Do I Recognize Evil? (2 Timothy 3:5)

Years ago, my wife and I attended a couples Bible study at our church. Among the participants was a married couple who were relatively new to our congregation. We didn’t know either of them very well, but the husband seemed like a pleasant enough fellow. He was friendly, personable, and appeared interested in studying God’s Word.

About a month later, I noticed that they were no longer attending our Bible study. I subsequently learned from our Bible study leader that the husband had been asked to leave. Apparently, he had been making lewd suggestions to several of the married women in our group.

I was shocked! I certainly hadn’t noticed anything unusual about him. Here was a married man who had brought his wife to a church Bible study, yet his reported behavior toward other married women was anything but godly.

How could I have been so wrong about someone?

Of course, I barely knew the man. Perhaps that was part of the problem. I had assumed that because he attended church and participated in a Bible study with his wife, he was probably a decent Christian fellow. But appearances can be deceiving. We tend to associate evil with people who are obviously cruel, dishonest, or threatening. We imagine that we should somehow be able to recognize wickedness when we encounter it.

Yet some of the most disturbing examples of wrongdoing involve people who appear perfectly respectable. They may be friendly neighbors, successful professionals, devoted family members, or even active participants in their churches.

Does participation in religious activities necessarily indicate genuine faith?

Once again, God gives us the answer.

Having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.
2 Timothy 3:5 (ESV)

The Apostle Paul wrote these words to Timothy as part of a warning about the difficult times that would characterize the last days. In the preceding verses, Paul describes people who are lovers of themselves, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, and without self-control.

It’s quite a list!

But what I find particularly interesting is that Paul concludes by describing people who have the appearance of godliness. In other words, these aren’t necessarily people who openly reject religion. Some may appear religious while their lives contradict the very beliefs they profess. They know how to look the part. They may attend church regularly, participate in Bible studies, and speak comfortably about spiritual matters. Yet their behavior reveals that the teachings they profess have little influence over how they actually live.

Paul wasn’t warning Timothy merely about bad behavior. He was warning him about the dangerous contradiction between outward religious appearances and inward spiritual reality.

This doesn’t mean that genuine Christians never sin. Far from it! We all struggle with sin, and none of us lives a perfectly godly life. But there is a difference between struggling against sin with repentance and deliberately embracing sinful behavior while maintaining a respectable religious appearance.

Jesus gave a similar warning when He told His disciples that false prophets would come in sheep’s clothing but inwardly be ravenous wolves (Matthew 7:15). He then explained that we would recognize them by their fruits (Matthew 7:16). Not necessarily by how they dress, how friendly they seem, or how often they attend church, but by what their lives ultimately produce.

Looking back at our Bible study experience, I realize that I had very little opportunity to observe that man’s character. I knew only how he behaved during our brief encounters. I certainly couldn’t have known what he was doing when I wasn’t around. Our Bible study leader, however, had learned of conduct that required action.

That experience reminded me that discernment requires more than first impressions. We should neither assume that everyone who appears religious is genuinely godly nor become so suspicious that we question everyone’s motives. But as I reflect on Paul’s warning, another thought troubles me even more. It’s easy to recognize the hypocrisy in someone else’s behavior once their wrongdoing has been exposed. What about the hypocrisy in my own life? I attend church. I study the Bible. I write about my Christian faith. I encourage others to love and trust Jesus Christ. But does my everyday behavior consistently reflect what I profess to believe? Am I as patient with my family as I appear to be with other people? Am I as forgiving as I encourage others to be? Do I practice the humility, kindness, and self-control that God’s Word teaches? Or am I sometimes more concerned with looking like a good Christian than actually living as one?

That is an uncomfortable question, but perhaps it’s the most important one. I cannot see into another person’s heart. Only God can do that. And while I should exercise discernment concerning the behavior of others, I must also be willing to examine my own conduct in the light of Scripture. After all, Paul’s warning wasn’t written merely so that I could identify hypocrisy in someone else. It was written for me, too.

I initially asked myself why I hadn’t recognized the wrongdoing hidden behind that man’s pleasant appearance. But now I wonder whether I have been asking the wrong question. Perhaps the more important question isn’t whether I can recognize evil in someone else. It’s whether I am willing to recognize the sin that still exists within me.

And when God exposes it, will I repent and allow Him to change me, or will I be satisfied merely with the appearance of godliness?

Love and trust in the Lord; seek His will in your life.

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