1But know this: that in the last days, grievous times will come. 2For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3without natural affection, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, not lovers of good, 4traitors, headstrong, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5holding a form of godliness but having denied its power. Turn away from these, also. 6For some of these are people who creep into houses and take captive gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, 7always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 8Even as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind, who concerning the faith are rejected. 9But they will proceed no further. For their folly will be evident to all men, as theirs also came to be.
10But you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, steadfastness, 11persecutions, and sufferings—those things that happened to me at Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. I endured those persecutions. The Lord delivered me out of them all. 12Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. 13But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14But you remain in the things which you have learned and have been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them. 15From infancy, you have known the holy Scriptures which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16Every Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness, 17that each person who belongs to God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Inspiration (Gk. θεόπνευστος, theopneustos). (3:16) Strong’s 2315
This word is used only once in the NT, and may well have been coined by Paul. This verbal adjective is formed by a combination of two words, θεός (theos), “God,” and a passive form of πνέω (pneo), “blow, breathe out.” This term has traditionally been translated “inspiration,” but it is important to understand that it does not mean “inspiration” as it is typically used, as the inspiration of an artist, etc. It literally means “God-breathed.” The point Paul is trying to make by this word is that all of Scripture is as much the literal word of God as it would be if God had actually spoken each word aloud Himself. This is due to the activity of the Spirit in directing the writers of Scripture (2 Pet 1:20, 21). Though in this passage Paul is making reference to what Christians today would call the OT, and possibly certainly apostolic writings, and maybe the words of Luke, the entire NT, recognized by the church as Scripture, was and should be seen as equally inspired. The doctrine of inspiration leads to the recognition of the dual authorship of Scripture, divine and human. By the inspiration of the Spirit, the Bible is fully God’s word, while reflecting the thoughts, personalities and styles of its human writers. Understanding the doctrine of inspiration founded partly on this word is vital to the interpretation and application of Scripture. –HWH, SS