As I was reading this passage this morning, I thought of something that I have never thought of before.
Paul is teaching Timothy to recognize and resist the teachings and influence of false teachers. But I already knew that. This time as I read through the list of undesirable character traits I noticed the last line “having a form of godliness”. Now think of this for a minute: Paul is speaking about a type of person here, a false teacher that worms his way into the good graces of unsuspecting people and preys on their emotions, siphoning off their resources for his own personal gain.
As you read through that extensive list of bad behaviors the image that comes to mind is a sleazy criminal that hasn’t bathed in weeks and has shifty eyes. And yet, Paul says they “have a form of godliness”. It reminds me of Lucifer, that very powerful angel that was corrupted by his own internal priorities. All evil stems from him, and yet he is described as “beautiful” (If you read Ezekiel 28 beginning at verse 13 you will find a description, it’s addressed to the king of Tyre, but it clearly applies to Lucifer.)
I find myself this morning desiring to be clean and holy on the inside, and not just “looking good” on the outside. I would prefer to have a genuine grasp on the pursuit of holiness than to simply appear holy. Jesus said that the Pharisees appeared pious, but on the inside they were filled with “dead men’s bones” like the whitewashed tombs that adorned the hillsides.
I don’t want to be a whitewashed tomb, enjoying the commendations of men while quietly rotting away internally. I would rather be filled to overflowing with the presence of the Holy Spirit, regardless of where that takes me.
Sometime we will have to discuss the concept of persecution, and what Paul meant when he said “all Christians will be persecuted”. I wonder if there is a degree of Christian maturity that cannot be attained without persecution?
seeking Him,
PR