1 But understand this: In the last days terrible times will come. 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, without love of good, 4 traitorous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Turn away from such as these!

REFLECTIONS

Written by George Mihas

When I look at the state of ungodliness today, I wonder: Was there really ever a time of generational godliness? It can be easy to look back and think that past generations were more godly, but I’m not sure it’s that simple.

I come from a European background, and growing up we were taught to respect our elders. A lot of bad behaviours were not acceptable: the way we spoke, getting in trouble at school and on the streets of Sydney, and so on … and I was always in trouble. Does that mean we were a more godly generation? No, because our behaviour and discipline was never about godliness. It was always cultural, and the big concern was: What would the relatives say?

Even with my parents’ generation, which was much more modest, again it was about not dishonouring the family. For girls it was even harder. There was a lot of pressure on them to stay “pure” for marriage (why not the same pressure on the boys)?

The question I am wrestling with is: Was there a time when generations were genuinely more godly, or has worldly society always been about not dishonouring the family name? I remember watching a movie about girls who fell pregnant in Ireland in the Sixties. They were labelled as outcasts and sent to a jail-type laundry run by nuns. They were treated horribly with no mercy, no grace, treated like garbage by people who were supposed to be representing God.

So back to the Scripture.

Without Christ in our lives and in our hearts, we would be no better. We need God’s help to turn from the things Paul mentions, because we can still struggle with them: being lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, without love of good, traitorous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God (v2-4).

But we don’t just want a “form of godliness” (v5). We want to live in love for Christ, which is true godliness.

Know Christ and submit to his word. For the Christian there is no other way.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

George is a member of our Bossley Park Morning congregation.