[The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith] and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.
Summary: Paul points back to the origin of deception to help us see the danger of listening to anything other than Christ.
In our last meditation, “For or Against?,” we explored two possible views about what “abandon the faith” might mean.
The first one we explored was about divisions in the church. Where there is a disagreement, it seems reasonable to assume that one or both of the groups involved might be wrong. Then we looked at a second possibility — is Paul talking about individuals who abandon the faith?
In fact, both possibilities are really the same. After all, groups are made up of individual people. So, if the people follow deceiving spirits, the group they belong to is doing the same thing.
In the second half of this verse, Paul explains what is going on. When people “abandon the faith,” it means they no longer listen only to God. “Deceiving spirits,” aka “demons,” have been at work distracting people from God’s truth.
If this sounds familiar, it should.
In the third chapter of Genesis, the Bible describes in detail how the serpent* came and deceived Eve. Both Eve and Adam allowed themselves to be enticed by the possibility of being “like God.” Instead of relying on God’s judgment, they took things into their own hands and believed that God was not serious about his warning that they would die if they ate from the forbidden tree (Genesis 2:16-17).†
Being deceived is as old as the human race. Satan has lost the war, but he continues fighting the battle (Revelation 20:7-10). He seems intent on dragging as many souls as he can with him into the burning lake of fire (Revelation 20:14-15).
Fortunately, God is not mocked (Galatians 6:7).
His purpose and his Creation stand and survive as he intended. His Church also survives as he intended, but like the people who fill the earth, a tinge of corruption has divided the church.
So what is a person to do? What is the “faith” that some have abandoned? What do the deceiving spirits teach, and how do we recognize it?
The answer to these questions can be as long or as short as we want. Let’s cut to the chase: When we come to the end of this life, and the body stops working, we will find ourselves confronted by the spiritual realm. Who will you call out to? Will you call for the church on earth to save you, or will you call out to Jesus?
Personally, I will be calling out for Jesus.
Application: Keep our eyes on Jesus.
Food for Thought: How can we tell if something is “taught by demons?”
*The “serpent” is assumed to be the same serpent mentioned in Revelation 20:2, “He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.”
†See 1 Timothy 1:16c – “The Way Home”
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