Homilies on Second Timothy

2 Timothy 3:1-4

“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce-breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God.”

If any now takes offense at the existence of heretics, let him remember that it was so from the beginning, the devil always setting up error by the side of truth. God from the beginning promised good, the devil came too with a promise. God planted Paradise, the devil deceived, saying, “You shall be as gods.” For as he could show nothing in actions, he made the more promises in words. Such is the character of deceivers. After this were Cain and Abel, then the sons of Seth and the daughters of men; afterwards Ham and Japhet, Abraham and Pharaoh, Jacob and Esau; and so it is even to the end, Moses and the magicians, the Prophets and the false prophets, the Apostles and the false apostles, Christ and Antichrist. Thus it was then, both before and at that time. Then there was Theudas, then Simon, then were the Apostles, then too this party of Hermogenes and Philetus. In short, there was no time when falsehood was not set up in opposition to truth. Let us not therefore be distressed. That it would be so, was foretold from the beginning. Therefore he says, “Know that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection.” The unthankful then is unholy, and this is natural, for what will he be to others, who is not grateful to his benefactor? The unthankful man is a truce-breaker, he is without natural affection.

“False accusers,” that is, slanderers. For those who are conscious that they have no good in themselves, while they commit many sins and offenses, find consolation in defaming the characters of others.

“Incontinent,” with respect both to their tongue and their appetite, and everything else.

“Fierce,” hence their inhumanity and cruelty, when any one is covetous, selfish, ungrateful, licentious.

“Despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady.” “Traitors,” betrayers of friendship; “heady,” having no steadiness; “high-minded,” filled with arrogance. “Lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God.”

Ver. 5. “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.”

In the Epistle to the Romans, he says somewhat on this wise, “Having the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law”, where he speaks in commendation of it: but here he speaks of this sin as an evil beyond all other defects. And why is this? Because he does not use the words in the same signification. For an image is often taken to signify a likeness; but sometimes a thing without life, and worthless. Thus he says himself in his Epistle to the Corinthians, “A man ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God.” But the Prophet says, “Man walks in an image.” And the Scripture sometimes takes a lion to represent royalty, as, “He couched as a lion, and as a lion's cub, who shall raise him up?” And sometimes to signify rapacity, as, “a ravening and a roaring lion.” And we ourselves do the same. For as things are compounded and varied in themselves, they are fitly adduced for various images and examples. As when we would express our admiration of a beautiful woman, we say, she is like a picture; and when we admire a painting, we say that it speaks, that it breathes. But we do not mean to express the same thing, but in one case to mark likeness, in the other beauty. So here with respect to form, in the one passage, it means a model, or representation, a doctrine, or pattern of godliness; in the other, something that is lifeless, a mere appearance, show, and hypocrisy. Faith therefore, without works, is fitly called a mere form without the power. For as a fair and florid body, when it has no strength, is like a painted figure, so is a right faith apart from works. For let us suppose any one to be “covetous, a traitor, heady,” and yet to believe aright; of what advantage is it, if he wants all the qualities becoming a Christian, if he does not the works that characterize godliness, but outdoes the Greeks in impiety, when he is a mischief to those with whom he associates, causes God to be blasphemed, and the doctrine to be slandered by his evil deeds?

“From such turn away,” he says. But how is this, if men are to be so “in the latter times”? There were probably then such, in some degree at least, though not to the same excess. But, in truth, through him he warns all to turn away from such characters.

Ver. 6. “For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with various lust.”

Ver. 7. “Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

Do you see them employing the artifice of that old deceiver, the weapons which the devil used against Adam? “Entering into houses,” he says. Observe how he shows their impudence by this expression, their dishonorable ways, their deceitfulness. “Leading captive silly women,” so that he who is easy to be deceived is a “silly woman,” and nothing like a man: for to be deceived is the part of silly women. “Laden with sins.” See whence arises their persuasion, from their sins, from their being conscious to themselves of nothing good! And with great propriety has he said “laden.” For this expression marks the multitude of their sins, and their state of disorder and confusion; “led away with various lusts.” He does not accuse nature, for it is not women simply, but such women as these, that he blames. And why “various lusts”? By that are implied their various faults, their luxury, their disorderly conduct, their wantonness. “Divers lust,” he says, that is, of glory, of wealth, of pleasure, of self-will, of honor: and perchance other vile desires are implied.

“Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” He does not say thus to excuse, but to threaten them severely; for their understanding was callous, because they had weighed themselves down with lusts and sins.

Ver. 8. “Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth.”

Who are these? The magicians in the time of Moses. But how is it their names are nowhere else introduced? Either they were handed down by tradition, or it is probable that Paul knew them by inspiration.

“Men of corrupt minds,” he says, “reprobate concerning the faith.”

Ver. 9. “But they shall proceed no further; for their folly shall be manifested unto all men, as theirs also was.”

“They shall proceed no further”; how then does he say elsewhere, “They will increase unto more ungodliness”? He there means, that beginning to innovate and to deceive, they will not pause in their error, but will always invent new deceits and corrupt doctrines, for error is never stationary. But here he says, that they shall not be able to deceive, nor carry men away with them, for however at first they may seem to impose upon them, they will soon and easily be detected. For that he is speaking to this effect appears from what follows. “For their folly shall be manifest unto all.” Whence? Every way— “as theirs also was.” For if errors flourish at first, they do not continue to the end, for so it is with things that are not fair by nature, but fair in appearance; they flourish for a time, and then are detected, and come to nought. But not such are our doctrines, and of these you are a witness, for in our doctrines there is no deceit, for who would choose to die for a deceit?

Ver. 10. “But you have fully known my doctrine.” Wherefore be strong; for thou were not merely present, but followed closely. Here he seems to imply that the period had been long, in that he says, “You have followed up my doctrine”; this refers to his discourse. “Manner of life”; this to his conduct. “Purpose”; this to his zeal, and the firmness of his soul. I did not say these things, he says, and not do them; nor was I a philosopher in words only. “Faith, longsuffering.” He means, how none of these things troubled me. “Charity,” which those men had not; “patience,” nor yet this. Towards the heretics, he means, I show much longsuffering; “patience,” that under persecution.

Ver. 11. “Persecutions, afflictions.”