The Seductive Sin

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 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)

It is possible to believe in Jesus and still trust in something else—and that self-righteous drift is the most seductive sin of all.

Why We Are in This Book

We are a church that focuses on the Word of God, believing that 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 the book of Acts in November of 2008. Acts gives us the history of where we, the people of God, came from and what we should be about. That history book largely focuses on the apostolic church-planting ministry of a man named Paul.

On Paul's missionary journeys he and his companions planted churches among Gentile peoples. I'm grateful they did, because I'm not Jewish, and most of you are not either—yet we still have the opportunity to be saved by the grace of Jesus, because God's heart is for all people in all places at all times. On his third journey Paul returned to Ephesus, the chief city of coastal Turkey, and spent two to three years establishing a church that became one of the most impactful in the world. Six of the seven churches of Revelation, and even the church in Rome, were byproducts of that ministry.

Ephesus Off Course

Acts finishes with Paul under house arrest in Rome, awaiting trial before Caesar Nero on the false charge of sedition—the same charge for which Jesus was condemned. The gospel is an offense to those who are perishing. After his release, church tradition tells us Paul, with Timothy, traveled back east and returned to Ephesus. The last time Paul had been there was around AD 58; now it was about AD 64 or 65. In that short span of six or seven years, the church had drifted.

You've probably been to the beach, stood in front of lifeguard tower 13, and a few hours later found yourself in front of tower 15. You don't have to do anything to drift. So Paul turned to Timothy and said, in effect, "I've got to go to Macedonia. I want you to stay here and set in order the things that are off course." Timothy did not love this idea—if you've walked with Jesus long enough, you know the apprehension of being led into a hard assignment.

Evidence of a Church Off Course—and On Course

Paul reminds Timothy of this in 1 Timothy 1:3: "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." A church off course will get tangled in false doctrines, fables, and endless genealogies. People begin to separate by spiritual pedigree—"I was baptized by this person," "I'm of John Calvin," "I'm of Jacob Arminius." Our carnal nature divides us into cliques and factions, producing speculative controversies and meaningless disputes. I've seen it sadly in this church and in many others.

What is the evidence of a church that's on course? Paul tells us in verse 5: "Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith." Love is the clearest evidence of soundness of faith and doctrine. Jesus said in John 13:35, "By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, by the love that you have one for another." The fruit of the Spirit is chiefly love, which produces joy, peace, kindness, gentleness, and self-control. That is what God desires to grow in us.

The Spirit's Sobering Prediction

Then comes the letdown of 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." Don't be surprised by the Spirit's sobering prediction. A church planted by Paul and pastored by Timothy can stray, stumble, and fall like a Judas. Judas had Jesus Himself as his pastor. Just because you have a great pastor does not guarantee a great walk—there is a responsibility on us to work out our own salvation.

Notice who announces this danger. It isn't only Paul, who told the Ephesian elders in Acts 20 that he feared savage wolves would come in. It is the Holy Spirit. And Paul says the Spirit "says"—present tense—not "said." This is a word not only for Timothy 2,000 years ago but for all churches and all pastors at all times. May we have ears to hear what the Spirit is presently saying.

What "Latter Times" Means

When will this happen? "In latter times." That phrase can be a stumbling block, because we easily assume it has an end-times, eschatological focus only. For 150 years the American church has been deeply absorbed in the study of last things, and rarely a month goes by in my nineteen years of pastoring without someone, freaked out by the news or YouTube, asking, "Are we in the last days?" But Paul is giving a broad view of the future. The essence is this: where you are now does not determine where you will be tomorrow.

Walking with Jesus today does not guarantee continuance with Jesus tomorrow. For some this is a stumbling block because of a theological view—eternal security, or the perseverance of the saints, the P in Calvinism's TULIP. It sounds wonderful; who wouldn't want to say "once saved, always saved"? But there are cautions throughout Scripture about apostasy, falling away—in Hebrews 3, 6, 9, and 10 especially. These are speed bumps in our Bibles. If you've walked with Jesus for years, you know someone who once seemed to walk with Him and no longer does. Someone will object, "They were never really saved." Fine—they're not here anymore. God does not give warnings for no reason. A sign that reads "Danger—don't touch, this will kill you" exists so people stay away.

How the Departure Occurs

What are the circumstances? "Some will depart from the faith." It's stated ambiguously—not a named person or group, just "some." The word can mean fall away, withdraw, desert, flee, or cease. They were once here, once apparently walking with Christ, and now they are not. In any context, it's not a pretty picture.

How will it occur? They "give heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons." A pastor is called to fight the good fight, do the work of an evangelist, and be a good minister of Jesus Christ—yet some will still fall away. The pastor must do the hard work of instructing the body in sound doctrine no matter the outcome. There is encouragement here: the persistence of a pastor's work is not ultimately judged by the perseverance of his hearers. I'm grateful I won't one day stand before Jesus and be condemned because a group of people 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)—two of my favorite verses. It doesn't say the pastor must guarantee everyone's salvation, with secret-agent elders watching them all day. We preach the Word of God and entrust each person to the Spirit of God.

The Signs of the Drift

What are the indications a person is being led this way? "Speaking lies in hypocrisy"—they lie to themselves, believing this practice will bring them to a higher plane of spirituality, and they lie to others, claiming, "I'm more spiritual than you." Then, "having their own conscience seared with a hot iron"—they have deadened the voice of God so that they no longer hear Him directing them. And then the surprising specifics: "forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods."

When I imagine someone departing from the faith, my mind goes to a brother or sister who has returned to immorality, drug use, drunkenness—the very things they were saved out of. That is a real problem, but it is easy to identify and relatively easy to deal with through calling to repentance and, when necessary, church discipline, as in 1 Corinthians 5. But that is not what Paul is describing here.

Beware the Seductive Sin of Self-Righteousness

The far more seductive departure, and far harder to deal with, is not into immorality but into 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"—the same lie that beguiled Eve, drawing us away from the simplicity that is in Christ. They say, "If you abstain from this you'll be more spiritual; if you practice that you'll be above those people." Our flesh loves religious legalism. Beware of the seductive sin of self-righteousness.

The most striking thing is what happened to Ephesus afterward. About 25 years after Paul wrote Timothy, another letter came to this same church—this one 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... and have not become weary." Who wouldn't want to be part of that church?

"You Have Left Your First Love"

"Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from whence you have fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come quickly and remove your lampstand from its place." The word "left" in Revelation 2:4 shares the same Greek root as "depart" in 1 Timothy 4:1. Paul warned that some would depart; 25 years later Jesus says, "You have left Me." Ephesus did exactly what the Spirit foretold.

The greatest evidence of salvation, of the Spirit's presence in our lives, is not spiritual self-discipline, spiritual power, self-denial, or sniffing out sin. The greatest evidence is love for God and love for one another. Jesus told Ephesus, "You have everything going on—but you missed something. You departed from Me." That is something to chew on.

Sanctified by the Word of God

Back in 1 Timothy 4:4: "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. I had one of the best steaks of my life last night, and I'm grateful for it.

There was a group in Ephesus—and there's a group in every church—teaching that to be right with God you must not eat this, must fast from intimacy with your spouse, must remain celibate. Paul says no. Consider this: if foods the Old Testament set aside as unclean are now sanctified by God's word and prayer, how could abstaining from them make us holy? The implication is plain—we are sanctified by the Word of God, not by our refusal to engage with something. 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? Read church history from AD 200 to 400, the era of the Desert Fathers, whose works are popular among Christians today. One lived atop a pillar in the Syrian desert for 33 years to separate himself from the world, and people looked up to him as deeply spiritual. This was a form of Gnosticism—the second-century heresy that everything worldly is carnal and everything godly is spiritual, so that to be truly spiritual you must withdraw from the things of this world. It continues today.

Christ's Finished Work Alone

Christ's finished work alone secures and sustains our righteous standing. It is possible to believe in Jesus, go to church, give to the church—and still trust in something else: your self-righteousness, your abstention from some earthly thing. Paul told the Corinthians, "I am concerned that, as the serpent beguiled Eve, your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ." Christ's finished work on the cross saved you, is sanctifying you, and will glorify you into eternity.

To the Galatians, also being seduced, Paul cried, "O foolish Galatians! Having begun in the Spirit, are you now 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 and His name's sake. But we must be careful not to fall into the trap that says doing or avoiding some thing makes us better than everyone else.

So next week, in 1 Timothy 4 and following, we'll turn to godliness: "Bodily exercise profits little"—and by January 28th we are well beyond our New Year's resolutions—"but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come." May God work in us to trust in Him and Him alone.

Closing Prayer

Jesus, I pray that we would be a people, a church, 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. May each of us see in our lives the evidence of Your Spirit working in us—love producing joy, peace, kindness, gentleness, and self-control—for Your name and for Your glory. We thank You that we are Your workmanship, created in You for good works which You prepared beforehand that we would walk in them.

Maybe you need to reaffirm your trust in Jesus this morning. You believe in Jesus, but you've been trusting in your own good works and righteousness to make yourself right before God. This is a good opportunity to 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 no other thing but You. Cause the fruit of the Spirit to be evident in me—in interacting with my kids, my spouse, my neighbors, and those I'll be driving with tomorrow. God, help me to exhibit self-control, patience, long-suffering, and kindness. In Jesus' name, amen.