“This know, also, that in the last days perilous times shall come, for men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce-breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away” – 2 Timothy 3:1-5.

We believe we are living in the closing days of the age of the gospel message going out, so we look around us to see how closely present conditions match the Apostle Paul’s inspired description of what to expect in the last days of this age. Because Paul explicitly states he refers to those who have “a form of godliness,” we understand this to refer to those professing to be Christians. The followers of Jesus are to “turn away” or separate themselves from all who have merely the form of piety (verse 5).  Other translations warn us to “Avoid such as these.” Sins are contagious! We must pay close attention to everything in our lives – no detail is too small to make sure our characters are presentable before God. 

Let’s look at the characteristics Paul is warning against: 

We certainly see selfishness all around us at every level of society. Paul put this first in his list: “Men shall be lovers of their own selves.” People range from being miserly to being extravagant, born of “love of their own selves,” love of dress, love of show, love of honor and position, a fight for the most “likes” and “views” and “followers” and “friends.” There is a battle for wealth, luxuries and leisure. 

Covetousness – it is a mistake to think of this quality as applicable only to the wealthy. It is just as possible for the man with one dollar to be covetous as for the millionaire. Covetousness is an inordinate desire, whether for wealth or luxuries or something else. Elsewhere the Apostle Paul designates covetousness as idolatry, which gives us the thought of false worship (Colossians 3:5). It is not wrong for us to seek in a reasonable, moderate way for the necessities and comforts of life for ourselves and those depending on us, nor would it be wrong to avail ourselves of the opportunities of securing wealth in a reasonable and honorable manner, not in conflict with our dedication to the Lord. But wherever the love of money or honor or luxuries becomes the ruling passion in those who are professedly God’s people it has taken God’s place – such are idolaters. In other words, the covetous person is a mammon-worshiper, and as such should realize that he has abandoned the proper worship of God; and our Lord declared, “Ye cannot serve God and mammon” – Matthew 6:24.

Boasting – boastfulness is the opposite of meekness and humility. Boasting accompanies pride which the Lord declares He resists, showing His favors to the humble (James 4:6).

Pride – Some are lured by the pride of their wealth, accomplishments or religious affiliation. Others have family pride or personal pride. “Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” Proverbs 16:18.

Blasphemy does not necessarily imply that the professed Christians of the present day would be profane swearers more than others of times past. The word “blasphemy” here we understand to be used in its broad sense of slander, and the slandering or blasphemy may either be against God or our fellow humans. 

Among Christian people, God’s character is blasphemed by attributing to Him evil deeds, evil motives and evil purposes toward the masses of mankind. False teachings like eternal torment blasphemes God’s character.  

Ours is also a day of slander or blasphemy one against another, on the part of those who have merely the form of godliness. Many who outwardly claim to be governed by the law of love seem to have a morbid craving to speak evil one of another. In 1 john 3:15, Paul equates this to the spirit of murder. This murderous, slanderous or blasphemous tendency is manifest everywhere – in the home, in church gatherings and in private.

Disobedience to parents is a crisis in our day. The divinely arranged family order seems to be entirely lost sight of with the vast majority.

Unthankfulness – thankfulness would seem to be one of the least costly of the graces: it is merely a proper acknowledgment of favors received. No one can be a true Christian and be unthankful. “What hast thou that thou didst not receive?” (1 Corinthians 4:7). The first response of his heart must be gratitude, thankfulness. It is this thankfulness which leads on to service, and to sacrifice in the Lord’s cause as a manifestation of gratitude. 

But with many Christians “in name only,” thankfulness to God is much rarer than it should be. In times of prosperity, it is attributed to his or her own abilities or “luck.” If not prosperous, it is the fault of someone else or “bad luck.” Divine providence is overlooked. An entitled attitude creates a spirit of unthankfulness towards our fellow man.  

Unholiness – it is sad that many who profess the name of Christ still think, speak and act in an unholy way, not fully dedicated or consecrated to the Lord.  Many will admit that their only reason for maintaining even an outward semblance of Christianity is either from tradition or fear of an eternity of torture or both. 

Without natural affection – in the days of the Apostle Paul, it was considered proper to exhort Christians to “love the brethren,” but today this exhortation has comparatively little weight, because of the general loss of natural affection. “A man’s foes shall be they of his own household” (Matthew 10:36).

Truce-breaking – the Greek word here used signifies not merely a breaker of a truce or agreement, but more especially an unwillingness to make a truce or to live in harmony and to abandon hostilities. Combativeness seems to be considerably on the increase, and not only are people extremely slighted and angry over the tiniest of things, but they are less willing to forgive and move on. Rather than having a spirit of love, they are selfish. Rather than loving peace, they love drama and contention. 

False accusers – this corresponds closely to the charge of blasphemy but seems to signify a still more extreme step – a willingness to accuse someone even knowing the charges or accusations are false. This surely indicates a very evil condition of heart. The point of the Apostle’s argument is that these conditions, so foreign to the spirit of Christ, the spirit of love, will prevail in the end of this age amongst those who profess his name and have a form of godliness.

Incontinency signifies without self-control, led of passion, rash, impulsive. Paul’s exhortation to the true church of Christ is expressed in the words, “Let your moderation be known unto all men”– your self-control (Philippians 4:5). Keep yourselves subject and obedient to the will of God as expressed in his Word. But today, especially among our young people, self-control is not encouraged or rewarded with our day’s false conceptions of liberties and rights.

Fierce – undoubtedly this fierceness explains much of the success of civilized men over the uncivilized in recent wars. Civilization has given intelligence and courage; but in those not having the power of godliness, it inspires ferocity instead of love, kindness and gentleness.

Despisers of those that are good – we are to distinguish between goodness from the standpoint of the Apostle Paul’s and the Lord’s word in general, and goodness from the world’s standpoint. The world wants a man good enough to be honest, temperate, trustworthy and faithful as a servant or contractor, but the world despises the higher forms of goodness to which the apostle refers. The nominal Christian despises the “saint,” and tries to believe that his professions of full consecration to the Lord, and his desire to please the Lord in thought and word and deed, are simply hypocrisies, because his own heart is not in sympathy with such a condition of consecration, with such ideals of goodness, and he does not desire to be in the presence of so high a standard. As our Lord described the matter, “Everyone that doeth evil hateth the light” John 3:20.

Treachery – because the mainspring of the world’s efforts in every direction is selfishness, treachery is the inevitable result. Love desires to be just. Love may frequently approve of self-sacrifice in the interests of others, but selfishness disapproves unless there is some benefit to self. This is set forth as one of the special features of the great time of trouble just before us: selfishness and distrust will become general and the motto will be, “Every man for himself.” The prophetic declaration shows the loss of confidence, general treachery, saying, “There shall be no peace to him that goeth out nor to him that cometh in; for I have set every man’s hand against his neighbor” Zechariah 8:10.

Headiness means heaving self-will, impetuousness. The true Christian is not “heady.” On the contrary, his consecration to the Lord figuratively decapitated him; he lost his head, renounced his own will and self-rule, and submitted himself, as a member of the body of Christ, to the absolute control of Jesus, the head of the true church (Ephesians 1:22,23). Members of the true body of Christ cannot be heady, cannot be self-willed. It is this very self-will that first of all they reckoned dead, in order that they might have the mind or will of Christ. To revive the self-will would be to lose the mind of Christ. The true Christian in every way tries to be in full conformity to the will of God in Christ.

The “heady” class are continually endeavoring to carry out their own wills, and do not submit themselves to the will of God. Their headiness continually brings them into difficulties, and yet, sometimes, with pride and boasting and love of their own selves and fierceness and false accusations, they endeavor to have their own heady way, and perhaps even claim, with forms of godliness, that such a course is under divine leading. How sadly such are deceived! “If any man has not the spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” Wherever headiness prevails, it is evidence they are “not holding the head” (Christ). 

High-mindedness or self-conceit involves having a higher opinion that appropriate of oneself and one’s own talents, or of one’s favor with God, or what-not. It is linked with pride, boastfulness and self-love. There is no more dangerous form of high-mindedness or self-conceit than that which attacks the Christian and seeks to make him think of himself more highly than he ought to think. How appropriate the apostle’s caution along this line, “I say, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith” (Romans 12:3). This quality of self-conceit is one of the most dangerous to Christians. All true Christians should be specially on their guard against this trap of Satan. 

Lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God – it is natural for every human being to prefer to be happy and to have pleasure. It is not a sin to love things that properly provide pleasure. To be a Christian does not mean to have no pleasure, but the Christian puts God higher than himself, loves God more than he loves himself, consecrates himself to God, and consequently desires to please God rather than to please himself. By such, any pleasure, no matter what, must be sacrificed if it come in conflict with his still higher pleasure and duty and covenant of service to the Lord. It is this that leads the true saints of God to sacrifice: the world being out of harmony with God and His will is out of harmony also with those who are in harmony with God. Hence, Jesus said, If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you” (John 15:18,19).

The average Christian, unfortunately, is not fully consecrated to our heavenly Father, but are lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. In this sense of the word they are idolaters, rendering love and service to self above God – covetous of the world’s pleasures and honors and emoluments of various kinds. 

Having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof – their course in life denies or repudiates the power of God. Outwardly they have a religious form; they know that churchianity is popular; they wish to be known as identified with some denomination, perhaps as good social or financial standing, or for the community feeling church provides. But that is about all the use they have for Christianity. Their life as a whole denies the power of the gospel of Christ to control the heart and regulate, direct and guide the conduct.

“From such turn away.” True Christians are to reprove the false Christians by turning away from them, and from their course or walk in life. Whoever has the spirit of Christ, the spirit of love, and is seeking to cultivate its grace, and to walk according to its rule, will more and more find his path turning away from the path of churchianity and general worldliness. 

As they are guided by different spirits or dispositions, so they tend to different directions or effort, different loves, different sympathies, different experiences. The true sheep are to walk in the narrow way, led by the true Shepherd, who has gone before, and who calls us to follow him. 

 Whoever walks in the evil way, described by the apostle as the prevalent way in the end of this age, is following Satan’s example. The separation of these classes must eventually be thorough and complete. Thus the Lord is by present truth and its spirit or influence calling to his people to separate themselves, to turn away from others who are not really his people, who have merely the form of godliness but not its power, saying, “Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues” Revelation 18:4.

Additional Resource:
Christian Questions Podcast
Audio Series: “Do I Walk in the Spirit or the Lusts of My Human Nature?”