Perilous Times

     As a fellow missionary with the apostle Paul, Timothy is well aware of the times they are living in. He warns the Church at large, “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come” (2 Tim. 3:1). The fact that the first sentence of the chapter begins with a conjunction alerts us to look back at the end of the previous chapter.
       The previous thought begins in 2 Tim. 2:20. “But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor.” Timothy’s letters were sent to the churches established by Paul in Asia Minor, where many of the Christians had fled after the fall of Jerusalem and the persecution that followed. The predominant theme is the power of the Gospel to change lives. In other words, it wasn’t just about getting converts to the faith, but making disciples.
      As believers, we know that our salvation is not based on our works, but on Jesus’ finished work. But securing a “get-into-Heaven-card” is not the whole story. It’s only the beginning. The rest of our journey with Christ is becoming more like Him—Christ-likeness. The Bible calls it godliness.
       We’re not gods in the sense of being divine in ourselves. Instead, we partake of the godly nature through Christ. We are to walk in Christ’s delegated authority. We have right-standing with God because of Christ’s righteousness. That’s why Revelation 7 and 14 show the raptured Church before the throne of God. It is a “great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’ ” (Rev. 7:9-10).
       For now, only our spirit is perfected. Our soul and body are not yet perfected. Hebrews 5:12-14 compares this basic understanding of righteousness to drinking baby’s milk. It’s the first step. To upgrade to solid food, the passage says we have to train our senses to discern good and evil. Romans 12:1-2 instructs us to transform our thought patterns and emotions according to the truths of the New Covenant found in God’s Word. The New Testament is God’s will for us under the New Covenant.
       Timothy’s distinction between the vessels of honor and dishonor merely point out that some believers are further along the journey of godliness. The purpose of his letters is to alert believers that we are living in perilous times because we are like fish swimming upstream. The more we conform to Christ’s pattern of living, the more we are going against the cultural flow. We have to be intentional and deliberate about growing in Christ. You might want to check out 2 Peter 1 as to how this works.
     The Chronos Lesson: Timothy goes on to list a bunch of characteristics that mark the culture of his time. I think it goes without saying that the mystery of lawlessness was already at work then and has continued for nearly 2,000 years, the two great Days of this present age. As in Timothy’s time, these ungodly traits can still be seen in believers because we are all at various stages of the journey with Christ. The point here isn’t to bring condemnation, but to remind us that we have to be watchful and deliberate in feeding our spirit, renewing our mind, and training our body according to God’s Word.
        Likewise, Jude (Jesus’ half-brother) reminds us: “But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit” (Jude 1:17-19).
    The point here isn’t just to state the obvious: that we are surrounded by unbelievers who are driven by their fallen nature and natural desires. The point is that we must also be on guard against compromising with these godly ways in our own lives. Jude also says to watch out for false teachers within the Church who reject the reality of Christ’s literal return. We expect this from unbelievers, but not from those within the camp.
       Timothy reminds us to watch out for “lovers of pleasure [seeking their own natural desires and prideful ways] rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness [legalism] but denying its power. And from such people turn away!” (2 Tim. 3:4-5). He goes on to say that part of this pleasure-seeking is chasing after learning but “never being able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (vs. 7).
      Timothy offers the antidote to such worldly compromises. “But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (vs. 14-15).
      This remedy is followed by one of the most powerful statements on the doctrine of the Word of God. “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16-17).