Paul Instructs Timothy - Part 11

Timothy is next told that men will become “lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God.” There’s never been a generation with so many different options of satisfying the flesh and enjoying the pleasures of sin for a season. As our society has continued to remove God from a position of honor in our lives, self has replaced His position. I remember growing up in a time when businesses were not allowed to operate on Sunday. In most of America today that is no longer the case; we can’t be denied even one day of access to places that give us pleasure and contribute to our profit margin. That’s just one very public example of this mindset. Another example--more and more churches try to operate on a schedule that either doesn’t interfere with or embraces the things that give us pleasure, i.e., the Super Bowl. Most obvious of this mindset is the decline of the moral values embraced by our society—acceptance of cohabitation outside of marriage, homosexual relationships, abortion, “entertainment” that appeals to our baser instincts, etc.

Next Paul tells Timothy that there will be those “having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof.” Immediately I thought of the phrase, “You can’t judge a book by its cover.” Scripture is clear that there will be many who identify with Christendom who are fakes, tares among the wheat. This makes me think of John’s letter to Sardis in Revelation; it refers to a church that appears to be alive but is really dead. It makes me think of participating in rituals and maintaining a reputation but with no real heart involvement "as unto the Lord." It would seem these people give no place to the ministry of the Holy Spirit in and through them.

Paul’s advice to Timothy regarding his association with those possessing the character traits about which he has given warning—“turn away,” avoid them. He was reinforcing what he told the Corinthians, “Bad companionship corrupts good character.” (1Cor. 15:33)

Obviously, Paul was instructing Timothy about things of which he was aware that were problems in the world and church at that time. We know in hindsight, however, that these trends in society couldn’t be indicative of the soon return of Jesus to take His throne until Israel was once again recognized in the body of nations. It is also obvious that these traits as descriptive of society in general and the professing “church” have steadily increased since the rebirth of Israel.