The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith…
Summary: Paul’s statement about “later times” leads us to wonder what he means by “abandon the faith.”
Believe it or not, this passage is a troublemaker.
“Why?” you ask.
When I was a small child, my parents attended a mainstream Protestant church. This church was very much in the tradition of centuries of Protestant churches that are direct offshoots of the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church, in turn, is a survivor of the Great Schism of 1054 AD. (The Great Schism is when the Church split into Western Catholic and Eastern Orthodox branches.)
Up until that time, there had been only one church. After that first split, there were two different groups that claimed to represent the true faith.
In those days, your choice of church depended on where you lived. The two traditions were separated by both tradition and geography. Today, in any given town or city, you might have both Western Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches to choose from. There are also innumerable branches of Protestant and other churches to add to your selection.
All of these churches claim to represent Jesus and teach the precepts of the true faith. While everyone politely ignores the differences between churches, the implication is obvious. If one represents the “true faith,” the others must have ‘abandoned the faith.’
So, which one is the “true faith?”
This tendency to want to own the trademark for the Truth goes clear back to the first disciples. When they see someone who has clearly been paying attention to Jesus cast out demons in his name, they want to shut him down because he was “not one of us” (Mark 9:38).
Jesus responds with a simple if somewhat paradoxical truth: “Whoever is not against us is for us” (Mark 9:40).
Wow. That seems like a rather low bar, doesn’t it? Could it really be that simple?
One of the questions people argue about is whether or not someone can lose their faith. (This is another interpretation of Paul’s words in this verse.) While it might be interesting to think about and discuss, the idea of churches splitting over this question is tragic.
Who ultimately decides? Are we saved because someone’s theological system says we are or because Jesus saves us?
The “faith” Paul is talking about was just described as the “mystery from which true godliness springs” (1 Timothy 3:16). The answer to the mystery is Jesus. Christianity is all about Christ. When people forget that, it makes me wonder if they are the ones Paul is talking about when he says, “…in later times some will abandon the faith.”
Application: Trust Jesus, only Jesus.
Food for Thought: What are the benefits of theological arguments?
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