hotcoffee
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2 Timothy 3:6 They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, 7 always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these teachers oppose the truth. They are men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. 9 But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone.
So I tried to find Jannes and Jambres in the Bible. According to an article I found, these were the magicians in Exodus 7-9. This is the part of the Bible when Moses brought the Jews out of Egypt. These are the magicians who had the staffs that turned into snakes that were eaten by the snake of Moses's staff. These are the guys who changed water red the same as Moses did. Smoke and mirrors?
According to the easy English commentary...
In that society, the women stayed in the home. Few of them went to school or had an education. Some of the false teachers went from house to house. They persuaded the women to let them come in. They lied to the women. They said that they had come with good news for them.
Once in the house, these teachers explain their strange ideas. These ideas seem good to those women who were weak. They believed what they heard. And so they came under the control of the false teachers.
Some women were weak. They would accept without question what they heard. It was so easy to convince them that these false ideas were the truth. They were conscious of their sins and they wanted to find an answer. They suffered from the shame of what they had done. They knew that in their hearts there were all kinds of wrong desires. Here was a message that could make them feel better, they thought.
These women were eager for change, for new things. They wanted to know about the latest ideas. But with all their searching, they could not find the truth. So they remained in their sin. And they did not know the truth that could set them free. This truth is the gospel of Christ.
According to commentaries, the women were being blindsided by people teaching Gnosticism.
There's a thread in this Religion Forum going on at this time about who can interpret the Bible. As I post this I'm thinking of a hymn that we sing. The verses says "God in three persons, Blessed Trinity". It was God who sent the Holy Spirit to abide in the hearts of Christians.
There's an article in Godvine that explains it.
Let the Holy Spirit into your life and see what happens! By letting the Holy Spirit live within you, you are letting God into your heart and your soul. You can then more easily stay on the Christian, righteous path throughout life. So pray to God to let the Holy Spirit guide you, that way you can always make the decisions of a Christian.
And from another commentary I found this statement.
Testing the spirits means that one must know how to “examine the Scriptures.” Rather than accept every teaching, discerning Christians diligently study the Scriptures. Then they know what the Bible says and therefore can “test all things and hold fast to what is true.” In order to do this, a Christian must “be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). The Word of God is to be “a lamp” and “a light” to our path (Psalm 119:105). We must let its light shine on the teachings and doctrines of the day; the Bible alone is the standard by which all truth must be judged.
Judge Judy says.... "If it doesn't make sense... it's a lie." It's the Spirit of God that will allow you to see what makes sense. Be careful what you see or hear, even in church, because the false preachers and magicians didn't just exist in ancient times. They have upgraded their rhetoric since then.
IMHO The problem Paul is addressing here is the lost may be learning false doctrine. Here we have women who are not Christians being sold a lie. They are uneducated, they are willing to learn, and they are being fed lies. The problem is they are not protected by the Holy Spirit. In order for you to be able to know what doctrine is true and what is poppycock, you need Salvation. Once you have asked Jesus to take over your life.... the Holy Spirit will help you figure out what is true and what is a lie.
