Unbelief With a Christian Mask

These examples resemble many true situations I've heard about:

 

✔ Christian friends in her church encouraged her and paid her rent when she lost her job and rejoiced when she found meaningful employment. But when they expressed concern over her promotion of the killing of the unborn, she bitterly cut them off. 

✔ The pastor spoke passionately about his love for Christ but held a grudge against his Christian parents, refusing their repeated attempts to reconcile.

 

✔ She faithfully attended church and Bible studies, but she held worldly views about most issues. And she enjoyed telling an occasional lie to make her Bible-believing friends look bad.

 

As culture declines, more and more professing Christians are revealing an “outward form of godliness” that denies the power of God's loving commands (2 Timothy 3:1-6).  

 

“For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.” Romans 1:21

 

It's heart-breaking when we previously enjoyed fellowship with someone who reveals their unbelieving heart:

 

“If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it... But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend, with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship at the house of God.” Psalm 55:12-14 

 

If you've faced situations like these, draw closer to the Lord and “hold unswervingly to the hope [you] profess” (Hebrews 10:23), remembering that “the Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18).  

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These examples follow what is commonly called situational ethics. See From Veggie Tales to Situational Ethics. 

For more insights, see the Bite Size Bible Study: Deception Beneath a Mask that discusses some of the specific sins that influence these people who have an outward form of godliness. 

Click the image to find out about a book that can help your recognize false teachings.