2 Timothy 3:5 (WEB)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

2 Timothy 3:3 without natural affection, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, not lovers of good,

2 Timothy 3:4 traitors, headstrong, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God;

2 Timothy 3:5 holding a form of godliness, but having denied its power. Turn away from these, also.

2 Timothy 3:6 For some of these are people who creep into houses, and take captive gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts,

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

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "holding", "form", "godliness", "having", "denied", "power", "turn", 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 "traitors headstrong conceited lovers of pleasure rather..." into verse 6's "For some of these are people who...", 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.