In these days which we live there seems to be a renewed “spirit of lawlessness” released upon the earth.
The topic of sin and lawlessness is not a popular one. Many view the concept of sin and lawlessness as archaic and demeaning. They would say that it is an ideology that needs to be cast aside in light of current "modern thought".
True Christians however know that God's Word will never become outdated. Sin and lawlessness is one such topic in the Bible that is as relevant today as it was in the beginning of mankind. What are the results of a person, a church, or a nation walking in the ways of lawlessness? Over the next chapters we will discuss the cause and effect of the spirit of lawlessness upon a people, a church or a nation. In this “Mystery of Lawlessness” study we will look at some of the effects that are released upon the individual which will also have an impact on the body of Christ. For the majority of this study I will be using 1 Tim.4:1-3 as our main Scriptural text.
LAWLESSNESS CAUSES A DEPARTING FROM THE FAITH:
1 Timothy 4:1-3 ESV Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, (2) through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, (3) who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.
“Departing from the faith”: The word “departing” is “aphistemi” and means “to remove”, “to revolt”, “to desist” to desert”, or “to draw or fall away”. We know that sin will abound in great measure in these last days. The world is more and more immoral moving to an amoral behavior. There seems to be no moral standard left except that every man does what is right in his own eyes.
This is the mystery of lawlessness and is causing the hearts of believers to grow cold and fall away from the faith. Their faith will be shipwrecked, they will abandon their faith, they will depart from the faith, their faith will be made void, they will err from the faith, their faith will fail, they will not be true to their faith, they will draw back from the faith, and they will cease to continue in the faith.
Remedy: Don't flirt with the world and fall in the spirit of lawlessness.