“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.” (2 Corinthians 10:3)
Sympathy, fervor, passion, or grief, if not inspired of the Holy Spirit, serves only to quench the work of the Holy Spirit. Feelings must not captain our course, as that position (if you are a Christ-follower) has been ceded to Jesus. Emotions must remain those things bared in the wake of obedience to Christ, lest they lead us astray and undermine the truth. Emotions are not bad, they are secondary. For this reason Christians must never go to battle with an effusive guide.
In that light we can more effectively address the following portion of scripture:
“For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (2 Timothy 3:6-7)
We need to back up to the beginning of this chapter to fully grasp what the Apostle Paul is referring to. Starting in verse 1, Paul is issuing a warning to Christian men in particular, but not exclusively, to be on the look out for creeps; that is, those who are not of the Christian faith, who desire nothing more than to destroy the followers of Christ Jesus. Paul then moves forward to describe what these folks typically look like.
Let’s examine their traits:
“For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power.” (2 Timothy 3:2-5)
What does this have to do with being misled by our emotions?
For that answer we need to go back to the terminology Paul utilized in verse 6 where he declared women to be gullible. Don’t be offended. Paul is expressing a reality that men must grasp in order to protect women from those who want to creep in and destroy. In other words Paul is saying women are susceptible because they are emotional, or more accurately, apt to be misguided by their emotions. That’s not to say that men are not [emotional], but that across the board, emotionalism is a common enough characteristic of women that makes them vulnerable to deception by the enemy.
With men, the tendency more often is that we succumb not to our emotionalism, but that of our wives. Rather than lovingly correcting them (so as to turn them away from danger), we acquiesce in order to maintain peace or a selfish motive. Paul would have men know that when this occurs, we are the ones in error, not our wives. The events within the Garden of Eden bear witness to this actuality.
And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression. (1 Timothy 2:14)
The serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness… (2 Corinthians 11:3)
Sin was imputed to Adam because he knew what he was doing, while Eve was tricked into believing that her sin was no sin at all. That’s significant. Eve was guilty of a sin, but mankind’s fallen nature will forever be attributed to Adam because he knew the truth and purposely ignored it. Faced with a choice, he knowingly and selfishly made the wrong decision; he was not deceived. However, this does not mean men cannot be misled by their emotions.
Case in Point:
It has been widely reported that United States Senator, Rob Portman has become a supporter of equal marriage rights for gays and lesbians because he learned that his son is a homosexual. Portman wrote that he, “Wrestled with how to reconcile (his) Christian faith with (his) desire for Will to have the same opportunities to pursue happiness and fulfillment as his brother and sister.” Previously, as a congressman, Portman had voted in favor of the Defense of Marriage Act.
We need not look too far to see that emotionalism (or selfish conformation) is likely the cause behind Senator Portman’s decision to change his beliefs in regard to Biblical marriage. Portman loves his son Will and rightfully so, but he has allowed emotions to get the better of him. Worse than that, he has given emotion supremacy over truth. Misguided by sentiment, Portman has pushed aside God, the inerrancy of His word, his constituents, and yes, even his own son Will, because he now feels it’s the proper thing to do. The Senator has exchanged the truth of God for the lie.
This is the very thing the Apostle Paul is warning us to turn away from. Portman is essentially creeping into our households with an emotional, and now government-backed agenda, while trampling God’s truth with each step he takes. Sad to say, but emotionalists will likely rally around his new-found cause.
Sign of the Times
As we draw closer to the end of a prophetic chapter in history, this bold admonition from the Apostle Paul is most relevant. It should cause every faithful follower to pause and examine their relationship with Jesus Christ, continually asking if they’re being led by the Lord’s Holy Spirit or by heart-felt emotions.
Again, emotions are not evil; they are in fact God-given. However, they are not the vehicle by which Christians are to effectuate doctrine — God has already established a doctrine and it is forever true. Emotions are rather to be the catalyst towards the throne room of our Lord. It is there, with emotions laid out, we seek the Lord’s will in all things. We should not dismiss the love that Senator Portman has for his son. Frankly, his love, commitment, and compassion is admirable and his anguish is palpable, but it’s these very things that Jesus wants us to bring to Him. In this way, as we obediently submit to His authority, His will and truth will preside.
Let’s consider 2 Corinthians 7:10
Godly sorrow is the kind of emotion that has been saturated in God’s truth. It’s the kind of emotion that says, “I love you son, but it serves no good purpose to lie to you; sin is a sin;” these are the actions whereby a person may be eternally saved. Worldly sorrow is not so. It is void of this truth and as the scripture says, it leads to death. Let us heed Paul’s warning.
The Apostle Concludes:
But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (1 Timothy 3:14-17)
These articles may or may not be related:
- 100-Year-Old Vision Conveys Sobering Warning to the Church. (greatriversofhope.wordpress.com)
- Authentic Christianity – Giving (jerrynwatts.wordpress.com)
- Who YOU are in Christ Jesus! (endtimereportorg.wordpress.com)
- 2 Timothy 3…Difficult Times Ahead (simplyjuliana.com)
- Living Right in Desperate Times (sarasmusings.wordpress.com)
- Sen. Rob Portman ‘wrestled’ with decision (tv.msnbc.com)
- Be Ye Transformed (Romans 12:1-2) (answersfromthebook.org)
- All the Prayers of Paul (christcentred.wordpress.com)
- Life’s Trials Help Confirm the Christian’s Faith (hillsbiblechurch.org)
- For by grace are ye saved through faith (savedbygraceblogdotcom.wordpress.com)
Dave, wonderful, truth-filled teaching! You are so right on, uncompromised and anointed in your message. God bless you for always presenting the pure truth.
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God bless you today Marianne!
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Another wonderful blog inspired by the LORD! Well done and well stated.
If I may encourage my sister’s in Christ, “Be a blessing to your men. Stay under their covering as God is building them up to do so. Be a GOOD influence on your husbands, fathers and sons. You will be accountable for all that you do. Be a covering for them also, speak well of them and to them. Guard your hearts and your homes. Pray for them daily! (and not what you want, but for God’s will) Most important, keep strong in your walk with the LORD as that will guide you to be the woman they need.”
Dave, may God richly bless you for your faithfulness to His will!
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Well done and well stated! The Lord has blessed me, more than I deserve. May you and yours be similarly blessed. To God be the glory!
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Very very good analysis—totally agree about Senator Portman. So glad he lost his campaign.
Linda Date: Sat, 16 Mar 2013 21:48:36 +0000 To: sixwingedstrings@msn.com
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Thank you for the kind and encouraging word; you have blessed me. My prayer for the Senator is that he would repent ~and~ lovingly approach his son Will with the truth.
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