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Some people now say there is no absolute truth. They believe that there are no absolute standards of right and wrong; and so we can decide for ourselves what our ethics should be. Some regard the Bible as obsolete because it insists that certain things are right and wrong. When the apostle Paul wrote 2 Timothy 3, he described a lifestyle that sounds very much like today’s belief system. He alerted Timothy that in the last days, people would love themselves and their money more than they love God. This self-centered attitude leads to other evils: He predicted that people would become boastful, proud, scoff at God, disobey parents, and be ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure more than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. They will exploit weak people with various false teachings. Paul stresses that when we fail to genuinely submit to God, we can become phony. We may act religious, go to church, quote the Bible, use Christian clichés, follow Christian customs, and still lack genuine faith in God, or love for people. We must aim to have our public conduct match our inner faith in God.
