Chapter Sixteen
Denying The Power Of Liberty
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or emphasis sake, let’s briefly look again at what Paul said in his second letter to Timothy, describing what it will be like in the last days, before the return of Christ. He says;
“But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied [“to deny, renounce, reject, to disown, to refuse to acknowledge”] its power; Avoid such men as these.” (2 Timothy 3:1-5/NASU) One of the many descriptions from Paul is that men will be “holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power.” As we already saw, one of the definitions in the Greek for denied is “to disown.” It’s to reject what is offered. You cannot disown that which you have never owned, or been a part of the ownership of. Remember, in John’s letter he spoke of those who have received Christ and believed in His name. These believers have said “no” to the power of the Holy Spirit on the inside to be conformed to the likeness of Christ (i.e. the right to become children of God). After turning and gaining the ultimate privilege of being an owner (possessor) of Christ, they have, through great carelessness, forfeited the saving grace that was granted them. Through their opposition of the truth (again, the spirit of antichrist) they received His grace in vain which means it was “fruitless, without effect” (1 Cor. 15:10, 2 Cor. 6:1) God showed them grace and they rejected its inner working resulting in their being rejected.
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