2 Timothy 3:5 (LSB)

Passage

holding to a form of godliness, but having denied its power. Keep away from such men as these.

Nearby Context

2 Timothy 3:3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, without gentleness, without love for good,

2 Timothy 3:4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,

2 Timothy 3:5 holding to a form of godliness, but having denied its power. Keep away from such men as these.

2 Timothy 3:6 For among them are those who enter into households and take captive weak women weighed down with sins, being led on by various desires,

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

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "treacherous reckless conceited lovers of pleasure rather..." into verse 6's "For among them are those who enter...", so "holding" 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 "holding" and "form" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.