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Enjoy Life, Enjoy God


Dale Patterson

FORM, NO FUNCTION

January 7, 2011

"Form follows function." It's a design rule. Simply put, appearance is secondary to what you are trying to accomplish.

People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God--having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.
                                                    - 2 Timothy 3:2-5 TNIV

You might re-read this excerpt from 2 Timothy above. What do you see? Paul sees it as a cause of alarm. But he links it to form and function. In other words, he fears people who have the form of being people of faith, but one who doesn't see it's power and it's function. It's appearance without reality. And it's present in that sordid list of corruption.

Yet, it springs from an appearance that doesn't connect with the function of genuine faith in Christ. "Have nothing to do with such people." Paul's concern was he saw such people in the church. Let it not be us.

Joyfully,

Dale Patterson