As Paul the apostle
continued to instruct Timothy his “dearly beloved son”, he
told him of people who have “a form of godliness, but”
deny “the power thereof”. Paul told him, “from such
turn away”, and as he continued in chapter three and verse six
of this final letter from Paul, he told Timothy these people were
“led away with divers lusts” where we read:
For of this sort are
they which creep into houses,
and lead captive silly
women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,
The
verse begins, “For of this sort are they which creep into
houses,” Paul began with, “For of” or “because,
since and on account of” “this sort” or “these” “are
they which creep” which means “put on, envelop, clothe
themselves with, hide in and enter” “into houses” or
“inhabited edifices, dwellings, inmates of a house or family”. In
other words, these who have a “form of godliness” and deny
it's power, hide in dwelling places where they should not be.
The
verse goes on to say, “and lead captive silly women laden
with sins, led away with divers lusts,” Paul
continued to share by telling what these people did in those houses
by writing, “and lead captive”
or “capture and lead into captivity” “silly women”
which refers to “little women used contemptuously” “laden”
or “heaped together, overwhelmed and loaded” “with
sins” which means “errors,
missing the mark, mistakes and wanderings from the path of
uprightness and honor”. Paul added that these people were “led
away” or “captured and lead
into captivity” “with divers”
or “different, various and variegated” “lusts”
which means “desires, cravings and longings for what is
forbidden”. Rather than being “godly”, these people
indulge themselves in cravings and longings for sinful activities.
As we
think about Paul's words, we can imagine the ill behavior of these
people who have a semblance of piety but are not living in a manner
that is in keeping with what they believe. Rather than living in a
godly manner, they live with their different lusts controlling their
ways. We should use Paul's words to examine our own lives to see if
we are driven by “godliness” or by our own selfish desires, and
may the Lord Jesus help us to know the difference and follow Him.
Next
time Paul tells how these people are “ever learning, and
never able to come to the truth”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
http://www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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