Be Not Deceived

Fall Away

Nov 04, 20248 min read

1-Timothy-4v1

1 Timothy 4:1

Now the Spirit expressly states that in later times some will abandon the faith to follow deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons,

  • These abandon the faith

    • in order to follow
      • deceitful spirits
      • and teachings of demons
    • Compare this to God sending a powerful delusion for the unbelieving to believe the lie in2-Thessalonians2v11.

  • abandon - G868 - aphistémiG868-aphistémi

    • Strong’s Concordance
      • to lead away, to depart from
      • make to stand away, draw away, repel, take up a position away from, withdraw from, leave, abstain from
    • NAS Exhaustive Concordance
      • NASB Translation
        • abstain (1), depart (1), departed (1), deserted (1), drew away (1), fall away (2), falls away (1), leave (1), left (2), let go (1), stay away (1), withdrew (1).
    • Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance
      • depart, fall away, refrain, withdraw self.
      • From apo and histemi; to remove, i.e. (actively) instigate to revolt; usually (reflexively) to desist, desert, etc. — depart, draw (fall) away, refrain, withdraw self.

Depart / desert / leave / left all have the connotation that one was once a professing Christian, but later defected.

However, the remaining definitions do not necessarily hold this connotation.

Luke-8v13

Luke 8:13

The seeds on rocky ground are those who hear the word and receive it with joy, but they have no root. They believe for a season, but in the time of testing, they fall away.

  • This clearly refutes the ‘once saved always saved’ doctrine.Once-Saved-Always-Saved
  • They HEARD the word
  • They RECEIVED the word with Joy
  • They had no root
  • They BELIEVE FOR A SEASON
  • In the ‘time of testing’, they FALL AWAY

Luke-13v22-30

Luke 13:22-30

The Narrow Door
(Matthew 7:13–14)

22 Then Jesus traveled throughout the towns and villages, teaching as He made His way toward Jerusalem. 23 “Lord,” someone asked Him, “will only a few people be saved?”

Jesus answered, 24 “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able. 25 After the master of the house gets up and shuts the door, you will stand outside knocking and saying, ‘Lord, open the door for us.’

But he will reply, ‘I do not know where you are from.’

26 Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’

27 And he will answer, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you evildoers.’

28 There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves are thrown out. 29 People will come from east and west and north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God. 30 And indeed, some who are last will be first, and some who are first will be last.”

Jesus clearly says that at the end of the age, MANY will try to enter the Kingdom (verse 24), but will not be able to. He says that the Master will tell those who are not permitted to enter to depart (G868 - aphistémi) which means to depart from. He clearly states that they will be thrown out! (verse 28.)

Hebrews-6v4-6

Hebrews 6:4-6

4 It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age— 6 and then have fallen away—to be restored to repentance, because they themselves are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting Him to open shame.

There would be no reason for Paul to have written these words if it was impossible for people who were once saved to loose their salvation.Once-Saved-Always-Saved .

  • Those who have
    • ONCE BEEN ENLIGHTENED
    • TASTED THE HEAVENLY GIFT
    • SHARED IN THE HOLY SPIRIT
    • TASTED THE GOODNESS OF THE WORD OF GOD
    • AND THE POWERS OF THE COMING AGE

These words can ONLY apply to Christians. They cannot be applied to unsaved people.

  • the key phrase is and then have fallen away.
    • have fallen away - G3895 - parapiptóG3895-parapiptó
      • Strong’s Concordance
        • to fall in, into or away, to fail
        • fall back (into the unbelieving and godless ways of the old time)
      • HELPS Word-studies
        • 3895 parapíptō (from 3844 /pará, “from close-beside” and 4098 /píptō, “to fall”) – properly, fall away, after being close-beside; to defect (abandon).
        • 3895 /parapíptō (“fallen from a close position”) refers to a close-follower of Christ who becomes a defector. It suggests this person (at least at one time) was a believer (note the para). 3895 (parapíptō) is only used in Heb 6:6.

The Greek word here clearly refutes the false doctrine of once-saved-always-saved.Once-Saved-Always-Saved

Hebrews-10v26-29

Hebrews 10:26-29

If we deliberately go on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no further sacrifice for sins remains, 28 Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 How much more severely do you think one deserves to be punished who has trampled on the Son of God, profaned the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and insulted the Spirit of grace?

By deliberately going on sinning once you have received the truth, you are literally trampling on the Son of God and profaning His Blood Covenant which had sanctified you. You have insulted the Spirit of grace.

Blaspheming-the-Spirit ?

Father God, when one insults Your Spirit of grace by trampling upon the Blood Covenant of Jesus Christ which sanctifies us, have they committed the “unpardonable sin” of blaspheming Your Holy Spirit???

See Verse 39 - those who shrink back … are destroyed.

2-Peter-2v20-21

2 Peter 2:20-21

20 If indeed they have escaped the corruption of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, only to be entangled and overcome by it again, their final condition is worse than it was at first. 21 It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than to have known it and then to turn away from the holy commandment passed on to them.

As with Christ and Paul, Peter warns those who knew the truth, yet turned their backs on it (then to turn away. This passage is obviously referring to Christians (better for them not to have KNOWN the way of righteousness).

  • turn away from - G5290 - hupostrephóG5290-hupostrephó
    • Strong’s Concordance
      • to turn back, return
    • NAS Exhaustive Concordance
      • NASB Translation
        • return (6), returned (22), returning (3), started back (1), turn away (1), turned back (1), went back (1).
    • Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance
      • return, come back again.
      • From hupo and strepho; to turn under (behind), i.e. To return (literally or figuratively) — come again, return (again, back again), turn back (again).

Galatians-5v4

Galatians 5:4

You who are trying to be justified by the law have been severed from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.

  • you have fallen away - G1601 - ekpiptoG1601-ekpipto

    • Strong’s Concordance
      • fall out, fall off, fall away, fade away, wither away
      • fall off from the straight course; … fall from, lose, forfeit, cast ashore; fruitless
    • Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance
      • be cast, fail, fall away.
      • From ek and pipto; to drop away; specially, be driven out of one’s course; figuratively, to lose, become inefficient — be cast, fail, fall (away, off), take none effect.

  • have been severed - G2673 - katargeóG2673-katargeó

    • Strong’s Concordance
      • to render inoperative, abolished
      • a) make idle (inactive), make of no effect, annul, abolish, bring to naught,
      • b) discharge, sever, separate from
    • HELPS Word-studies
      • 2673 katargéō (from 2596 /katá, “down to a point,” intensifying 691 /argéō, “inactive, idle”) – properly, idle down, rendering something inert (“completely inoperative”); i.e. being of no effect (totally without force, completely brought down); done away with, cause to cease and therefore abolish; make invalid, abrogate (bring to nought); “to make idle or inactive” (so also in Euripides, Phoen., 753, Abbott-Smith).
      • “2673 (katargéō) means ‘to make completely inoperative’ or ‘to put out of use,’ according to TDNT (1.453)” (J. Rodman Williams, Renewal Theology “God, the World & Redemption,” 389).
    • NAS Exhaustive Concordance
      • NASB Translation
        • abolished (4), abolishing (1), bring to an end (1), did away (1), do away (1), done away (4), fades away (1), fading (1), fading away (1), nullified (1), nullify (4), passing away (1), released (2), removed (1), render powerless (1), severed (1), use (1).
    • Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance
      • abolish, cease, cumber, do away
      • From kata and argeo; to be (render) entirely idle (useless), literally or figuratively — abolish, cease, cumber, deliver, destroy, do away, become (make) of no (none, without) effect, fail, loose, bring (come) to nought, put away (down), vanish away, make void.

Oh, Lord God, if only people truly understood the trap the enemy has set for them when they are enticed to go back under the Law instead of remaining under grace. Please open the eyes of their understanding so that they will not be severed, and alienated, from Christ Jesus; that Christ would not be made of no effect unto them!

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