The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer”

(1 Timothy 4:1-5 NIV).

We all know people who have fallen away from the Christian faith. These are people who at one time made a profession of faith in Christ. They may have joined a Bible-believing church. I know some who were seminary graduates, active in ministry. But either they drifted from the Lord or deliberately turned away. They may have become ensnared in a cult or entangled by worldly values or have fallen into moral problems. But they are no longer living as Christians.

If we think such a thing could never happen to us, take heed lest you fall! We’re all vulnerable and we are at war with a cunning, deceptive enemy. We need to understand how not to fall away. Paul gives us an answer in 1 Timothy 4:1-5. It is not a complete answer, of course. A complete answer would entail all the New Testament teaching on spiritual life. But it is nonetheless a solid answer that will help us be on guard so that we do not fall away.

To avoid falling away, we must persevere in God’s truth with thankfulness. First, Paul shows the problem of these times: those who fall away from the faith (1 Timothy 4:1-3a). Then he reveals the perspective for these times: the outlook we need to persevere (1 Timothy 4:3b-5).

Paul refers to an explicit prophecy by the Holy Spirit that in later times some will fall away from the faith. He may be referring to Jesus’ prediction concerning the apostasy during the end times, “For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect” (Mark 13:22 NIV), or to other prophecies Paul made (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12; Acts 20:29). Paul may have received a new revelation from the Holy Spirit on this matter as he wrote this letter.

“Later times” refers to the entire church age, but there will be a major apostasy just before the Lord’s return (2 Thessalonians 2:1-3). Apparently, some in Ephesus were already turning away from the faith. Paul is telling Timothy these things so that he will be on guard as the problems grow worse.

Those whom Paul describes as falling away are people who are not enjoying God and the blessings He provides, but rather have fallen into an outward form of religion in which they deny themselves things, such as marriage and certain foods. In order to see how they got there, we need to understand that we are engaged in spiritual warfare.

We Are Engaged in Spiritual Warfare

The Scriptures teach that God not only created the material world, but that He also created spiritual beings. We normally cannot see or hear them, but they are nonetheless real. Some of these beings, called angels, are servants of God. The other beings, demons or evil spirits, are under Satan’s leadership. He and they were once angels who served God. But Satan rebelled and a great number of angels followed him. He is now their general and they serve in his army to thwart God’s purpose.

Paul says that these false teachers and those who follow them were actually following deceitful spirits and the doctrines of demons. The errors came through men in the church, but behind these professing Christians were demonic forces. “For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve” (2 Corinthians 11:13-15 NIV).

We are sometimes surprised when the enemy comes from within the church. We think the enemy is “out there,” not in here. But Scripture is clear that men in the church, recognized as leaders, who seem to be men of righteousness, will sometimes rise up to lead God’s people astray. Often behind such men are demonic forces.

Scripture shows that demonic influence can be blatant and obvious, for example, the Gerasene demoniac. But also demonic influence can be subtle enough to draw the unsuspecting into its grip. If you’ve ever been ripped off by a con artist, they didn’t walk up and say, “I’m going to steal your money!” They earned your trust, but their intent was to use you for their own selfish ends. That’s what was happening in Ephesus, and these deceitful evil spirits continue to work in churches to thwart God’s truth by their demonic, evil doctrines.

So often we see things only on the natural plane. But it is crucial that we understand that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). We are engaged in spiritual warfare!

Spiritual Warfare Involves the Mind

Apostasy, or falling away, always begins in the mind. These spirits are “deceitful” and they teach doctrines that sound biblical but are just slightly off. They are out to fool you and me in our thinking, but the people of God “believe and know the truth” (1 Timothy 4:3).

We need to be careful here. On one extreme, there is a wide movement in the American church that minimizes truth. This side says, “They will know we are Christians by our love,” and so they adopt a “peace at any cost” position that dilutes and ultimately destroys essential Christian truth. They emphasize tolerance and doctrinal diversity. If you speak out against error, this side accuses you of being unloving and divisive. But if we go down that road, we end up with the unbiblical view that truth doesn’t matter and that there is no such thing as sound doctrine, a major theme in this epistle.

On the other extreme, we can be so zealous for the truth that we shred relationships and end up falling into spiritual pride because we hold to “The Truth.” If you go far enough down that road, you end up in a church of one member, because you’ll never find another person who agrees with you on every minor point of doctrine.

The balance is to hold firmly to essential Christian truth while maintaining love and grace toward those who differ on secondary matters. We must know the truth well enough to recognize error when it comes disguised as biblical teaching. We must be discerning enough to distinguish between demonic doctrines that lead to apostasy and honest differences among believers on non-essential matters.

Paul’s answer is clear: to avoid falling away, we must persevere in God’s truth with thankfulness. We must recognize that we are in spiritual warfare. We must understand that the battle is for our minds. We must know the truth, believe the truth, and live the truth. And we must do all of this with thankful hearts, receiving God’s good gifts with gratitude rather than falling into legalistic denials that He never commanded.

The people who fall away are those who stop enjoying God and His blessings. They turn religion into a burden of rules and restrictions. They forbid what God allows and demand what God never required. They have a form of godliness but deny its power. Their consciences have been seared as with a hot iron, no longer sensitive to God’s truth.

But those who persevere are those who believe and know the truth. They receive God’s good gifts with thanksgiving. They consecrate everything by the word of God and prayer. They recognize the spiritual warfare but do not become paranoid. They hold to truth but do not become prideful. They remain vigilant but also remain grateful.

This is how we avoid falling away: by persevering in God’s truth with thankfulness, recognizing the reality of spiritual warfare, guarding our minds against deceptive doctrines, and receiving all of God’s good gifts with grateful hearts. Take heed lest you fall. But take heart, for God has given us everything we need to stand firm in these later times.