2 Timothy 3:5
New International Version
having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.

New Living Translation
They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!

English Standard Version
having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.

Berean Standard Bible
having a form of godliness but denying its power. Turn away from such as these!

Berean Literal Bible
having a form of godliness but denying its power. And turn away from these.

King James Bible
Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

New King James Version
having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!

New American Standard Bible
holding to a form of godliness although they have denied its power; avoid such people as these.

NASB 1995
holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.

NASB 1977
holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; and 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.

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.

Christian Standard Bible
holding to the form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid these people.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
holding to the form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid these people!

American Standard Version
holding a form of godliness, but having denied the power thereof: from these also turn away.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Who have a form of God-worship and are far from his power; remove from you those who are such.

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.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Having an appearance indeed of godliness, but denying the power thereof. Now these avoid.

English Revised Version
holding a form of godliness, but having denied the power thereof: from these also turn away.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
They will appear to have a godly life, but they will not let its power change them. Stay away from such people.

Good News Translation
they will hold to the outward form of our religion, but reject its real power. Keep away from such people.

International Standard Version
They will hold to an outward form of godliness but deny its power. Stay away from such people.

Literal Standard Version
having a form of piety, but having denied its power; and be turning away from these,

Majority Standard Bible
having a form of godliness but denying its power. Turn away from such as these!

New American Bible
as they make a pretense of religion but deny its power. Reject them.

NET Bible
They will maintain the outward appearance of religion but will have repudiated its power. So avoid people like these.

New Revised Standard Version
holding to the outward form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid them!

New Heart English Bible
holding a form of godliness, but having denied the power thereof. Turn away from these, also.

Webster's Bible Translation
Having a form of godliness, but denying its power: from such turn away.

Weymouth 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.

World English Bible
holding a form of godliness but having denied its power. Turn away from these, also.

Young's Literal Translation
having a form of piety, and its power having denied; and from these be turning away,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Evil in the Last Days
4traitorous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5having a form of godliness but denying its power. Turn away from such as these! 6They are the kind who worm their way into households and captivate vulnerable women who are weighed down with sins and led astray by various passions,…

Cross References
Matthew 7:15
Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.

2 Thessalonians 3:6
Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from any brother who leads an undisciplined life that is not in keeping with the tradition you received from us.

1 Timothy 4:7
But reject irreverent, silly myths. Instead, train yourself for godliness.

1 Timothy 4:8
For physical exercise is of limited value, but godliness is valuable in every way, holding promise for the present life and for the one to come.

1 Timothy 5:8
If anyone does not provide for his own, and especially his own household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.


Treasury of Scripture

Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

a form.

Isaiah 29:13
Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:

Isaiah 48:1,2
Hear ye this, O house of Jacob, which are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah, which swear by the name of the LORD, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in righteousness…

Isaiah 58:1-3
Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins…

from.

2 Timothy 2:16,23
But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness…

Romans 16:17,18
Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them…

Ephesians 4:14
That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

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Although Avoid Backs Defiance Denied Denying Form Godliness Holding Live Piety Power Religion Sort Thereof Turn Turning
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2 Timothy 3
1. Paul advises Timothy of the difficult times to come;
6. describes the enemies of the truth;
10. explains unto him his own example;
16. and commends the holy Scriptures;














(5) Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.--Keeping up a show of observing the outward forms of religion, but renouncing its power and its influence over the heart and the life; shewing openly that they neither acknowledged its guidance or wished to do so. These, by claiming the title of Christians, wearing before men the uniform of Christ, but by their lives dishonouring His name, did the gravest injury to the holy Christian cause. Another dreary catalogue of vices St. Paul gives in the Epistle to the Romans (Romans 1:29, and following verses); but in that passage he paints the sins of Paganism. Here he describes the characteristics of a new Paganism, which went under the name of Christianity.

From such turn away.--These, daring to assume the sacred name, no doubt with the thought of claiming its glorious promises, without one effort to please the Master or to do honour to His name--these were to be openly shunned by such as Timothy. No half measures were to be adopted towards these, who tried to deceive their neighbours and possibly deceived themselves. The Pagan was to be courteously entreated, for in God's good time the glory of the Lord might shine, too, on those now sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death. The heretic, seduced by false men from the school of the Apostles, where the life as well as the doctrine of Jesus was taught, was to be gently instructed. Perhaps God would lead him once more home. But these, who, while pretending to belong to Jesus, lived the degraded life of the heathen, were to be shunned. No communion, no friendly intercourse was possible between the hypocrite and the Christian.

The command here is so definite--"from these turn away"--that any theory which would relegate the vices just enumerated to a distant future would require, as above stated, that a strained and unnatural meaning should be given to this positive direction to Timothy. The plain and obvious signification of the passage is: men committing the sins alluded to lived then in the Church over which Timothy presided; they were to be avoided by the chief presbyter and his brethren.

Verse 5. - Holding for having, A.V.; hating denied for denyiny, A.V.; these also for such, A.V. Holding (ἔχοντες). There is no reason to change "having." Perhaps "indeed" after "having" would give the emphasis conveyed by ἔχοντες preceding the object. A form (μόρφωσιν). It should be the form; i.e. "the outward semblance," i.q. μόρφωμα, form, shape, figure (Liddell and Scott), here in contrast with δύναμις, the reality. In Romans 2:20, the only other place in the New Testament where μόρφωσις occurs, there is no contrast, and so it has the sense of a "true sketch" or "delineation." Having denied (ἠρνημένοι); possibly more correct than the A.V. "denying," though the difference, if any, is very slight. The meaning is that by their life and character and conversation they gave the lie to their Christian profession. Christianity with them was an outward form, not an inward living power of godliness. From these also does not give the sense at all clearly. The A.V. does, though it omits the καὶ, which is not wanted in English. In the Greek it marks an additional circumstance in the case of those of whom he is speaking, viz. that they are to be turned away from as hopeless. Turn away (ἀποτρέπου); only here in the New Testament, or, at least in the middle voice, in the LXX.; but frequent in classical Greek in different senses. St. Paul uses ἐκτρέπομενος in the same sense in 1 Timothy 6:20. "This command shows that the apostle treats the symptoms of the last times as in some respects present" (Alford). With this catena of epithets comp. Romans 1:29-31; and, though of an opposite character, the string of adjectives in Wisd. 7:22, 23.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
having
ἔχοντες (echontes)
Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 2192: To have, hold, possess. Including an alternate form scheo skheh'-o; a primary verb; to hold.

a form
μόρφωσιν (morphōsin)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3446: Form, outline, semblance. From morphoo; formation, i.e., appearance (concretely) formula).

of godliness
εὐσεβείας (eusebeias)
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 2150: Piety (towards God), godliness, devotion, godliness. From eusebes; piety; specially, the gospel scheme.

but
δὲ (de)
Conjunction
Strong's 1161: A primary particle; but, and, etc.

denying
ἠρνημένοι (ērnēmenoi)
Verb - Perfect Participle Middle or Passive - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 720: Perhaps from a and the middle voice of rheo; to contradict, i.e. Disavow, reject, abnegate.

its
αὐτῆς (autēs)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive Feminine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

power.
δύναμιν (dynamin)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 1411: From dunamai; force; specially, miraculous power.

Turn away from
ἀποτρέπου (apotrepou)
Verb - Present Imperative Middle - 2nd Person Singular
Strong's 665: To turn away from, shun. From apo and the base of trope; to deflect, i.e. avoid.

[such] as these!
τούτους (toutous)
Demonstrative Pronoun - Accusative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3778: This; he, she, it.


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NT Letters: 2 Timothy 3:5 Holding a form of godliness but having (2 Tim. 2Ti iiTi ii Tim)
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