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2 Timothy 3:5, “having a form of godliness but denying the power.  And from such people turn away!”

The sins Paul have spoken of to this point seem to be obvious.  I believe we can agree all of them are easily seen in our society today.  But what is he saying in this verse?  Believers need to be careful about those who have a form of godliness but deny the power of godliness.

Paul is referring to those who profess a belief in God, use the right language, and appear to be doing the right things but their real love is for the person looking back at them in the mirror (from Dr. David Jeremiah).  These people do not show evidence that God’s power can save them from sin, selfishness, and immorality.  They tolerate immorality within the church and believe, even teach, that the sins Paul has mentioned can be done and still inherit the kingdom of God.  They prey upon the immature, taking advantage of their weak morals and ignorance of the truth. 

Over the time this blog has been written, I have tried to share how important it is to be studying the Bible.  Without knowledge of God’s Word, one can be persuaded to believe and entertain spiritual fads and false doctrines.  There are those in the church today, including pastors and teachers, that speak wonderful words but their lives do not show a change in lifestyle.  They say one thing and do whatever they want proclaiming it is acceptable to God.  This is deception within the church; it allows “standards” that God disapproves of, yet seeks to convince us that it is, in fact, acceptable.  Come on – you know what I am saying is true!  This, in turn, gives approval to others to live a life style that is contrary to the teachings of the Bible.  What Paul has already described corrupts those who do them – they do not make us more God-like. 

So how do we protect ourselves from those who have a form of godliness but denies its power?  Be in God’s word for yourself.  Make sure when you hear something that does not seem right to check for yourself.  Man’s words must never contradict the Bible.  Be on guard against any teaching that glorifies the teacher and denies God.

Years ago, I had a friend that spent a lot of time with me as a young Christian.  Eventually he moved away.  As we kept in touch, he would tell me about this great preacher/teacher at the church they attended.  This man seemed like he really walked with God.  But stories began to get strange.  The preacher did not have a “word from God” when church was to begin. So he would lay prostrate on the floor until God filled him with a message.  Before long the preacher began to tell the people that they need to bring their money to lay at the altar so they could buy property for the congregation to build facilities to live on.  All the time this leader was building on the emotions of the people in order to deceive them.

Times are not getting better.  There are those who desire to deceive true Believers, to lead them into destructive ways.  It is up to each of us to be alert to those who would do so.

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