"But you (Timothy) have carefully followed my (Paul's) doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance, persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra - what persecutions I endured. And out of them all the Lord delivered me. Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. But evil men and imposters will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But you (Timothy) must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work."
"But you must continue in the things you have learned and been assured of....", not like those who have a form of godliness but deny the power of godliness (the understanding of and willingness to continue in that which serves to make us wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus) who are always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth; who will progress no further due to their unwillingness. (The discussion in this paragraph comes from 2 Timothy 3:5-9)
Interestingly, Paul mentions Jannes and Jambres - magicians in Pharoah's court. They worked sensational supernatural acts. The God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Moses devoured, literally, those supernatural activities. Why would Paul mention these men to Timothy, a young pastor? Just as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so will people resist the power of godliness: the willingness to continue in that which Paul writes in verses 10-17, 5-9. Timothy must understand that Satan uses unholy sensation to wrest our attention from the our God's calling to us in Christ Jesus.
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