Some Will Depart From the Faith – 1 Timothy 4:1-5

There are typically two opposite forms false doctrine takes.  One licenses various forms of immorality, using religious teaching to allow adherents what they want to do, permitting sin and wantonness.  They speak of freedom.  We see an example of this in 1 Corinthians 6, where Paul confronts a number of illicit behaviors the Corinthians justify with the catchphrase, “all things are lawful for me” (v.12).

The other form false doctrine takes is an ascetic one, a denial of any pleasures of the flesh, as if the flesh’s desires themselves are always evil.  That is what Paul confronts here in 1 Timothy 4.

Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.  (1 Timothy 4:1-5 ESV)

The Holy Spirit is the member of the Trinity most responsible for communicating to God’s prophets what God’s will is.  The prediction He has been giving through Paul and other prophets is that as this age winds down (and it is constantly winding down ever over these last 2,000 years) there will be people we thought were believers who will depart from the faith.  Instead of listening to God’s Spirit they will listen to demonic spirits speaking through liars, false prophets and teachers, who have no conscience.  Their conscience would tell them they are doing wrong, but it has been seared and hardened over.  And they have become influenced by demonic spirits.

The false demonic teachings they will follow include the forbidding of marriage and abstinence from certain foods.  This is not God’s requirement at all, but a human/demonic attempt to gain worth through false humiliation of the body.  God created marriage and food to be received with thanksgiving.   His creation is good.  If we receive from His hand His provision with gratitude and prayer in accordance with His word, marriage and food is holy.