Scripture Read: 1 Timothy
4:1 But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith,
paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,
Application: The
idea brought forth by the term “fall away” causes many a lot of problems in the Body of Christ these
days. This should not be so. The key to understanding this term “fall away from the faith” is to read the context of the term and see how it is used
in the passage you are reading and interpret that with the totality of other
teaching or doctrine on this issue throughout scripture. A haphazard question
would be, “does God
lose or deny one that “had” belonged to Him?” thus assuming that
there was a loss of salvation. Yet when we read all the teaching on the gift of
Salvation, it is clear that it is a wrong
supposition, thus a wrong question.
Those that come to true conversion are no longer their own, they are the
possession of God, because they are “bought with a price” = the blood
of Christ that was shed for the payment of our sins, “sealed until
the day of redemption” sealed stronger than zip-lock bags! “adopted” = legally taken
up as His own , “regenerated” = reformed
or reborn, esp. in a spiritual or moral sense, taken up into a renewed
existence., “ their names
are written in the book of life BEFORE the foundation of the world”. These actions just to name a very few,
are irrevocable! So when we deal with this term “fall away from the
faith” we must remember that believers can and do “fall away” ~ and we end
up in the condition of a child of God, that wastes His investment:
1 Cor 3:10–15 According to the grace of God which was
given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is
building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. 11
For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is
Jesus Christ. 12 Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold,
silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each man’s work will
become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with
fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. 14
If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. 15
If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be
saved, yet so as through fire.
When reading this
passage though, we see the discription of a different kind of “falling away”. We see a person that “seemed” to be following the Truth, but evidently
from their works, authentic conversion never took place, because when another
gospel is told to them or comes their way, they follow it. What a tragedy! They
were so close, but would not take the final step of complete surrender.
The word used here describes the situation well:
Fall Away ἀφίστημι aphístēmi;
from apó - from, and hístēmi - to stand, to place: to put away,
remove, to withdraw, remove oneself, forsake, desert, retire, cease from
something.
In 1 Tim. 4:1, the word is translated
“depart,” meaning they stood away from believing. This does not refer to those
who had at one time been believers, but to those who refuse to believe, who
stand aloof, alone (Heb. 3:12).
The
word is also used in Luke 8:13 in connection with the interpretation of the
seed that falls on stony ground. The seed finds a little soil on top of the
stone, but it is not enough to take root and so the growth is only seasonal.
When testing comes, there is no root to hold it down. The word aphístantai here
does not indicate uprooting because there never was a root; the temporary plant
stood by itself. The union with the soil was only an apparent union, never a
true foundation with roots capable of holding up the plant.[1]
Those who depart from the faith are not the
heretical teachers of 1:3, but those whom they mislead (Vincent).
The word “depart” is aphistēmi (ἀφιστημι), “to stand off from, to fall away.”
Our word “apostatize” is the English
spelling of a form of the Greek word. The definite article before the word
“faith” marks it out as speaking, not of faith as an act, but of the Faith,
that body of doctrine which forms the basis of what we as Christians believe.[2]
It is so important to realize ~ in the end, it really does
not matter how far or close you came, the point is you missed the truth! We are
fallen beings, and if we miss it by a millimeter, we are still separated from our
Creator. However, the sense of loss seems much greater when we see people that
are inches away from entering a relationship that will secure their eternity
with Jesus Christ only to then turn away to an eternity separated from Him and
life. All the more reason we should pray for those we love and are hoping will
listen to the Truth AND embrace it for them selves! Not being only a hearer,
but a doer.
Meditation Questions: How
secure do you feel in your relationship with Christ? Do you think you could
break that relationship? How? What does that say? Is there a difference between
“relationship? And “fellowship”? What is it? Can you lose something you never
had? Can you look like someone that had something, but never did? Can you think
of examples? If you are a parent, is there anything your child could do that
would change their blood connection to you? Is there anything your child could
do that would change their friendship with you? Is there a difference? What is
it?
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