Author: Jay Lehman

“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.

“For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and self-control.  Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God” (II Timothy 1:7-8).

Let’s continue in this short section of Scripture by adding verse 8.  Because we are infused with His Spirit of power, love, and self-control, we never have to be ashamed of the word of the Lord; the gospel message of Jesus.  We never should feel shame if we are called to suffer for the gospel.  And we should never be ashamed of being associated with others who are being put down for sharing the good news.

Because the world system is opposed to the gospel of Jesus Christ, it will always make us out to be the foolish ones.  Don’t believe them.  We have the words of life; words the world needs to hear and embrace.

Can you remember back to your high school or college days when a popular student made sarcastic remarks aimed at outspoken believers?  How did you feel?  Did you want to be lumped in with the Christians who appeared foolish in the world’s eyes?  Because of the desire that many of us feel to be liked, it can be a challenge to identify with those who are being put down by the “in” crowd because of their faith.

But the apostle Paul calls us to join him in suffering for the gospel.  The very thing, shame, that the world is trying to throw our way is to be rejected.  We should not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord.  Shame and timidity do not fit our new Spirit.  We are to be courageous in the face of being maligned.

And our power to withstand the world’s attempt to silence us with shame is once again provided by the promise of God’s Spirit under the new covenant.  Paul is saying in these verses, “Even in my suffering for the gospel, I am buoyed by God’s power.”  Even if we suffer for the gospel, we are buoyed by the power of God in us.

The power of God in us gives us the fortitude to withstand the shame, the shade, and the insults that may come our way.  The power of God in us energizes us to respond with grace, not anger.  The power of God in us is a spirit of courage, not fear.

“For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and self-control” (II Timothy 1:7).

The Spirit that lives in you, the Spirit that God has given to you is not a spirit of weakness or shame.  It is quite the opposite.  It is a Spirit of power, the Holy Spirit that carries God’s power in you.  And I love how that power is expressed through our practice of love and self-control.  The same Spirit of power in you is the Spirit of love and self-control.

The command to love your neighbor as yourself is an old covenant instruction.  It is similar to the golden rule; treat others as you would like to be treated.  But as a command to love, it falls way short of loving others under the new covenant.

Jesus gave us a new commandment for a new covenant.  “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another” (John 13:34).  “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you” (John 15:12).  We are to love others just like Jesus loves us.  This is way higher than loving like we love ourselves.  This is loving as Jesus loves.  And it is really an impossible standard if you think about it.  Except …

This is where the power of God comes in.  We have the power, by the Spirit inside, to do the impossible!  God’s power, flowing through us, is the ONLY way we can love as Jesus loves.  This is the beauty of our new covenant power.  We don’t have to buck up and try harder to love.  We can only love in this beautiful way by tapping into the power of the Spirit that God has promised to all who believe.  We have what it takes to love as Jesus loves.

It works the same way with self-control.  We can only successfully engage and defeat temptations, addictive behaviors, and the lies of the evil one through the Spirit’s power.  I think all of us have had the experience where our self-effort, our willpower, our disciplined lives all break down at some point if that is what we are relying on to stay on the righteous path.  We live righteous lives as we rely on God’s power within to set us free from sin’s power and patterns.

What does this look like in practice?  I know this can sound almost alien and Spock-like with no emotion, but here goes.  When temptation comes my way, I try to answer with, “This is not who I am.  This is not my identity in Christ.  This is not what a new creation, created in righteousness and holiness looks like.  This might have been my old pattern.  But this is no longer me, the one who carries the Spirit of power, love, and self-control inside.”

Do I ever lose the battle with the flesh?  Yes, I still sin.  I still give in to patterns of the flesh.  But by the power of God, I can often walk away.

These three aspects of the Spirit of God in us work beautifully together.  God had given us the POWER to LOVE others with a supernatural love and to practice a life of SELF-CONTROL.  It all rests in the Holy Spirit of power living in us.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (I Peter 1:3-5).

What does it mean to be “protected by the power of God THROUGH FAITH”?  What does faith have to do with God’s protection?

One of the lessons of the gospels is that our faith matters.  Jesus choose who to heal, when to heal, how to heal.  But concurrent with Jesus’s actions, the faith of the recipient made a difference based on Jesus’ own words.  Just look at this short list.

When a paralytic’s friends lowered him through the roof:

“And they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed.  Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, ‘Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven’ ” (Matthew 9:2).

To the woman who touched the hem of Jesus’ cloak:

“But Jesus turning and seeing her said, ‘Daughter, take courage; your faith has made you well.’  At once the woman was made well” (Matthew 9:22).

When Jesus was approached by two blind men:

“When He entered the house, the blind men came up to Him, and Jesus said to them, ‘Do you believe that I am able to do this?’  They said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord.’  Then He touched their eyes, saying, ‘It shall be done to you according to your faith.’  And their eyes were opened” (Matthew 9:28-30).

To a Gentile woman whose daughter was demon-possessed:

“Then Jesus said to her, ‘O woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you wish.’  And her daughter was healed at once” (Matthew 15:28).

For a blind beggar named Bartimaeus:

“And Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your faith has made you well.’  Immediately he regained his sight and began following Him on the road” (Mark 10:52).

To the woman who anointed Jesus’s feet:

“And He said to the woman, ‘Your faith has saved you; go in peace.’ “ (Luke 7:50).

To a leper on the road to Jerusalem:

“And He said to him, ‘Stand up and go; your faith has made you well.’ “ (Luke 17:19).

I don’t know all of the ins and outs of how this works.  I only know that taking Jesus’ words at face value, their faith mattered.  And your faith matters.  Your faith in God’s power to protect you makes a difference.  It secures your peace and joy and calm in whatever you are facing that needs God’s protection.

It is an interesting comparison to when the disciples were not so sure of God’s protection in the storm.  When Jesus was awakened in the storm and proceeded to calm the sea, He turned to His disciples with just one question, “Where is your faith?” (Luke 8:25).

May our faith to trust in God’s protection be completely and unflinchingly in our Savior, Jesus.

“Giving no cause for offense in anything, so that the ministry will not be discredited, but in everything commending ourselves as servants of God, … in purity, in knowledge, in patience, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in genuine love, in the word of truth, in the power of God” (II Corinthians 6:3-4, 6-7).

Paul wanted folks to recognize his ministry as sincere.  A minister known for his purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, filled with the Spirit, loving, truthful, and all of it energized by the power of God.

I think we recognize what it looks like to be patient, kind, truthful, loving, etc.  But what does it look like to exercise the power of God?  How do we show God’s power in us to love and serve others, and to overcome sin, shame, pride, condemnation, and other obstacles we have talked about?

I think one way we demonstrate God’s power in us is to refuse to take on a victim mentality in the circumstances of life.  A victim approach says, “I cannot practice these powers that God promises when I am facing such dire situations.  The world is throwing so many curves at me that you cannot expect me to walk according to the power of the Spirit.”  But I believe in the challenges of life is exactly when we have an opportunity to show off the power of God; a power that the world knows nothing of.

Look at the complete II Corinthians passage we began this post with.  “Giving no cause for offense in anything, so that the ministry will not be discredited, but in everything commending ourselves as servants of God, in much endurance, in afflictions, in hardships, in distresses, in beatings, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in hunger, in purity, in knowledge, in patience, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in genuine love, in the word of truth, in the power of God; by the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left, by glory and dishonor, by evil report and good report; regarded as deceivers and yet true; as unknown yet well-known, as dying yet behold, we live; as punished yet not put to death, as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing yet possessing all things” (II Corinthians 6:3-10).

It is in the very challenges of Paul’s life; in afflictions, in hardships, in distress, in beatings, in imprisonments, in sleeplessness, in hunger; facing dishonor, evil reports, sorrow, poverty … it is in this tumultuous journey that Paul seeks to be known by the power of God in his ministry.

We are not to blame our circumstances for why we cannot show the power of God to others in our lives.  It is in these times of weakness as the world sees weakness that God’s power can have its most amazing display.  “And He has said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.’  Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me” (II Corinthians 12:9).

Your weakness is not an obstacle to God’s power.  Let it be the pathway to the world seeing God’s power perfected in you.