1 Timothy 3
Everyone pursues something. Some pursue self-fulfillment, others knowledge, others money, and some seek God. I’m about to make a bold statement, that I’m sure to get flak for making. Anyone who isn’t seeking God is seeking self, regardless if that pursuit looks like a search for money, knowledge, or power, if the goal is not Jesus, then the aim is self. One seeks knowledge, power, money, or peace for one’s own betterment.
In 2 Timothy Chapter 3 Paul mentions people who are forever seeking knowledge but never arriving at truth. You’ve seen these people, some have infiltrated the church and even pretend to be part of the body. They appear to be godly, but they are missing God. The Spirit is not in them, the truth is not in them. They are spiritual but they are not Spirit-led. They seek self-fulfillment rather than to be Spirit-filled.
These people are dangerous. They lead people down a path away from truth to seek the knowledge and peace of gods, idols, and other selfish ends rather than the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Verses 1-7 describe this way,
“But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. 6 For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, 7 always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.”
Notice more dangerous, more important to stay away from than the blatantly godless are the ones who creep in and lead people away from Jesus, those who are always in that pursuit of knowledge but never learning the truth.
These people are constantly reading self-help books or attending seminars to better themselves. They listen to speaker after speaker searching for that elusive thing that will give them the thing they are missing. But the books they read and the seminars they attend will not provide the grace and forgiveness of Christ. They search everywhere except the Bible. They listen to anyone except the Body of Christ who are filled with The Holy Spirit. They seek anything but The Father. So they will never arrive at the truth. They will never find the true purpose they were born to.
As the Body, you and I must keep alert for these. In love we must protect one another, teach one another, and exhort one another with the truth. Where is truth found? It is in the Bible, The Word of God. Verses 14-17 say this,
“But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
Everyone pursues something. Some pursue self-fulfillment, others knowledge, others money, and some seek God. I’m about to make a bold statement, that I’m sure to get flak for making. Anyone who isn’t seeking God is seeking self, regardless if that pursuit looks like a search for money, knowledge, or power, if the goal is not Jesus, then the aim is self. One seeks knowledge, power, money, or peace for one’s own betterment.
In 2 Timothy Chapter 3 Paul mentions people who are forever seeking knowledge but never arriving at truth. You’ve seen these people, some have infiltrated the church and even pretend to be part of the body. They appear to be godly, but they are missing God. The Spirit is not in them, the truth is not in them. They are spiritual but they are not Spirit-led. They seek self-fulfillment rather than to be Spirit-filled.
These people are dangerous. They lead people down a path away from truth to seek the knowledge and peace of gods, idols, and other selfish ends rather than the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Verses 1-7 describe this way,
“But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. 6 For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, 7 always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.”
Notice more dangerous, more important to stay away from than the blatantly godless are the ones who creep in and lead people away from Jesus, those who are always in that pursuit of knowledge but never learning the truth.
These people are constantly reading self-help books or attending seminars to better themselves. They listen to speaker after speaker searching for that elusive thing that will give them the thing they are missing. But the books they read and the seminars they attend will not provide the grace and forgiveness of Christ. They search everywhere except the Bible. They listen to anyone except the Body of Christ who are filled with The Holy Spirit. They seek anything but The Father. So they will never arrive at the truth. They will never find the true purpose they were born to.
As the Body, you and I must keep alert for these. In love we must protect one another, teach one another, and exhort one another with the truth. Where is truth found? It is in the Bible, The Word of God. Verses 14-17 say this,
“But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
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