Cubic Zirconium
“having a form of godliness, but denying the power of it” 2 Timothy 3:5
Form – “Build the perfect engagement ring,” says the advertisement, “at a fraction of the price.” Don’t worry about appearances. This cubic zirconium has “diamond quality”. What an intriguing statement! How can a substitute for the real thing have the quality of the real thing? Advertisers are so clever. They create the emotional feel associated with diamonds by simply mentioning the diamond quality of the artificial. If Paul were a jeweler, you wouldn’t find any cubic zirconium in his shop.
Sometimes it is very difficult (without training) to tell the difference between the real and the artificial. But there are standards and sooner or later the real is separated from the fake. The same situation applies to followers of Jesus. Some appear to be diamond quality. They will stand before Jesus and claim that they cast out demons in his name, healed the sick in his name, preached in his name. But they are zirconium. The real quality just isn’t there.
Paul uses the word morphosin, a verb made into a noun. This word describes not just the end product but also the process of shaping and forming something. It’s not just false theology. It’s also false application, false action. In fact, it might be possible to have the theology correct but the actions all messed up. For example, we might have a solid belief in the temporal duration of our life on earth but, when it comes to real action, we still behave as though this life is the place of real significance. We act as though there isn’t anywhere else to go even when we believe that heaven is over the horizon. That’s a process problem. The actions don’t line up with the beliefs. It’s like saying we believe that Jesus is the only way but being embarrassed to tell our struggling brothers and sisters about Him. Like singing “Amazing Grace” but pretending our sins aren’t really horrible.
If you think about this word for more than a moment, it should scare you just a little. It’s not always easy to know what is genuine, particularly when the genuine is demanding and difficult. Human beings seem to prefer the more pleasant road, the quicker fix, the simpler read. In general, we have stopped working on our faith. We have too many other things to do. We settle for diamond quality because it doesn’t cost as much.
Have you ever asked yourself if you are wearing zirconium faith? Are you looking for the easier way? Do you want the tidy solutions? Is blessing more important than willingness to suffer? Would you rather be a rich Christian than a wretched sinner? If the life of Jesus is the real diamond, how do you measure up?
