Some Will Depart (1 Timothy 4:1-5)

Pastor, there’s no way around it. Some will leave your church. Some will withdraw. Some will remove themselves. Some will fall away. It was happening in Ephesus under Timothy’s ministry and it’s likely to happen in your ministry too.

Let’s listen to what Paul says to Timothy about it. It’ll help us better understand how these departures come about, which will help us better protect our churches.

Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith… (v.1a)

The Holy Spirit has made a statement on this subject. He has said something about it in clear terms that you can take to the bank: Some will depart, not only from our churches, but from the faith altogether.

The Spirit says it in Matthew 20:10-11. “And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray.” He also says it (specifically about the Ephesian church) in Acts 20:29-30. “I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them.”

Notice what’s behind these departures: False prophets, fierce wolves, and men speaking twisted things. But what’s behind these men is something even more sinister.

…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… (v.1a-2)

No one in your church will decide to follow a demon instead of Christ. But they might decide to follow a convincing person who has a new, appealing take on spirituality.

Many Christians are not aware that there are hypocritical liars at work in the church—people who look great on the outside, but on the inside have cauterized consciences, who feel no guilt when they pretend to be holy in order to gain influence in the church. And many Christians don’t realize the evil spiritual forces at work through such people.

What sort of ideas do these demonic deceivers promote? Child sacrifice? Pentagram tattoos? Goat blood cocktails? No, in Ephesus, they were promoting something seemingly good and seemingly small.  

…through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods… (v.2-3a)

Wait a minute. That’s it? This is the dangerous false teaching that was drawing people away from the faith? Can’t a Christian maintain his faith while following some ascetic practices like these? Not in this case, for two reasons.

First, this is part of a larger falsehood infection in the Ephesian church, which involved:

• Teaching different doctrine (1:3)
• Devotion to myths and endless genealogies (1:4)
• Promoting speculation instead of stewardship of the gospel (1:4)
• Swerving from and rejecting pure-heartedness, good consciences, and sincere faith (1:5-6, 19)
• Vain discussion (1:6)
• Confident, but ignorant assertions about the law (1:7)
• Shipwrecking faith (1:19)
• Blasphemy (1:20)

Forbidding marriage and requiring abstinence from foods were not isolated aspects of otherwise sound teaching. They were part of a huge, damaging distortion of the gospel spreading in the church.

Second, even taken by themselves, these actions were causing serious harm.

…who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. (v.3)

Falsely causing God’s people to forsake and abstain from things he designed to be received is a serious offense. God created marriage and food to be aggressively received (that’s the connotation of the Greek)—grabbed hold of with enthusiasm and gratitude. By hindering their reception of these gifts, the false teachers were putting a kink in the hose of thanksgiving that was supposed to be pouring out from God’s people. They were hindering worship.

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. (v.4-5)

Everything God has created is good. This is the same word translated noble in 3:1. Marriage and food, like everything else God has made, are beautiful, excellent things that are not to be thrown away as though worthless or, even worse, as though negative.

Those who believe and know the truth are to receive such things eucharistic-ally, with eyes and hearts turned toward God in thanksgiving for his goodness and grace. This kind of reception is a holy act.

The word of God and prayer do not mystically transform marriage and food into holy things, they transform God’s people so that they see God’s hand behind them. They bring about the proper recognition and acknowledgement that God has created and calls these things good.

Be Prepared

Be sharpened against falsehoods of all sorts. Don’t let anyone forbid what is good in your church, diverting them from true holiness in Christ to false holiness in asceticism. Beware of:

• Hyper-spiritualized diet culture
• Over-promotion of singleness beyond what Paul talks about in 1 Corinthians 7
• An austere, anti-pleasure mindset
• Monastic minimalism as a path to godliness
• Rigid Sabbatarianism
• Over-spiritualized poverty

Such ideas may seem small at first, but they can cause people to depart from your church and, much worse, from faith in Jesus Christ.

This was Timothy’s situation. False teachers were luring people away from the faith toward a deceptive spirituality that rejected God’s good gifts, in pursuit of counterfeit holiness. God wants his pastors to understand these things so they can be prepared to protect his churches.

Pastor, are you prepared to protect your church from falsehood that might draw your people away from the faith? Are you preaching and teaching the truth? Are you addressing falsehood when it pops up? Are you keeping your eyes open for false teachers in your congregation? Are you guarding the Sunday school class, small group, and book stall from deceitful spirits and teachings of demons?

Don’t Panic

Don’t panic when some fall away, but don’t shrug it off either. Shepherd with your eyes open and your heart fixed on the truth. Keep calling your people to receive God’s good gifts with thanksgiving, to walk in real holiness, and to reject counterfeits.

Keep teaching the gospel with clarity. Keep praying over your people with urgency. Keep delighting in the goodness of God with. And keep guarding the flock from the subtle lies that would draw them away.