We are in the last times. When the apostle Paul told Timothy that “Difficult times will come” (2 Timothy 3:1) and that “The time will come when when they will not endure sound doctrine” (2 Timothy 4:3), what was prophesied then is now true today. And it is a tense time for Christians for all Christians, both inside and outside the United States.
For a long time, our country was a haven for those desired freedom to live out their Christian faith. But more and more, the safety and freedom that Christians felt they had to practice and preach the faith, is presently being undermined. Sadly, many churches are caving under the pressure. Churches are being challenged, accused, and even threatened because they hold to what Scripture teaches on volatile social issues. More and more, our society is growing hostile to the teaching of the Bible. Increasingly, what is biblical is not what is popular, and what is popular is often contrary to Scripture.
As Christians, we must be aware of how our present society views God’s Word. If we are caught off guard or are unprepared, we may fall into the trap that many churches have fallen into: neglecting God’s Word for the sake of popularity. In his second letter to his young pastoral protege, Paul speaks of a society whose religious people would surround themselves with teachers who catered to their sin and unbelief. It was a prospect for Timothy, but it is our present reality. In 2 Timothy 4:3-4, the Scriptures call us to beware of what our present society hates, seeks, and believes.
Beware of What Our Society Hates
First, we must beware of what popular society hates—what it simply cannot tolerate. It is ironic that our society is known for its call for tolerance, while growing increasingly intolerant of Christian truth. Paul explains to Timothy: “…the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine” (v. 3a). Paul warned Timothy that he needed to keep preaching the Word rather than aiming to please people, because society will eventually become intolerant of biblical teaching.
That is where we are today. More and more, people are calling Bible preachers in particular and Christians in general as haters and accusing them of hate crimes simply because we preach and teach what the Bible says. Public institutions are banning the sound teaching of the Bible. We are now in a society where, if you teach and preach what the Bible says, you will lose favor in much of the culture.
Beware of What Our Society Seeks
Second, we must beware of what present society seeks. What is it that people are accumulating for themselves? Paul makes it clear: “Wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires” (v. 3b). People by and large no longer want to be taught the truth. In other words, most folks are more interested in surrounding themselves with teachers who suit their own hopes, pleasures, and ambitions. Many people don’t want to be instructed about right and wrong—they simply want their own desires endorsed, and they will look for teachers who will cater to their desires. We must beware of this, lest we ourselves succumb to the pressure of trying to tickle people’s ears with church sermons, messages, and marketing.
Beware of What Our Society Believes
Third, we must beware of what popular society believes. Paul makes it clear that people, “will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths” (v. 4). The truth Paul refers to here is the teaching of Scripture. Myths refer to any teaching or explanation of reality or history that is contrary to fact and not rooted in what is true.
In Paul’s day, people would use myths to support or excuse their immoral behavior. And there is nothing new under the sun (Eccl 1:9). Today, people, by and large, are no longer interested in what is true. In fact, they are turning away from what is true in order to embrace that which is patently false. Many people choose to believe things that are contrary to fact in order to support the lifestyle they want to live. As Christians, we must be careful not to neglect the Word of God in order to please the popular society, because popular society has a bent to follow after myths—things that are obviously untrue, but which support one’s ungodly lifestyle.
Preach the Truth Always: Christ is Building His Church
But although we live in a time where our society’s moral convictions are slowly fading and its religious intuitions are increasingly directed away from the one true faith, something else is happening in a parallel universe. While our society as a whole is crumbling, God is building another society: Christ’s church. And this happens through one saved soul at a time, one sanctified soul at a time. How do those souls get saved and sanctified? Through the preaching and teaching of the truth (see 2 Cor 4:1-6).
God has promised that in every region of the globe and in every people group there will indeed be people who hear the gospel with ears of faith (John 17:20-21; Rev 5:9-10). He has prepared for those people to hear the truth about Christ from the Scriptures and believe unto salvation (John 6:38-44; 10:16). So, if we want to have an impact on our community, see people to be saved, make disciples of Christ, and see Jesus Christ exalted through the building of His church in our region, then the church must commit to holding fast to the Word of God which is able to save souls, no matter how unpopular it gets in our society.
