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Prepare Your Heart

To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, ask the Lord to speak to you in this time. Let Him know that you will listen and make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.

Read God’s Word

Jeremiah 23:33-25:38
2 Timothy 3

A Verse for Today

Slowly and reflectively read the following verse(s) and listen to what God will say to you through His written Word. Consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.

2 Timothy 3:1-5 (CSB): “But know this: Hard times will come in the last days. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, proud, demeaning, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, without love for what is good, traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to the form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid these people.”

Reflecting on God’s Word

As the Apostle Paul wrote what would be his final letter (as far as we know), he warned his protege, Timothy, that things were going to get worse during the “last days.” In my understanding, the last days began when Jesus came to earth in Bethlehem and will end when Jesus returns.

I want to briefly define the 19 sins that Paul said would be present in the last days.

“lovers of self:” folks who live as if they are the center of the universe; narcissists

“lovers of money:” money and wealth isn’t merely a means, it’s the end; it has become a god

“boastful:” full of one’s self-worth and importance that leads to bragging

“proud:” full of one’s self-worth and importance and has a desire to empress others

“demeaning:” because of a proud heart, they find it easy and natural to insult and slander others

“disobedient to parents:” a rebellious spirit toward one’s parents

“ungrateful:” do not find it easy or natural to thank God or others for acts of kindness

“unholy:” refuse to live a life that demonstrates one has been set apart for God

“unloving:” have no feelings of affection even for close family members

“irreconcilable:” they refuse to forgive and hold onto grudges; they will not work toward reconciliation

“slanderers:” they try to “murder” others with their words

“without self-control:” they are animalistic in that they always act on their desires; they cannot say ‘no’ to themselves

“brutal:” they are wild and untamed, and this becomes particularly dangerous when they get angry

“without love for what is good:” they are drawn to what God and even many in society do not approve of

“traitors:” they betray the trust that others put in

“reckless:” they are impulsive and don’t think about the ramifications of their decisions and actions

“conceited:” they are overwhelmingly proud beyond reason; others see no basis for their ridiculous self-image

“lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God:” they enjoy the temporary pleasures of earth rather than the eternal pleasures of the Lord

“holding to the form of godliness but denying its power:” they may go through the motions of religiosity, but it’s only a shell; it has no substance

Friends, the counsel that Paul gave to Timothy is what God is still speaking to us through His Word. And this section ends with a solemn command: “Avoid such people” (2 Timothy 3:5).

It would seem clear that the whole of the New Testament calls us to be friends of sinners. After all, Jesus spent so much time with sinful tax collectors, prostitutes, and others who were supposedly the dregs of society. He was even called “a friend of sinners” (Matthew 11:19). If Jesus was their friend, then so should we be. We must love unbelievers, be available to be with them and help them, and look for opportunities to share the Gospel with them.

It seems that, given the last sin Paul mentioned (“holding to the form of godliness but denying its power”), he was probably referring to professed Christians, as he gave the lengthy list (professors but not possessors). He seems to have been saying that unbelievers would do those things, but the real shocker is that professed Christians would also do those things. So, professed believers who live in ongoing sin should not be our friends. We don’t stand in judgment (God is their judge), but we also cannot be seen to marginalize their sin by overlooking it as we enjoy time with them. “Avoid such people” (2 Timothy 3:5)

The message is clear as I share one final passage of Scripture. We can spend (and are encouraged to spend) time with sinning unbelievers. But we should not seek an ongoing relationship with professed believers who are engaging in serious, ongoing sin and refuse to repent. Jesus spent time with unbelieving tax collectors, prostitutes, and so many others on the margins of society. But He had a short fuse when it came to the religious Scribes and Pharisees who claimed a relationship with God while leading lives that denied their claim.

1 Corinthians 5:9-13 (CSB): “I wrote to you in a letter not to associate with sexually immoral people. I did not mean the immoral people of this world or the greedy and swindlers or idolaters; otherwise you would have to leave the world. But actually, I wrote you not to associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister and is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or verbally abusive, a drunkard or a swindler. Do not even eat with such a person. For what business is it of mine to judge outsiders? Don’t you judge those who are inside? God judges outsiders. Remove the evil person from among you.”

Spend Time in Prayer

  • Ask God to help you to live in His grace that enables you to live for Him, and forgives you when you stumble.
  • Ask God to help you not to presume upon His grace by willfully disobeying Him, knowing that you will ask for forgiveness after you are finished. Ask Him to give you a fresh vision of Jesus on the cross to see what He had to do in order to pay your sin debt.

Going Deeper

If you want to dig a little deeper into the final sin in 2 Timothy 3:5, consider reading the following GotQuestions article:

“What does it mean to have a form of godliness but deny its power in 2 Timothy 3:5?”

Sharing

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Matt Ellis is the pastor of White Hall Baptist Church in Richmond, Kentucky (whitehallbaptistchurch.org)