Apostasy (Study No. 2)
(2 Timothy 3:5a) “…having a form of godliness but denying its power.”
In his second letter to Timothy Rabbi the apostle Paul wrote about godlessness in the last days that would also infiltrate the wider Body of Messiah. In chapter three verses 1-9 of Timothy Paul address this matter. He mentions first of all that there will be terrible times in the last days or literally “days of stress” or times that “are hard to bear, that are troublesome, dangerous, harsh, fierce and savage” all a conspicuous feature of the world in which we live today. Paul also lists what people will be like. The list starts with lovers of themselves and lovers of money and ends the list with lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, and then adds having a form of godliness but denying its power.
These include those who by their teaching and conduct spiritually deceive naive believers especially vulnerable women who are drawn to these false teachers with their expensive and opulent lifestyles, their clothing, their jewellery, their mansions and their streamline personal jets, a spiritual seduction we see happening today through the internet hosting the hyper faith money preachers and the so called ‘Christian’ networks promoting them.
These false teachers and so called profits (prophets) are always claiming to be among the learned and spiritually knowledgeable but spiritually and Biblically incapable of acknowledging the truth because they are dwelling in spiritual darkness and on the dark and slippery road to hellfire and who will ultimately be exposed, and are being exposed today. Behind these false teachers and their unbiblical doctrines and practices lies the power of the occult that empowers them to masquerade themselves as angels or agents or messengers of righteousness. As rabbi the apostle Paul writes; “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 11:14-15).
These have “a form of godliness” or “holding to a form of godliness” It is “a form or a shape” or “the mere form or semblance of likeness” of godliness. The word “godliness” describes; “a profession of piety or a religious devotion and reverence” which in reality they do not possess. They, in fact are “denying its power” to change them on the inside. They are in fact “rejecting, not accepting and refusing something being offered” and substituting it for something that is counterfeit. That looks right on the outside but is inwardly wicked and corrupt on the inside (Matthew 23:25-28).
By this persona they want to present to others an impression of themselves as close to God and as custodians of His laws yet they forfeit the God-given ability to experience and possess true godlikeness! The internet and many churches today are filled with these men and women “profiteering on the blood of the Lamb and fleecing the sheep of their hard-earned dollars, an evil and greedy brood, shepherds who feed only themselves for whom the blackest darkness has been reserved forever!” See (2 Peter 2) (Jude 1:4-16). Many of these false prophets and teachers are twice dead. They were made spiritually alive from spiritual death by the saving work of the Holy Spirit but have turned away from the truth and have once more come into the clutches of spiritual death. Now let’s look at our next text…
“A Complete turn-around”
(Hebrews 10:26-310) For if we sin wilfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy, being the one who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”
“For if we sin” that is if we commit an individual act of sin describes “to be without a share in, to miss the mark, to err, be mistaken, to miss or wander from the path of uprightness and honour, to do or go wrong, to wander from the law of God, to violate God’s law.” Sinning is not the normal Christian experience yet we all sin at times, and this is because we still have a sinful nature to deal with, and despite this God has provided the cleansing fountain of the blood of Messiah for when we repent of it (Zechariah 13:1) (1 John 1:7-9). In our text the word sin is connected to a continuous action of one’s will.
“…wilfully”: the word describes committing a wilful sin because we know that it is wrong but still do it anyway, and this tendency if not checked, will ultimately lead us into that downward path to Hades. To wilfully sin then is to do it “voluntarily, willingly, of one’s own accord, to sin wilfully as opposed to sins committed inconsiderately, and from ignorance or from weakness.” We cannot avoid temptation and can experience seasons of heaviness of spirit through these manifold and persistent temptations and sometimes we do give in as an act of our will. Satan knows our weak points and seeks to turn us away for the path of living in step with desires of the Holy Spirit. All of his fiery arrows are aimed at the shield of faith, if he can get us to over that shield through unbelief, unconfessed sin or disobedience to the Word of God then he will have the advantage to rob us of spiritual power and we will be defeated.
“Wilfully” in this context is to set one’s thoughts, feelings and purposes to deliberately and without compunction sin, knowing full-well its penalty but persisting in doing it anyway. It also needs to be repeated that all of us spiritually have an ‘Achilles heel,’ an area of our lives which is susceptible to sinning when tempted. We must be careful what we feed our minds on because we have two natures, God’s divine nature and our sinful fallen nature within us and whichever nature we feed the most is the one that will eventually controls us (Romans 8:12-14) (Galatians 5:14-27).
“…after we have received the knowledge of the truth.” The words “have received” describe “to admit, receive, to receive what is offered, not to refuse or reject, to take, to choose, to select, to take, to take with the hand, to lay hold of any person or thing in order to use it, to take up a thing to be carried, to take upon one’s self, to take in order to carry away.” It is to take hold and to receive into oneself…
“…the knowledge of the truth” describes a “precise and correct knowledge, full discernment, acknowledgement, of the knowledge of things ethical and divine: especially the knowledge of God’s holy will and of the blessings which He has bestowed.” It describes “what is true in things appertaining to God and the duties of man, moral and religious truth in the greatest latitude, the true notions of God which are open to human reason without His supernatural intervention, the truth as taught in the Bible, respecting God and the execution of His purposes through Messiah, and respecting the duties of man, opposing alike to the superstitions of the Gentiles and the human religious rules and regulations of the Jews, and the corrupt opinions and precepts of false teachers even among Christians” subjectively, truth as a personal excellence, that candour of mind which is free from affection, pretence, simulation, falsehood and deceit.” These spiritual qualities will reflect the knowledge of the truth in the believer’s life.
“…there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins.” No longer remains” is “to leave, to leave behind, to desert or forsake, no longer, no more, no further” a sacrifice for sin for the one who wilfully sins and that continuously without any sense of remorse, guilt or shame or with a desire to repent of it.
“…a sacrifice for sin.” Biblically sin is “to miss the mark. to err, be mistaken, to miss or wander from the path of uprightness and honour, to do or go wrong, to wander from the law of God, violate God’s law, sin, to miss the mark, to err, be mistaken, to miss or wander from the path of uprightness and honour, to do or go wrong, to wander from the law of God, violate God’s law, sin, that which is done wrong, sin, an offence, a violation of the divine law in thought or in act.”
Living a wilfully persistent sinful lifestyle is not covered by the blood of Messiah, even though His blood has atoned for all sin. As it is written in the Law of God, the Torah; “the soul that sins shall die” (Ezekiel 18:20). Unless we avail ourselves constantly and continuously of the cleansing and protecting power of the blood of Messiah and avail ourselves of it when we do commit a sin we, cannot remain saved if we persist in that sin.
Our faith and willingness to be obedient to the Lord Jesus will save us from the power and penalty of sin, and ultimately at the rapture and resurrection from the very presence of sin itself. If we should die physically or fall asleep in Messiah while walking under the power of the cleansing atoning blood, and in step with the Holy Spirit, and with a willing heart to obey the Word of God, we will be absent from this body of sin and present with the LORD. As Rabbi the apostle Paul writes; “For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, then, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the LORD. So we aspire to please Him, whether we are here in this body or away from it” (2 Corinthians 5:7-9).
“…but a certain fearful expectation of judgment” This fear is a certainty for the one who wilfully and with deliberate intent violates and flaunts the commandments of God without compunction. It is an “inspiring fear, an expectation of coming judgement, a terrible and, formidable fear, or being affected with fear” and this kind of fear has to do with the fear of judgement to come and of an eternity in the lake of fire, something which is lacking in most Christian assemblies today and in the preaching from the pulpits!
The word “Judgement” describes “a separating, sundering, separation, a trial, contest, selection, a judgment, a divine opinion or decision given concerning anything especially concerning justice and injustice, right or wrong, a separating, sundering, separation, a trial, contest, a selection, an opinion or decision given concerning anything, a sentence of condemnation, damnatory judgment, condemnation and punishment meted out in a court of law.”
At the Great White throne judgement those who appear before the divine bench of the Judge of the living and the dead will not appear before Him there for judgement, because they have already been judged for their rejection of the Messiah and His salvation (John 3:18), they will appear for sentencing to the Lake of Fire for ever and that without reprieve (Revelation 20:11-15). In this fallen wicked world our only refuge and hope for eternity is to by faith continuously avail ourselves of the cleansing and keeping power of the Messiah’s blood, and when we do sin, be quick to run to Him and plead that blood by which we have been redeemed and have received forgiveness of all of our sins (Ephesians 1:7).
“…and fiery indignation” describes “an excitement of mind, a fervour of spirit, zeal, an ardour in embracing, pursuing, defending anything, a zeal in behalf of, for a person or thing, the fierceness of indignation, punitive zeal, an envious and contentious rivalry, a jealousy” such is the wrath of God upon sin. Judgement is not wrath. When God judges He does so in hope that it will bring about repentance and spiritual restoration, it offers a reprieve to those who are willing to turn away from their practice of sin. However when God pours out His wrath there is no reprieve as we see in the bowls of his wrath poured out at the very end of this age upon a Messiah hating, Messiah rejecting world.
In the Bible there are two Greek words used for God’s wrath. There is “orge,” describing a wrath following a judicial sentencing in a court of law (Romans 5:9) (1 Thessalonians 1:5, 5:9). Then there is “thumos” describing a boiling over of wrath, for example such as one would see a fiery liquid spill over the brim of a boiling cauldron (Revelation Chapter 16).
“…which will devour the adversaries” describes “to consume with a fervour and voracious appetite for truth justice and righteousness against those who are in militant opposition and set over against the righteous judge of all men and who with deliberate intent violate His laws and commandments.” And then we read…
“Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy being the one who has trampled the Son of God underfoot” “Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy” or “meet, fit, right, to be worthy of judgement, to deem to be deserving of it”
“…being the one who has trampled the Son of God underfoot” The word “trampled” describes “to tread down, trample under foot, to trample on.” Metaphorically, “to treat with rudeness and insult, to spurn, to treat with an insulting neglect, to reject with disdain,” the Son of God.
“…counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing,” The word “sanctified” describes “to render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow, to separate from profane things and dedicate to God, consecrate things to God, dedicate people to God, to purify, to cleanse externally, to purify by expiation: free from the guilt of sin, to purify internally by the blood of Messiah.” This can only be true of one who was saved. Unbelievers are not sanctified by the blood of Messiah or indwelt by the Holy Spirit as they are void of both. Here the writer of Hebrews is referring to those who were sanctified by the blood of Messiah, but who have now completely turned away from Him and have gone out from His presence “to bust hell wide open” as the saying goes.
He has in fact treated the blood of Messiah as “a common ordinary thing or an unholy thing,” a wilful continuous life of wickedness that cannot exist in God’s presence whose eyes are too pure to look upon evil (Habakkuk 1:13). This is why God was silent when He suffered at the agony of His Son bearing the sin of the whole world. When the thunder and darkness came at that time of the crucifixion God was sorely grieved beyond human comprehension. Who can really fathom this!
“…and insulted the Spirit of grace?” the Holy Spirit who is the agent in the sanctification of the believer can be insulted because He has all the narks of personality. He has intellect, feelings and a will. He can speak, and grieve and experience joy because He is God the Spirit and the third person within the Tri-Unity of the Godhead. He is the Spirit of grace or God’s unmerited and undeserved favour towards sinners and convicts them of their need to repent and believe in the Messiah and in His atoning blood if they would be saved from hell and the lake of fire.
The word “grace” in the Greek text describes “that which affords joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm, loveliness: grace of speech, good will, loving-kindness, favour, of the merciful kindness by which God, exerting His holy influence upon souls, turns them to Messiah , keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, affection, and kindles them to the exercise of the Christian virtues.” So is the blessed Holy Spirit who knows the thoughts, the feelings and the purposes of God and what He is thinking and willing at all times also knows all about us and He knows what needs to be said and done, and how it is to be said and done. No circumstance is beyond His control and He can enter into circumstances where it is impossible for humans to enter. What a loving, sensitive, wise and divine comforter and friend we have in the Holy Spirit. We can grieve Him and that grievously at times, and yet He is very patient with us because after we believed in Him who shed His blood to atone for our sins, we have been sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise for the day of redemption (Ephesians 4:30).
Once again, even though we struggle with temptation and sin and wrestle against principalities and powers of wickedness in the atmosphere if we want to stay saved then no one will be able to pluck us out of the hands of God the Son or of God the Father, As the Messiah our Lord Jesus said; “My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them out of My hand. My Father who has given them to Me is greater than all. No one can snatch them out of My Father’s hand” (John 10:27-29). The key is to hear His voice and obey it. He is the living Word of God made flesh and the blessed Holy Spirit have given us the Word of God in the Bible. Whenever God speaks or in whatever way He speaks, and there are differing ways, He will never lead us to say and to do what does not line up with the Written Word of God. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth and will never lead us into doctrinal error (John 15:26; 16:13-15).
“For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the LORD. And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”
“We know” describes “to perceive with the eyes, to perceive by any of the senses, to perceive, notice, to discern, to discover, to turn the eyes, the mind, the attention to anything, to pay attention, to observe, to see about something, i.e. to ascertain what must be done about it, to inspect, examine, to look at, to behold.” “Vengeance” describes “a revenging, vengeance, a just punishment deserved”
“I will repay” describes “in a good sense, to repay, to requite, in a bad sense, a penalty and vengeance” the penalty and the vengeance are both just because righteousness and justice are the foundation of God’s throne. As we read in the psalms; “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; loving devotion and faithfulness go before You” (Psalm 89:14). In exercising His righteousness and justice He is always exercising at the same time His loving devotion and faithfulness which go before Him. God would rather have mercy of a repentant sinner than to judge them. As Peter writes; “Beloved, do not let this one thing escape your notice: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The LORD is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:8-9).
“And again, “The Lord will judge His people”
“will judge” describes “to separate, to put asunder, to pick out, to select, to choose, to approve, to esteem, to prefer, to be of opinion, to deem, to think, to be of opinion, to determine, resolve, decree, to judge, to pronounce an opinion concerning right and wrong, to be judged, i.e. summoned to trial that one’s case may be examined and judgment passed upon it, to pronounce judgment, to subject to censure of those who act the part of judges or arbiters in matters of common life, or pass judgment on the deeds and words of others, to rule, govern and to preside over with the power of giving judicial decisions.” It was the prerogative of kings and rulers to pass judgment, to contend together, of warriors and combatants, to dispute in a forensic sense, to go to law and to have suit at law. The LORD will judge His people, not to destroy them, but to purify the motives and intent of their hearts and minds to love and to serve Him and to walk in the way of His commandments. When God judges or disciplines His people He always has their very best interest at heart.
Having said this, we must allow for the fact that in these last days the love of most believers will grow cold and that the great apostasy or falling way will occur and pave the way for the man of sin to be revealed (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4). May God give us the grace to endure to the end (Matthew 24:13). We are destined to have many troubles and afflictions in this life (1 Thessalonians 3:1-4), but God is using these to prepare us for the tribulation to come and that we might stay the course until we are promoted to glory, either in physical death or at the rapture and resurrection of all the saints and be reminded that He has said, “He who has endured to the end will be saved.”. And then we read…
“It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”
“…a fearful thing” describes “and inspiring fear, terrible, formidable, to be affected with fear, to have timidity and circumspection when considering the nature and character of God.” Our God is the God of the living and not the dead. What He starts He fully intends to finish as the author and perfector of our faith. What He has determined will come to pass (Isaiah 46:8-11). He is most tender in dealing with His children redeemed by the blood of His Son the Messiah our Lord Jesus. If you are struggling with temptation and sin yet desiring with all of your heart to be free from it then keep claiming the power of the blood of the Lord Jesus. That atoning blood of our Passover lamb sacrificed for our sins, justifies us, protects us from wrath, that has sanctified us, that has purged our conscience from works that lead to death in order to serve the living God, that blood of Messiah which has loosed us from our sins and by which we can overcome Satan and everything he throws our way! Make much of the blood of Jesus as it is the most powerful spiritual weapon we have in our spiritual arsenal (Revelation 12:11). Always remember what He has said in His Word; “A bruised reed He will not break, and a smouldering wick He will not snuff out” (Isaiah 42:3).
