1 Timothy 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, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared as with a hot iron, forbidding to marry and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. (1 Timothy 4:1–5)

Why the deadliest threat to a healthy church is not a return to immorality, but the seductive comfort of self-righteousness.

Getting Back on Course

If we rewind the tape about ten weeks, you'll remember we were in the book of 1 Timothy before our detour into the "Life in Connection" series. My original plan was to go through this book in six weeks—a chapter a week. How many of you know that we make plans and God laughs? We're somewhere between twelve and sixteen weeks in, with three chapters left. I'm calling this series On Course, and today we get back on course, beginning at chapter four.

First, a refresher on why we're here. We are a church that focuses on the Word of God, believing God desires through His Word to transform us more and more into the likeness of His Son. For the better part of the last ten years we've been journeying through the New Testament chronologically, beginning with Acts in November of 2008.

Why This Letter Exists

Acts is a history book that largely focuses on the apostolic church-planting ministry of Paul—his three missionary journeys. On the first (Acts 13–15), Paul and Barnabas left their home church in southern Syria and ventured into Galatia, planting churches among Gentiles in Lystra, Iconium, and Derbe. God's heart was never for one group in one place at one time, but for all people in every place at all times. I'm grateful, because I'm not Jewish, and most of you aren't either—yet we still have opportunity to be saved by the grace of Jesus.

On his second journey (Acts 16 onward), Paul, Silas, Luke, and Timothy crossed into Europe, planting churches in Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea, and finally landing in Corinth. On his third journey (Acts 18–19), Paul returned to Ephesus and spent two to three years establishing a church that would become one of the most impactful in the world. Six of the seven churches of Revelation were a product of Ephesus, and even the church at Rome was established as a byproduct of Paul's ministry there.

Acts ends with Paul in Rome under house arrest, awaiting trial before Caesar Nero on the false accusation of sedition—the very charge for which Jesus was condemned. The gospel of Christ is an offense to those who are perishing, both in our day and throughout church history.

A Drifting Church

Church tradition tells us Paul was released from that first imprisonment and, with Timothy, revisited some of the churches he had established, eventually returning to Ephesus. The last time Paul had been there was around AD 58; now it was about AD 64 or 65. In just six or seven years, the church had drifted off course.

You've all been to the beach. You stand in front of lifeguard tower thirteen, get in the water for a few hours, and the next thing you know you're in front of tower fifteen. You don't have to do anything to drift. The Ephesian church had drifted, and Paul knew he couldn't stay. So he turned to Timothy and said, in effect, "I have to go to Macedonia. I want you to stay and set in order the things that are off course."

Timothy did not love this idea. Have you ever sensed the Lord leading you in a direction you were apprehensive about? Walk with Jesus long enough and you will. In 1 Timothy 1:3, Paul writes:

As I urged you when I went into Macedonia—remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine, nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith.

The Evidence of an Off-Course Church

You can know when a church or an individual believer is off course; it becomes evident. An off-course church gets tied up in false doctrines, fables, and endless genealogies. People separate themselves by spiritual pedigree—"I was baptized by this person"; "I'm of Calvin"; "I'm of Arminius." Because of our sin nature, we segregate ourselves into factions and cliques. It was true at Ephesus 2,000 years ago; it happens at this church and any other. These things lead to speculative controversies and meaningless disputes. I've seen it sadly here, and in many other churches.

What, then, is the evidence of a church that is on course? Look at 1 Timothy 1:5: "Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith." That's point number one: love is the clearest evidence of soundness of faith and doctrine. Jesus said, "By this shall all men know that you are My disciples, if you have love one for another" (John 13:35). Paul told the Galatians the fruit of the Spirit is chiefly love, producing joy, peace, kindness, gentleness, and self-control. Our carnal nature drives us toward division; Christ by His Spirit wants to work something new.

A Sobering Prediction

Now we come to the transition at 1 Timothy 4:1: "Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith." That's a bit of a letdown. Paul had just charged Timothy to get this church back on course, and now he says the Spirit has plainly declared that some of these very people will leave. Point number two: don't be surprised by the Spirit's sobering prediction.

This is striking: a church planted by Paul and pastored by Timothy can stray and stumble and fall like a Judas. Judas had Jesus as his pastor. Just because you have a great pastor does not mean you have a great walk. There falls responsibility upon us to work out our salvation.

There are four things to consider in this verse. First, who announces this danger? Not just Paul. He had warned the Ephesian elders in Acts 20 that savage wolves would come in, not sparing the flock. But here it's the Holy Spirit—and notice the present tense. He doesn't say the Spirit said this, but that the Spirit says it. This is a word not only for Timothy 2,000 years ago, but for all churches and all pastors at all times. Hopefully we have ears to hear what the Spirit says.

The Latter Times—and the Real Danger

Second, when will this happen? "In latter times." This phrase can become a stumbling block, because we easily assume it has an end-times-only, eschatological focus. For the last 130 to 150 years the American church has been deeply interested in the study of last things. There's rarely a month in my nineteen years of ministry when someone hasn't come to me, freaked out from watching the news or YouTube, asking, "Are we in the last days?" In reality, Paul is giving a broad, future-focused view. The essence of what he says to Timothy and to all pastors is this: where you are now does not determine where you will be in the future.

Point number three: walking with Jesus today does not guarantee continuance with Jesus tomorrow. For some this is a stumbling block because of a theological view—what's called eternal security, or the "P" in the five points of Calvinism, the perseverance of the saints. Who wouldn't want to hold to "once saved, always saved"? But there are real cautions in Scripture about apostasy, about falling away. We spent most of last year in Hebrews—chapters three, six, nine, and ten all emphasize this. I would love to fully lay hold of "once saved, always saved," but there are these little speed bumps in my Bible and yours. If you've walked with Jesus for years, you know someone who used to walk with Him and no longer does. Someone may object, "They were never really saved." Fine—say whatever you want; they're not here anymore, and they once were. God doesn't give warnings for no reason.

Third, what are the circumstances foretold? "Some will depart from the faith." It's stated ambiguously—not a specific person or group. There are those I would have said would never fall away, and yet they've been counted among the "some." The word depart can mean fall away, withdraw, desert, flee, or cease. In any context, it's not a pretty picture.

Fourth, how will this departure occur? "Giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons." Paul calls Timothy to fight the good fight of faith, to do the work of an evangelist, to be a good minister of the gospel—yet some will still fall away. The pastor must do the hard work of instructing the body in sound doctrine no matter the outcome. And here is the encouragement: the persistence of his work is not ultimately judged by the perseverance of his hearers. I'm grateful I won't stand before Jesus and hear, "Well done, Miles—except for those twenty people who stopped walking." Scripture says, "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:12–13). It doesn't say, "Pastor, make sure they're working it out," or we'd need secret-agent elders watching all day.

The Marks of Departure

What are the signs that a person is being led this direction? Paul says they will be "speaking lies in hypocrisy." They live a hypocritical lie—to themselves, convinced this practice brings them to a higher plane of spirituality, and to others, claiming to be more spiritual. They have their "conscience seared as with a hot iron"—they've deadened the voice of God in their lives until they no longer hear Him directing them. That's a scary thing.

Then in verse three the departure is marked by "forbidding to marry and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving." This is striking. When I imagine someone departing from the faith, my mind goes to a brother or sister who has returned to immorality, drug use, or drunkenness—the very things they were saved out of. But that's not what Paul is talking about.

Falling back into immorality is clearly a problem—but it is easy to identify and relatively easy to deal with through church discipline and a call to repentance. The departure that is more seductive and far harder to address is not a return to immorality, but a turn to religious legalism. The truly deceptive demonic doctrines are not the ones that entice Christians back to sin. They are the ones that whisper, "If you eat of this fruit, you will be like God." As Paul warned the Corinthians, "I am concerned that as Satan beguiled Eve, so also you would be beguiled away from the simplicity that is in Christ." The seductive false teachings say, "If you abstain from this, you'll be more spiritual; if you practice this, you'll be above those people." Our flesh loves religious legalism.

Point number four: beware of the seductive sin of self-righteousness.

A Letter from Jesus to Ephesus

The most striking thing about Ephesus is that another letter was written to this same church about twenty-five years after Paul wrote to Timothy—and it wasn't written by Paul. It was written by Jesus, recorded in Revelation 2.

I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars. (Revelation 2:2)

Who wouldn't want to be part of this church? They couldn't stand evil workers, they tested false apostles, they persevered without becoming weary. Then comes verse four:

Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.

The word depart in 1 Timothy 4:1 is the same Greek root as left here. Twenty-five years before, Paul warned that some would depart from the faith—and Jesus says to this same church, "Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place." They hated the deeds of the Nicolaitans; they had everything going on—and yet they had departed from Jesus Himself. That is something to chew on.

The greatest evidence of salvation is not spiritual self-discipline, spiritual gifts, spiritual power, self-denial, or sniffing out sin. The greatest evidence of salvation is love for God and love for one another. Jesus said, "You've got everything going—but you missed something. You departed from Me."

You Don't Have to Become a Celibate Vegan

Back in 1 Timothy 4:4, Paul says, "For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer." You do not have to become a celibate vegan to be pleasing to Jesus. Amen. I had one of the best steaks last night at Ventana—it was phenomenal.

There was a group in the Ephesian church—and I guarantee there's a group in this church, and in Emanuel Faith, Mission Hills, Bethel Baptist, and every other church—who lived and taught that to be right with God you must not eat this, or you must abstain from that, or be celibate. Paul says nothing is to be refused if received with thanksgiving, for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.

Think about this. If foods the Old Testament once set apart as unclean are now sanctified by God's word and prayer, how could we ever think we are sanctified by not partaking of them? The implication is clear: we are sanctified by the word of God—by Him, not by our actions or refusals. Observing the Sabbath does not make one righteous. Keeping kosher does not make one righteous. Remaining celibate does not make one righteous.

Do people really think these things? Consider the Desert Fathers, Christian mystics from roughly AD 200 to 400, whose works are popular among many Christians today. One lived atop a pillar in the deserts of Syria for thirty-three years to separate himself from the world, and people literally looked up to him as so spiritual. This was a form of Gnosticism—the heresy that everything of this world is carnal and everything of God is spiritual, so true spirituality requires separation from earthly things. It continues today.

Christ's Finished Work Alone

Point number five: Christ's finished work alone secures and sustains our righteous standing. Do you realize it's possible to believe in Jesus and trust in something else? That's what the Ephesian church fell into. I believe in Jesus, I go to church, I give—and yet I trust in my own self-righteousness, my abstention from some earthly thing, for my right standing with God. But Christ and Christ alone, His finished work on the cross, secures and sustains our righteousness. He saved you by His work on the cross; He is sanctifying us by His work on the cross; He will glorify us by His work on the cross.

Paul told the Galatians, who were being seduced the same way, "O foolish Galatians... having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?" Does this mean we don't work out our salvation with fear and trembling? No—for it is God who works in us to will and to do His good pleasure, for His glory. But we must be careful not to fall into the trap of seductive spirits and doctrines of demons that say, "If you do this thing, or refuse that thing, you'll be better before God than all those other people."

So we must commit ourselves to the exercise of godliness, which is where we go next week: "For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come." We're well beyond New Year's resolutions now on January 28th—but godliness profits for all things. God, work in us to trust in You and You alone.

Closing Prayer

Jesus, I pray that we would be a people, a church, who are trusting wholeheartedly in You and You alone. God, work in us today and this week to will and to do Your good pleasure, and make it evident to us. I pray that each of us would see in our lives this week the evidence of Your Spirit—love producing joy, peace, kindness, gentleness, self-control. Work these things in us that we and those around us would see them, for Your name and Your glory. We thank You that we are Your workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which You prepared beforehand that we would walk in them.

Perhaps you need to reaffirm your trust in Jesus today. You believe in Him, but you've been trusting in your own good works and righteousness to make yourself right with God. Confess that and reaffirm your trust in Jesus and Him alone. Pray with me: Jesus, help me to trust in You. Make it evident in my life today that I'm trusting in no other thing but You. Cause the fruit of the Spirit to be evident in me—interacting with my kids, my spouse, my neighbors. God, help me to exhibit self-control, patience, long-suffering, and kindness. In Jesus' name, amen.