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2 Timothy 3:5

of which they wear the appearance, but disclaim its influence. have no intercourse with such.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Apostasy;   Character;   Commandments;   Company;   Fellowship;   Formalism;   Hypocrisy;   Minister, Christian;   Wicked (People);   Worldliness;   Scofield Reference Index - Apostasy;   Thompson Chain Reference - Association-Separation;   Formalism;   Religion;   Religion, True-False;   Separation;   The Topic Concordance - Knowledge;   Last Days;   Turning;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Alliance and Society with the Enemies of God;   Character of the Wicked;   Hypocrites;  

Dictionaries:

- Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Denial;   Godly, Godliness;   Timothy, First and Second, Theology of;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Jesus Christ;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Antichrist;   Divination;   Idol;   Miracles;   Sardis;   Timothy, the Second Epistle to;   Tyre;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Godliness;   Religion;   Titus, Epistle to;   2 Thessalonians;   2 Timothy;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Love, Lover, Lovely, Beloved;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Commandment;   Form;   Formalism;   Godliness;   Paul;   Timothy and Titus Epistles to;   Truth;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Godliness;   Perilous Times;   Prophets, the;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Paul;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Form;   Gnosticism;   Godliness;   Jude, the Epistle of;   Peter, Simon;   Shape;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for November 28;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
holding to the form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid these people.
King James Version (1611)
Hauing a forme of godlinesse, but denying the power thereof: from such turne away.
King James Version
Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
English Standard Version
having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.
New American Standard Bible
holding to a form of godliness although they have denied its power; avoid such people as these.
New Century Version
and will act as if they serve God but will not have his power. Stay away from those people.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.
Legacy Standard Bible
holding to a form of godliness, but having denied its power. Keep away from such men as these.
Berean Standard Bible
having a form of godliness but denying its power. Turn away from such as these!
Contemporary English Version
Even though they will make a show of being religious, their religion won't be real. Don't have anything to do with such people.
Complete Jewish Bible
as they retain the outer form of religion but deny its power. Stay away from these people!
Darby Translation
having a form of piety but denying the power of it: and from these turn away.
Easy-to-Read Version
They will go on pretending to be devoted to God, but they will refuse to let that "devotion" change the way they live. Stay away from these people!
Geneva Bible (1587)
Hauing a shewe of godlinesse, but haue denied the power thereof: turne away therefore from such.
George Lamsa Translation
Having a form of godliness, but are far from the power of God: from such turn away.
Good News Translation
they will hold to the outward form of our religion, but reject its real power. Keep away from such people.
Lexham English Bible
maintaining a form of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid these people.
Literal Translation
having a form of godliness, but denying the power of it; even turn away from these.
Amplified Bible
holding to a form of [outward] godliness (religion), although they have denied its power [for their conduct nullifies their claim of faith]. Avoid such people and keep far away from them.
American Standard Version
holding a form of godliness, but having denied the power thereof: from these also turn away.
Bible in Basic English
Having a form of religion, but turning their backs on the power of it: go not with these.
Hebrew Names Version
holding a form of godliness, but having denied the power thereof. Turn away from these, also.
International Standard Version
They will hold to an outward form of godliness but deny its power. Stay away from such people.2 Thessalonians 3:6; 1 Timothy 5:8; 6:5; Titus 1:16;">[xr]
Etheridge Translation
having a form of the worship of Aloha, but from the power of Aloha afar off: (them) who are such put from thee.
Murdock Translation
having a form of respect for God, but wide from the power of God. Them who are such, repel from thee.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Hauyng a fourme of godlynesse, but denying the power therof: turne away from these.
English Revised Version
holding a form of godliness, but having denied the power thereof: from these also turn away.
World English Bible
holding a form of godliness, but having denied the power thereof. Turn away from these, also.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Having a form of godliness but denying the power of it.
Weymouth's New Testament
and will keep up a make-believe of piety and yet live in defiance of its power. Turn away from people of this sort.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
hauynge the licknesse of pitee, but denyynge the vertu of it. And eschewe thou these men.
Update Bible Version
holding a form of godliness, but having denied the power thereof. From these also turn away.
Webster's Bible Translation
Having a form of godliness, but denying its power: from such turn away.
New English Translation
They will maintain the outward appearance of religion but will have repudiated its power. So avoid people like these.
New King James Version
having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!
New Living Translation
They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!
New Life Bible
They will do things to make it look as if they are Christians. But they will not receive the power that is for a Christian. Keep away from such people.
New Revised Standard
holding to the outward form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid them!
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
having a form of godliness, but, the power thereof, denying! and, from these, turn away;
Douay-Rheims Bible
Having an appearance indeed of godliness but denying the power thereof. Now these avoid.
Revised Standard Version
holding the form of religion but denying the power of it. Avoid such people.
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
havynge a similitude of godly lyvynge but have denyed the power ther of and soche abhorre.
Young's Literal Translation
having a form of piety, and its power having denied; and from these be turning away,
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
hauynge a shyne off godly lyuynge, but denyenge the power therof. And soch avoyde.
Simplified Cowboy Version
They will act religious, but deny the power that could change their lives into something special. Steer clear of cowboys like that.

Contextual Overview

1 Take notice that in the latter days difficult incidents will arise; 2 for men will be selfish, avaricious, vain, proud, slanderers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, 3 villainous, unnatural, perfidious, defamers, debauchees, 4 cruel, enemies to virtue, traitors, insolent, conceited, and more devoted to pleasure than to piety: 5 of which they wear the appearance, but disclaim its influence. have no intercourse with such. 6 Of this number are they, who insinuate themselves into families, to make a prey of the weaker sex, who are inveigled by their vitious suggestions, abetted by their own subtle passions, 7 and by lending an assiduous ear to such lessons, render it impossible they should ever be acquainted with the truth. 8 Moses did not meet with greater opposition from Jannes and Jambres, than truth does from men so corrupted in their mind, and so adulterated in their faith. 9 but they will be stop'd in their career; for they shall be expos'd to the world for impostors, as those magicians were.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

a form: Isaiah 29:13, Isaiah 48:1, Isaiah 48:2, Isaiah 58:1-3, Ezekiel 33:30-32, Matthew 7:15, Matthew 23:27, Matthew 23:28, Romans 2:20-24, 1 Timothy 5:8, Titus 1:16

from: 2 Timothy 2:16, 2 Timothy 2:23, Romans 16:17, Romans 16:18, Ephesians 4:14, 2 Thessalonians 3:6, 2 Thessalonians 3:14, 1 Timothy 6:5, Titus 3:10, 2 John 1:10-12

Reciprocal: Leviticus 11:5 - but divideth Deuteronomy 14:7 - General 1 Samuel 4:3 - it may save 1 Samuel 14:35 - built 1 Samuel 15:30 - that I may worship Proverbs 30:12 - that are Jeremiah 5:2 - though Micah 2:7 - named Matthew 21:19 - and found Matthew 23:3 - for Matthew 25:3 - foolish Mark 7:6 - honoureth Mark 10:20 - General Luke 11:39 - Now Luke 13:26 - We John 10:5 - General Acts 8:9 - giving Acts 17:17 - daily Acts 19:9 - he departed 2 Corinthians 11:13 - false Ephesians 5:11 - no 1 Timothy 4:2 - lies 2 Peter 1:6 - godliness 2 Peter 3:16 - unstable

Cross-References

Matthew 6:23
but if your eye be bad, your whole body will be dark: if therefore that, which should be light to you, be dark; how great is that darkness?
Acts 26:18
and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and partake of the inheritance of the saints, by believing on me."
2 Corinthians 4:4
to those unbelievers, whose minds the God of this world has so blinded, that the glorious lustre of the gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, does not enlighten them.
2 Corinthians 11:3
but I fear lest by some means or other, as Eve was beguiled by the subtilly of the serpent, your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is due to Christ.
2 Thessalonians 2:4
that adversary that exalts it self above the divine authority of majesty: that is seated in the temple of God, pretending to be it self divine.
Revelation 13:4
They worshipped the dragon which had given his power to the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, "who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?"
Revelation 13:14
and he deceived the inhabitants of the earth, by the prodigys which he had power to effect by the influence of the beast, by telling the inhabitants of the earth, that he had made an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, but yet did revive.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Having a form of godliness,.... Either a mere external show of religion, pretending great piety and holiness, being outwardly righteous before men, having the mask and visor of godliness; or else a plan of doctrine, a form of sound words, a scheme of truths, which men may have without partaking of the grace of God; and which, with respect to the doctrine of the Trinity, the church of Rome has; or else the Scriptures of truth, which the members of that church have, and profess to hold to, maintain and preserve; and which contains doctrines according to godliness, and tend to a godly life and godly edification:

but denying the power thereof; though in words they profess religion and godliness, the fear of God, and the pure worship of him, yet in works they deny all; and though they may have a set of notions in their heads, yet they feel nothing of the power of them on their hearts; and are strangers to experimental religion, and powerful godliness: or though they profess the Scriptures to be the word of God, yet they deny the use, the power, and efficacy of them; they deny the use of them to the laity, and affirm that they are not a sufficient rule of faith and practice, without their unwritten traditions; and that they are not able to make men wise, or give them a true knowledge of what is to be believed and done, without them; and that the sense of them is not to be understood by private men, but depends upon the infallible judgment of the church or pope:

from such turn away; have no fellowship with them, depart from their communion, withdraw from them, and come out from among them: this passage sufficiently justifies the reformed churches in their separation from the church of Rome.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Having a form of godliness - That is, they profess religion, or are in connection with the church. This shows that the apostle referred to some great corruption in the church; and there can be little doubt that he had his eye on the same great apostasy to which he refers in 2 Thessalonians 2:0:, and 1 Timothy 4:0: All these things to which he refers here have been practiced and tolerated in that apostate church, while no body of men, at any time, have been more zealous in maintaining “a form of godliness;” that is, in keeping up the forms of religion.

But denying the power thereof - Opposing the real power of religion; not allowing it to exert any influence in their lives. It imposes no restraint on their passions and carnal propensities, but in all respects, except in the form of religion, they live as if they had None. This has been common in the world. The most regular and bigoted adherence to the forms of religion furnishes no evidence in itself that there is any true piety at heart, or that true religion has any actual control over the soul. It is much easier for people to observe the forms of religion than it is to bring the heart under its controlling influence.

From such turn away - Have no contact with them as if they were Christians; show no countenance to their religion; do not associate with them; compare 2 John 1:10-11; see the notes at 2 Corinthians 6:17.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 5. Having a form of godliness — The original word μορφωσις signifies a draught, sketch, or summary, and will apply well to those who have all their religion in their creed, confession of faith, catechism, bodies of divinity, c., while destitute of the life of God in their souls and are not only destitute of this life, but deny that such life or power is here to be experienced or known. They have religion in their creed, but none in their hearts. And perhaps to their summary they add a decent round of religious observances. From such turn away-not only do not imitate them, but have no kind of fellowship with them; they are a dangerous people, and but seldom suspected, because their outside is fair.


 
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