Freud’s message that understanding man’s psyche will remove problems has also proved a false hope. Hedonism, the search for happiness is so often selfish and harms others. Materialism has also proved to be unsatisfying. When Rockefeller, then one of the richest men in the world, was asked how much money is necessary to make a person happy replied, ‘Just a little bit more.’
It is into such a world with different hopes, politics and philosophies that the Lord has put his people with his message. How should we fulfil our responsibility?
“Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance, leading them to a knowledge of the truth.” 2 Timothy 2:25-26
We are to be tolerant, gentle and respectful of other people but intolerant of wrong teaching. Truth can only be defined as concepts compatible with God. God’s people must be certain we have understood what God is saying but then stand up for it doggedly but gently. The answer to Satan’s lies is to share god’s truth.
At the beginning of the book of Acts, the Holy Spirit comes upon everyone in the church, just as he has come into the lives of all who truly turn to Christ. We receive the Spirit when we believe in Christ. Elsewhere Paul wrote to another troubled church to remind them that the Christian life begins with the gift of the Holy Spirit,
“Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?” Galatians 3:2-3
Historically the immediate effect of the coming of the Holy Spirit was to inspire people to share the gospel, first in a supernatural way using their listeners’ own languages and then, through Peter’s first sermon. Peter explained the gospel about the Lord Jesus; in other words he explained the Word of God. The result of the teaching of God’s word was that three thousand Jews put their faith in Jesus as God’s Son and their Saviour, a remarkable miracle by any standards.
Throughout the book of Acts there are short summaries describing the expansion of the church but Luke puts this is a significant way:
“But the word of God continued to increase and spread.” Acts 12:24
“When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honoured the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed. The word of the Lord spread through the whole region.” Acts 13:48-49
When Paul preached the gospel in Ephesus he did not flinch from explaining the difference between the word of God and other spiritualist books. They had a choice to make and many decided for the Lord Jesus. They then publicly burnt their books on sorcery which were very valuable. Clearly they now valued the word of God more highly.
“In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power.” Acts 19:20
The teaching of, and the resulting obedience to God’s word, is the way to godliness.
Unfortunately there is a widespread longing for short cuts to becoming spiritual people. Thus for a while the Toronto Blessing or ‘being slain in the Spirit’ was marketed as an effective short cut. It has now been shown that this is an imitation of the Hindu ‘Kundalini’ rite where those Hindus wanting power had hands laid upon them. They fall backwards and then often wriggled on the floor having feelings of well-being and other strange experiences. These benefits can last a short time time but people then need to return to their guru for a further experience of power. They attribute this experience to the freeing of a spiritual snake lying dormant at the base of the spine! Jesus did not bless people in such a way; instead he came to bless them by the teaching of God’s word. This has always involves hard work both by the teacher and the listener.
Some years ago there was an exhibition in the Natural History Museum in London that had at the entrance a model of a man made of transparent plastic. It showed everything. There were blood vessels filled with red ink pulsating along. This is a marvellous picture of how the church grew in those early years in Asia Minor. God’s truth was travelling in little red lines communicating one centre with the next. As the truth came to a town or city, so Satan’s lies fell back. God’s truth always brings life, this is why we must not flinch from continuing this apostolic ministry of passing on God’s word.
The final impassioned plea of Paul at the end of this short letter is remarkable and should be headed by all of us in Christian ministry.
“In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word . . .” 2 Timothy 4:1-2
The prime ministry of the church is the teaching of God’s truth. This alone will dominate the lies of Satan. Scripture is the church’s main weapon, to be discarded at our peril.
“The sword of the Spirit is the word of God.” Ephesians 6:17
It is clear therefore that, in preparing for this spiritual battle in our countries, we should make the training of Bible teachers an urgent priority. This is why God has given us his Scriptures.
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17
Christian leaders, ‘men of God’ must know and be able to handle the Scriptures well. In the Old Testament the phrase ‘man of God’ was used of God’s prophets who also proclaimed the word of God.
Timothy has already been urged by Paul to get to know the Bible thoroughly, it is indeed a repeated them of the Bible.
“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15
Satan’s teachers result in an evil society
The effect of Satan’s influence is devastating.
“People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God –“ 2 Timothy 3:1-4
An evil society, that follows Satan’s lies, is very self- centred. It is no coincidence that in such societies divorce, promiscuity, crime and depression increase and spread like gangrene. Self love cannot satisfy.
This sick picture of a society going wrong keeps being repeated in history whenever there are times of stress, whether economic or political. Christian ministry can become hard or even dangerous. How many Christian leaders have been killed by the godless regimes of Stalin, Mao Tse Tung and Pol Pot. The problem is that religious leaders can become compromised under such pressure and become influenced in these devastating ways. They become Christian leaders who are primarily in it for themselves and not for Christ.
This little book of 2 Timothy has three other sections dealing with false teachers:
2:16-24. This important section is a warning that some ministers lose their focus of living for the Lord Jesus. Such people have wandered from the truth of God’s word. Hymenaeus and Philetus were two such church leaders.
3:12-13. Paul asserts that all godly Christians, wanting to live for Christ in such societies, will be persecuted but there will be ‘evil men and imposters who will go from bad to worse’.
4:3. In this section Paul reemphasises the vital need for teaching of God’s word as people will ‘gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They (the false teachers) will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.’
In contrast the Christ-centred minister is to keep on course, gently teaching the word of God to all who will listen.
“But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.” 2 Timothy 4:5
This command to stay clear of such false Christian leaders cannot mean ‘go into isolation’, or become a little ‘huddle of the holy’. In that case God’s gospel would never get out to those in the godless society. Surely he is saying, ‘Be aware that such people are around and don’t get involved with them. Don’t appoint them to leadership roles, however gifted they may appear to be.’ Jesus similarly gave strong warnings about false leaders who may appear attractive but are really ‘wolves in sheep’s clothing’ (Matthew 7:15-27). Jesus finishes the Sermon on the Mount by saying that the wise man builds his house on the rock and that rock is the word of Jesus.
God’s church and its leaders are in this world to be the salt of the earth, but as such there is always the risk of the world squeezing us into its own mould.
There has been an unfortunate change in the meaning of the word ‘believe’. Prior to the nineteenth century it meant to be ‘committed to a person’. It comes from the medieval word ‘leiben’ – ‘to love’. It came to mean the acceptance of an idea. When Jesus says that people are saved by faith or belief in him, this does not mean intellectual approval but a deep seated commitment to the Lord Jesus and what he teaches. A person is not a Christian, even if they are moral and go to church, until they ‘believe’ and become committed to him as their Lord and Saviour.
Satan’s effect on religion
Godless societies are not always irreligious. They may keep their priests, religious buildings, services and rituals but there is no power in them for good. People do not naturally want a religion that interferes with their private life. People do not want the Lord Jesus, in spite of all his faultless credentials, because he calls on us to repent and live under his leadership. This is the real reason that Jesus is unpopular.
If our young men growing into leadership roles in our churches are soaked in a worldly spirit, what type of Christianity will they inevitably advocate and live? Already we have seen new churches arise with new emphases.
1. Lovers of themselves
Being lovers of themselves, their churches emphasise man centred preaching and programmes. Worship becomes man-centred music, sometimes indistinguishable from pop festivals. Human problems become central. The talks become therapeutic and not focussed on God’s glory in his world. The Bible becomes a book of reference that is cursorily used to support the preacher’s views and is no longer the Word of God that needs to be urgently expounded. They often aim to restore self esteem through counselling but even here they do not do so by applying God’s word to the issues. They will have sermon series on ‘Love yourself’ based on the second commandment, the first ‘Love the lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul’ is less emphasised. “You are worthy” is a constant refrain but is addressed primarily to man. In such churches the minister can quickly become unpopular if he doesn’t satisfy the congregation’s demands. So, because he wants to be popular, he gives in to the peoples’ wishes. As our societies become more self-centred, it is inevitable that our churches will be marked by similar characteristics.
2. Lovers of money
Unfortunately it is inevitable that success orientated, career men will apply to become pastors. Unfortunately becoming ‘lovers of success’ to becoming ‘lovers of money’ is a very short step. It is therefore not surprising to see the rise of churches advocating a ‘Prosperity gospel’. These see success in worldly terms and in such churches pastors will wear expensive suits, drive flashy cars, and live in luxury houses. In contrast Jesus, his apostles and his faithful followers suffer in order to proclaim the Word of God to the world - theirs is a very different faith. This was happening in Paul’s day when some church leaders had drifted from God’s truth and became worldly, seeing religion as a means to worldly gain.
“If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, he is conceited and understands nothing . . . robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.” 1 Timothy 6:3-5
In contrast the Christians satisfaction is in the relationship he has with his Lord.
“But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world and we can take nothing out of it.” 1 Timothy 6:6
The apostle Peter also talked about this problem in his final letter to the churches.
“But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them – bringing swift destruction upon themselves. Many will follow their shameful ways and bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up.” 2 Peter 2:1-3
How insidious are the lies of Satan!
3. Lovers of pleasure
Churches will become places of entertainment, emphasising song, music and dancing instead of places where the word of God is taught and where people are encouraged in their walk with Christ. Instead pleasure and self satisfaction will govern everything. Such churches will not just be soft at the edges, they will also be soft at the heart. How can such churches ever produce pioneer evangelists and missionaries?
Theological colleges are even changing what they teach in order to attract students. My son went to college to read theology. A major module was analysing the meaning of modern films. They spent far less time thinking about God’s message to mankind.
Paul warns us that the wrong sort of people will put themselves forwards to become church leaders. They want to make a name for themselves and even want to become rich. Paul is saying, ‘Don’t touch them – stay well clear.’ He gives remarkable details about the lives of these dangerous pastors.
“They are the kind who worm their way into homes to gain control over weak-willed women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth.” 1 Timothy 3:6-7
They may appear to be academic, always learning, but not yet under the truth of God; indeed they will oppose God’s truth. How common it is today to hear clergyman make public statements that deny the truth of God’s word. Such men may appear to be spiritual and even impressive but have no power to lead people to live like the Lord Jesus. They are indeed ‘wolves in sheep’s clothing’.
Such ministers’ ministry can be summarised as three counterfeit ‘M’s’.
1. Counterfeit Mission.
They want to gain control over people. They want to be at the centre, the focus of attention. They want to draw people to their way of thinking and away from the teaching of Jesus and his apostles. They have no real answer to the problem of sin and its effects. They have no answer to guilt because they are resistant to God’s true and only solution, the message of God’s word. Theirs is religious propaganda.
2. Counterfeit Methods.
“Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these men oppose the truth: men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected” 2 Timothy 3:8
Jewish tradition said that Jannes and Jambres that Paul uses as examples of false ministers were the names of the Egyptian Court magicians who opposed Moses. Ultimately Moses’ snake devoured the others, implying that God’s power is greater than any other. The Lord will win in the end so it is foolish to follow the lies of Satan and use worldly methods to make an impact for myself.
To use worldly means is very tempting. Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness to do just this (Luke 4:1-13). Jesus was offered world domination without the cross, attractive but not in accord with the Word of God. Jesus had to be the ultimate sacrifice to pay the price for our sin, without which there can be no eternal salvation. Paul found that there was widespread Satanic opposition to God’s message working through secularism. He wrote,
“The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. We do not preach ourselves.” 2 Corinthians 4:4
He clearly felt tempted to use dubious methods to obtain popularity, yet he wrote,
“We don’t lose heart. We have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyman’s conscience in the sight of God.” 2 Corinthians 4:2
After an evangelistic talk, an evangelist asked people to close their eyes and pray. Then he asked those who wanted to turn to Christ to put up their hands. “Bless you, thank you, God be with you, thank you,” he kept saying. The truth was that no-one had put up their hands. He was milking the crowd to increase his results! Such psychological techniques are surely deceptive.
Instead the Godly minister will proclaim the word of God without distortion. He will set forth ‘the truth plainly’.
3. Counterfeit Message
At the end of 2 Timothy 3:8 the Greek contains two definite articles – the word ‘the’ comes before the words ‘truth’ and ‘faith’ so it reads ‘the truth’ and ‘the faith’. There is only one truth, God’s truth which has been revealed to us in Scripture. There is only one faith that saves people for eternity, a personal commitment to the Lord Jesus.
The message of these false teachers was not God’s message. It may draw crowds but won’t lead people to a personal commitment to Christ and will not produce Word-based Christians. John Stott, the renowned bible teacher, in his commentary talks of,
“ . . . sly and slippery methods of backdoor religious traders.”
What is worse is that these false approaches will eventually fail. They have no eternal message. The shallowness of their message will eventually become apparent.
“But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone.” 2 Timothy 3:9
God has promised that his church will survive to eternity, but he only preserves those churches that remain true to his Word and are therefore Christ centred.
Summary
This is a very disturbing paragraph. Verses 1 to 5 tell us that in times of stress men will become lovers of self and money focussed. Pseudo-religious leaders will have a field day. However God’s true church will avoid the temptations to be worldly and will train people to pass on the message of God’s word faithfully. What is our message? Paul has already summarised that in his first letter to Timothy.
“Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ came into the world to save sinners – of whom I am the worst.” 1 Timothy 1:15
It is this message that the world needs to hear,
“God our Saviour . . . wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men.” 1 Timothy 2:3-6
This is why we have an urgent task to pass this message on to the next generation of church leaders, but we must ensure that they are faithful men whose ambition is to please their Saviour and Lord and not themselves. Paul emphasises this need.
“The things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will be qualified to teach others. Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” 2 Timothy 2:2-3
The prayer of Jesus about Christian ministry is important.
“Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest therefore to send out workers into his harvest field. ’” Matthew 9:37-38
We should pray for workers, not just for leaders. Jesus didn’t ask us to pray to the Lord of the harvest to raise up leaders! All of us in church leadership must work hard to ensure that the teaching of God’s word to our self-centred societies remains the churches absolute priority.
BVP
