II Timothy 2:18

erred--Greek, "missed the aim" (see Ti1 6:21). is past already--has already taken place. The beginnings of the subsequent Gnostic heresy already existed. They "wrested" (Pe2 3:16) Paul's own words (Rom 6:4; Eph 2:6; Col 2:12) "to their own destruction," as though the resurrection was merely the spiritual raising of souls from the death of sin. Compare Co1 15:12, where he shows all our hopes of future glory rest on the literal reality of the resurrection. To believe it past (as the Seleucians or Hermians did, according to AUGUSTINE [Epistles, 119.55, To Januarius, 4]), is to deny it in its true sense. overthrow--trying to subvert "the foundation" on which alone faith can rest secure (Ti2 2:19; compare Tit 1:11).

2:18 claiming that the resurrection of the dead has already occurred: Cp. 2 Thes 2:2. These false teachers might have twisted Paul’s own teaching on the resurrection of the dead (Rom 6:5; Gal 2:20; Eph 1:3; 2:6; 5:14; Col 2:12; 3:1-4) by teaching that they already fully participated in the heavenly life, and perhaps that physical resurrection would not occur. They could have concluded from this that one’s conduct in the body (i.e., morality) was irrelevant, since their mortal bodies could have no impact on their eternal spirits. Or, they could have gone the other way, toward world-denying asceticism (1 Tim 4:3; see Col 2:8, 16-23), with the idea that enjoyment of material things is inappropriate for resurrected, spiritual persons. These teachers might have understood from Jesus’ teachings (see Matt 19:10-12; 22:30) that marriage should be prohibited (1 Tim 4:3). Their teachings on the Old Testament law (1 Tim 1:7-11) might have led to the promotion of certain taboos. Their teachings might have involved an overly aggressive promotion of equality (see 2 Tim 3:6; cp. Gal 3:28; 1 Tim 2:11-15) in the belief that the age to come was already here. Their teaching might have focused exclusively on resurrection power, which would contradict Paul’s message of suffering and the cross (see 2 Tim 1:8, 12; 2:8-13; cp. 1 Cor 4:8-13; 2 Cor 12:8-10). Whatever its exact form, Paul describes their teaching as “worthless, foolish talk” (2 Tim 2:16).