These examples resemble many true situations I've heard about:
✔ 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 3:1-5).
“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 heartbreaking 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 VeggieTales 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 you recognize false teachings.
BLN
For we all fall short of the Glory of God. ROM 3:23 As it is written no one is rightness no not one .Rom 3:10 Are we not a christain if we don't check the boxes all the time ? Peter denied Christ three times !! What would we say if Peter were among us today ?
ReplyDeleteHi unknown,
DeletePeter repented and proved his repentance by a life of service to the Lord, eventually being martyred.
None of these examples repented. All of them continued in their sins without sorrow or regret.
Do you think Peter would be saved if he continued to deny Christ his whole life without regret?
True believers sin, but true believers repent. Their conscience does not allow them to continue in sin. And you need not believe me. You can believe God. Here's what 2 Timothy 3:1-5 says. It's linked in the devotion.
"But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people."
Please note that the people mentioned in the devotion are on this list. True faith involves sorrow for our sins, followed by repentance, not by cutting people off, holding grudges, or living worldly lives and slandering faithful Christians.