Only Having an Appearance of Godliness
Paul warned Timothy that in the last days many would have “a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof” (2 Timothy 3:5). That warning was not meant only for the pagan world. It was meant for people who look religious, speak religious words, and even practice religious habits, yet have never experienced the transforming power of the gospel.
A form of godliness is an outward shape. It is the appearance of devotion without the substance of conversion. It is the shell of faith without the Spirit of God living within.
The tragedy of our generation is that many have settled for this empty form. They like the idea of spirituality. They like the comfort of tradition. They like the image of being moral or good. Yet, they remain unchanged because they resist the very power that godliness requires.
The Bible says that the gospel is “the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth” (Romans 1:16). The lost man who enjoys church culture but refuses to repent is denying the power. The saved man who speaks of faith but never walks in obedience is denying the power. The believer who talks about prayer but never prays is denying the power.
It is possible to carry a Bible yet never submit to what it says. It is possible to sing about grace yet never seek the God who gives grace.
The Lord Jesus spoke of this danger when He said, “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me” (Matthew 15:8). Their religion lived on their lips, not in their lives. Their worship was rehearsed, not real. They sounded devoted, but they were strangers to the presence of God.
True godliness is never skin deep. It starts in the heart through the new birth. Scripture teaches that if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature, and “old things are passed away” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Anything less than that is a counterfeit.
One of the clearest examples of a powerless form of religion is the man or woman who attends church out of habit but resists the conviction of the Holy Ghost. They walk into the service with sin unconfessed and walk out unchanged. They hear the truth but do not obey it. James warns us not to be hearers only, for hearers who refuse to do what they hear deceive themselves.
The power of godliness is revealed when a man yields to the Word of God, bows his will to Christ, and allows the Spirit to break chains that human effort cannot break.
Paul told Timothy to turn away from those who only have a form of godliness. This is not a call to pride but to discernment. The church cannot thrive on empty expressions of faith. It must stand upon the truth that God still saves sinners, still breaks addictions, still restores marriages, still convicts the heart, and still empowers His people to live in victory. The Bible says that God “is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20).
That is the power many deny, yet it is available to all who believe.
If our generation needs anything, it is a return to genuine godliness. Not the appearance of devotion, but the reality of it. Not the words of faith, but the walk of faith. Not the image of Christian living, but the inward life of Christ living in us. Let us refuse to settle for religion without regeneration or habit without holiness. Let us cling to the power that raised Jesus from the dead and that still raises sinners from death to life.
May we echo the prayer of Paul, who said, “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection” (Philippians 3:10).
For to know that power is to know true godliness.