June 13, 2004

Cawson Street Church of Christ

Mural Worthey

Hopewell, VA 23860

This Thursday evening has been scheduled by our elders for a special period of praying for those who have fallen away. You are invited to come to the fellowship hall for this period of Scripture reading, singing and prayer. There are many things that we can try to do to bring them back to the Lord, but we should not overlook the power of praying for them. This message is presented with this special effort in mind.

One of the saddest matters that we face in the life of a church is the loss of some of our members. It is more heart wrenching, in some respects, than the loss caused by death. Some, in time, return, but others do not. In our study of 1 and 2 Timothy recently, we noted that Paul wrote about many who had left the faith. He said "This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me, of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes." (2 Timothy 1:15-16.) Demas forsook Paul because he loved this present world. (2 Tim. 4:10.) Hymeneus and Philetus taught that the resurrection was already past, overturning the faith of some. (2 Tim. 2:17-18.) Alexander is named along with Hymeneus for blaspheming. (1 Tim. 1:20.) Paul wrote to encourage Timothy because many had left just after they obeyed the Gospel.

Throughout the ages from the first century until now, the story has continued. Some remain faithful; others do not. When the Gospel was first preached, some believed but others did not. We wonder why and ask, what can we do? The Bible has a lot to say about those who fall away. Here are some of the major texts.

Galatians 6:1. "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, you which are spiritual restore such a one in the spirit of meekness, considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted."

This passage says that it is possible for a believer to be "overtaken in a fault." Overtaken, Gr. prolambano, suggests surprise, a sudden thing, not planned and premeditated. This fault can be doctrinal as well as moral. The doctrinal error in this letter to the Galatians was that the Gentiles needed to be circumcised and keep the Law of Moses. (Gal. 1:6-9; 6:12.) The moral issue generally is that of following the flesh rather than walking in the Spirit. (Gal. 5:17.)

The fault is serious enough that the person needs to be restored. The ones encouraged to restore those who are overtaken are those who are spiritually strong, capable of guiding them back to faithfulness. They need to be spiritually mature because of the danger that they might be tempted by the very thing that led this person away. The contrast here is between those who are spiritual to one overtaken in a fault. The "spiritual" does not refer just to elders or deacons, but to all Christians who are spiritual in the church.

How they are to be restored is "in the spirit of meekness." This is the right attitude, realizing your own weakness and battles in the flesh. This gently spirit helps to ensure that a good result will follow—the restoration of the fallen. It is possible for one to repent and be restored.

We should not think that "those overtaken in a fault" are always just those who have left the assembly. Forsaking the assembly is usually a symbol of a deeper problem. Just rebuking people for missing the worship assemblies is not sufficient. It is possible that some who attend regularly have been overtaken in a fault. Their sin is never addressed because they attend regularly. Those who attend may be overtaken with prejudice, pride, covetousness, sexual immorality, self-righteousness and other serious sins. These have fallen away just as those who no longer attend!

One other significant point concerning this passage is that the doctrine that God has already determined who will be saved and lost is not consistent with this passage. They contend that those who fall away were never saved in the first place and if they return they never fell away. What a contradiction! If God has already determined the number of the saved and lost, then our efforts would be meaningless and the faults of the saved would not matter. The doctrines of predestination and "once saved always saved" are inconsistent with Scripture. Someone summed up this error by this quip: "If you seek for it, you cannot find it. If you find it (salvation), you cannot lose it. If you lose it, you never had it!"

Luke 15:11-32. This familiar story of the father with two sons, usually styled the story of the prodigal son, is also helpful in understanding how we should react to those who have fallen away. Note that one son stayed at home and seemingly was obedient to his father, but the other left home and wasted his inheritance with riotous living. Our focus is usually upon the prodigal (wasteful) son. The father did say that this son was dead and lost, but is now found and alive. (15:32.) However, these three stories in Luke 15 were told because of the attitude of the scribes and Pharisees. They criticized Jesus because he received sinners and ate with them. (15:1-2.) This parable could be called the story of the elder brother and the prodigal son. If so, the story focuses on the attitude of the elder brother (the attitude of the Pharisees and scribes) toward the younger brother when he returned home.

This story is helpful to us in considering those who have fallen away. The younger son was once at home and then left. He returned when he came to himself. The father joyfully received him back. Here are some things to consider: 1) The father watched and no doubt prayed for his son’s return (v. 20). 2) But the father did not constantly pursue his son pleading for his return. 3) The son had to wake up (he came to himself) and realize what he was doing. You cannot force or drag the fallen back home. Something must change within. 4) The prodigal was received back with a party in his honor. 5) The elder brother was not restored though the father tried tenderly. The story ends with the elder brother still outside the house while a party was going on inside. Again, we have seen that one can remain "at home" and still be overtaken in a fault. This one needs to be restored as much as one who departs.

Mark 4:3-20. This is known as Jesus’ parable of the sower. The sower sowed seed which fell on four different kinds of soils. As explained by Jesus to his disciples, the sower represents the teacher of the Word of God. The seed is the Word of God. The four soils are four different kinds of hearts who received the Word. Only one of the four was good soil where the seed took root and brought forth fruit. The other three kinds of soil—the stony, thorny, and wayside—did not bring forth fruit. These three kinds of soils mean that there are many reasons why people fall away from God.

A Calvinist preacher heard brother Gus Nichols speaking on this parable and asked him, Whose fault is it that their heart is stony, thorny or wayside? (Lectures on the Holy Spirit, 190, 1967.) Brother Nichols recalled several passages. Some are these:

"Cleanse your hands, you sinners. Purify your hearts, you double minded." (James 4:8.) "Make you a new heart and a new spirit; for why will you die, O house of Israel?" (Ezek. 18:30-33.) King Hezekiah prayed, "Pardon everyone that prepares his heart to seek God." (2 Chron. 30:18-19.) This is the point—Prepare your soil. Man is responsible for clearing up the soil of his own heart to receive the Word of God. It is not the responsibility or duty of God, parents, elders, or friends. They may help. But no one can prepare another person’s heart. They must desire to seek after God.

This parable helps to answer the question, Why do some fall away? Jesus said that it was because of temptations, persecutions, cares of the world, and lusts of other things entering in. But ultimately, it is because of the condition of the heart and thinking of the person. When that is changed, then the temptations, persecutions, and cares of the world will have no power over them. Each farmer is responsible for the condition of his fields. The stones must be removed and the thorns cut before planting can occur. This turns the stony, thorny, and wayside soil into good soil.

Hebrews 10:23-31. This is an important text concerning those who have rejected the sacrifice of Jesus by forsaking the Christian assembly of worship. When one does that, one is no longer remembering the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus for one’s atonement. Thus, the person is no longer expressing faith in the blood of Jesus for his salvation. (Rom. 3:25.) Therefore, there is no other sacrifice to which one may turn. If we reject the sacrifice of Jesus for our salvation, to what sacrifice will we now trust for our eternal redemption? All that remains is a certain fearful looking for of judgement and fiery indignation. The judgement for those rejecting the blood of Jesus will be more severe than for those who rejected the blood of bulls and goats.

Note these things from this text: 1) Each should hold fast the profession of his faith. 2) We should consider one another to provoke unto love and good works. 3) It has been the custom of some throughout Christian history to forsake (i.e. to leave) the assembly on the Lord’s Day. 4) There are serious consequences for leaving Christianity. There is no other Redeemer, no other sacrifice for sin than Jesus’ blood. 5) The punishment is more severe under the Gospel of grace than Moses’ Law because it is Jesus’ blood and God’s grace that is being rejected.

One author, Jonathan Gainsbrugh, wrote a book titled Winning The Backdoor War, by closing seven backdoors of the church, 1993. Won’t it be wonderful if we could close all the back doors and open wide the front doors? Members fall away for many different reasons. Only God knows the hearts of others. The parable of the sower teachers that it is because of the condition of the soil into which the Seed is planted. The story of the prodigal son reveals that the son purposefully left, knowing what he wanted to do. The story of the lost sheep teaches that some just wander away without planning it. The story of the lost coin suggests that the coin was lost by the carelessness of the woman. Galatians 6 teaches that a Christian cannot be overtaken by surprise or suddenly in a fault.

One of the most consistent remarks made by those who have fallen away blames the church—the elders, preachers, members, others. But if that is true, why do so many others keep on faithfully participating? The truth is that if you are looking for some justification for your lack of faithfulness, you can find it. No one, even shepherds, can be fully responsible for the souls of others. We can help and extend our love and fellowship. But the final decision for faithfulness belongs to the believer. The soil is your own heart. Your parents cannot be fully responsible. I cannot blame someone else. The church does not exist to meet your personal, psychological, emotional needs. The church can and does bless our lives. But we should come to worship God and submit to him. The preacher’s role, elders’ role, and members’ role is not to please and pamper you! It is to please God and serve our fellowman.