1But understand this: In the last days terrible times will come.
2For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,
3unloving, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, without love of good,
4traitorous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
5having a form of godliness but denying its power. Turn away from such as these!
6They are the kind who worm their way into households and captivate vulnerable women who are weighed down with sins and led astray by various passions,
7who are always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.
8Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these men oppose the truth. They are depraved in mind and disqualified from the faith.
9But they will not advance much further. For just like Jannes and Jambres, their folly will be plain to everyone.
10You, however, have observed my teaching, my conduct, my purpose, my faith, my patience, my love, my perseverance,
11my persecutions, and the sufferings that came upon me in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. What persecutions I endured! Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them.
12Indeed, all who desire to live godly lives in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,
13while evil men and imposters go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.
14But as for you, continue in the things you have learned and firmly believed, since you know from whom you have learned them.
15From infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
17so that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3 Verse Notes
2 Tim 3:6
Critique of Women's Learning and Teaching in 2 Timothy
Second Timothy critiques those who 'make their way into households and captivate immature women, overwhelmed by their sins and swayed by all kinds of desires.' This passage seems to cast suspicion on women learning and potentially teaching in domestic settings, contrasting with Paul's support for women's participation in the Jesus movement.
Summarized by AI · Must Women Keep Silent? Paul's Real Views on Gender, Desire, and Women · Lecture 4: In Thecla's Wake | Women, Gender, and the Legacies of Paul in Early Christianity · watch the clip
2 Tim 3:8-9
New Testament Authors Use Extra-Biblical Traditions
The author of 2 Timothy names the magicians who opposed Moses in Pharaoh's court as Jannes and Jambres, names not found in the Old Testament. This illustrates how New Testament writers incorporated earlier Jewish traditions, which often supplied details like names to nameless biblical characters, reflecting an 'interpreted Bible' common in the Second Temple period.
Summarized by AI · Jesus and the Old Testament · Lecture 5: Angle 3 | New Testament Authors Reshaping Israel's Story Around Jesus · watch the clip
2 Tim 3:16
Scripture as God-Breathed
The doctrine of Sola Scriptura, which asserts the Bible as the sole source of authority, is rooted in passages like 2 Timothy 3:16. This verse states that 'all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,' providing a foundational text for the belief in scripture's divine inspiration and sufficiency.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · Secrets of the Third Heaven: Exploring Paul��s Vision · watch the clip
2 Timothy 3:16 as evidence for inspiration
The verse 2 Timothy 3:16, which states that "all scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for doctrine, reproof, and training in righteousness," is often cited as proof that the entire Bible is divinely inspired. The Greek word used, 'theopneustos,' means 'God-breathed,' suggesting a direct divine origin for the text.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · Why the Doctrine of Inerrancy Contradicts the Gospels · watch the clip
2 Timothy 3:16 refers to the Hebrew Bible, not the New Testament
The author of 2 Timothy, writing in the first century, would have been referring to the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) when speaking of "all scripture." The New Testament had not yet been compiled, meaning this verse cannot be used to argue for the inspiration or inerrancy of the New Testament writings.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · Why the Doctrine of Inerrancy Contradicts the Gospels · watch the clip
2 Timothy 3:16 and God-Breathed Scripture
The passage in 2 Timothy 3:16, which states that 'all scripture is inspired by God' (theopneustos, 'God-breathed'), is often cited to support the idea of biblical inerrancy. However, the speaker argues that this verse, written in the New Testament, refers to the Old Testament and does not explicitly claim inerrancy, but rather divine origin.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · Telling God What He Can Do · watch the clip