Week 424

Perilous Times Week 8

Lovers Of Pleasure Rather Than Lovers Of God

Getting To The Root Of The Problem

…lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God… (2 Tim 3:4. NKJV)

As we get to the end of this infamous list of those who would show up both in Timothy’s day and age and by extension, ours we see what I and many believe is at the crux of the problem. Chiefly, that these people love pleasure more than they love God. And in the next verse we see what this leads to. When we do a simple word study into the term “lovers of pleasure” we see that this is more than enjoying life on a surface level, way more. And Paul uses this as a contrast to the real love for God so we don’t go easy on people who let a little carnality into their lives. See how Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers perfectly describes these people:

Men who would make any sacrifice to procure a fleeting pleasure, and who would give nothing up in order to do honour to the eternal but invisible God. Need the ministers of the Lord tarry for the last period preceding the return of Messiah for judgment—when a still more awful iniquity shall reign—for examples of these short-sighted mortals? The sorrowful catalogue began with “love of self,” that unhappy vice which excludes all love for others; it closes with that “love of pleasure” which shuts out all love of God.

As you can begin to see, these people aren’t just including pleasure in their lives, they are doing so at the exclusion of loving God.

A Singular Occurrence

So, let’s take a little linguistic stroll through the actual words used here. The phrase “lovers of pleasure” is only used here in the Bible and it is a combination of two words from philos (fee'-los) and hédoné (hay-don-ay') and it is the word philédonos (fil-ay'-don-os). The term for “lovers” is the same in both but it is the second term that makes the distinction. There are lovers of pleasure and lovers of God but the object of their love is where the rubber meets the road. The word for pleasure means ("satisfaction of physical appetite") has a strong negative connotation, generally referring to pleasure that is made an end in itself. That is, the satiation of bodily desires (lusts) at the expense of other things. The Greek word for “lovers” shows us that it is intense and decisive and all-inclusive and in both of these compound terms points to being one or the other since they can’t survive in a person together. Strangely, this is good news for those who are trying to survive and thrive in a harsh and even cruel environment since loving God will drive out the love of pleasure.

You Gotta Serve Somebody

Shamelessly taking a line from a Bob Dylan song, the truth is rather easy to apply here as we either serve our pleasures or serve our God. The Apostle Paul tells Timothy that it will be clear who his congregation is serving even if they fill the pews from Sunday to Sunday. People think they can do both, but the truth will always come out by who or what they love. Giving lip service to God but your time, attention, and money to the cares of this life is a clear indication of what is important in one’s life. That word for “pleasure” also turns up in the parable of the seed and the Sower in Luke 8:14:

Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. (NKJV)

While the charade can go on for a time, eventually the love for the things of this world will choke out all Godliness and mere attendance to services can’t hide a life that puts pleasure above it. And that leads us to the next damning phrase.

A Form Only

…having a form of godliness but denying its power… (2 Tim 3:5, NKJV)

In all of the listings of these traits, Paul shows us that it is all a show to these faux Christians. Here is how it is described in Barnes Notes:

Having a form of godliness - That is, they profess religion, or are in connection with the church. This shows that the apostle referred to some great corruption in the church; and there can be little doubt that he had his eye on the same great apostasy to which he refers in 2 Thessalonians 2: and 1 Timothy 4: All these things to which he refers here have been practiced and tolerated in that apostate church, while no body of men, at any time, have been more zealous in maintaining "a form of godliness;" that is, in keeping up the forms of religion.

These surface “believers” did all the right things, said all the right words, gave all the right amounts of money, and were to all observers, the perfect example of Christians. Here is a truly sad example of such a person from David Guzik’s commentary on this verse:

…it was reported that the Reverend John Canning delivered the eulogy after Leo and Hazel Gleese were slain, telling mourners that he had been so close to the couple that he could call them Mom and Dad. On Friday, six weeks later, Canning was led off to jail in handcuffs, charged with beating and strangling the 90-year-old couple. Police say the Gleeses were killed in their home January 2 after they discovered Canning had abused the power of attorney they gave him and was stealing their savings. “It’s the most despicable thing I’ve ever heard of,” said Phil Ramer, a Florida Department of Law Enforcement agent. “Of all people in the world you should be able to trust, it’s your pastor. They couldn’t do it in this case, and he wound up killing them.” The pastor was a suspect from the start because he waited a day to report he found the couple dead in their home. “When it takes somebody a day to report two dead bodies, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to say who the suspect is,” Ramer said. The minister passed the time before reporting the deaths by spending a day at the beach and dining out with friends.

And in another example from the same commentary, we read this:

A 63-year-old married woman wrote to Dear Abby to justify her adultery. She writes: “He’s also married. We meet once a week at a motel for three hours of heaven. My husband knows nothing about this, and neither does my lover’s wife. Sex with my husband is even better now, and it’s not as though I am denying my husband anything. I teach a class at church every week, but for some reason, I feel no guilt.”

It is the difference between a professing Christian and a professor of Christianity. One has the relationship while the other displays just the knowledge.

A Sad Denial

In yet another contrast, Paul tells us that there is power to live the life of a believer, but these men and women not only ignore it, but deny it. The original word for “deny” is arneomai (ar-neh'-om-ahee) and means deny (refuse); hence, contradict, refuse to affirm or to confess (identify with); disown (repudiate). It is the same word used when Peter denied Jesus three times. You see, these people know the truth, they know the power of the believers and some may have experienced it in the past, but not now. No, it is an inconvenient truth to them for it stands in the way of their current lifestyle and achieved status. Sadly, this same word for deny is used when Jesus talks of people who deny Him in Matthew 10:33:

But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven. (NKJV)

These people don’t want the power that God offers them. For reasons known only to them, they would rather live with the “power” Satan offers them, power that is fleeting, capriciously applied and only good for living in this present world. It is the power the devil offers to anyone who wants to rule the world. He offered it to Nimrod, Alexander the Great, all the Caesars of Rome, Stalin, Mussolini, Hitler, Mao, Pol Pot, Idi Amin, and the despicable directory goes on and on. He even offered it to Jesus. The obvious reply should be no, but to those lost in self, the days of thinking cogently are long gone. We can only pray that whatever conscience is still active in them is sparked by Holy Spirit and they are hit with a Godly clue-by-four to the reality of their deteriorating descent.

The Power They Deny

The word for “power” is one you may recognize. It is dunamis (doo'-nam-is) and is the same word used to illustrate the power Holy Spirit would give to the disciples on the Day of Pentecost. It means "ability to perform”; for the believer, power to achieve by applying the Lord's inherent abilities. "Power through God's ability" is needed in every scene of life to really grow in sanctification and prepare for heaven (glorification). This word is used 120 times in the New Testament so it is very important. Going back to Guzik, he gives us another perspective of this phrase:

When we talk about the power of godliness, we often mean it in the sense of “power to give me what I want.” But this is exactly opposite of what Paul meant here. The power of godliness that men will despise in the last days is the power it should have to guide their lives; power in the sense of rightful authority – and many, many, today deny that God has the power to tell them what to do through His Word.

And at this point we must pray. Pray for these people who are turning their backs to all that God offers them. And pray we never ever get to this point in our own lives. Paul tells us it is possible and so the warning should be heeded.