In Untwisting Scriptures Book 6, I devote a chapter to the question “Should You Love Yourself?”
In it, I present the arguments for and against love of self.
Here’s the primary Scriptures used in the argument against, 2 Timothy 3:1-5.
But understand this, that in the last days
there will come times of difficulty.
For people will be 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 with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power.
Avoid such people.
In that chapter of the book, I was focusing only on “love of self,” so I didn’t really spend time on anything else in this very important passage.
Like those last two lines: “Having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.”
But one reader wrote to me about those last two lines above, tying them in with the other insights of Book 6.
With her permission, I’m quoting her here.
Holding to the form of godliness is following the list-following, HARD way of living [HARD is an acronym I use in the first part of Book 6].
It’s a type of “godliness” that we accomplish in our own strength, by our own willpower, trying to follow interpretations of the Bible without the leading and empowerment of the Holy Spirit.
Denying Holy Spirit power is denying the TRANSFORMATIVE power.
In charismatic circles – at least the one I was in – this “power” was communicated as a dynamic power for signs and wonders. It was used to make it seem like we didn’t deny the power, because we believed in gifts, signs, wonders, and supernatural healing. (And implying that others who didn’t believe these things were denying the power of God.)
I’ve come to realize that this verse is addressing those who portray a form of godliness but deny the transformative power through God’s ability. . . . In context it’s absolutely talking about actions and character.
This friend told about a pastor who reportedly neglected his family for his “ministry,” saying that he needed to stay busy, to avoid falling back into his typical sins.
“That’s not the transformative power of Jesus,” she said. “That’s justifying workaholism to run from one thing and try to replace it with another. It’s trading one addiction for another.”
And that last line. Don’t miss the last line.
“’Avoid these people,’” she said, “is how the Lord desires to protect us.”
Avoid these people.
These people will often present as “godly” by some sort of definition.
In the charismatic world, it may be with “signs and wonders.”
In the Reformed world, it may be preaching with “unction” and excelling in scholarly debates.
In the fundamentalist world, it may be an amazing ability to jump through hoops and keep long lists of rules.
But they deny the transformative power of the Holy Spirit.
In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, they will do harm and bring destruction.
Avoid these people.
That isn’t “bitterness” or “lack of forgiveness” on your part.
That is wisdom and obedience.
*****
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There is a difference between loving and being in love with. I read it as Narcissus, who fell in love with himself. The narcissist. It’s different from normal self love. Selfish. Vs feeding yourself and taking care of your own needs. We are not supposed to neglect ourselves. There is a verse or two about taking concern for your neighbor’s interests as you take care of your own. So it’s ok to assert ourselves. We have standing to ask our Father for our daily bread. And even our heart’s desires.
Right. This particular article wasn’t about loving ourselves, but a chapter in Untwisting Scriptures #6 was. You can see the first part of that chapter here: https://heresthejoy.com/2018/02/should-you-love-yourself-a-response-to-desiring-god/
This is really great. Yes, I’ve seen this everywhere, what a “divisive person” really is. It takes many different forms.
I’ve also been a divisive person myself. Christian on the outside, but full of all sorts of dysfunction on the inside. I finally left and focused on getting myself healthy.
I try to focus on healthy people versus unhealthy people. I’ve also known alot of people who are intense and coercive in the way that they approach faith.
Here in the northeast, many people in evangelical churches are former Catholics. They always used that verse to describe Catholics (“having a form of religion but denying the true power behind it”) because so many Catholics grew up with alot of religion, but were not born again of the Spirit. I was made to believe that if someone is born again, and not Catholic anymore, then that just takes care of the problem. But there are so many other forms that verse can take, as you listed.
Thank you for passing along this readers thoughts on “holding to the form of godliness.”
In reading, I found myself convicted. Reminded. Asking, “am I someone to be avoided?”
When I think of the “flesh” it reminds me of the carnival game of wack-a-mole. When I attempt to take care of it in one area, it just reasserts itself in another.
A person can spend a lifetime playing this game.
Maybe the opposite of attempting to hold to the form is holding fast to the head – the source of all righteousness.
Thank you for the mirror that let me see some ways in which I have been whacking moles again.
Thank you Jesus for cleansing me of unrighteousness and giving me yours.
Amen!
It also reminds me of people I’ve known who have to turn everything into an argument or a debate. People who break off friendships over theological disagreements. I’ve met people like this before. If you’re talking to someone who has a beef with everyone else over something theological, that’s a divisive person, someone to be avoided. Healthy people agree to disagree on small matters like this.