A form of godliness

“...having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.” 2 Timothy 3:5
Paul writes to Timothy here about the characteristics of people in the last days. He describes how they will be lovers of themselves and lovers of money, yet not have love for other people; boastful, proud, abusive, ungrateful, unholy, disrespectful of their parents, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. And to top the list, he gives this interesting phrase: “having a form of godliness but denying its power”.
We all know religious people who do not know God for themselves. People who call themselves Christians, but live according to the world. People may call themselves Christians if they come from a Christian family, or if they were baptised as an infant, or because they come from a ‘Christian country’ (I’ve found this quite prevalent in Europe, for example). They deny the power of the gospel, because they have not applied it to their lives. And especially if they display the other traits listed here by Paul (2 Tim. 3:2-4), the instruction is clear: “Have nothing to do with them.” For by associating with them, we endorse their version of what it means to be a ‘Christian’. We also run the risk of falling into the mire that they are in. Stay close to God, rather than people who have compromised themselves with the world.