A Form of Religion without Christ is the Problem of Narcissism

God described the problem in the end times that we call "narcissism." The word "difficult" in the original language means "ragingly insane."

2 Timothy 3:1-5

Difficult Times Will Come

"1 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.

2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, slanderers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,

3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good,

4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,

5 holding to a form of godliness although they have denied its power; avoid such people as these."

Notice these people "have a form of religion", they are in the churches and others in the church are coddling them and often don't even know they are rude and disrespectful because the narcissist only allows those they don't like to see it. They hide it from other church members because they know it is sin to act this way.

In my experience, it is impossible to resolve anything with a narcissist. They will fight to their own death rather than give in to anyone else so that both heal.

No one can change their behavior when they are convinced they have a good reason for misbehaving, even believing it isn't bad. They will never admit they have a problem with rudeness, so we cannot expect them to become convicted of their sin.

Conviction of sin causes someone to change when they admit they have a problem with sin. Refusing to admit sin, even defending it causes hardness of heart. The longer someone resists confessing the more hardened their heart becomes.

1 John 1:9

"9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Acts 7:51 “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you."

Hebrews 3:8 "7Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear His voice, 8do not harden your hearts, as you did in the rebellion, in the day of testing in the wilderness,"

In the account of Pharoah God hardened Pharoah's heart when Pharoah hardened his own heart. Those who resist correction and instruction are hardening their own heart and eventually, God will give them what they want and that is to further harden their heart for them so that they cannot come back from it, God makes it permanent.

This is why we see so many elderly people become worse in their old age, they have been hardening their hearts all their lives and one day they give up the pretense and the real them emerges. They do not become different as they grow older, they merely stop hiding what they have been all along.

Ephesians 4:18

"They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart."

May all of us who love Christ resolve to keep accounts with God regularly so that we learn His ways to obey them and so that He will not harden our hearts.