Wow! The last days sound rough. They also sound eerily like today.
People think about that period of time in a variety of lengths. Personally, I see the last days as the time period between Jesus’ ascension into heaven and His glorious return. I think this is borne out in the scriptures, and is rooted in how I understand the book of Revelation as well. And this passage bears that thought out. In every era, all the way down to today, people have been, “lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen and conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power.” We are in the last days.
That last item on Paul’s lists makes my eyebrows raise more than the others. A phrase that has been used a lot around me recently is, “Perception is reality.” The thought that there could be people who are perceived as godly, having the appearance of living the faith, and yet denying the power of Jesus’ death and resurrection is shocking. It’s a perversion of God’s plan that puts the fruit of faith before the root, looking for results in people’s lives without giving them the cause. The truth is we can never display true godliness without the power of God at work in us! So we must always go back to where God has chosen to work, and how He has chosen to work in our lives. We return over and over again to the Word and Sacraments, where God has promised to be for us, to receive by faith the power of the gospel; the effect of Jesus sacrifice and rising.
Living in a time where we face struggles brought about by such sinful behavior is hard, and it requires faith that God keeps His promises. This has been (and continues to be) a hard lesson for God’s people to learn. (Personally, I have been disappointed at how easily I am overcome with frustration and fear when life gets hard.) We seem to feel to feel that, if we’re doing the things God calls us to, that life should be easy, but here we are told, “all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”
God is asking us to put our entire selves into His hands, so we are urged to continue in what we have learned and believed as we have been taught by faithful teachers of the Word. The word, “continue” can also be translated, “remain, abide, live, or dwell.” It is a word of endurance. We are urged here to continue in the faith as Paul has presented it, focusing on the Jesus’ cross and empty tomb. As Jesus himself urged in John 15, we are to remain or abide in Him, as a branch does to the vine, and he will remain in us. Through the presence of the Holy Spirit, Christ dwells within us, we are his holy temple, and so every moment of every day we live in Christ.
Remember, as you read your Bible, these are the sacred writings that make us wise for salvation – they reveal Jesus to us and create faith in us. Every word of the Word is inspired (breathed out) by God. It is profitable for teaching, reproof, correction and training in righteousness because it is filled with God’s power to make us godly. Reading the scriptures in faith connects us to the root – to Jesus – so that we can bear the fruit of faith.
And, yes, sometimes that fruit is patient faithful endurance.
God, grant that I may continue in faith all my days and face the persecution and struggles of this world with courage and hope because You are with me. Amen.
People think about that period of time in a variety of lengths. Personally, I see the last days as the time period between Jesus’ ascension into heaven and His glorious return. I think this is borne out in the scriptures, and is rooted in how I understand the book of Revelation as well. And this passage bears that thought out. In every era, all the way down to today, people have been, “lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen and conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power.” We are in the last days.
That last item on Paul’s lists makes my eyebrows raise more than the others. A phrase that has been used a lot around me recently is, “Perception is reality.” The thought that there could be people who are perceived as godly, having the appearance of living the faith, and yet denying the power of Jesus’ death and resurrection is shocking. It’s a perversion of God’s plan that puts the fruit of faith before the root, looking for results in people’s lives without giving them the cause. The truth is we can never display true godliness without the power of God at work in us! So we must always go back to where God has chosen to work, and how He has chosen to work in our lives. We return over and over again to the Word and Sacraments, where God has promised to be for us, to receive by faith the power of the gospel; the effect of Jesus sacrifice and rising.
Living in a time where we face struggles brought about by such sinful behavior is hard, and it requires faith that God keeps His promises. This has been (and continues to be) a hard lesson for God’s people to learn. (Personally, I have been disappointed at how easily I am overcome with frustration and fear when life gets hard.) We seem to feel to feel that, if we’re doing the things God calls us to, that life should be easy, but here we are told, “all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”
God is asking us to put our entire selves into His hands, so we are urged to continue in what we have learned and believed as we have been taught by faithful teachers of the Word. The word, “continue” can also be translated, “remain, abide, live, or dwell.” It is a word of endurance. We are urged here to continue in the faith as Paul has presented it, focusing on the Jesus’ cross and empty tomb. As Jesus himself urged in John 15, we are to remain or abide in Him, as a branch does to the vine, and he will remain in us. Through the presence of the Holy Spirit, Christ dwells within us, we are his holy temple, and so every moment of every day we live in Christ.
Remember, as you read your Bible, these are the sacred writings that make us wise for salvation – they reveal Jesus to us and create faith in us. Every word of the Word is inspired (breathed out) by God. It is profitable for teaching, reproof, correction and training in righteousness because it is filled with God’s power to make us godly. Reading the scriptures in faith connects us to the root – to Jesus – so that we can bear the fruit of faith.
And, yes, sometimes that fruit is patient faithful endurance.
God, grant that I may continue in faith all my days and face the persecution and struggles of this world with courage and hope because You are with me. Amen.
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