2 Timothy 3:3 - unappeasable

“The Last Days and the Spirit of Reconciliation”
(2 Timothy 3:3, November 20, 2011)

1 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty.
2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,
3 heartless, unappeasable, ...

unappeasable
How can we have peace with God? Only through the blood of His Son.

Everyone feels the effects of the fall. The natural man looks for some way to appease the gods. Tribal religions are full of various offerings and libations designed to turn away the wrath of angry deities.

The word translated “unappeasable” in 2 Timothy 3:3 comes from the practice of pouring out libations before a god who was an enemy to be appeased. But the word here is about relationships among people and is the negation of the practice of bringing a libation to someone to secure peace. In the “last days,” people will be unable to be placated by any kind of libation that could ever be imagined. They will be unappeasable, unwilling to pursue reconciliation.

The King of reconciliation
In light of the mercies of God to us in Christ, God calls us in 2 Corinthians 5 to receive the Lord's message of reconciliation, and to be ambassadors of God who bring a message of God's reconciliation to others. Christ is the King of the church. He is a King of reconciliation.

The Spirit of reconciliation
He has also granted to us a Spirit of reconciliation. His Spirit is a marker of the eternal peace that we have with Him, a peace that was won for us at the cost of the life of Jesus. It is His right as our King to call us forward in this mission.

The community of reconciliation
Jesus has called us to be a community of reconciliation in a world where so many people are unappeasable. As those who have heard the Lord's word of the most complete and generous reconciliation that can be imagined between God and His people, we should be delighted to speak forward the Word of the Lord's reconciliation to others.

We also should be people of reconciliation in our own relationships with other people.

We can only do so much. Romans 12:18 says, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” Sometimes reconciliation may not be possible, at least not today. But we look for a better day. We are not content with enmity or even with a respectable distance between those who should be close.

We have full peace with God. Yet in the last days, many people will be unappeasable in their relationships with each other.