Thomas Aquinas Commentary 2 Timothy 3:1-5

"But know this, that in the last days grievous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, haughty, railers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, implacable, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, no lovers of good, traitors, headstrong, puffed up, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God; holding a form of godliness, but having denied the power therefore. From these also turn away." — 2 Timothy 3:1-5 (ASV)

1. Previously, the Apostle instructed Timothy on how to handle present tribulations and dangers; here, he shows him how to stand against future ones.

1. He predicts some dangers that are to come.
2. He shows Timothy’s fitness to resist them, starting at but you have fully known my doctrine (2 Timothy 3:10).
3. He shows how to resist, starting at I charge you before God (2 Timothy 4:1).

Regarding the first point, he does two things:

1. He foretells the dangers that will come in the last days.
2. He shows that their vices are to be avoided even now, at now these avoid.

Regarding the first of these, he does two things:

1. He states that there will be dangers in the last times.
2. He gives the cause of these dangers, at men shall be lovers of themselves.

2. He says, therefore: I have said, shun profane and vain babblings (2 Timothy 2:16). Not only must you shun them now, but in the future there will be other dangers to avoid. The future is referred to as the last days, because those days are closest to the last day: I will raise him up on the last day (John 6:55); gather yourselves together, that I am to tell you the things that shall befall you in the last days (Genesis 49:1). And he adds, perilous times shall come: you shall be hated by all nations for my name’s sake (Matthew 24:9).

3. The cause of this is the abundance of iniquity, and because iniquity has abounded, the charity of many shall grow cold (Matthew 24:12), because faith and charity will be annihilated and perish utterly. For the further a thing is from its beginning, the weaker it becomes. As a result, faith and charity will fall away in those days, because people will be further from Christ: but yet the Son of man, when he comes, shall he find, think you, faith on earth? (Luke 18:8).

Regarding this, he does two things:

1. He first discloses the root of iniquity.
2. He then shows its various forms.

4. Now the root of iniquity is love of self, for two loves built two cities.

But one might object: it is natural to love oneself.

I answer that in a person there are two things: the rational nature and the bodily nature.

Regarding the intellectual or rational nature, which is called the inner man (2 Corinthians 4:16), a person should love himself more than he loves others, because he would be foolish who chose to sin in order to draw others away from sin. But regarding the outward man, it is praiseworthy to love others more than oneself. Hence, those who love only themselves are blameworthy: all seek the things that are their own, not the things that are Jesus Christ’s (Philippians 2:21).

5. From this root spring various forms of sin; hence he says, covetous, haughty, proud, blasphemers.

Regarding these, he does three things:

1. He lists the sins which consist in abusing external things.
2. He lists those which consist in a person’s being improperly related to others, at blasphemers, disobedient to parents.
3. He lists those in regard to the self, at incontinent.

6. In external things we discover two features: abundance of riches and the excellence of good things.

Regarding the first, he says, covetous. This is placed first because it is the root of all evils and because it is closest to love of self, which satisfies itself with external goods.

Regarding the second, he says, haughty. This is a form of pride, of which there are four kinds: one is when a person attributes to himself something he lacks; another is when he attributes to himself what he has from another, as though he had it from himself: what have you that you have not received? (1 Corinthians 4:7). A third form is when one attributes to himself what he has received from another, but considers that he earned it: I fast twice in a week, I give tithes of all that I possess (Luke 18:12). The fourth form is when a person desires singular attention above others, and this is elation: Lord, my heart is not exalted (Psalms 131:1).

Therefore, when he says, proud, he includes all forms of pride: God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble (James 4:6).

7. Then he lists the vices that relate us to others. These concern our relationships with superiors and equals.

8. We have three superiors. First is God, and against Him, the sin is being blasphemers: they have forsaken the Lord, they have blasphemed the Holy One of Israel, they are gone away backwards (Isaiah 1:4). Second are parents, regarding whom he says, disobedient to parents: it is like the sin of witchcraft to rebel: and like the crime of idolatry to refuse to obey (1 Samuel 15:23); the eye that mocks at his father and that despises the labor of his mother in bearing him, let the ravens of the brooks pick it out, and the young eagles eat it (Proverbs 30:17). Third are benefactors as such, and in relation to them, he says, ungrateful: they that render evil for good have detracted me (Psalms 37:21); be you thankful (Colossians 3:15); the hope of the unthankful shall melt away as the winter’s ice, and shall run off as useless water .

9. Then he lists the evils that relate us to equals and our neighbor. He mentions three.

The first pertains to action; hence he says, wicked, meaning those who commit grievous crimes against their neighbor: woe to the sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a wicked seed, ungracious children (Isaiah 1:4). The second pertains to affection; hence he says, without affection, meaning without the feelings of charity, and without peace. The third pertains to speech; hence he says, slanderers: you shall not be a slanderer nor a whisperer among the people (Leviticus 19:16).

10. Then, in relation to the self, he lists three vices corresponding to the degeneration of the soul’s appetites:

1. The degeneration of the concupiscible appetite.
2. The degeneration of the irascible appetite.
3. The degeneration of the rational appetite.

11. Regarding the first, he says, incontinent. These are people who cannot follow through on their resolutions because of wicked desires: and no price is worthy of a continent soul .

12. Regarding the irascible appetite, he says, unmerciful, meaning not meek, for meekness moderates the passions of anger: learn of me, for I am meek and humble of heart (Matthew 11:29); he will teach the meek his ways (Psalms 25:9).

He then lists another vice pertaining to the irascible appetite: the exclusion of kindness. Hence he says, without kindness. For it is natural that when one contrary quality dominates, it excludes the other: Be you kind to one another (Ephesians 4:32).

13. Next, he lists the vices that flow from the degeneration of the rational appetite. This appetite is perfected by prudence, to which one vice is opposed by way of abuse, and another by way of privation. He lists both.

Regarding the first (abuse), he says, traitors. Prudence depends on sagacity, which some abuse for evil ends, and these are called traitors: he who walks deceitfully reveals secrets (Proverbs 11:13). Prudence also depends on constancy, against which a person sins when he becomes stubborn in evil; hence he says, stubborn: rely not on your own prudence (Proverbs 3:5).

Then he lists the vices that imply a lack of prudence. First, he mentions the cause of this lack when he says, puffed up. For proud people are puffed up when they act because they do not know their own weaknesses, and so they fail: where pride is, there also shall be reproach; but where humility is, there also is wisdom (Proverbs 11:2). Second, he mentions the result of this lack, which leads people to prefer temporal things over eternal things; hence he says, lovers of pleasures more than of God: sirens in the temples of pleasure (Isaiah 13:22).

But is it not the same to be incontinent and to be a lover of pleasure? I answer that it is not. Strictly speaking, an incontinent person is one who hopes to flee from pleasures but is overcome by them. The lover of pleasure, however, is intemperate, because his judgment is impaired.

Finally, he mentions pretense, saying, having an appearance indeed of godliness: for such false apostles are deceitful women (2 Corinthians 11:13); but denying the power thereof.

The phrase denying the power thereof, namely, the power of godliness, is described in two ways here. First, it means not possessing the virtue itself: they profess to know God, but in their works deny him (Titus 1:16).

In another way, the "power" of a thing is that on which the whole thing depends. Since the entire virtue of godliness depends on charity, to be denying the power thereof is to be denying charity.