2 Timothy 3:1-2, 4-5 (ESV)
But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of
difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud,
arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, . . . . treacherous,
reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.
At first read, our response to these verses is to see our world being
described and conclude that we need to avoid the World, withdraw into our safe
church clusters and be safe. But that’s not what Paul is saying. Notice what
precedes the statement, “Avoid such people.” He describes those who are “having
an appearance of godliness, but denying its power.” He is not talking about
avoiding the World. He is talking about avoiding those who claim to be
Christians but live like the World. Too much of our current theology is about
self. It’s about being happy, being comfortable, enjoying life, all the while denying
the power of God to truly change hearts and lives. This can take many forms.
One form is that of the Health and Wealth gospel that teaches that God wants us
all to be healthy and wealthy. Faith and the Bible become means of satiating our
own desires. Another takes the form of those who say, “I’m forgiven, but I can’t
help but sin. I’m just a sinner saved by grace. Thank God that someday when I’m
in Heaven I won’t sin anymore.” This mentality fails to take into consideration
the truth of the Gospel that as believers we have been crucified, buried, and
raised to new life with Christ. It makes excuses for sin. It makes provision for
sin. The Christian life is described as one of constant failure but thank God
we’re forgiven. That is not the Gospel. Both Health and Wealth and “I’m just a
sinner” theologies have a form of godliness but deny the power of God to truly
transform lives from the inside out. These are the ones we are to avoid. In 1
Corinthians 5:9 -10 Paul wrote, “I wrote to you in my letter not to associate
with sexually immoral people—not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this
world.” The Scriptures are not teaching us to completely disconnect from the
world. They are teaching believers to avoid those who have an appearance of
loving God and loving his Word, but who deny the power of God to transform hearts
and lives here and now from the inside out.
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