Apostasy

Apostasy

1 Tim 4:1-5

1. Preliminary Thoughts

a. The chapter division does not help here—Chapter 4 is definitely a continuation of the thoughts of chapter 3.

(1) The church is the pillar and ground of the Truth
(2) The heart of the Truth is Who and What Jesus is.
(3) Chapter 4 is largely concerned with continuing the defense of the faith first mentioned in chapter 1—why is this theme repeated again and again? Because this was then (as it is now) a major problem,
(4) In general these verses deal with the idea of apostasy, and in particular with one specific group of false teachers that were apparently in Ephesus.



b. What does the word “apostasy”mean?

(1) There are actually two terms used that m mean the same thing, apostasia, and aphistemi

(2) Very simply, apostasy means to depart. Most of the references to this word merely mean that, to depart from this place, etc.

(3) Twice, it refers to believers departing from sin, or pulling away from false teachers

(4) But in this passage and other places, it refers to leaving the faith, and in one riveting use, the Holy Spirit tells us a very important fact about things to come.

2 Thes 2:3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.

(5) Just before the rapture, there is going to be the greatest apostasy in the history of the church—and there have been some great ones already.

(6) Jesus talks about this apostasy in Mat 24:23-28

(7) And after the Rapture, when the church is gone and the restraining hand of the Spirit of God is drawn back, THE Apostasy (Greek) will be complete.

(8) But, until then, apostasy has been and will be a problem.

(Acts 20:28-31) ""Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. 29 "For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 "Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. 31 "Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears."

2. What Does This Passage Teach Us About Apostasy? (1 Tim 4:1-5) "Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons…”

a. Apostasy is a certainty—it will happen “…the Spirit expressly says…”

(1) First, there is no doubt that the Holy Spirit has told Paul this, and that Paul has been inspired by God to write this.
(2) But there have also been warnings about apostasy throughout the ministry of Jesus and in the ministries and writings of the other apostles, and elsewhere in Paul’s writings

(Mark 13:22) ""For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect."

(Acts 20:29) ""For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock."

(3) Latter Times—can mean any time from the time Jesus came until now.

(4) the last days began when Jesus came the first time—(Heb 1:1-2)

(5) Pentecost was part of the “last days”—(Acts 2:17) "'And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh…”

b. False Doctrines and heresies will multiply as the last days grows on
(2 Tim 3:1) "But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:"

(2 Pet 3:3) "knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts,"

c. Apostates will depart from the faith

(1) From “the faith once delivered…”

(2) There is a body of doctrinal beliefs that the Bible calls “the faith.” It is The Faith to the exclusion of other beliefs, and it is to be believed in and practiced by every believer—Mat 28:19-20

d. Facts about the faith

(1) The Faith is something we must obey (Rom 16:26)

(Acts 6:7) "… a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith."

(Rom 1:5) "Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name,"

(2) We can become stronger in the faith

(Acts 14:22) "strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, "We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.""

(Acts 16:5) "So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and increased in number daily."

(3) One can be weak in the faith and still be in the faith

(Rom 14:1) "Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things."

(4) The Faith is a place to take a stand

( (1 Cor 16:13) "Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong."

(5) Every person in the church is supposed to be built up, established, and unified in the faith
(Eph 4:13) "till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;"

(Col 2:7) "rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving."

(1 Tim 3:9) "holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience."

(6) The Faith is something we must fight for

(2 Tim 4:7) "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."

(1 Pet 5:9) "Resist him, steadfast in the faith…”

(Jude 1:3) "…contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints."

(a) Church is no game, nor a country club, nor a place to come in to be made to feel good.

(b) Church is about witnessing “the faith” to the lost, and teaching “the faith” to those who get saved, and helping people learn to walk and live “the faith”

(c) We may differ as a church, and between churches, as to non-essential points of understanding—Romans 14—but on matters of life and death (The Christian Worldview, The Bible, Salvation by Grace through Faith, The Trinity, the Person and Work of Christ, the Lordship of Christ, the Person and work of the Holy Spirit, and the need for a consistent Christian life, etc., on those doctrines that constitute the faith, there can be no compromise

c. Facts about apostates

(1) The apostate has no root

(a) The Parable of the Soils (Luke 8)
(b) The Context—Jesus is explaining to the disciples that which is hidden from the crowd

(Luke 8:13) ""But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away."

(2) The Apostate has no real fruit—Mat 7:13-20 (Mat 7:15-16) ""Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 "You will know them by their fruits. …"

(3) The Apostate teaches doctrines of demons

(1 Tim 4:1) "Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons,"

(1 Cor 10:20-21) "Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord's table and of the table of demons."

(a) False religions are demonic in origin
(b) False religions are demon-inspired as to teachings
(c) False religions are utterly false

(4) The Apostate has an evil heart of unbeliefè (Heb 3:12) "Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God;"

(5) The Apostate participates in, excuses, or ignores Immoral behavior. Rev 2:14, 2:20-23

(6) In other words, an apostate is someone who claimed to be born again, who claimed to be saved, but was never saved and who proved it by departing, morally and doctrinally, from “…the faith once delivered to the saints…” (Jude 3)

3. Why Does Apostasy Happen?

a. The Apostate is listening to the wrong voices è he has been deceived “…giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons...”

(1) Here is the problem—without discernment, there is no ability to recognize a fake teaching è Lost people have no discernment,

(2) The second problem is that they are drawn away and deceived, not by persuasive men (though they may be the tools), but they are led away by satanic forces, the demonic hordes, who are always looking for someone to devour.

(3) In opposing apostasy, we are not opposing men and women—this is not about winning an argument or convincing someone by logic—there is no logic with an apostate, for they are under demonic influence.

(Eph 6:11-12) "… 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places."

b. The bottom line is that the lost church member who departs from he faith is deceived by deceiving spirits, and then begins to believe, support, and teach doctrines of the Devil and his crew.

c. What are the effects of Apostasy in an apostate? “…speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron…” They become so intent that they lose all sense of reality and truth, and they are ready to lie, cheat, steal, and personally attack true believers. They are so insensitive to sin, that they blaspheme God and harass His people and His church.

4. The Nature of and Truth About This Particular apostasy “…3 forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods…”

a. First, note the illogical and blatantly false nature of this false teaching—God instituted marriage in Genesis, and the Bible holds marriage to be “the institution which God loves (Mal 2) and in the NT, the New Covenant abolishes all dietary laws.

b. Forbidding to marry—

(1) there were several cult groups in Paul’s day which forbade marriage—and this has continued in various forms.

(2) The Cathars, in France in the 1100s and 1200s practiced a form of this, by not allowing relations between husband and wife after baptism.

(3) The Shaker religion forbade marriage

(4) Some denominations do not allow their ministers to marry, which has resulted in centuries of great problems that result from forcing men to live in that abnormal state.

(5) Abstaining from foods
(a) In the OT, there was a ceremonial set of laws about what one could and could not eat—observant Jews follow these codes today.
(b) But in the NT, the Law has been fulfilled and superseded—(See Acts 10, Acts 15, Gal 2-3)

(c) Again, several cult groups restrict the diets of their members in some ways.

5. The Answer, simple, direct, and biblical—“…from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. 4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; 5 for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer."

a. The Answer to This Heresy

(1) Those who believe and know the Truth will understand
(2) God created these foods to be thankfully consumed
(3) God created no bad creatures
(4) The Word, and Prayer
(a) The Word tells us that the dietary laws are fulfilled and no longer in use
(b) Prayer dedicates the food to God.

b. How does this relate to illegal drugs, etc.? It does NOT relate—those are not food items.

c. A model for the last of the last days

(1) We live in an age lacking discernment

(2) We live in an age when many leaders in so-called Bible-believing churches give in to every trend and fad instead of preaching the Truth.

(3) We live in an age when doctrinal accuracy and precision, even about the most vital doctrines, is lacking

(4) We live in a time when the making of distinctions is considered ill-mannered and rude.

(5) We live in the age of itching ears
(a) 2 Tim 3:1-13
(b) 2 Tim 4:1-5

b. We live in an age when (in America anyway) like that of Laodecia (Rev 3:14-22)