Demas Leaves the Faith
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One of the controversies you can find within Christianity is whether a person can become a Christ-follower, truly accepting Jesus in faith as a disciple, then later abandon the faith and no longer follow Jesus, losing the salvation they once had. Such appears to be the case with Demas.
The apostle Paul mentions Demas in his second letter to Timothy, chapter 4, where he says, “for Demas, because he loved the world, has deserted me and has gone…” He had been a Christ-follower and a helper of Paul, a fellow worker in ministry. People can say they have strayed away from a faith they once had for a variety of reasons, blaming parents, blaming doubts they have, but often the real reason is simply because they’ve let their guard down and allowed the worldly way of thinking to slip in. That’s what Paul says happened to Demas.
It's not hard to see how this can happen, we are all battered by worldly ways constantly, through the liberal media, through Hollywood, through political systems, through worldly friends, through our own temptations, etc., etc. All the more reason to keep our guard up, which only occurs as we submit ourselves to Bible study, to listening carefully to the instructions of Jesus and his apostles in this covenant relationship we have with the Lord. That means church attendance, listening to wise counsel as the Bible is preached and taught and discussed in groups. It means being inquisitive and sincerely pursuing the way of Christ. But the question remains, can a person once be saved, then later allow these worldly ways to move them away from faith and lose their salvation?
Listen to the words of scripture…
Paul instructed the Corinthians, “By this gospel (good news of Jesus) you are saved IF you hold firmly to the word I have preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain” (I Cor. 15:2).
In his letter to apprentice Timothy he says, “If we disown him (Jesus), he will disown us” (2 Tim. 2:12).
The apostle Peter says this in his second letter, “If they (Christians) have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning” (2 Peter 2:20).
In the book of Galatians, we are told, “You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace” (Gal. 5:4).
There are several more, and even the apostle Paul tells us that he disciplines himself in faith so that after having preached to others, he is not disqualified for the eternal prize (I Cor. 9:27).
Yes, we enter this redeemed relationship with Christ through accepting him in faith, and we can remove ourselves from this redeemed relationship by denying the Lord and walking away from faith. We have free will on the front end and on the back end. Grace covers much, we don’t have to be perfect, but we do need to continue in faith, seeking the Lord’s way continually. Demas did not. And you put yourself at risk if you casually drift along without the discipline provided by the church, without being exposed to God’s Word taught regularly, having iron sharpen iron as we interact with other Christians. Be diligent.
A New Year’s resolution? A good one: discipline personal time so your faith and walk are a priority.
The apostle Paul mentions Demas in his second letter to Timothy, chapter 4, where he says, “for Demas, because he loved the world, has deserted me and has gone…” He had been a Christ-follower and a helper of Paul, a fellow worker in ministry. People can say they have strayed away from a faith they once had for a variety of reasons, blaming parents, blaming doubts they have, but often the real reason is simply because they’ve let their guard down and allowed the worldly way of thinking to slip in. That’s what Paul says happened to Demas.
It's not hard to see how this can happen, we are all battered by worldly ways constantly, through the liberal media, through Hollywood, through political systems, through worldly friends, through our own temptations, etc., etc. All the more reason to keep our guard up, which only occurs as we submit ourselves to Bible study, to listening carefully to the instructions of Jesus and his apostles in this covenant relationship we have with the Lord. That means church attendance, listening to wise counsel as the Bible is preached and taught and discussed in groups. It means being inquisitive and sincerely pursuing the way of Christ. But the question remains, can a person once be saved, then later allow these worldly ways to move them away from faith and lose their salvation?
Listen to the words of scripture…
Paul instructed the Corinthians, “By this gospel (good news of Jesus) you are saved IF you hold firmly to the word I have preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain” (I Cor. 15:2).
In his letter to apprentice Timothy he says, “If we disown him (Jesus), he will disown us” (2 Tim. 2:12).
The apostle Peter says this in his second letter, “If they (Christians) have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning” (2 Peter 2:20).
In the book of Galatians, we are told, “You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace” (Gal. 5:4).
There are several more, and even the apostle Paul tells us that he disciplines himself in faith so that after having preached to others, he is not disqualified for the eternal prize (I Cor. 9:27).
Yes, we enter this redeemed relationship with Christ through accepting him in faith, and we can remove ourselves from this redeemed relationship by denying the Lord and walking away from faith. We have free will on the front end and on the back end. Grace covers much, we don’t have to be perfect, but we do need to continue in faith, seeking the Lord’s way continually. Demas did not. And you put yourself at risk if you casually drift along without the discipline provided by the church, without being exposed to God’s Word taught regularly, having iron sharpen iron as we interact with other Christians. Be diligent.
A New Year’s resolution? A good one: discipline personal time so your faith and walk are a priority.