1 Timothy 4:1-3
The Bible warns us that in the last days, some will depart from the faith. But why do people turn away from God’s truth?
In 1 Timothy 4:1-3, we find several reasons.
Let’s take a closer look at what pulls people away from the faith and how we can guard against these influences.
1. Voices that Pull You Away from God’s Word
The first reason mentioned in 1 Timothy 4:1 is that people “give heed to seducing spirits.”
These are voices that lead people away from the truth of God’s Word. Today, there are many spiritual influences that sound good but are not based on the Bible.
These seductive voices can be anything from false teachers to popular trends on social media that go against Scripture. When people start listening to these voices, they begin to drift away from the faith.
As Christians, we must always test what we hear against God’s Word. The Bible is our anchor. If something doesn’t line up with Scripture, we should reject it, no matter how appealing it might seem.
2. Beliefs that Pull You Away from God’s Word
The second reason for departing from the faith is “doctrines of devils.” This refers to beliefs and teachings that come straight from the enemy.
These false doctrines twist the truth of Scripture or add to it, leading people astray.
For example, throughout history, many false religions have introduced beliefs that seem spiritual but are in direct opposition to what the Bible teaches.
When people start embracing these beliefs, they are drawn away from the truth of the gospel. We must be on guard against anything that alters or contradicts what God has already revealed in His Word.
3. Fakers Who Pull You Away from God’s Word
Verse 2 speaks of “speaking lies in hypocrisy,” describing people who pretend to be faithful but live a lie. These individuals act like they are spiritual, but in reality, they are deceivers.
Their consciences are “seared,” meaning they no longer feel convicted by their wrong actions.
These hypocrites can lead others astray because they look and sound convincing.
They use religious language and appear righteous, but their teachings and actions don’t align with the truth.
We must be discerning, knowing that not everyone who claims to follow Christ is truly walking with Him.
4. Forbidding What God Has Already Blessed
Verses 3 mentions two specific things that false teachers forbid: marriage and certain foods.
These are things that God has given to us as blessings, but these deceivers add their own rules, telling people that they must abstain from them in order to be spiritual.
God created marriage and food for our good, and when people forbid what God has blessed, it shows they are adding man-made rules to God’s Word.
We must remember that God’s blessings are good and should be received with thanksgiving, not rejected because of false teachings
When people start following these false teachings—whether it’s forbidding what God has blessed or imposing their own unnecessary rules as if they are God’s Word—they stray from the truth.
The warnings in 1 Timothy 4:1-3 are clear: we must be on guard against voices, beliefs, and people that pull us away from God’s Word.
The best way to protect ourselves is to stay grounded in Scripture, to know what God has said, and to reject anything that doesn’t align with the truth of the Bible. By staying close to God, we can avoid being led astray by seducing spirits, false doctrines, hypocritical fakers, and man-made rules.
God has already given us His truth in the Bible, and we must cling to it in these last days.
Let’s be faithful to stand firm, always testing everything by His Word and refusing to depart from the faith.
