A Word of Warning for Today’s Christian

When Paul wrote to Timothy in his second letter, he included some words of warning that apply to all of us who follow Jesus today. Throughout my lifetime it seems as if Christians in America generally desire for acceptance by the culture while trying to be as faithful as they need to be as Christians. Certainly that has been true in the world of counseling where cultural acceptance of what is done in helping ministry has often been the goal. As Asaph said so long ago, God’s people return and water keeps getting drained out of them. But Paul does not minimize his warning to simply counselors desiring respect by the world, this passage applies to everyone of us who claim to follow Jesus. In fact, this text is a word of warning for today’s Christian as much as it was for Timothy’s day.

Paul’s Words of Warning

Here is the text of which I refer:

But understand this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, savage, opposed to what is good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, loving pleasure rather than loving God. They will maintain the outward appearance of religion but will have repudiated its power. So avoid people like these. (2 Timothy 3:1-5)

Over my lifetime in the church, I have heard this text referenced many times from speakers, in books, or in conversation. For years, I missed a key part of the interpretation of the text. For some reason, those other speakers, books, and folks in conversation missed it as well.

Did you notice Paul’s reference as to who these people actually are?

Who Is Paul Warning?

As I mentioned above, I misinterpreted to whom Paul referenced. Who are the players?

Paul – the apostle and author of the letter

Timothy – his special protégé and recipient of the letter

The people – those who are in the church or are associated as Christians

Here is where I have often misheard this text over the years. “The people – those who are in the church or are associated as Christians.”

I have heard this referenced and preached as those who are not followers of Jesus and are in the world. Many times I have listened to this text referenced in an introduction with some kind of current even associated with it – and likewise not associated in any way with Christians or the Christian witness. However, that is not Paul’s point.

Look again. Paul writes, “They will maintain the outward appearance of religion but will have repudiated its power.”

Paul refers to those who are somehow associated with the church.

What are these folks doing wrong?

Just look at this list!

lovers of themselves,
lovers of money,
boastful,
arrogant,
blasphemers,
disobedient to parents,
ungrateful,
unholy,
unloving,
irreconcilable,
slanderers,
without self-control,
savage,
opposed to what is good,
treacherous,
reckless,
conceited,
loving pleasure rather than loving God,
maintain the outward appearance of religion but will have repudiated its power

Not to be a smart aleck, but have you been on Twitter?

Have you been following the story of the Southern Baptists?

This is just scratching the surface. I imagine there are a few places we could apply this in the counseling world as well.

Without getting into a long litany of examples, let me encourage you to look over that list a time or two.

What do we do?

Step One: We need to begin by reading his warning carefully. Look over that list of inner man and outer man issues. Think about all the ways those sin can be manifested.

Step Two: We must humbly recognize that no sin is past us. We tend to trust ourselves more than anyone else. Many Christians trust their self-control or wisdom or discernment more than they do others. Where if another person was thinking something, saying something, or doing something, they would warn that person. But for his or her own self, they trust their own heart, motives, thoughts, and behaviors. Humility says that we should not.

Step Three: Go back through the list again and seek to find areas where these sins or sins like them need to be applied to our own personal lives. Where does the shoe fit in our own lives? Once those places are identified, then we need to determine what repentance looks like, and what the next step toward sanctification is.

Step Four: Consider our friends. If you have friends who are walking down this path, Paul says to avoid people like these. Who do we hang out with who are struggling in these areas? Do we need to find friends who are more consistent? From whom do we receive our counsel? (This is especially important for those of us who do counsel.) Who do you admire? From what authorities or cultural voices do you tend to get your priorities, values, and categories for living?

Step Five: Consider our sources of information. We need to apply the friends conversation past just those we can talk to, sit with, or follow. We must consider the other sources of knowledge that often become our “friends.” Is it a particular Twitter account, political personality, professor figure, cultural magnet, or what? Is it something in academia? Again, this is a broad category but worth pursuing. To whom or what do you turn as your “friends”? Paul says to avoid people like these. (Again, this is especially important for those of us who do counsel.) Who do you admire? From what authorities or cultural voices do you tend to get your priorities, values, and categories for living?

Why is all of this important? Because Paul specifically warns of the future day when those who dress up in Christian cultural attire may not be the people who are best to follow in any way. Further, we must consider our own hearts, attitudes, values, beliefs, thinking, affections, emotions, and behavior. Are we one of those people? For the sake of the glory of God, hopefully not.