The Power of Godliness

 “Appearance vs. Power”

(2 Timothy 3:5)

1 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty.

2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,

3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good,

4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, ...

5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.

having the appearance of godliness,

In the last days there will come times of difficulty. Peter in 1 Peter 4:7 writes, “The end of all things is at hand.” The entire New Testament era is characterized by surprising times of difficulty, especially the difficulty that comes from people.

The people that will give us most difficulty will not be those outside the church who refuse to honor God and live as He commands. The biggest troubles will come from those inside the church who have an appearance of godliness that is not the real thing.

The word that is translated appearance is the one from which we get the concept of

“morphing.” People in the last days will be experts at morphing into godliness. This problem is all about how many gods we serve. If we are only pleasing one god, we can be one person. If we set our affections on multiple idols we will have the constant temptation to morph back and forth between serving the Lord and serving other gods.

but denying its power.

The apostle Peter had his own problem with extreme morphing. It led him to deny the Lord three times. It even caused Paul to confront him to his face when Jews came from Jerusalem many years later. Peter drew away from eating with Gentiles at that time. He morphed, and he had to be called back to being one person rather than two.

Here Paul warns Timothy of those who may morph into worshipers and who then morph back into people that deny the power of the godliness they profess.

There is power in the gospel of grace, power for purity of life. Titus 2:11-14 tells us that “the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.”

Avoid such people

Those who deny the power of godliness but are quickly able to morph into great friends of godliness and the gospel must be avoided. They are not safe. Hypocrisy spreads. Turn from them. But don't just turn away from hypocrites. Turn toward the one who is always with you, who died for your sins, and was raised for your justification. Believe in Him, and in the power of godliness that comes from His grace.