2 Timothy 1:7

1:7 For God did not give us a Spirit ¹  of fear but of power and love and self-control.

2 Timothy 3:5

3:5 They will maintain the outward appearance ²  of religion but will have repudiated its power. So avoid people like these. ³ 

2 Timothy 3:13

3:13 But evil people and charlatans will go from bad to worse, ⁴  deceiving others and being deceived themselves. ⁵ 

2 Timothy 4:4

4:4 And they will turn away from hearing the truth, but on the other hand they will turn aside to myths. ⁶ 

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¹ tn Or “a spirit,” denoting the human personality under the Spirit’s influence as in 1 Cor 4:21; Gal 6:1; 1 Pet 3:4. But the reference to the Holy Spirit at the end of this section (1:14) makes it likely that it begins this way also, so that the Holy Spirit is the referent.

² tn Or “form.”

sn Outward appearance. Paul’s contrast with power in 3:5b shows that he regards this “form” to be outward, one of appearance rather than reality (cf. 1 Cor 4:19-20; 1 Thess 1:5).

³ tn Grk “and avoid these,” with the word “people” implied.

⁴ tn Grk “will advance to the worse.”

⁵ tn Grk “deceiving and being deceived.”

⁶ sn These myths were legendary tales characteristic of the false teachers in Ephesus and Crete. See parallels in 1 Tim 1:4; 4:7; and Titus 1:14.