Faithlessness of the Reprobate - 2 Timothy 3:8

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers,incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof ... led away with divers lusts, ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.

Paul gives us a whole laundry list of sins to expect from men of the last days. Although no list can be complete, it is sometimes instructive to have a list of things to be wary of - both in ourselves and in our fellow man. Additionally, we are given Jannes and Jambres as examples of resisters of truth. Traditionally, these two were magicians in Pharaoh's court who attempted to oppose Moses' wonders with their own magic tricks. Also in the midrash, these two accompanied the children of Israel during the exodus and used their influence in the creating of the golden calf incident.

Paul tells us that men like these have corrupt minds, and reprobate concerning the faith - reprobate can mean unprincipled or without morals. This is an instructive word because the inverse means principled and with morals. A man of faith does have principles and stands by them no matter what the circumstance. A man of principle, whether a man of faith or not, is always respected because he has drawn boundaries for himself and will not cross them. This is a sign of true liberty and freedom.

It may sound contradictory that true liberty and freedom circumscribes itself with boundaries, but it is true. The point is that a man of principle understands that certain boundaries, if crossed have consequences that will restrict his freedom. Now, the wise question at this point is: What boundaries could I draw for myself that will maximize my freedom? And the answer is the commandments of God. His plan is laid out with maximum foresight, wisdom and understanding, and if followed, will maximize not only our freedom, but also our potential.

As an aside, we must note that boundaries are not always clear, as the Ecclesiast states:

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

The key, and the gift to the faithful is the guidance of the Spirit of God. It will guide us in all cases. A man of faith keeps the letter of the commandments, but most importantly, he keeps the spirit of the commandments, the constant and living revelation to his soul.