2 Timothy 3

But know this: that in the last days, grievous times will come.

For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

without natural affection, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, not lovers of good,

traitors, headstrong, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,

holding a form of godliness but having denied its power. Turn away from these, also.

For some of these are people who creep into houses and take captive gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts,

always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Even as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind, who concerning the faith are rejected.

But they will proceed no further. For their folly will be evident to all men, as theirs also came to be.

But you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, steadfastness,

persecutions, and sufferings—those things that happened to me at Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. I endured those persecutions. The Lord delivered me out of them all.

Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.

But you remain in the things which you have learned and have been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them.

From infancy, you have known the holy Scriptures which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

Every Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness,

that each person who belongs to God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Chapter overviewAI-generated

Overview. This chapter warns of the spiritual dangers that will characterize the last days, identifying a pervasive moral and religious decay even within the visible community of faith, while simultaneously exhorting Timothy to remain steadfast in the truth he has learned, especially through the apostle’s example and the sacred Scriptures.

Flow.

Begins with a solemn warning: difficult times will arise in the last days, marked by widespread moral corruption and counterfeit religion (vv. 1–5).
Exposes the hollow religiosity of false teachers who exploit the vulnerable and oppose the truth, though their end is certain exposure (vv. 6–9).
Shifts to Paul’s personal example: his persecuted but faithful ministry demonstrates the cost of godliness and God’s sustaining deliverance (vv. 10–12).
Concludes with a call to firmness in Scripture, which is divinely inspired and sufficient to equip God’s people for every good work (vv. 13–17).

Connections. Following chapter 2, which emphasizes faithful ministry, enduring hardship, and the stability of God’s unbreakable word, this chapter deepens the warning about opposition and apostasy that will intensify in the末世 (last days). It prepares the way for chapter 4, where Paul issues a final charge to preach the word with urgency, knowing that seasons of sound doctrine will be replaced by itching ears. The trajectory from apostasy (ch. 3) to proclamation (ch. 4) underscores the need for Scripture-rooted faithfulness in a drifting age.

What it teaches. The chapter reveals that the last days will be marked by a proliferation of moral and spiritual corruption, even among those who appear religious (WCF 12.1; HC LD 32). These individuals, though maintaining outward appearances of faith, deny its power—showing a spiritual state incompatible with true regeneration (2 Tim. 3:5; cf. WCF 13.3). Yet God’s people are not left defenseless: they are to cling to the consistent teaching of godly mentors and, supremely, to the Holy Scriptures, which are God-breathed and wholly sufficient for salvation and sanctification (2 Tim. 3:15–17; WCF 1.6–7). The universal reality of persecution for the godly (v. 12) aligns with Christ’s own path and confirms participation in His sufferings (HC LD 44). Despite the rise of deception, God preserves His truth and those who are His (WCF 17.1).

Apply. Stand firm in the pattern of sound teaching and the written word that has formed your faith, especially when opposition arises from within the church.

AI-generated. Not a substitute for Scripture, your pastor, or the confessions.