Note 16 at 2 Tim. 2:17: The word "canker" describes an infection like gangrene or a cancer. The Amplified Bible translates this as, "And their teaching will devour; it will eat its way like cancer or spread like gangrene. . . ."

Cancer or gangrene must be cured or it will kill. That's the way it is with "profane and vain babblings" (see notes 13-14 at v. 16). It is so deadly that if the cancer or infection cannot be cured, it is better to cut off the part of the body that is infected than to have the whole body poisoned by it.

It is the same with the body of Christ. It is always preferable to see people repent from false doctrine and restored to fellowship with their fellow believers. In extreme cases, there may have to be a severing of that individual or individuals from the rest of the body to keep the error from spreading (see note 5 at Mt. 18:17, p. 277).

Note 17 at 2 Tim. 2:17: This is the only mention of Philetus in scripture. Paul's association of Philetus with Hymenaeus might suggest that Philetus became subject to the same punishment as Hymenaeus, as Paul mentioned in 1 Timothy 1:20.