Standing Strong in a World Gone Wrong (2 Timothy 3:1–17)
Have you ever felt like the world is falling apart? Like people are becoming more selfish, rude, or dishonest? If so, you’re not alone. The Apostle Paul felt the same way, and in 2 Timothy 3, he warned Timothy—and all of us—that hard times were coming.
But Paul doesn’t stop at the warning. He gives powerful advice for how to stay strong in our faith and live for God in the middle of a broken world.
Let’s take a closer look.
Hard Times Will Come
Paul begins with a clear statement:
“There will be terrible times in the last days.” (v.1)
He then gives a long list of how people will behave:
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Lovers of themselves and money
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Proud and rude
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Disobedient to parents
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Ungrateful and unholy
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Without love or self-control
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Harsh, unforgiving, and full of pride
Even worse, Paul says that some will pretend to be godly, but their lives will show otherwise. He tells Timothy to stay away from people like that, because they can lead others down the wrong path.
It’s a wake-up call: The world won’t always get better—but God is still in control.
Don’t Be Fooled
Paul warns Timothy about people who sneak into homes and deceive others—especially those who are easily influenced. These false teachers are clever, but their truth is fake.
Paul compares them to two men from the Old Testament (Jannes and Jambres) who stood against Moses. Eventually, their lies were exposed—and Paul says the same thing will happen to all false teachers.
The lesson? Not everyone who seems spiritual is following God. We must stay alert and stick to the truth.
Follow the Right Example
Paul reminds Timothy: You know how I’ve lived. You’ve seen my faith, love, patience, and even my suffering. Paul was persecuted many times—but God rescued him over and over.
He tells Timothy (and us):
“Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” (v.12)
That might sound scary, but it’s also comforting—we’re not alone in our struggles. God is with us, and so are other faithful believers.
God’s Word Is Our Anchor
This is the heart of the message:
“But as for you, continue in what you have learned.” (v.14)
Timothy had been taught the Scriptures since he was a child, and Paul urges him to hold tightly to God’s Word. Why?
Because:
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The Bible makes us wise for salvation
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It is God-breathed—meaning it comes from Him
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It teaches, corrects, and trains us
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It prepares us for every good work
In a world full of confusion, God’s Word is our guide, our compass, and our strength.
Final Thoughts
2 Timothy 3:1–17 may sound like a warning—and it is—but it’s also full of hope. Paul teaches us how to live when everything around us seems wrong:
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Expect hard times, but don’t lose heart
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Avoid false teachings and people who pretend to follow God
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Follow the example of faithful believers
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Stay rooted in Scripture—it will guide and protect you
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Keep going—God is with you, and His Word will prepare you for whatever comes
The world may be dark at times, but the light of God’s truth shines brighter. So hold on to His Word, trust His ways, and stay faithful.
God will give you strength to stand—no matter what comes.
2 Timothy 3:1-17 (WEB)
3:1 But know this: that in the last days, grievous times will come. 2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 without natural affection, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, not lovers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding a form of godliness but having denied its power. Turn away from these, also. 6 For some of these are people who creep into houses and take captive gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, 7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 8 Even as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind, who concerning the faith are rejected. 9 But they will proceed no further. For their folly will be evident to all men, as theirs also came to be.10 But you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, steadfastness, 11 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. 12 Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. 13 But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But you remain in the things which you have learned and have been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them. 15 From infancy, you have known the holy Scriptures which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 Every Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness, 17 that each person who belongs to God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.