Therefore, although you may be steadfast in your faith now, it is possible to passively yield to the error of unprincipled men, or be carried away by their error, and thus fall from your steadfastness. He had just spoken about these unprincipled men in the previous verse as ignorant and unstable men who distort the Scriptures to their own destruction (2 Pet 3;16). Since they will be destroyed, so will those who are carried away together with them.
Turning your back on the sacred commandment
It is possible to turn your back on the sacred commandment. And
that is what the people whom Peter wrote about did. “It would have
been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than
to have known it and then to
turn their backs(r) on the sacred commandment passed on to them.” (2 Pet 2:21).
These people knew the way of righteousness and later
turned their backs on the sacred commandment. These are the people
Peter is writing about in 2 Peter 2 throughout the entire chapter.
Read this verse first and then go back and read the entire chapter with
the understanding that this is who he is referring to beginning in
verse 1. He gives many examples of how God did not spare others and
will not spare them, even though they once knew the way of
righteousness.
Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its
vomit,” and “A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the
mud.” (2 Pet 2:22). It is possible for a person who has been washed
to go back to wallowing in the mud, and their end is clearly described
in verses 3-10, and verse 13, as well as verse 17. “They will be paid
back with harm for the harm they have done.” (2 Pet 2:13) Finally,
“Blackest darkness is reserved for them.” (2 Pet 2:17).
My friend, these are harsh words, but they serve as a
warning for us. I’m not writing to you self-righteously, as one who
has never fallen, but as one who has fallen away before and returned to
the Lord.
The prodigal son
Twenty-nine years ago, I was serving in the US Army, and had recently committed my life to Christ (
Read my testimony here).
As a young, nineteen year-old infantryman, I had been delivered from
alcohol and substance abuse, as well as the sinful lifestyle that goes
with all of that.
He radically saved me. I was on fire for Jesus in
the beginning, sharing the Lord with the people in my life. I had a
genuine personal relationship with the Lord. Day and night, I read the
Word of God, prayed, had fellowship with other believers, and shared
the gospel.
But about three months later, I was transferred for
temporary duty overseas. I soon found myself serving in Berlin,
Germany. I had brought my Bible and my Christian music, sincerely
intending to stay close to the Lord.
However, when I went to the military chapel, I did
not like the way they conducted the services. Since I knew of no other
place where I could worship with fellow believers, I decided that I
would just follow the Lord on my own, without being connected with the
Body of Christ. It’s not that I didn’t want fellowship. I prayed for
God to provide Christian friends, and I tried to be a witness to those
around me. I really thought I could do it alone, but this was a
foolish mistake.
I was lonely and wanted to find a wife. So I began
going to places where single women could be found, such as the
nightclub on post. At first, I just drank cola. It seemed innocent. I
knew the Lord was with me, even in that place. But then I began to
allow myself one beer or hard drink. Soon it was two, then three, and
eventually six in one evening. I slowly slipped right back into my old
lifestyle and found myself one night at 2:00 AM, laying in a gutter
along the side of the street.
This pattern of falling away from the Lord continued
for about six months. But on New Years Eve, I went back to the
Protestant military chapel that I had rejected when I first arrived in
Germany. They were having a “watch night service,” bringing in the New
Year with prayer, worship, and fellowship. I felt so unworthy to be
there, so dirty and ashamed of the way I had been living. I sat in the
back, away from others.
They happened to be showing a video of a
Vietnam veteran named David Roevers,
who was awarded the Purple Heart. He gave a testimony about how the
Lord saved him from an accidental explosion of a phosphorus grenade.
About eighty five percent of his body had been severely burned, but he
continued to serve the Lord. At the end of the video, the chaplain
gave an invitation for anyone who wanted to commit his or her life to
Jesus. I went forward, responding to his invitation with repentance,
asking God to forgive me. The Lord’s mercy was so great. He forgave
me completely and took me back.
It was like the story of the prodigal son. Like him, I
had squandered what the Lord gave me. I spent everything on my own
selfish desires until I hit rock bottom. But I came to my senses just
like him.
He said, “I will get up and go to my father, and will
say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight; I
am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your
hired men.'” So he got up and came to his father. But while he was
still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him,
and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him,
“Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer
worthy to be called your son.” But the father said to his slaves,
“Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on
his hand and sandals on his feet; and bring the fattened calf, kill it,
and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and has
come to life again; he was lost and has been found.” And they began to
celebrate. (Luk 15:18-24)
If you have fallen away from the Lord, or are
beginning to do so, then return to Him with all your heart. Just as
the father ran to meet his prodigal son, our Heavenly Father will run
to you as soon as you repent and set your heart to return to Him.
Safeguards to keep you
Not everyone who falls away returns to the Lord. The saying is
true that sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you
longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay.
It’s very dangerous to play with sin. Once you harden your heart to
the conviction of the Holy Spirit, it will become very difficult to
sense it at all again. So you will no longer hear the warning
indicator inside of you.
There are some safeguards that you should implement in your life to ensure you don’t fall away like that.
First of all,
seek the Lord.
The prophet Isaiah wrote: “Seek the LORD while He may be found; Call
upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way And the
unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the LORD, And He
will have compassion on him, And to our God, For He will abundantly
pardon.” (Isa 55:6-7)
Aim to love with a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith (1 Tim 1:4).
And just as many of the Scriptures about falling away
come from the book of Hebrews, many of the safeguards are also found
in the same book. Keep on loving each other (Heb 13:1). Do not forsake
the assembling of yourself with other true believers (Heb 10:25). In
other words, stay in fellowship with the Body of Christ, where you can
worship, pray, serve, and be accountable. Encourage one another daily
(Heb 3:13). Hold firmly to the faith we profess (Heb 4:14). Draw near
to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith (Heb 10:22).
Hold fast our confidence (Heb 10:35). Throw off everything that hinders
and the sin that so easily entangles (Heb 12:1). Run the race with
perseverance (Heb 12:1). Fix our eyes on Jesus (Heb 12:2). Keep
striving against sin (Heb 12:4).
Strive to enter the kingdom (Luk 13:24). Do not make light of the Lord’s
discipline or grow weary from it (Heb 12:5). Make every effort to live
in peace with all men and to be holy (Heb 12:14). Avoid sexual
immorality (Heb 12:16). Let your hearts be strengthened by grace (Heb
13:9). Continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise through Jesus
(Heb 13:15). Obey your leaders and submit to their authority (Heb
13:17).
Lastly, you should bear good fruit for the Lord’s
glory (John 15:6; Luke 3:9; Mat 7:19), and continue in God’s kindness
(Rom 11:22)
Greek word definition footnotes
As you review all of these Greek words used in the New Testament
for the various aspects of apostasy, please bear in mind that the Holy
Spirit inspired the authors to use these words. This is not an
isolated topic, but one that is thoroughly treated in Scripture. Those
who deny that it is possible for a true believer to fall away must
reckon with all of these words. And those who falsely teach on this topic must one day give an account to God.
a. parapito – to fall aside, that is, (figuratively) to apostatize: - fall away.
b. aphistemi - to desist, desert, etc.: - depart, draw (fall) away, refrain, withdraw self.
c. pararrhueo - to flow by, that is, (figuratively) carelessly pass (miss): - let slip; to flow beside; to glide aside from; to fall off from profession, decline from steadfastness, make forfeit of faith.
d. apostrepho - to turn away or back (lit. or fig.): - bring again, pervert, turn away (from).
e. ektrepo – to deflect, that is, turn away (lit. or fig.): - avoid, turn (aside, out of the way).
f. astocheo - to miss the mark, that is, (figuratively) deviate from truth: - err, swerve.
g. pipto, peto - to fall (literally of figuratively): - fail, fall (down)
h. apoplanao - to lead astray (figuratively); passively to stray (from truth): - err, seduce.
i. arneomai - to contradict, that is, disavow, reject, abnegate: - deny, refuse.
j. ameleo - to be careless of: - make light of, neglect, be negligent, not regard.
k. apotheomai, apothomai - (to shove); to push off, (fig.) to reject: - cast away, put away (from), thrust way (from)
l. hustereo - to be later, to be inferior; to fall short; be destitute, fall, lack, suffer need
m. hupostello - to withhold under, to cower or shrink, to draw back, shun, withdraw.
n. skleruno - to indurate, that is, (figuratively) render stubborn: - harden.
o. planao - to (properly cause to) roam (from safety,
truth, or virtue): - go astray, deceive, err, seduce, wander, be out
of the way.
p. empleko - to entwine, that is, (figuratively) involve with: - entangle (in, self with).
q. hettao - to make worse, that is, vanquish (literally or figuratively); be inferior, overcome.
r. hupostrepho - to turn under (behind), come again, return (again, back again), turn back (again).
s.
skandalizo - to "scandalize"; from the word skandalon, which means to
entrap, that is, trip up (figuratively stumble [transitively] or entice
to sin, apostasy or displeasure): - (make to) offend.
t. kataleipo - to leave down, that is, behind; by implication to abandon, have remaining: - forsake, leave, reserve.
u. sunapagō - to take off together, that is, transport with (seduce, passively yield): - carry (lead) away with, condescend.
v. ekpiptō - to drop away; specifically be driven out of one’s course; figuratively to lose, become inefficient: - be cast, fail, fall (away, off, from), to fall from, to fall to the ground, be fruitless, ineffectual, forfeit, take none effect, come to an end.
Putting it All Together
It’s clear from God’s Word that there is such a thing as abandoning one’s faith, drifting away, turning aside from the truth, forsaking the straight way, straying, wandering, and falling away from the Lord. It doesn't happen overnight. You don't go from being "on fire" for Jesus one day, and then wake up the next morning as an apostate. It happens gradually and almost imperceptibly, like a boat drifting out to sea. Knowing that this is in fact possible serves as a warning to every true believer.
When a brother or sister strays from the truth, they once again become a sinner. Such a person's soul is in danger of death, and the only way to be saved is to turn back (i.e., convert) to Christ once again.
If you have fallen away from the Lord, or are beginning to do so, you need to hear the Lord's voice calling out to you tenderly, "Come on home." Then return to Him with all your heart. Just as the father ran to meet his prodigal son, our Heavenly Father will run to you as soon as you repent and set your heart to return to Him.
If you have not fallen away from the Lord, I’d like to admonish you from Scripture to stay close to the Lord Jesus. There are some safeguards you need to put in place in your life to ensure that you don’t fall away from the Lord. Be sure those are in place in your own life, and encourage others to do the same.
Whether your life comes to an end or the Lord returns, you’ve got to be prepared to meet Him. I pray the Lord will enable you to stand before Him in that day.
Attribution notice: Most
Scripture quotations taken from the NASB copyright Lockman Foundation, all rights reserved, used by permission.
Author's note:
I realize this post is a very severe word. I am simply saying what
Scripture says. In fact, the
The Apostasy Parables also carry the same message. Don't miss my other related articles:
If -- A Picture Paints a Thousand Words,
Avoid Becoming a Corrupted Christian,
No Turning Back,
Eternal Security, and
Holding Fast the Faithful Word. I also recommend
The Origin of Sin, Satan, and Secular Music and
The Rise and Fall of Lucifer the Musician. Let me encourage you to read my blogs about
Election and Predestination and the
Keeping Power of God. You can access the
Main Directory for Seeking the Lord, or my complete
blog directory at "
Writing for the Master."
I also encourage you to read the articles I have written on the need for obedience:
Now I'd like to ask a very important question.
Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you
repent and believe in Jesus. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible
says?
“Jesus
came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time
is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in
the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and
believe.
Please see my explanation of this in my post called "
Do You Want to Know Jesus?"
_________________________________________________
Len Lacroix is the founder of
Doulos Missions International.
He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as
well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who
multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of
planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United
States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission.
www.dmiworld.org. 
