When I look at the current status of the country, it’s easy to sigh. Forms of Godliness aren’t working. People need to understand you cannot mimic God and be successful.
Everyone is analyzing everything. Is it a gun issue? A race issue? Here’s my take: People want forms of Godliness without God involved. They want the traits, characteristics, habits, systems, you name it. They just don’t want Jesus in the process. Because of this, society is experiencing a great deal of frustration, regret, depression, and hopelessness. They’re frustrated because they don’t understand how to stop the evil, regret the things they missed leading up to the tragedy, are depressed at having to read it almost everyday, and have lost hope in real change.
Have we as Believers in Jesus Christ heard of this before? Yes we have. In 2 Timothy 3, Paul addresses this issue with Timothy in verse 5:
“Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” – 2 Tim. 3:5
What was Paul talking about? For that answer, we must look at what he says prior to this statement:
“…This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;” – 2 Tim. 3:1-4
We read in the text Paul is describing things that “shall come” (Most are already here if you ask me…) When you take a look at the list, we read of all the things men will evolve into. The observation is that after all of this, these men (yes, it addresses the men) will have a form of Godliness. Isn’t that crazy? Knowing that through man’s boasting, blaspheming, disobedience, unthankful attitude they will still hold a form of Godliness.
This is what we’re dealing with. Their form – the people who carry these natures, are being covered by a form of Godliness. The problem with that is it doesn’t last long before they’re discovered. Why? Because their functions are not of God.
How does this affect women? Verse 6 states:
“For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts…” 2 Tim.3:6
Notice the text states they will lead astray “silly” women. The KJV defines that from the Greek word gynailkaria (prnounced goo-nahee-kar’-ee-on ) meaning “weak women”. These would be women not spiritually strong, susceptible to influence, and unable to break away from these types of men.
How do we respond? Believers must get back to the sharing of the Gospel. We cannot allow the world to dictate to us the gospel and how to share it when they’re consistently being led astray by spirits that pose in one form but are something else. We should aspire within ourselves to want to represent a form and a function that is pleasing to God. That begins with faith (Hebrews 11:6). We need to share that as well. Men and women in God’s kingdom must reach out to those who we know are weak in their nature and present to them the love of Christ. Otherwise, this only gets worse.
