Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing

2 Timothy 3:1-5 You must understand this, that in the last days distressing times will come. For people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, inhuman, implacable, slanderers, profligates, brutes, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to the outward form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid them! (NRSV)

Do you know what I find really, really scary? It’s the people who call themselves Christians, who pretend to be Christians on the outside and yet on the inside they are rotten to the core. Now that’s scary.

Not a week seems to go by without some news of scandal hitting the church – be it the abuse of children, financial impropriety or those charlatan preachers who’d have you send them your last penny with the false promise of healing and prosperity.

Yesterday we looked at a long list of evils in this world. Today we’re going to take another look, but notice the twist at the end as we add the next verse to our reading:

2 Timothy 3:1-5 You must understand this, that in the last days distressing times will come. For people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, inhuman, implacable, slanderers, profligates, brutes, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to the outward form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid them! (NRSV)

That’s quite the list of evils and we see them all around us every day. But did you pick the twist at the end? Paul’s writing to his young protégé Timothy about such people inside the church. They’re wolves in sheeps’ clothing – holier-than-thou on the outside but rotten to the core on the inside, as though God somehow won’t notice. Trust me, He already has.

Two things: Firstly, if you value your life, don’t be one of those charlatans upon whom the wrath of God will ultimately fall. Secondly, when you run into them (and you will) have nothing to do with them.

Again, be a lover of God, not a lover of self.

That’s His Word. Fresh … for you … today.

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