This is the essence of the New Covenant: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Eph. 2:8-9).
Jesus came full of grace and truth—a singular item in the Greek. It is the nature and reality of God’s Kingdom. “And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace” (John 1:16-17). We are to continue in the grace of God (Acts 13:43).
       Under the New Covenant, we are entrusted to “God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified” (Acts 20:32). Grace is the basis of our New Covenant life. “For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:17).
       The Chronos Lesson: Where sin abounds, grace abounds even more. Grace is how we overcome temptations and sin in our own lives. Grace is what will enable those in the world to overcome the sin and deception around them. It is the power of grace that they need to hear. If we speak the truth only, they are condemned. That is why grace and truth must function as one singular item.
       Think of it as a barbell. The weight of grace on one end is balanced with the weight of truth on the other end. The way we exercise our faith muscles is to lift up both grace and truth together. Hebrews 4:15-16 assures us that “we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
        It is the nature of lawlessness to distort, divide, and deceive. Wickedness literally means to twist the truth. That is why the Woke generation has redefined so many words, such as love, hate, tolerance, reset, enlightened, and awakening. Relativism has rendered right and wrong as useless words in the minds of many.
        Hope has also been subverted. The Woke generation now looks to a rosy future based on a utopian society that has no boundaries. But without boundaries of what is right and wrong, society implodes. Despite the fallen nature, human beings can sense that there is something greater to be pursued. Unfortunately, they’ve been deceived into thinking it is something rather than Someone.            They’ve swallowed the magic potion that all they have to do is reeducate people to line up with this utopian agenda. The problem is, they can’t agree on what that utopian society looks like, as vividly portrayed in The Hunger Games movie series.
     Meanwhile, deep down inside, there’s a troubling virus of hopelessness. This is why what the world needs to see in believers is our hope. There can be no faith without first having hope (Heb. 11:1). By faith we conquer all things. There can be no victory if there is no hope.
         This is why the devil is working overtime to take away hope. He convinces some to put their hope in the utopian society, which can never exist because mankind is fallen. The devil convinces others to put their faith in making their nation great again. But no human institution is perfect because it is designed and implemented by imperfect people. Any human institution, be it the government, education, or the economy, will fall short. That’s the truth that the devil doesn’t want to be revealed. This is why the devil is stirring up so much hatred against true Christianity.
       Fallen human beings are always subject to the wiles of the enemy. They are open doors to Satan’s deceptions and manipulations. That’s why whatever label one slaps on any human endeavor will ultimately lead to disappointment. It is only when we preach the New Covenant of grace and the love of God that people can find hope. “Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (Romans 5:5).
         It is only by the power of the Holy Spirit that we can not only stand in this hour, but also thrive in this hour, such that we can draw people to the goodness of God in sending Jesus, the Son of God, to reconcile all people to God. Jesus is indeed the only way, the only truth, and the only life.
          By the way, when a person is born again, it’s important to follow-up with them to ensure that they are being discipled in some way. As far as reading the Bible goes, we recommend they start with the Gospel of John because it not only talks about Jesus’s earthly ministry, it also reveals the most about God’s ways and His nature. It’s a good starting point.

      Paul offers us this reminder. “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” As if we couldn’t tell! “Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph. 5:15-20, ESV).
            The passage tells us how to stay in touch with our true identity even during these trying times. In a similar passage in Colossians 4:5-6, Paul deals with the same truth from the perspective of those around us.  “Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside [the faith, unbelievers], redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.”
            The Chronos Lesson: How do we understand what the will of the Lord is? By studying His Word, with the Holy Spirit leading us into all truth. When the Ephesians passage says we’re to be filled with the Spirit, the verb tense actually means be being filled with the Spirit on a continual basis. As we draw from that reservoir of living water within our spirit, we need to make sure that the well doesn’t run dry.
        Spirit-led praise and worship is one of the most powerful resources we can use to stay in tune with God and the move of the Spirit. It’s also the quickest way to rebuke Satan’s strategies because he can’t stand to hear God being praised because that is what Satan longed for.
            Which brings us to the Colossians passage. Our words have power. We can release life—what Paul called grace and salt—or we can release death (Prov. 18:21). In the natural, there are plenty of negative circumstances and unjust situations to complain about. Grumbling comes naturally in the face of lawlessness. Social media gives us ample opportunity to voice those frustrations.
            What we must recognize is that we are in the final throes of the conflict of the ages. Because we are in Christ, we are to bring life and not curses. We may think that the worldly people deserve it. They do in one sense. But listen to what Paul says earlier in Ephesians 5.
            “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them” (vs. 8-11). In other words, we were in that place at one time in our lives.
            So how do we expose the darkness? By releasing light. By walking in the fruit of the spirit rather than the fruit of Satan. Berating, name-calling, and arguments that bring division do not constitute light. That is equivalent to speaking curses, which only allows Satan more entrance into their lives—and possibly even our own. Jesus came full of grace and truth (John 1:14, 17). That is why Paul said our speech or responses to those in the world should be seasoned with grace and light.
          Grace means to give something that is not earned and is undeserved. Mercy, on the other hand, is not giving something that is deserved. The world’s lawlessness deserves to be punished. That includes our sinful ways as well as the world’s. Thankfully, Jesus took that punishment on behalf of all mankind. That is the good news of the Gospel. All that is required for each individual to receive God’s mercy is to accept Jesus as the Savior and Lord so that God, in turn, can then give them grace to receive all that Jesus is.
            When we understand the times, it is easier to deal with the injustices and deception because we know that all evil will be avenged at the appointed time. Our purpose now is not to avenge evil in our midst, but to speak life and be light to people who are deceived, broken-hearted, and hopeless. It’s not about nations; it’s about people. How much more glorious is it to bring someone into the Ark of Christ than to chastise them for drowning in the turbulent waters of the mystery of lawlessness?
            Our choices always have consequences—not just for ourselves but also for those around us. Everything we say and do releases either God’s power or Satan’s power in our life and in the lives of others. Which will you choose? 

     Peter describes our journey with Christ in 2 Peter 1. He opens with this assurance: “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” (vs. 2-4).
     “But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith…” (v. 5). Giving all diligence. We have to be deliberate and intentional about growing in the faith through the Word of God, not only for our sake but also for those around us who are blinded by the devil’s deceptions.
      Timothy adds, “I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables” (2 Tim. 4:1-4).
       Paul puts it this way: “Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:20-21). Why is this so important? Paul gives the answer. “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the Day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:2).
       The Chronos Lesson: What is the accepted time? It is the New Covenant of grace by which we are accepted by the Father as righteous and forgiven through Jesus’ shed blood on our behalf. He is our Redeemer and we are the redeemed. Paul warns us not to take this grace in vain. That means not to render it useless or ineffectual by reverting back to works for the basis of our relationship with the Father.
        None of us can do enough good works to be justified before God. Galatians 5:6 says faith works through love. This is why we need to get the full revelation of how much God loves us. “For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Eph. 3:14-19).
       Once we truly know how much God loves us and who we are in Christ, our lives will change as we learn to walk by the leading of the Holy Spirit. We will become His workmanship, reaching out to others as the Spirit leads, sharing our faith and the Gospel, and confirming the Word with signs and wonders following as Jesus instructed. This must be our main concern in the days ahead, for the time is very short.

     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).