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Why Professing Christians Fall Away

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           Many have begun the Christian life, and they seem to accept the full Truth of God’s Word, but have later fallen away from true faith in Christ and live like the world.  The cause of this falling away from trusting in the Atonement of Christ is their choice to allow Satan to control their life.  He can deceive them through suggestions to the mind, or he can use people under his control to influence a believer to leave a position of faith and trust on the power of God.

          Every human heart is either under the control of Satan, or under the control of God—there is no middle position.  Satan is crafty and cunning in offering plans or suggesting alternatives, so most people do not detect his influence or control.  Many professing Christians think they are living a good life and following a right course—never thinking that Satan is within a hundred miles of them—that is the serious aspect of the devil’s deceit.

          If Satan would directly approach someone and reveal his identity, no professing Christian would listen to him, and they would do everything possible to distance themselves from him.  When he secretly approaches as an angel of light, however, it is not easy to detect that it is the devil.  Satan has deceived people for six thousand years, and he knows all our weak points, so he can easily gain control unnoticed.  Being a fallen archangel with all that experience and intelligence makes him extremely crafty & dangerous.

          The apostle warned 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 ”For such are false [sham] apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into [masquerading as] apostles of Christ.  And no wonder!  For Satan himself transforms [disguises] himself into an angel of light.  Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works [what their actions deserve].”

          People who fall away from actively living God’s Truth take a wrong attitude about things; they begin to accept unscriptural ideas; act opposite to the way God intended; run into various problems; and seem to have no protection or victory over the devil—all because they refused to meet something in a Scriptural way.  A temptation was encountered and they met it like the world.

          God has a plan for every detail of this life—our physical health, financial needs, the home, at work, and every other life issue.  Situations and people we meet along the path are opportunities to put God’s Truth into action.  Someone may insult us or offend us; a child may be rebellious; we may not be paid for services rendered; a physical oppression can be met, or whatever the situation—if we do not meet it as God’s Word says to meet it, and do not turn back to God in repentance, we will lose out spiritually.

One thing we can never lose, however, is our power of choice—that can never be taken from us as long as we live on this earth.  Adam and Eve used their power of choice to accept Satan’s lies, and to reject God’s Word, which resulted in their forfeiting all the blessings of a paradise environment.  Just by refusing to meet one circumstance in God’s way, the devil was able to have full control of their life.  As the end times get closer, the entire world will not only reject the Christ of the true God, but will accept the Antichrist of the false devil.

Satan takes possession of people because 2 Thessalonians 2:10, “they did not welcome into their hearts the love of the truth, so that they might be saved.”  They refused to meet something as God said to meet it—giving Satan more control.  If we refuse to meet a physical oppression right, and turn to some type of medical help, prescription, or drug, we would have to repent, and be tested again in that area.  This next time, however, we have to trust God in believing faith.

If we meet with a financial difficulty, home problem, work situation, or some wrong done to us, and we do not respond in a scriptural way, those tests would have to recur until we are willing too meet them in God’s way—if we ever do; but that is up to us—that will always be our choice!

2 Thessalonians 2:11 ”And for this reason God sends them a misleading influence that they may believe the lie.” By their own willful and wrong choice, the devil is allowed to deceive them, so they accept wrong teaching—thinking it is the right way.  To be so completely deceived seems incredible, but the devil has tremendous power over those who allow him, by choice, to have control of them.

He makes them see things opposite to what they really are.  Isaiah 5:20 ”Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness!”  They would eventually have to be judged guilty because they have 2 Thessalonians 2:12 ”refused to believe the truth and have taken pleasure in unrighteousness.”

The root of the problem is a failure to surrender their life to God without compromising.  Romans 12:1 ”I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”

Our former life is slain and placed on God’s altar—we are now totally subject to God and must allow Him to have His way in everything.  The devil always pictures this as a hardship and oppressive bondage; but the opposite is the truth—freedom from sinful desires, divine protection under the Blood of Christ, and inner peace from giving God complete control—all without cost.

No matter what type of trial; 1 Corinthians 10:13 ”There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”  Whatever is met, we have the privilege, and we will be in a position to call on God’s strength to bring us through.

If traveling to another city, and we turn back every time the road became difficult or a storm would come up, we would never arrive at our destination.  The Christian life is a similar situation.  If we start out putting a limit on doing God’s will, and trust Him only when the sky is clear with a pleasant breeze, but if a storm comes up, we turn back to the old way of self, the devil is able to deceive us and eventually destroy us—if we do not repent.

The cause of falling is the type of surrender to God’s Word.  In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount—and all through the New Testament, God’s standard of righteousness, faith, and trust is clearly explained.  Anyone who is willing can accept it, as God is no respecter of persons.  His divine power will keep them from falling, as long as that attitude of surrender to His will is maintained.

The apostle wrote Jude 1:24-25 “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever.  Amen.”  If we want God to keep us from falling away from His Truth, He must have entire possession of our life.

If we had two hundred dollars; put half into a checking account, and kept the other half, but lost it soon after, we could not blame the bank for the loss of two hundred dollars, because if we had given them the entire amount, they would be responsible for that amount.  If God is given our entire life, He is responsible to keep our whole life, protect us, and save us.

Once saved always saved is a serious delusion.  That doctrine teaches that if someone accepts the historical facts concerning the Atonement of Christ, they are eternally saved and cannot be lost—even if they make wrong choices and fail to do the will of God by following His teaching in the Word of God.  Such professing Christians have never truly given their life to God.

Jesus clearly explained our level of commitment; Luke 14:26 "If any one is coming to me who does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes and his own life also, he cannot be a disciple of mine.”  At some point, we will be called to go against the wishes of a loved one, the government, or even to risk our life for the sake of God’s Truth.  If our surrender is not valid, and if God’s will does not come ahead of everyone and everything, we will fall at Satan’s first shot.

          A genuine surrender to God is a total commitment to trust Him for healing, no matter how serious the oppression, without trusting any human remedy, doctor, medication, or drug.  If we are committed to doing God’s will in finances, we will not borrow money, will not purchase anything on credit, and will not hint to anyone that we need anything.  A total surrender like that will place God at our side and enable us to access His huge financial resources.

          Every situation we meet in God’s way increases our knowledge of what God will do, and keeps the mind of Jesus in control of our heart.  Any temptation that is not met according to God’s will, decreases our spirituality; and keeps the mind-set of the world in our heart—allowing Satan to have more and more control over our life.

          The various temptations we meet are for the purpose of perfecting our faith.  When we come to the place where neither friend or foe; man or devil; and neither life or death would ever cause us to disobey God—then and only then, will the efforts of Satan to ruin our life and trouble our home, be disabled, and the power of God to bless our home and save our soul, be enabled and enjoyed.

          The gospel of Christ must be lived every day to receive the Kingdom of God.  Two vital things enable us to be kept in God’s Truth by His power.  One—being sure that our surrender to God is without compromise, and that we will not turn away from that commitment to do God’s will under any circumstance, persuasion, or pressure.

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First Century Gospel Church © 2011
PO Box 24283
PHILA PA  19120-5283
contact@fcgchurch.org