Waging the Worthy War #4
Part 2: The Future Fight For The Faith – 1 Timothy 4:1-5

Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.

The Enemy of the Future

Paul warns Timothy then, and today warns us, about the enemy we face in the fight for the faith.
He says that the Holy Spirit has expressly (plainly, clearly and emphatically spoken, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith.

Now, these enemies of the future were not the pagan Roman emperors or pagan governors, nor were they barbarians or savages of unknown gods or goddesses. No Paul tells Timothy that these enemies of the faith were those who had departed from the faith. Enemies who camouflage themselves in the robes of Christianity. Paul had understood that when the enemy came, they would be from their own ranks, from the seats of God’s sanctuary.

Such betrayal and self-seeking had always been present when the Gospel was preached. Human nature and human depravity have always sought ways to steal and take from others. If it can be done with a lie instead of a knife so much the better. If you can do it so well that people thank you for it and let you rob them over and over and over again, well then of course, you must be either a fake preacher or a politician. Now even Paul didn’t talk about politicians, so we won’t go there today either.

Paul in his earlier letters and preaching consistently warned the new churches about the coming of false teachers

Acts 20:28-31 28  Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. 29  For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. 30  Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. 31  Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.

2 Thessalonians 2:7 7  For the mystery of iniquity doth already work:

2 Corinthians 11:3 3  But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

2 Corinthians 11:13-15 13  For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 14  And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 15  Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

Peter, John, James, Jude and Jesus, himself, all warned the early Christians and their warning have never been more important than today, but that warning has never been more ignored than today. As Jesus said, in Matthew 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

The Marks of the Enemy

1 Timothy 4:1-3 …giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; 2  Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; 3  Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, …

First, Paul says, “They are inspired and instructed by Satanic spirits and doctrines (v. 1a). Strong words of condemnation, but Paul is warning all of us what is at stake and it is much more than just a few dollars in the wrong pocket. The real objective of these demonic inspired false teachers is salvation and eternal life. They may not realize it, they may not be aware of it, but you and I who are now engaged in this fight had better recognize it, this is not a battle about money, it is a battle about salvation.

Secondly, Paul tells Timothy, they are hypocrites (v. 2). These false prophets, teachers or so called apostles, preach one thing but they live and practice contrary to their own teaching. They tell others how to live, but do not hold themselves to that same standard. The word for word, literal translation of this phrase is "by means of the hypocrisy of liars.” And that is what hypocrisy is, a bold faced lie. A lie that begins with words and then is demonstrated in lives of hypocrisy. Of course, today, with false preachers or bad politicians, or people on twitter and facebook, nobody really care about hypocrisy.

Paul goes on and gives this very graphic description, “having their conscience seared with a hot iron.” The word seared comes from the Greek word, kautēriazō, where we derive our English word "cauterized." The picture here of a branding iron applied, not to flesh but to a person’s conscience, is a powerful word visual of condemnation. Paul is saying that the part of a person that is governed by morality, ethics and an understanding of right and wrong, has been burned out of these people and all that is left is an ugly scar.
When these false disciples of the devil fall, and they always fall, we wonder how they could go to such depths of depravity, such immorality, such gross sinfulness. Just remember what Paul said, Their conscience has been seared, burned away there is no worldliness nor sin they will not give themselves to.

They deny God's Word (vv. 3-5). Paul give two examples, that were probably going on in his day. they were teaching that the best way to serve God was by remaining unmarried. Which of course the first book of the Bible, Genesis, contradicts, "It is not good that the man should be alone." Those are God's direct words in Gen. 2:18. Jesus taught the same about marriage in Matt. 19:1-9. In an earlier letter to the Corinthians, Paul taught the biblical basis for marriage in 1 Cor. 7:1-24.

He also said that they were teaching that certain foods or meats had to be avoided in order to be more spiritual. This wasn’t a health or diet observation it was a spiritual observation from Paul. Eating or not eating certain foods will not make you more or less spiritual, it may make you more or less physical, but not spiritual.

The idea behind these two examples is that they were in opposition to God’s Word. False teachers, false prophets, fake apostle, fake spiritual leaders always, always teach in contradiction to God’s word. They hide their lies perhaps even from themselves, but they are still lies. Some of those lies are as obvious as the ones Paul mentions here and when you see them the alarms of 1 Timothy chapter four should start ringing in your unseared conscience. Let me give you one example.

False Doctrine that equates to False Prophets

Do you know what almost all the false prophets in the Pentecostal/ Charismatic / Word of Faith movement teach besides name it claim it? They all believe that you can lose your salvation. I have never read, heard or know one that did not. One of the clearest, most emphatic truths of God’s is that God’s salvation is eternal, from the Old Testament to the New Testament that truth is plainly seen.

Listen to what Paul wrote this concerning the nation of Israel that God had made his own and they had rejected His love by choosing idols and finally even rejected His Son, Jesus Christ, the Messiah. Yet Paul writing to the Romans in explaining why Israel has not been utterly cast away in, Roman 11:29 “For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.” Think about this, if God didn’t cast away Israel, as His people, even after they as a nation rejected the Messiah, then how can anyone believe that He would cast away His own children who have accepted Jesus as their Savior? …There is only one way you can teach such a lie, with a “conscience seared with a hot iron.”