Paul admonished the Thessalonians to "withdraw"
("separate") from brethren who "walketh disorderly", i.e. those whose behavior IS NOT in accordance
with the truth (II Thessalonians 3:6-7)
They are "vain talkers", i.e. "wranglers"
(Titus 1:10)
Paul EXHORTED Timothy POSITIVELY to remember the things
he learned from Paul concerning the Word of God and the things Paul suffered for the Word of God (II Timothy 2:7-10)
and to put others in remembrance "of these things" (II Timothy 2:14)
Paul ADMONISHED Timothy NEGATIVELY to "strive NOT
about words to NO profit" (II Timothy 2:14)
Paul EXHORTED Timothy POSITIVELY to "study"
("do diligence") concerning the "rightly dividing of the Word of Truth" (II Timothy 2:15 cf. Galatians 2:7-8)
Paul ADMONISHED Timothy NEGATIVELY to "shun profane
and vain babblings" (II Timothy 2:16)
They are "deceivers", i.e. "seducers"
(Titus 1:10)
Paul gives the Spirit's warning concerning "the LATTER
TIMES" about those "giving heed to SEDUCING spirits, and DOCTRINES of devils (demons)" and describes
their actions and their state (I Timothy 4:1-2)
They are specially "of the circumcision" (Titus 1:10)
Paul warns of "dogs", "evil workers",
"the CONCISION", i.e. "MUTILATION BY CUTTING OFF" (Philippians 3:2)
Their worship is according to the physical TYPES of the
LAW as opposed to the TRUE spiritual COMPLETENESS which is ONLY to be found in CHRIST (Philippians 3:3 cf. Colossians 2:9-13)
Paul declares concerning these false teachers of legalism
that their "mouths must be stopped", because they "subvert whole houses, teaching things which they
OUGHT NOT for filthy lucre's (gain's) sake" (Titus 1:11)
Paul warns that in "the LAST DAYS" (II Timothy 3:1)
- "men of CORRUPT minds, REPROBATE of the faith" (II Timothy 3:8) will "creep into houses" and "lead captive silly (foolish)
women laden (loaded) with sins" (II Timothy 3:6) who are "EVER LEARNING, and NEVER ABLE to come to the knowledge
of the Truth" (II Timothy 3:7)
Paul exhorts believers to "lie NOT one to another"
for lying is associated with "the OLD man" and NOT with "the NEW man" (Titus 1:12 cf.Colossians 3:9-10)
Paul says that "after the manner of men" he
"fought with beasts at Ephesus" (Titus 1:12 cf.I Corinthians 15:32),
i.e. those who willfully resisted the truth of the gospel such as Alexander the coppersmith whom Paul said "did
me much evil" and "withstood our words" (II Timothy 4:14-15 cf.Acts 19:33-34)
Slow bellies, i.e. they that are slothful, are NOT fit
to rule (Proverbs 12:24) for they will always have a vain excuse for NOT bearing their responsibility
(Proverbs 22:13;Proverbs 26:13)
Paul exhorts SEPARATION from those "which cause divisions
and offences" by teaching FALSE doctrine, because they "serve NOT our Lord Jesus Christ, BUT their own
belly" (Romans 16:17-18)
The Lord warned His disciples AGAINST the "LEAVEN"
("FALSE doctrine") of the Pharisees and Sadducees (Matthew 16:6,11-12)
The particular FALSE teaching is again said to be "JEWISH
fables", which Paul calls "the commandments of men" (Titus 1:14)
This again is a veiled reference to the "BONDAGE"
of the LAW (Galatians 4:9-11)
The Word of God "IN SEASON" is TRUTH, but "OUT
OF SEASON" is ERROR and a tool of the Adversary who is NOT afraid to say "it is written" (Matthew 4:5-6 cf.Psalms 91:11-12)
To those of FAITH - ALL things are PURE, but to the UNBELIEVING
- NOTHING is PURE - due to a MINd (UNDERSTANDING) and CONSCIENCE (KNOWLEGDE) which is DEFILED (Titus 1:15)
During the transition period while God was still dealing
with Israel (Romans 10:17-21 cf.Acts 13:45-46;Acts 18:5-6;Acts 28:25-28)
there was a time when God was transforming the CONSCIENCE of a believer into a PURE CONSCIENCE concerning the MYSTERY
of the FAITH (I Timothy 3:9)
During this time of transition, Paul described those as
"WEAK in the FAITH" as those who "eateth herbs", but described the one that "BELIEVETH"
as one that "may eat ALL things" and that the WEAK should NOT be despised (Romans 14:1-3)
However, in speaking of "the LATTER TIMES" (I Timothy 4:1)
when the time of transition is past and Israel has been concluded in unbelief (Acts 28:25-28 cf.Isaiah 6:9-10)
- those who STILL persist in clinging to the physical restrictions characteristic of the LAW are described as "having
their CONSCIENCE SEARED with a hot iron" (I Timothy 4:2-3)
The "UNBELIEVING" (Titus 1:15) "PROFESS that they KNOW God, but in WORKS they DENY Him"
and are further described as being "ABOMINABLE, and DISOBEDIENT, and unto every good work REPROBATE"
(Titus 1:16)
Paul sums up the character of the RELIGIOUS world in "the
LAST DAYS" (II Timothy 3:1) with the words, "having a FORM of GODLINESS, but DENYING the
POWER thereof" (II Timothy 3:5)
Those who "RESIST the TRUTH" are said to be
"REPROBATE concerning the FAITH" (II Timothy 3:8)
"ALL things INDEED are PURE" (Romans 14:20)
to "them which BELIEVE and KNOW the TRUTH" (I Timothy 4:3) having been "NOURISHED up in the WORDS of the FAITH and GOOD
DOCTRINE" (I Timothy 4:6)