BIBLE CHAPTER STUDY
2 Timothy 3 — Last-Days Dangers and the Inspired Scriptures
Paul warns of increasing godlessness in the last days, contrasts it with Timothy's sound training, and affirms the divine inspiration and usefulness of Scripture.
Scripture
1But know this, that in the last days grievous times shall come.
2For men shall be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, haughty, railers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3without natural affection, implacable, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, no lovers of good,
4traitors, headstrong, puffed up, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God;
5holding a form of godliness, but having denied the power thereof: from these also turn away.
6For of these are they that creep into houses, and take captive silly women laden with sins, led away by divers lusts,
7ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
8And even as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also withstand the truth. Men corrupted in mind, reprobate concerning the faith.
9But they shall proceed no further. For their folly shall be evident unto all men, as theirs also came to be.
10But thou didst follow my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, patience,
11persecutions, sufferings. What things befell me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured. And out of them all the Lord delivered me.
12Yea, and all that would live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
13But evil men and impostors shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.
14But abide thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them.
15And that from a babe thou hast known the sacred writings which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
16Every scripture inspired of God is also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness.
17That the man of God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work.
What this passage means
The chapter opens with a sober forecast: in the last days 'grievous times shall come,' and verses 2-5 unpack that peril as a catalogue of character — self-love, love of money, pride, disobedience, ingratitude, lack of affection, and a religion that keeps the form but denies the power. The picture is not of external catastrophe alone but of people whose inner dispositions have turned away from God while preserving religious appearance.
Verses 6-9 then describe how such people operate: they infiltrate, exploit the unstable, pursue endless learning without truth, and oppose the gospel like Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses. Yet their folly will be exposed. Paul counters this portrait with his own example of suffering (vv. 10-12) and the promise that 'all that would live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution,' while deceivers only worsen.
The chapter closes with the foundation that holds against such pressure: the sacred writings Timothy has known from infancy, and the affirmation that 'every scripture inspired of God' is profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be equipped for every good work (vv. 14-17). Scripture, not the moment's fashions, is the ground of stability.
Context
The provided material centers on chapter 3 of 2 Timothy, framed by the curated note 'Scripture inspired and last-days dangers.' The chapter has two movements: a warning about last-days people (vv. 1-9) and a personal-confessional section that grounds Timothy in his training and in Scripture (vv. 10-17). Within the text, the only narrative episodes referenced are Paul's persecutions at Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra, and the Old Testament opposition of Jannes and Jambres to Moses — both given as analogies, not as elaborated stories.
The provided cross-references cluster around the chapter's second half, particularly the doctrine of Scripture (Rom 15:4; Heb 4:12; 2 Pet 1:19, 21; Pss 19:7, 11; 119:9, 11, 130; Prov 6:23) and the charge to preach the word (2 Tim 4:2). They are useful for situating the affirmation 'every scripture inspired of God is also profitable' within the wider biblical witness to the power and purpose of God's word.
Key words in the original
- G5367 Appears in verse 2 (φίλαυτοι, 'lovers of self'). The provided entry defines it as fond of self, i.e. selfish. In context it heads the catalogue of last-days vices, making self-love the root from which the other failings grow.
- G5366 Appears in verse 2 (φιλάργυροι, 'lovers of money'). The entry defines it as fond of silver, i.e. avaricious. Paired with self-love in the catalogue, it shows how disordered love of self extends to disordered love of possessions.
- G2150 Appears in verse 5 (εὐσεβείας, 'of godliness'). The entry defines εὐσέβεια as piety, with the note that in this body of writing it can refer specifically to the gospel scheme. Verse 5's contrast — holding the form (μόρφωσιν) of this piety while denying its power — depends on this term.
Related verses
- 2 Timothy 4:2 Directly continues the charge the present chapter issues to Timothy: to 'preach the word; be urgent in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.' The chapter's affirmation of Scripture as God's inspired and profitable instrument flows into the call to proclaim that word.
- Hebrews 4:12 Echoes the picture of Scripture as living and active. Where the present chapter describes God's word as profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness, this verse adds the image of the word piercing and discerning the thoughts and intents of the heart.
- 2 Peter 1:21 Underwrites the claim that 'every scripture inspired of God' has a divine origin. It grounds Scripture's inspiration in the agency of the Holy Spirit, who moves human speakers from God, matching the present chapter's insistence on the God-given source and profit of all scripture.
Common questions
Does 'the last days' mean a specific future period, or the entire era between Christ's first and second coming?
Within the provided text, Paul simply tells Timothy to 'know this, that in the last days grievous times shall come' and proceeds to describe them. The passage itself does not settle the question of whether this is a distant or proximate horizon. Cross-references listed (2 Tim 4:2; Heb 4:12; 2 Pet 1:19, 21) do not clarify the timeframe either. The chapter's point is descriptive — recognize such people — not chronological.
What does it mean to 'hold a form of godliness, but having denied the power thereof'?
The provided entry for εὐσέβεια (G2150) defines the word as piety, and verse 5 adds the qualifier μόρφωσιν ('form') to it, indicating outward appearance. Verse 5 within the chapter explicitly states the contrast: outward religious form without the inner transforming power. The chapter does not elaborate further on what that 'power' comprises; the affirmation is simply that a religious shell without its substance is to be turned away from.
Is 2 Timothy 3:16 about every individual verse of the Bible, or about the category of Scripture as a whole?
The provided text says 'every scripture inspired of God is also profitable.' The Greek term rendered 'scripture' (γραφή) in this body of writing typically refers to written texts regarded as God-given rather than to a single sentence in isolation, and the verse pairs the statement with four uses — teaching, reproof, correction, training in righteousness — that describe what such writings collectively do. The provided cross-references (2 Pet 1:21; Heb 4:12; Pss 19:7, 11) similarly speak of the word of God / the scriptures as a body. The chapter does not explicitly argue about the scope of 'every scripture,' so the most that can be said from the provided material is that the verse attributes divine origin and fourfold profit to the category of God-breathed writings.