“Having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people” (2 Timothy 3:5).
Paul puts this statement at the end of a list of those whose lives don’t reflect the godliness Jesus brings to our lives. “Lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God” (2 Timothy 3:4-5). Those on this list don’t even remotely begin to reflect what God wants to produce in us. The problem with those Paul described wasn’t their lack of religion. They kept all the rituals and ceremonies of religion but they didn’t let the power of God influence their lives.
The reason he added “Have nothing to do with such people” is that he doesn’t want those on this list to influence us to behave as they do. We are to love everyone but we are to be careful as to whom we allow to affect the way we live. Christian faith isn’t just about religious ceremony it’s about the change Jesus brings when we trust Him. Acknowledging the power of God and allowing Him to change us is essential for those who trust Him.
Jesus does change us. As believers we live our entire lives yielding to the power of God. We aren’t perfect but we are submitted to God’s power working in us. We are continually being changed because we allow Him to make us individuals who show the world what God is like. It is simply a mark of Christian maturity. The power of God is what makes us different than we once were and allowing His power to motivate us and change us is how we grow in Christ.
