On 'Falling Away' - What I've Found

First, let me tell you how this series got started.

Over the past few months I have been reading with renewed sense of alarm and diligence what the Bible says about false teachers (and false doctrines and false prophets and false religion). This, alongside an almost daily discovery of some new heresy or clear departure from scripture, in what is thought to be the Church of Jesus Christ, as I surf the web.

This has also been taking place in the same time period in which I was introduced to teachings by Paul Washer and Michael Brown. I don't have a church-celebrity problem and if I did these would not be the men I could consider celebrity. Furthermore, they are from vastly contrasting backgrounds and still are associated with vastly different denominations/churches (and I'm not sure how they would receive each other if those were the criteria they used to assess one another :-)). Yet, I have seen a thick thread of sound doctrine and uncommonly powerful preaching/teaching in their ministries which is further helping to kindle a desire for getting back to the basics of the faith (not milk per se, just critical truth that man has no right to try to alter or re-interpret according to the winds of changing culture.)

My decision to depart from the church I have attended for 3.5 years came on the heels of the main thrust of all this. I am sure the one influenced the other, but by no means did the one cause the other.

Finally, I came upon a saddening post by a blogger one day that I blogged about previously and it brought to mind an interesting, terrible (in the archaic use of the expression), and much ignored (in my opinion) passage of scripture in Hebrews chapter 6. This post was of interest to a few other readers/bloggers and a discussion has since then been evolving.

To begin, I have a view - that is still presently evolving - that though we cannot 'lose' our salvation, we can reject it, i.e. turn back from God and chose to walk out of His hands. I realize that many of my favourite and much respected bible teachers/preachers do not hold this view - just to name a couple, Chuck Missler, Paul Washer and John Piper (and you may notice I have links to resources by these men on this same webpage)who also quote other Calvinists such as Spurgeon, Whitfield, Mueller etc who were great men of the Christian faith. I know how the exposition of the Calvinist view goes. So many I respect would absolutely disagree with me and that is all okay with me.

I do not concern myself with using category terms such as 'calvinist' vs 'arminian' or anything else. I have been searching the Word and whether more understanding is added to me sooner or later, I conclusively choose to abide by whatever I find there, as rightly divided as I can divide it, with the Holy Spirit's help. These posts, therefore, will represent only scriptures I've found that seem to speak to this matter, and will give you my reasons for the view I presently hold. It would interest you to know that at one time I thought this was impossible as that was simply what I'd been told.

My present view also indicates to me a clear reason for, and strong exhortation towards, 'working out my salvation with fear and trembling' (not 'working for' salvation) as well as many other scriptures which admonish and exhort me towards diligence in the faith, taking heed to myself, paying attention to doctrines which I espouse etcetera. And yes, I am also aware of how a Calvinist would refute my use of these scriptures right at this point.

Finally, this is not meant to be an apologetic. For my part, is is simply the continuation of discussions and commentary that took place following the original blog post I referred to earlier. It presents my views along with scriptures that I've found which form the basis of my view. There are MANY scriptures that I've noted over the past year on this topic. I will not be able to go through each in writing as that may require a separate blog - just for these types of discussions - and this is not on my time-sensitive agenda right now. However, I will ultimately try to note all of these scripture references and I expect that those who are truly seeking to understand more from the Word on this matter, will take it upon themselves to find those places in the bible and prayerfully study. I cannot go into depth to discuss context in every case, but context of individual scriptures is of critical importance.

Last of all, I warn you that I am no scholar but, I suppose, I can reserve my right to write. I have not organized all these scriptures into the arrangement of an essay based on themes and nuances of thought, emphasis etc. However, I will try to post sensibly, one post at a time.

I look forward to comments and genuine discussion. Of course, I don't 'do' arguments, quarrels or picky, stressful debates. I think that's all of the introduction for now. The following is a nutshell presentation of my views:


YES, SOME TURN BACK :

2 Peter 2:1-22
(1) But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.
(2) And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed.
(3) And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.
...
(10) and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority. Bold and willful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones,
...
(13) suffering wrong as the wage for their wrongdoing. They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, while they feast with you.
(14) They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children!
(15) Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing,
...
(18) For, speaking loud boasts of folly, they entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who live in error.
(19) They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved.
(20) For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.
(21) For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them.
(22) What the true proverb says has happened to them: "The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire."


WHY TURN BACK?

The main reason I have found can be summed up as idolatry in the sense of a love for the things of this world. Just notice from the passage above, how many times greed and lust for worldly and carnal things was mentioned. Now, look at the clear contrast on just about every one of those points in the verses below.

GREED - COVETOUSNESS (aka IDOLATRY):
[Col 3:5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.]

1Ti 6:6 Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment,
1Ti 6:7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.
1Ti 6:8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.
1Ti 6:9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.
1Ti 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.
1Ti 6:11 But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.



1 John 2:15-17
(15) Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
(16) For all that is in the world--the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions--is not from the Father but is from the world.
(17) And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.


Jud 1:11 Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam's error and perished in Korah's rebellion.

Balaam’s error :
In Num 24:25 Balaam and Balak went their separate ways after Balaam was not able to curse the children of Israel, despite the bountiful reward Balak promised him as payment. A reward he desperately wanted, thus his three attempts to curse them. God did not allow Him to curse them, however, this was not the end of it.
Num 31:8 records that the Israelites killed Balaam but a few verses later we learn why, which several other NT scriptures make mention of:

Numbers 31:16
Behold, these, on Balaam’s advice, caused the people of Israel to act treacherously against the LORD in the incident of Peor, and so the plague came among the congregation of the LORD.

2 Peter 2:15
Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing,

Jude 1:11
Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam’s error and perished in Korah’s rebellion.

Revelation 2:14
But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality.


The story did not end there obviously. Balaam used another method to help Balak and get his reward of great wealth i.e. he taught Balak (Rev 2:14)/ advised Balak (Num 31:16) on how to cause the Israelites to sin against God so that God would withdraw his protection and, indeed, punish their sins.


2Ti 4:10 For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia.

Demas had once ministered with Paul and was mentioned in Colossians 4:14 and Philemon 1:24. It is most satisfactory for me to assume he had once had a true faith in Christ. Surely, Paul’s ministry was no easy ministry to be associated with, and far less to participate in. It is also likely that Paul would have been in a position to detect a ‘fake’ long before this time. Some commentary on the estimated year on which these letters were written by Paul allow for Demas to have been a co-labourer with Paul for several years before he defected according to Paul’s report to Timothy (2 Timothy 4:10) and up to 6 years before this was written. Notably, the reason, “in love with this present world” also speaks of greed/covetousness/idolatry.



2Ti 4:3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,
2Ti 4:4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

2Pe 2:15 Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing,



THE ULTIMATE REASON I GLEAN FROM ALL OF THIS:
Joh 3:19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.
Joh 3:20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.



TO END THIS NUTSHELL COMMENTARY, CONTRAST:
By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.
(Hebrews 11:24-26)