16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. In certain of these books Jannes and Jambres figured largely. shall suffer persecution; it is the will of God, and the appointment of heaven; Christ has foretold it, that so it shall be; and he the head has suffered it himself, and it is necessary that his members should, that they may be conformed unto him; it is the way Christ himself went to glory, and through many tribulations his people must enter the kingdom; and this is the common lot and certain case of all the saints, in one shape or another; for though all do not suffer confiscation of goods, beating, scourging, imprisonment, or a violent death; yet all are more or less afflicted and distressed by wicked men, and are subject to their reproaches and revilings, which are a branch of persecution; and that for professing Christ, and living a godly life in him and under his influence: and since such suffer as Christians, and not as evildoers; and this is the common condition of the people of God, in this world, it should not be thought strange, but be cheerfully endured; to encourage to which is the apostle's view in this passage. It is used in Plutarch to describe what we would call an ugly wound. God takes care of His people, and ensures them a blessed end. The Holy Spirit would make it to be most practical and precious. The adjective used is philautos ( G5367) , which means self-loving. The Greek word is that men will become anosios ( G462) . Men will be without human affection (astorgos, G794) . Word Studies in the New Testament. [4.] It can never cease to be a Christian's duty to maintain the unity of the Spirit; but it is not maintaining the unity of the Spirit to couple with the name of the Lord that which is fleshly and sinful. Once Agesilaus, the Sparta king, was asked, "What shall we teach our boys?" In fact, all who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. The scripture is a perfect rule of faith and practice, and was designed for the man of God, the minister as well as the Christian who is devoted to God, for it is profitable for doctrine, &c. In vain shall we endeavor to detach Christ from his cross; for it may be said to be natural that the world should hate Christ even in his members. To many a man and woman has a little bit of dress done no small injury, just because they think it is too little for the Spirit of God to direct them in. The persecutions today may not be the same Paul had to withstand, but persecutions of some type will confront us from time to time. It is easy for a professed Christian to avoid persecution, if he yields every point in which religion is opposed to the world. The word is propetes ( G4312) , precipitate. James encourages us by explaining that those who persevere under trial, on the journey to maturity, will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him, and He exhorts us to consider it all joy, when we encounter various trials.There is an urgency in this final letter thatPaul wrote before his death, to remind us that ALL who live godly lives in Christ will certainly suffer persecution. We don't have the time to devote to it this evening but I would suggest that you get a good Greek lexicon and do a word study on these particular Greek words that Paul uses to describe the attitudes and the actions of people in the last days. This time he was a Christian minister, and it was to the reading of the books that he attributed his change. The result would often be either that the woman broke off married relationships with her husband in order to live the ascetic life, or that she gave the lower instincts full play and abandoned herself to promiscuous relationships.

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