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Why Do People Lose Their Faith In Christ? - 1 John 2:18-27
By Ted Schroder,
October 5, 2014
John Kenneth Best (1887-1981) was a chaplain in the First World War where he served with distinction, courage and gallantry and was highly decorated. He re-enlisted in 1940 and served again as chaplain in the Second World War. In between the wars he taught mathematics at Cheltenham College. He was an accomplished violinist. "It was said that on the Western Front during the First World War he would play his violin in the trenches and that even the enemy held their fire and listened when he performed pieces by German composers. His religious faith was not so enduring, however, and in his later years he was an agnostic" (War Diaries: A Chaplain at Gallipoli, ed. Gavin Roynon, p.13). Why do Christians, clergy, or members who have been active in their churches, perhaps even serving in leadership positions, lose their faith and leave the church?
Bart Ehrman began studying the Bible and its original languages at Moody Bible Institute, where he earned the school's three-year diploma in 1976. He is a 1978 graduate of Wheaton College in Illinois, where he received his bachelors degree. He received his Ph.D. and M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary. He is Professor of Religous Studies at UNC Chapel Hill and the author of numerous books and articles. He teaches in the Great Courses series on the New Testament.
Dr. Ehrman became an Evangelical Christian as a teenager. In his books, he recounts his youthful enthusiasm as a born-again Christian. His desire to understand the original words of the Bible led him to the study of ancient languages and also textual criticism. During his graduate studies, however, he became convinced that there are contradictions and discrepancies in the biblical manuscripts that could not be harmonized or reconciled. He remained a liberal Christian for 15 years but later became an agnostic after struggling with the philosophical problems of evil and suffering. Will he return to the faith he had from the beginning? Or has he lost his faith permanently?
Some of the mainline Protestant denominations have departed from their apostolic faith in recent years. Resolutions affirming Jesus Christ as Son of God and Savior of the world have failed to command a majority in their national conventions. The focus of interest has moved to other agendas than missionary work. Can you say that many in those denominations have lost their faith in Christ? Why has this drift in belief occurred?
There are be many answers to these questions, but one answer may well be that given by the apostle John. He was experiencing the loss of many members of his churches because they no longer believed that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God. He explained the phenomenon in terms of the work of the Holy Spirit. He said there were two groups of people in the churches: those who were anointed by the Holy Spirit and those who were not, those who were followers of Christ and those who were opposed to Christ. He called the latter the 'antichrists' -- the anti-anointed, for Christ means 'the anointed One'. It is only John in the New Testament who uses this term (1 John 2:18, 22; 4:3; 2 John 7). Down through history the term has been used of anyone who opposes the Gospel of Grace in Christ. When the church has been corrupted by false teachers or there have been secular tyrants they have been accused of being antichrists. The Papacy was called the antichrist by the Protestant Reformers. Napoleon was called the antichrist by the seer Nostradamus. Today radical Islamists may be called antichrists.
What is clear here is that St. John was referring to those who left the church. "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us." (2:19) They had failed to win over the church to their viewpoint, so they left. John distinguished sharply between those who have left and those who remain. They were antichrists, you are anointed.
You can tell who is genuine in the faith by whether they persevere in their faith and remain in the church. Jesus said that, "the one who endures to the end will be saved" (Mark 13:13). "Not because salvation is the reward of endurance, but because endurance is the hall-mark of the saved. Future and final perseverance is the ultimate test of a past participation in Christ" (John Stott). "For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end" (Hebrews 3:14).
How important it is to maintain your faith even when you go through difficult times. Remaining in the worship and fellowship of the church maintains your faith. The key ingredient to remaining in the church is the anointing of the Holy Spirit. There is no end to the times when I have been feeling discouraged and anxious, depressed and lacking in spiritual energy. The only antidote to such feelings of failure and faithlessness is the anointing of the Holy Spirit. I need to ask, seek and knock on the door of heaven and ask for the filling of the Spirit to sustain me and protect me from the assaults of the evil one. I have to recognize that it is a spiritual battle which can only be won, not by my own knowledge, my own intellect, but by the Holy Spirit. I pray for "the mighty inner strengthening of the Holy Spirit" (Ephesians 3:16 LB).
St. John, in identifying those who did not continue in the faith of Christ and left the church so that it might be plain that they all were not of the church, reminds us that there is a distinction between the visible and the invisible church. Not all baptized, communicant members of the church are necessarily followers of Christ. Only the Lord knows who are anointed by the Holy Spirit and who are not. Some are not. They are with us but not of us. They share our fellowship but they do not reverence Christ in their hearts as their Lord and Savior. They are often active in church affairs and like to be heard in church government. But if their feelings are hurt or they don't think that they are given the attention and honor they expect they drop out, and are not seen again. Their opinions matter much more to them than their Savior and the cause of his Kingdom. "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that all are not of us."
There will always be people in the visible church who deny the truth of Christ. They are not anointed by the Spirit. They may accept Jesus as a good Teacher but not as the Word of God. They may think that he is an example of the good life but not that he is the Revelation of God. They may believe that he is divinely inspired but not that he is the Incarnation of God. They honor Jesus as a prophet but they do not want him to be their Savior and Lord.
We are followers of the 'Christ,' which means, the 'Anointed One'. Jesus announced his ministry in Nazareth in terms of being anointed: "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." (Luke 4:18,19) God came in Jesus to give the hope of salvation to those who are spiritually open and acknowledge their need. He came to bring good news (Gospel), freedom (forgiveness), understanding (sight), deliverance (victory). All this is involved in what is meant by salvation.
Those who experience this salvation have also been anointed by his Spirit. Jesus said that he would give his disciples the Spirit of truth. "You know him, for he lives with you and will be in you." (John 14:17) "We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit" (1 John 4:13). Jesus said that his disciples would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). We are given the good news of Jesus, freedom, understanding, and deliverance.
When we remain in Christ he will give us the anointing that we need. He will never let us down. An anointing for today's stress-filled pressures is just a prayer away. Christians who know they are anointed have an assurance and poise in life. They are not defensive but filled with a quiet joy. They are not whiners or complainers but express gratitude for their opportunities and blessings. Without a sense of our anointing we are doomed to a life of stress and strain. It makes all the difference if we can expect and joyously receive the Lord's anointing in the constant demands of life.
(Ted's blog is found at www.tedschroder.com SOUL FOOD: DAILY DEVOTIONS FOR THE HUNGRY, Vol.4, October, November and December is now available.)
