Mike,

Can we prove from God’s word that the falling away is from the truths of the bible? Also, if you would, please explain when does faith come – Gal 3:25.

S____

Hi S____,

Thank you for your questions.
Your first question is “Can we prove that falling away is from the truths of the Bible?”
I simply have to confess that I am not able to even conceive what else we could fall away from. Here is a scripture which may be of some help concerning apostasy, that is, ‘falling away.’

Heb 6:4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
Heb 6:5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
Heb 6:6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

Everything mentioned in verses 4-5 are “the truths of God’s Word.” ” Once enlightened… tasted the heavenly gift… made partakers of the holy spirit… tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,” is all “the truths of God’s Word.”
What is the sure result of this falling away?

Heb 6:7 For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God:
Heb 6:8 But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.

“The rain” is “the truths of God’s Word.” The “thorns and briers” are lies which contradict God’s Word. The whole world believes those lies and cannot see the Truth:

Rev 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

We all live these verses. When Satan is cast out of our earth, we also cast out all of his messengers. This, of course, upsets him and his messengers, and they turn on us with a vengeance. That is why we are told that the ten horns on the beast hate the whore and burn her with fire. As immature Christians, we hate those with whom we disagree, and we “burn” them with the fire of God’s word. But that fire, the Word of God, is not being used with the right spirit.

Luk 9:52 And sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him.
Luk 9:53 And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem.
Luk 9:54 And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?
Luk 9:55 But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.

God’s Word must be handled with the right “manner of spirit.” Until we receive that spirit we are all guilty of “holding truth in unrighteousness.” After we “taste the powers of the world to come” we all “leave our first love” and believe the lies of Babylon and “bring forth briers and thorns,” and “hold truth in unrighteousness.”
James and John had already been told to “love thine enemy”, and yet their first response upon being rejected by the Samaritan villagers, was to desire to “call down fire from heaven, and consume them.” They too, were “Holding truth in unrighteousness.”

Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

As long as we are of that spirit and are holding truth in unrighteousness, we have nothing to look forward to but “judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.”

Heb 10:26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledgeof the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
Heb 10:27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.

Christ’s sacrifice for our sins entails repentance. As long as we are unrepentant, it is impossible to be renewed to repentance, until judgment and fiery indignation has consumed the lies of the briers and thorns and until that same fiery indignation has devoured the false spirits, doctrines and adversaries within us. It is only through our destruction that we will be saved.

1Co 3:15 If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
1Co 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and [ that] the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
1Co 3:17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
Joh 12:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
Mat 10:39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

Your second question was “When does faith come?”
Faith comes to us twice. It comes when we come to our “first love”, and it comes again when Christ appears a second time, without sin unto salvation.”

Heb 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

Faith first comes to us a “babes in Christ” who cannot be fed “strong meat.” We then fall prey to all the lies of Babylon, and we leave our first love for those lies. Then we must repent, and Christ comes to us a second time.
I hope this all helps you to see that what we fall away from is the truths of God’s Word. But I also hope that you see that the only thing that is impossible is to be renewed to God without repentance. It is impossible to renew an unrepentant heart. Those thorns and briers all face a fiery judgment which will devour those adversaries and false doctrines. But God can and will bring repentance to all men, specially, not exclusively, to those who now believe:

1Ti 2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
1Ti 4:10 For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.
1Jn 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

That is truly worthy of the title, the gospel. That is truly good news for all men.
Your brother in Christ,

Mike