Articles
Falling Away
I’ve seen a lot of Christians quit their faith. I wish that wasn't true, but it is. We'd like to think that a person's life-long commitment to Christ would be just that—life-long. But that isn't how it works sometimes, and it shouldn't be surprising. The parable of the sower and the seed shows that the seed which falls on rocky soil and thorny soil will both accept God's word and begin to grow, but then, for one reason or another, they will die off rather than reaching maturity (Mt. 13:20-22). Jesus warned that we need endurance because “most people's love will grow cold" (Mt. 24:13-14). That word “most" is a scary word, isn't it? On this subject, the Holy Spirit was as clear as He could be, “in later times some will fall away from the faith paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons" (I Tim. 4:1). In fact, when the Thessalonian Christians were behaving as though the end of the world was imminent they were reminded that the day of the Lord “will not come unless the apostasy comes first" (II Thes. 2:2-3). Many have fallen away. Sadly, given more time, I fear many more people will fall away—precious souls that quit.
There are different ways that people fall away. Some drift off into obscurity. Their attendance at worship starts to become erratic, then infrequent, then not at all. Others fall for false doctrines. They still are religious, but no longer faithful to God's revealed word. Others still, boldly and defiantly reject the faith they once held. They turn their back on God and Christianity. The methods are different, but the results are the say. They've fallen away.
There are many reasons people fall away. For some, Christianity is too difficult. They can't stand the suffering or the sacrifice. For some, it is a result of being mistreated or seeing hypocrisy in the church. For others, it is simply because they are distracted by other things going on in the world.
The first, most pressing reason, that this message matters is because we don't want to be the one to fall away. Many of those who fall away would never have suspected that they would be the one to do it. They were strong once. Convicted. Now they are gone. It happened to them, it could happen to us. We must take seriously the warning and the call to be diligent. “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall” (I Cor. 10:12).
The second, pressing reason this message matters, is that someone you care deeply about may be in danger of falling away. Help them. Encourage them. Reach out. It is easier to steady someone who is stumbling than it is to pick someone off the ground. “Encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called ‘Today,’ so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin” (Heb. 3:13).
Don't quit. I've heard so many reasons for quitting, and they are almost all horrible, foolish, short-sighted reasons. However, after giving it some thought and considering the Scriptures, there is one good reason to quit. Just one. Can you guess what it is? Next week, we will consider the one good reason to quit our faith.
