Volume 26, Issue 9
Page 28
WisconsinChristianNews.com
Departing From the Faith
By Ron Webster February 2026
eternal power and God head; so the they (and we) are without excuse” (Romans 1:20). Our shifting faith is of our own doing, of our free will, not God’s. Why? (Verses 21-22) “Because that, when they knew God (as was revealed to each of us by God), they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imagina- tions, and their foolish heart was darkened,” one choice at a time. Our imaginations tend
The Apostle Paul makes this statement in I Timothy 4:1-2, “Now the Spirit speaketh ex- pressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith.” One cannot depart from something unless they were there at one time! God never leaves us, as He has
promised (Hebrews 13:5), but of our own free will, we choose to depart by shifting our faith! How has this happened, and continues to happen? But by “giving heed to deducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron.” This has caused a huge ongoing problem since the time of Adam and Eve: For when one listens to the lies of seducing spirits, we most often fail to rational- ize by testing these spirits with the words of truth that only come from God, for only He is truth. So how do we normally tend to rationalize the lies of se- ducing spirits? The natural man, as we were created in the image of God, does not have the ability to know the good from the evil; except by the words of God given to us by the Spirit of God. So without being well versed in what God has said, to say as Jesus, and many others have said in their defense, “Thus it is written.” It is only God’s opinion that counts, not ours! When we listen to seducing spirits without testing them with God’s Word; our faith begins to shift to other gods, thereby searing our conscience of some of our knowledge we still have of God’s truth. We all walk by faith, but our problem starts when we lose faith in God by shifting our faith to other gods! Paul describes this shift with detailed steps in Ro- mans 1:18-32. (Verses 18-32). “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in un- righteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.” Since day one God has revealed His truth to man as they needed to know it. Most impor- tantly we have all been given a conscience, a light given to “every man that cometh into the world” (John 1:9). That light was given by our Creator Jesus Christ, the Son of God, first by the tree of the knowl- edge of good and evil. Secondly by His every word given directly to man, and by inspiration recorded for our learning. Read II Timothy 3:14-17 which tells us the purpose and the importance of His every Word. Even Job, before Abraham was, in Job 32:8 recog- nized the importance of every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God, as Jesus also stated in Matthew 4:4. Thirdly, “the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His
provoked Me to anger with their vanities: and I will move them to jealousy with those who are not a peo- ple; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish people” (Deuteronomy 32:16, 21). Read Psalms chapter 53. For “the fool hath said in his heart, there is no God.” Are we any different today, still shifting our faith to the many gods of this world to find purpose and contentment, instead of finding it in living “by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4)? “Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He? … For the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof” (I Corinthians 10:22, 26). (Romans 1:24-32). “Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts… Who changed the truth of God unto a lie, and worshiped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections… and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet (which they deserve). And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not (right)… Who knowing the judg- ment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.” God will have the final say in all this as He said in Ezekiel 18:4, 21 “Behold all souls are mine; as the soul that sinneth it shall die… But if the wicked will turn (repent) from all his sins that he hath commit- ted, and keep all My statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, and shall not die.”
to became vain, because the natural man, as I stated earlier, does not have the ability to know the good from evil: For without God’s Word, one tends to judge by what serves the lust of the flesh! “Professing (our- selves) to be wise, (we) become fools.” The downward spiral begins with a shifting of our faith, once we refuse to recognize God as supreme. The One who owns all things, because He created all things for His purpose: Eternal, far above all of His creation, all wise and all knowing, only source of truth. If we do not live every minute of our day as if we truly believe God is who He said He is, we do not glorify Him as God: Therefore showing our ungrate- ful attitude for all His abundance of grace with all of His creation and every provision to meet our every need. Secondly, our faith will only continue to shift if we don’t correct that first shift! Because we have changed as in verse 23, “the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like the corruptible man, and to birds, to four footed beasts, and creeping things.” Shifting our faith to other gods that seem to meet an immediate need. In Exodus 20:3-5 God had made this command- ment, “Thou shalt have NO other gods before Me… not bow down… nor serve them: for I… am a jealous God.” He has a right to be jealous since everything that is, is His, and He has the absolute right to set the rules. Because He is God, with total authority, His jealousy justifies Him as “a consuming fire” (Deuteronomy 4:24). Because the children of Israel “provoked Him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations provoked they Him to anger… They
have moved Me to jeal- ousy with that which is not God. They have
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