A headline appeared recently online in the Premier Christianity Website; “Hillsong worship leader renounces faith.” On social media he addressed his 5,000 followers saying that he was losing his faith and it did not bother him. On the same website another headline read; “Author of Christian books announces he’s no longer a Christian.” He said ‘I have undergone a massive shift in regard to my faith in Jesus.” Undoubtedly both of these men have their problems as we all do as believers in our Lord Jesus but does that mean we just give up our faith and that without any real regrets or even being bothered by it? It is a very serious matter when those who are prominent leaders in wider Christendom publically renounce their faith. The collateral damage spiritually to their followers and others within the Church is massive to say the least.
The Bible speaks about the apostasy that will be a conspicuous feature of the Last days. As to “the Apostasy” or “falling away” Paul writes; “Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4)
“The falling away” or “the apostasy” Paul mentions is a translation of the Greek word “apostasia.”, It means “a departure,” “a forsaking,” “a defection,” or “an apostasy.” In secular Greek language, the word “is used politically of rebels.” (See Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, p. 413) Thus, in the present context, it denotes a departure or apostasy from the faith, the revealed truth of God. It is a deliberate act of the will to turn away from the faith and to teach others to do the same. This apostasy will open the way for the man of sin who will sit in and defile God’s Temple.
Paul writes to Timothy about the apostasy within the Christian Church in the last days; “Now the Spirit speaks expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.” (1Timothy 4:1) “to depart from the faith” means “to excite to revolt, to go away, to depart from anyone, to desert, to withdraw from one, to fall away, to become faithless, to shun, to flee from, and to absent one’s own self.” The Lord Jesus also speaks about this in Matthew 24:10 “And then shall many be offended, (turn away from the faith) and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.” The phrase to “be offended” is to see a stumbling block over which one will fall. It is an enticement to sin to cause a person to begin to distrust and desert one whom he ought to trust and obey. This apostasy leads to a betrayal of fellow believers.
When any leader apostatizes they always take many with them. The Lord Jesus also says that “because of the increase of wickedness the love (agape) of most will grow cold.” (Matthew 24:12) Agape is the love of God shed abroad in the heart of a believer in the Lord Jesus by the Holy Spirit and can only be said of those who have been born again. (Romans 5:5) “To grow cold” speaks of Christians who cool off in their first love for the Lord Jesus and for His Word and from following His Commandments. The original text in Matthew 24:12 says; “most” not “many”. These texts are referring to believers not to the unsaved in the world. If a person is not really saved then what are they falling away from if they were never saved in the first place?
Added to this you have the texts in the Book of Hebrews speaking on this matter. (Hebrews 6:4-6, 10:26-31) The Book of Hebrews was written to Jewish believers in the Messiah but apply to all believers both Jew and Gentile. These texts cannot be limited only to only Jewish believers in the first century. To sum up, a believer in the Lord Jesus may have severe temptations and trials and afflictions and struggle against the world, the flesh and the devil and at times feel that their faith is not strong and are fearful that they will not stand of endure to the end. These are the ones to whom the Lord Jesus says; “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand. My Father, which gave them Me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father’s hand.” (Matthew 24:12) (KJV)
If we really want to stay saved then we must work at keeping our first love and in this current worldly climate this is a great difficulty at times for all of us who love the Lord Jesus. As wickedness increases the temptations to “cool down” in our love for the Lord Jesus is a very real thing to confront every day as we seek to walk under the control of the Spirit and not give in to the desires of the fleshly nature that are at war with the desires of the Holy Spirit within us. (Galatians 5:16-25) If we really want to stay saved then we must keep enduring to the end and that with the help and strength of the blessed Holy Spirit without which we will never stand.
Added to this fellowship with other believers is very important as the Apostle Paul writes wrote; “And let us consider how to spur one another on to love and good deeds. Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have made a habit, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:24-25) Fellowship with other Bible believers is vitally important as we see the end of the age rapidly approaching. If we cannot stand together with our fellow believers then we will never stand alone. When hot coals are together each coal keeps the others warm but if you take a coal out from the other burning coals and separate it then it starts to cool down.
The ultimate apostasy will pave the way for the coming of the man of sin. His coming will be preceded by all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, a conspicuous feature we see today within wider Christendom. (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, 9) Let’s also be clear that The Lord Jesus can and will keep us if we keep trusting Him to do this for us every day and seek to walk moment by moment by faith and in the power of the blessed Holy Spirit. As it is also written; “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him (by faith is implied here), seeing He ever lives to make intercession for them.” (Hebrews 7:25)
When you think about these two prominent and well known leaders who have walked away from their faith in the Lord Jesus there is still hope that they will return especially when you look at the parable of the lost sheep and the prodigal son. A backslider who is troubled in their conscience and knows the truth and believes the truth but is struggling to obey it because of manifold temptations and trials and unconfessed sins, means that the blessed Holy Spirit is still striving with their soul. If there is no conviction anymore and almost a nonchalant caviller attitude concerning this matter then their apostasy has been sealed and there is no longer any room for repentance (Hebrews 6:4-6)
Now the word “faith” in the Hebrew and the Greek implies belief but also accompanied by action or “faithfulness” If we have genuine faith then we will be faithful. Abraham our forefather of faith was justified when he put his faith into action. James tells us that a faith that does not produce actions along the line of the faith professed is not genuine faith. (James 2:14-24) Of course we are not saved by works but if we have been saved will have works along the line of the faith we profess. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
Personally as a believer in our Lord Jesus these things challenge me every day as I have to confront the world, the flesh and the devil as we all do as believers and at times his attacks are relentless and I am hard-pressed to keep my first love. I am glad I have an advocate with the Father who sits at His right hand and who ever lives to make intercession for me and for all of God’s saints. (1 John 2:1) Added to this I am glad that the blessed Holy Spirit continuously intercedes for all the saints according to God’s will. (Romans 8:29) The Lord Jesus is able to keep those He saves but it is possible that one who once had faith can fall away again if they do not persevere to the end. “He who has persevered to the end will be saved!” (Matthew 24:13) May God’s grace enable it to be so! Always keep in mind as believers in our Lord Jesus the Messiah it is not how we start but how we finish that counts!
