2 Timothy 3:9-17

Rachel Workman: 10 But you, Timothy, certainly know what I teach, and how I live, and what my purpose in life is. You know my faith, my patience, my love, and my endurance. 11 You know how much persecution and suffering I have endured. You know all about how I was persecuted in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra—but the Lord rescued me from all of it. 12 Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. 13 But evil people and impostors will flourish. They will deceive others and will themselves be deceived.

I find these verses interesting. Everyone who wants to live a godly life will suffer persecution. I have found that to be true. Evil people and impostors will flourish, they will deceive others and will themselves be deceived. The part that stands out is they themselves will be deceived. Impostors will be deceived and they will flourish. So when you look at someone who isn't living a godly life and think they have it all, they do. All but salvation. Which is ok for now but not ok later on when this life is over.

14 But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. 15 You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.

Need I say more about these verses? God's word is important to living a godly life.

____________________________________________________________________________________

John Burnett:  ⁹ But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone.

¹⁰ You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, ¹¹ persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. ¹² In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, ¹³ while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. ¹⁴ But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, ¹⁵ and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. ¹⁶ All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷ so that the servant of God^[a] may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

As I go through the process of sanctification, I find that verse 12 is a sign of whether you are a living for Christ or not.  When we humble ourselves and allow the Holy Spirit to take over, we cannot help but do as he leads us to share the gospel and any time you share the gospel, people will persecute you.  We are blessed that it is only verbal persecution now, but there will come a time when Christians will be called to denounce their faith and if they don’t, punishment or death will be the consequence.

V16 is a foundational doctrine that is crucial to defending our faith.  If you waiver from this doctrine, you will waiver on any doctrine.