“But understand this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For people will appear … having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people” (II Timothy 3:1,5).
When I think of the appearance of godliness but denying its power, I think of all the legalistic systems we have set up to guide the Christian life. At their root is a formulaic effort with very little thought given to the power required and available and necessary to live the Christian life.
The Holy Spirit is the power. But formulas for godliness that rely on following the red-letter words of Jesus, or a list of commandments, or spiritual disciplines are ideas without power. The Holy Spirit is the power! When we deny the importance and the work and the power of the Holy Spirit to guide and empower us, we may as well just be following any guru’s list of ideals; any popular leader’s design for successful living.
Legalism has an appearance of godliness, but leaves out the power of Christ living His life through us. As Paul wrote in Colossians chapter 2, “These (legalistic rules) are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence” (Colossians 2:23). These rules are without power and “are of no value” to free us from “fleshly indulgence”; to free us from the power of sin.
It is interesting how the apostle Paul explains why people run to these rules in the verses following our opening passage. Let’s pick it up again at II Timothy 3 verse 5. “Having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth” (II Timothy 3:5-7).
Folks are embracing the rule-based mindset because they are “burdened with sins”. They don’t know what to do with the guilt they feel over their sin. Or they are weighed down with “various passions” and don’t know what to do to resist the temptations of the flesh. So they listen to teaching that offers a formula for victory over sin, but denies the power of the Holy Spirit, the power of our new nature, the power of our new heart, the power of our holy and righteous new self, the power of Christ living His live through us, the power of our new creation.
When we learn and believe that Christ has completely forgiven us of all of our sins, we are free from guilt and shame. We are no longer “burdened by our sins”. The burden is lifted. When we rely on the power of God, the power of the Holy Spirit active in us, we have all we need to resist the temptations of “various passions”. Do we always resist? No, but the power available to us is literally divine and much stronger than formulas or self-effort or willpower. Knowing, in the deepest way possible, the power of Christ is the true answer to our sin, not an appearance of godliness with no power behind it.
Finally, “always learning but never arriving at a knowledge of the truth.” Oh, this is so true. How many of us attended Bible study after Bible study but did not hear or embrace the truth of God’s grace and power given as a pure gift to us? We were always given more work to do. We were rarely given the truths of the new covenant to believe.
Friend, do not fall into the trap of an appearance of godliness but denying its power. If you have been following these posts, this is our seventeenth message regarding the incredible power of God in us with many more to come. The power of God is an inexhaustible supply. And it is given to you the moment you believed.