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, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer. (1 Tim. 4:1–5, English Standard Version)
This passage is from the first letter of the apostle Paul to Timothy. Note that Paul was inspired by the Holy Spirit to pass on this message, not only to Timothy but also to Christians in later times (v. 1). The Spirit says it “expressly,” which gives urgency to the message so that we, when we start to recognize the issues he is talking about, will heed the message and cultivate the right attitude, as mentioned in verse 4.
The Message
What is the Holy Spirit telling us? That there will be deception spread by people who (often still) call themselves Christian. This is part of the deception. We think they are fellow Christians, and we trust them to have our well-being at heart. Think, for example, of politicians, school teachers, or professors at universities, to whom we entrust our children to be educated.
Paul, who wrote the letter to Timothy, says that there are “some,” so not everybody is departing from the faith. But the ones who are, are deceiving a great many others and would deceive even the elect, if possible (Matt. 24:24). These past couple of years have shown us the division between the two groups becoming more and more evident.
We need to be alert. When Jesus sent out his disciples, he warned them: “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves” (Matt. 10:16). If Jesus is warning us this way, we know he will help us when we have doubts about somebody or some teaching or rule. In fact, in the same chapter gives us a criterion we can apply (vv. 32–33): “So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.”
How Bad Is It?
The “some” who depart from the faith get taken in by the devil himself. I’m convinced some are possessed. This passage in 1 Timothy 4 is not subtle in stating what they do:
They devote themselves to deceitful spirits. Devotion is more than an occasional slip into sin; it is giving one’s full attention at all times.
They listen to and follow the teaching of demons, which comes to them through the insincerity (i.e., lies and hypocrisy) of liars.
The consciences of these liars are seared. This means they are burned shut. By cauterization their consciences are shut down. Remarks like “How can they do this?” will not influence them. They have no empathy, no love, no care anymore. They can only hate and follow the orders they get from others like them.
What Will They Do?
They forbid marriage and require abstinence from food (v. 3). When you think about it, both have been going on for a while now.
Remember how certain foods were suddenly bad, because they contained cholesterol and cholesterol was bad for you? Eggs were bad, and red meat and butter and whole milk and much more. Why was that? My opinion is that the pharmaceutical industries wanted to sell more of their statin drugs. They were successful.
Now the climate change activists have set their eyes on meat and dairy. When you pay attention to it, you will find many instances of small groups of people wanting to decide for you and control what to eat.
How we should respond is in the same verse 4. All food that God created for us can be eaten with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. This requires that we thank God for everything we eat, and we believe and know the truth. By extension it means that we should try to help the people close to us who may be fearful or are being deceived. We have to help them know the truth and grow in their faith. This is our responsibility that comes with our freedom.
The other main item of concern for the “deceitful spirits” is marriage. Marriage is instituted by God and is the core unit of the family. So the battle is raging against the family as God created it.
First, the definitions of the words are changed: the definition of family and of male and female. In Romans 1 we read what happens to people who are involved in this battle: God gives them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity (v. 24); they are given up to dishonorable passions (v. 26) and to a debased mind (v. 28). For an excellent description of this kind of people, I recommend reading Romans 1.
Recently in Canada, but earlier already in California and New York, laws have been passed that Christians are not allowed anymore to show deceived and confused people the way to Christ. This is only a start to where the world will try to tell pastors what to preach about in church. Pastor Tim Stephens from Calgary said (according to a World Net Daily message on January 16, 2022), “We’ve seen that the new prevailing worldview is totalitarian, seeking to define marriage, sexuality, and control health choices. It is absolutely intolerant to opposing beliefs. All socialistic and communistic movements hate the authority and law of God that Christianity promotes.” He was jailed twice last year for keeping his services open.
What Do We Do?
What do we as believers in Jesus do? We acknowledge Jesus as our Savior before the people. Then we may call on God as our Father. The Father loves us so much that he will give us everything we need. Everything he created for us is to be enjoyed with thanksgiving. Saying thank you is our acknowledgment that we received it from him. We do not need to reject anything, because it is made holy by the word of God and prayer (1 Tim. 4:5). What should we pray for? First Timothy 2:2 gives an excellent answer in this context: “[Pray] for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.”
Annemarieke Ryskamp was born and raised in the Netherlands. She graduated with a master’s degree in Dutch Language and Literature from Utrecht University and worked for the Dutch L’Abri and as a secondary school teacher at United World College in Singapore. She attends Dutton United Reformed Church (MI), where she leads various Bible study groups and mentor groups. She has two sons who are currently in graduate studies.