2 Timothy 3:5 (KJV)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

2 Timothy 3:3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,

2 Timothy 3:4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;

2 Timothy 3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

2 Timothy 3:6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,

2 Timothy 3:7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "having", "form", "godliness", "denying", "power", "thereof", "such", and "turn". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "having" and "form", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "Traitors heady highminded lovers of pleasures more..." into verse 6's "For of this sort are they which...", so "having" and "form" belong inside that flow. In 2 Timothy context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "having" and "form" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.