Having A Form of Godliness

The Bible talks about the days in which we live. Two thousand years ago, Paul warned Timothy that a day would come that he called "perilous times." Among many characteristics to identify that day would be a generation of people who would have "a form of godliness but deny its power" (2 Timothy 3:5). They would be religious people who look godly but deny the very power of authentic godliness.

What does it mean to deny the power of genuine, biblical godliness? The Apostle Paul answers that question in 1 Corinthians 1:18. He says, "For the preaching of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God unto salvation(emphasis added)." It is the power of God unto salvation. What is "it?" The preaching of the cross. That's it.

So, back to today. There are multitudes of people who appear godly at a casual glance. They go to a church building every week. They carry their Bibles and even read them at home. They give their money. Nobody can deny that they certainly possess a form of godliness. But upon closer examination, it can be seen that the focus of their message, their ministry and their mindset isn't at all on the cross of Jesus Christ. Their obsession is on themselves. On their behavior. On whether or not it's right or wrong to do this or that. On where Christians can go, what we can say, how we should worship, what we can eat or drink or watch or participate in. The list of preoccupations with anything - with everything - other than the finished work of Jesus Christ is endless within this group.

Ask them what it means to be "a good Christian" and they won't say a word about the righteousness (goodness) they received as a result of the finished work of Christ. They'll talk about the things a good Christian does or maybe even things he doesn't do. It's all about them and their actions. If you were to point this fact out to them, they'd deny it and say it isn't so. But listen to their words and what they talk about when it comes to Christianity. Watch their actions and see if they're not more focused on morals than anything else in life. See by how they talk and act what is most important to them. It's about practicing the right performance. That's a fact.

I don't make this observation with a sense of scorn or judgment in mind. I lived that way for the first three decades of my life in Christ. I understand these folks because I was one of them. They're sincere but they're wrong -- dead wrong.

The first temptation that ever came to mankind wasn't a temptation to do wrong, but to do right. Adam and Eve lived in union with God. It doesn't get any better than that. Then comes the serpent and tells Eve that she can be like God if she does this one thing -- eat the fruit. Eve didn't eat that fruit because she decided she wanted to reject God. To the contrary, she ate the fruit because she thought it was a good idea for her to know good and evil, to set up her own system for behavior (rules of right and wrong) instead of living out of the one (trust and union) that God had given her from the moment of her creation. She thought there was something she could do to become more godly and totally lost sight of the fact that God Himself had already made her like Himself.

So the first sin was an attempt to do something right; to do something to become more like God. We all know where that path led. Consequently, today we see the same prevalent sin. Religious people who have a form of godliness and who try to do the right things, but they've missed the whole point. The point is that God never calls on you to focus on doing right and avoiding wrong. Godly behavior exists in a totally different dimension than good behavior and most of mankind has stayed in trouble since the fall because he is blinded to the difference.

It's not about us. It's not about doing the right thing. It's not about figuring out what will please God and dedicating ourselves to whatever we imagine that to be. No, the gospel is the good news that the Father, Son and Spirit have called this great story we call History finished by His own work. Our joy -- our privilege -- our gift is to be able to rest in that finished work.

Don't fall into the snare of religion. Even if you could keep every one of its demands and score an A plus (nobody can), you would still discover that "the letter of the Law kills." Only Jesus can satisfy the thirsty soul. Religion is drinking salt water from the ocean while stranded in a life raft without hope. But the one who learns to drink deeply from the Living Water will never thirst again.