3:3

having no natural affection: See study note on Ro 1:31.

not open to any agreement: Paul here foretells a time when people in general would be characterized by an unwillingness to negotiate reasonable solutions to problems or to resolve conflicts. The Greek word could more literally be rendered “without treaty.” This term was often used of a failure to resolve conflicts between nations. It could also be used of a failure to resolve problems between individuals. Other translations render this word “irreconcilable,” “implacable,” or “uncooperative.” One reference work notes: “The word describes a certain harshness and hardness of mind which separates a man from his fellow men in unrelenting bitterness.”

slanderers: In the Bible, the Greek word for “slanderer” (di·aʹbo·los) is most often rendered “Devil” and is used as a title for Satan, the wicked slanderer of God. (See study note on Mt 4:1 and Glossary, “Devil.”) However, in a few cases, the term is used according to its basic meaning and is rendered “slanderer” or “slanderous.” (1Ti 3:11; Tit 2:3) Here in his description of “the last days” (2Ti 3:1), Paul uses it to refer to people who try to injure the reputation of others, both fellow humans and God, by false accusations or misrepresentations.​—See study note on Joh 6:70, where the term is used to describe Judas Iscariot.

without self-control: A person without self-control readily gives in to immoral inclinations, fits of anger, and other selfish tendencies. One reason that people in the last days would be without self-control is that they are “lovers of themselves” and “lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God.” (2Ti 3:2, 4) Without love for God, they lack the primary motivation for restraining themselves when tempted to do what displeases him. They also lack God’s spirit, which helps Christians to develop and strengthen self-control. A Greek noun related to the expression rendered “without self-control” is translated “self-indulgence” at Mt 23:25.​—For an explanation of the expression “self-control,” see study note on Ga 5:23.

fierce: Paul uses a Greek word that literally means “untamed; wild.” The word can also be rendered “brutal; cruel; savage,” conveying the idea of “lacking human sympathy and feeling.” (Compare Mt 24:12.) In Paul’s day, this term was often used of both animals and humans with a ferocious disposition.

without love of goodness: This phrase translates a Greek word that occurs only here in the Christian Greek Scriptures. It is broad in meaning and may include the idea of hating goodness or good people. It may also refer to those who have no interest in anything that might work for the public good. Those who do not love goodness cannot love Jehovah, who is good in the supreme sense.​—See study note on Mr 10:18.