2 Timothy 4:3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.
3 Ἔσται γὰρ καιρὸς ὅτε τῆς ὑγιαινούσης διδασκαλίας οὐκ ἀνέξονται ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὰς ἰδίας ἐπιθυμίας ἑαυτοῖς ἐπισωρεύσουσιν διδασκάλους κνηθόμενοι τὴν ἀκοὴν 4 καὶ ἀπὸ μὲν τῆς ἀληθείας τὴν ἀκοὴν ἀποστρέψουσιν, ἐπὶ δὲ τοὺς μύθους ἐκτραπήσονται.
Paul has just finished explaining the value of Scripture in 3:16-17 and now he is explaining his admonition to Timothy that he preach the word. This is the reason why. There will be a time when people will not endure sound teaching. You don't have to look very far to realize that this clearly speaks to our society today.
Sadly, this even permeates our churches. You can find folks reading Joel Osteen, yet they identify themselves as evangelical. T.D. Jakes is a bestseller, despite the fact that he denies the Trinity and is a Oneness Pentecostal. Joyce Meyer's particular blend of psychology, self-help, and Word-Faith theology packs out coliseums around the country. Why? These so-called teachers tell people what they need to feel better about themselves.
Of course, the Bible is full of promises that help us to feel better. But the difference is that they are promises that make us feel better because of who God is and who we are in Him. The Bible is about Jesus, not about us. If we just read it like a fortune cookie we may think that it is all about us, but it's really His story, not ours.
This is why it is important to study and teach theology. We need to look for answers to the fundamental questions of life. Who is God? Who is man? What does man need to be reconciled to God? If we are reconciled then how should we live as a result of this reconciliation?
Read your Bible that you may know God. Everything begins to fall into place after that.
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2 comments:
Yes, the names you mentioned and, unfortunately, many, many more are satan's bellwethers, taking in, not the elect, but those destined for destruction. If only they would turn to the Word of God and simply read with faith, and then test what they read in their lives, they would not be deceived. The mystery of salvation and the mystery of lawlessness are very deep.
My theory is that they read the Word through a very American, selfish hermeneutic. That leads to all kinds of heresies.
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