Abandoning Jesus

“But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,”  1 Timothy 4:1, NASB95

Here are some famous quotes concerning the danger of apostasy:

D.A. Carson, “The universal witness of the New Testament is that apostasy if persisted in not only damns but shows that salvation was never real in the first place. The New Testament reveals how close one may come to the kingdom – tasting, touching, perceiving, understanding. And it also shows that to come this far and reject the truth is unforgivable.”

John Stott, “The essence of apostasy is changing sides from that of the crucified to that of the crucifier.”

Consider the actions of Judas Iscariot and how close he was to truth incarnate and then he abandoned that truth for personal gain. He betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver and sold his soul to the work of Satan, abandoning Jesus. What is the doctrine of demons and deceitful spirits; but the enticement of worldly gain and self-gratification?

Unless a person fully believes in Jesus, having put their faith and trust in Him as Lord and Savior, they remain on the road of denial and apostasy. Judas shows us how close a person may come to the kingdom of God and never enter in. Judas changed sides, from the side of Christ who would be crucified for his sins to the side of the crucifier, Satan who desired to destroy Jesus and remove man’s only hope for salvation. Judas entered into a condition of persistent betrayal and denial that left his soul damned for eternity.

We see in these later times many people abandoning faith and giving into deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons because they were never saved. They were close enough to experience the kingdom of God but never entered in. We also see the world today falling further and further away from God and becoming increasingly demonic in its views. Guard your heart from the lies of the world and keep your eyes on Jesus. NEVER abandon your faith and NEVER abandon Jesus.


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