Thursday, August 28, 2008

From Bad to Worse

while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.
(2 Timothy 3:13 – ESV)

The situation in the church today was the same back in the New Testament era. It was obviously a problem where Timothy was ministering in Ephesus and also a concern Paul had to tell Titus because people constantly wanted to stray from the scriptures and into a foreign spirituality not taught by Paul, not taught by the scriptures, not in line with the Word of God.

Realize what is being taught in the Pastoral Epistles. Look at 1 Timothy 1:3-4, 4:7, 6:3-5, 11, 20 / 2 Timothy 2:16,23, 3:5, 7-8 / Titus 1:14, 3:9 – Don’t concern yourself with myths and matters that are only intellectual speculation, others are wandering off but rebuke them don’t join in their idleness, it isn’t getting them anywhere but into trouble. Guard the Word and avoid empty chatter and speculation, this is what Paul tells us. Here is the big point: spiritually speaking, if the apostles didn’t teach it you don’t need it, and you definitely don’t want it (1 Corinthians 4:6 / Galatians 1:8-9 / 1 John 4:5-6).

Sometimes when we try and look like we are deep we only prove that we are shallow. Most of the time when we are wanting to go deeper it is just deception, it gets us away from the main things and the plain things and we sail off into the vain things and then relationships become strained things. These types are always learning some new thing but never actually getting around to obeying the truth, it is always about the new thing they have heard or learned and trying to teach others. They are depraved of mind, and deprived of truth.

People are starving for something more because they have turned from the truth. They aren’t renewed in their minds because they haven’t submitted their minds, they haven’t submitted to the truth and they won’t submit to those who bring it to them. Oh they may know a little Bible, but only so as to find what they want to hear, to do, to see, to have. They use the Bible like a magic book or an encyclopedia, and they aren’t actually submitted to it, not as the rule for faith and practice, that is why they run to practice these unbiblical things, even using the Bible to do so. They are being deceived and are deceiving others, going from bad to worse.

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

3 comments:

MrsEvenSo... said...

They are being deceived and are deceiving others, going from bad to worse.

Eph 1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
Eph 1:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:

Father, open the eyes of our understanding. Amen.

Even So... said...

Yes, it takes God to help a sheep see when it has the wool pulled over its eyes....

Words on truth said...

Very well written, JD. I think a whole lot more people need to read this. And I was one.


(1 Corinthians 4:6) I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another.