Have you ever had a friend or a loved one “fall away” from the faith? Maybe for a while, you did. What does this look like? How does it happen? And what can we do to help?
Paul warns Timothy of this possibility in 1 Timothy 4:1-5:
“Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.”
Unfortunately, people leaving the faith is something that has been “expressly” told to us by the Holy Spirit in His Word. It is helpful, however, to know that this can and will happen, and have some identifiers as to what this looks like early, so hopefully we can “nip it in the bud,” whether for ourselves, our loved ones, or our brethren.
The first thing Paul lays out in this passage is the means by which people will depart from the faith: primarily by “devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teaching of demons.” He speaks of false doctrine earlier in this letter in 1:3-4, telling Timothy to “charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith.” While “different” in general is not always necessarily a bad thing, when it comes to the teaching or “doctrine” of Christ, that is not something that can be diluted or adapted in any way! While teachers, evangelists, and leaders have a special responsibility as far as what they teach, each individual has a responsibility as well to have Berean-like fervor as they learn about the Scriptures, “examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things [are] so” (Acts 17:11). If we are not careful of the sources we are listening to and checking everything we hear or read with the Scriptures, we may find ourselves being sidetracked or taken off-course by “different doctrine!”
Paul also makes clear that there are many types of “myths and genealogies” that are fruitless. Part of staying on course is that we listen to sound doctrine and continue to study more deeply, but another part is making sure we do not get “lost in the weeds,” so to speak. There is so much depth to be found and understood in scripture, and sometimes there is a lot of nuance and detail for us to discover, but sometimes what started as harmless curiosity can consume us in a way that simply is not helpful. Titus 3:9 specifically says, “avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless.” We want to focus on the “meat and potatoes,” not things that are “unprofitable and worthless!”
Paul also warns Timothy about listening to those who have a “seared conscience.” We can clearly see why this would be detrimental to our growth and development as Christians and students of the Word. The Bible is meant to impact, change, and teach us constantly. If we are not growing, we are coasting, and like a car in neutral, we are likely coasting downhill or somewhere else we do not want to be.
Finally, Peter gives us some daily practical advice on how to be on guard from “departing” from the faith, and that is “practicing” and “adding to” our faith! Just like our physical health, spiritually, we may need some “supplements”!
“… make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.” (2 Peter 1:5-10)
May we always be growing, supplementing, and confirming our faith, never departing from the Lord, just as He never departs from us!
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