No Turning Back
Apostasy begins with a wrong orientation of life and a facing toward the lost world, and can lead to a gradual surrender of truth and a slipping back into unbelief.
A.W. Tozer warns against the alarming trend of evangelicals who pray and preach as Christians while living and speaking like the world, suggesting that this duality leads to apostasy. He emphasizes that such a wrong orientation towards the world can result in a gradual surrender of truth and a slide into unbelief, affecting both individuals and denominations. Tozer expresses concern over the 'facing-both-ways' attitude prevalent in contemporary Christianity, which, if unchecked, could lead to a broader decline in faith. He distinguishes between unintentional backsliding and a deliberate acceptance of unchristian behavior, the latter being far more dangerous. The sermon calls for a return to genuine faith and a rejection of worldly influences in the Christian life.
Text
With large blocks of evangelicals praying and preaching like Christians while they live and talk like worldlings, how much longer may we expect them to remain evangelical? Apostasy always begins with the conduct. First there is a wrong orientation of the life, a facing toward the lost world with yearning and enjoyment; later there comes a gradual surrender of the truth itself and a slipping back into unbelief. That has happened to individuals and denominations and it can happen to the whole present evangelical communion if it is not checked before it is too late. For this cause, the facing-both-ways attitude of our present Christianity is something to be alarmed about.
And if that attitude were the result of plain backsliding there would be much more reason for optimism.
Unchristian acts done by a Christian through weakness and over the protests of his better heart may be bad enough, but they are not likely to be fatal. But when he does them with the sanction of his teachers and with the belief that they are all a part of the Christian way, how is he to be rescued?
Sermon Outline
- I. The Dangers of Apostasy
- A. Apostasy begins with conduct
- B. A wrong orientation of life leads to gradual surrender of truth
- II. The Consequences of Facing Both Ways
- A. A facing-both-ways attitude in Christianity is alarming
- B. Unchristian acts done with the sanction of teachers are fatal
- III. The Need for Repentance
- A. Christians must check their conduct before it's too late
- B. Repentance is necessary to avoid slipping back into unbelief
Key Quotes
“Apostasy always begins with the conduct.” — A.W. Tozer
“A wrong orientation of the life, a facing toward the lost world with yearning and enjoyment; later there comes a gradual surrender of the truth itself and a slipping back into unbelief.” — A.W. Tozer
“When he does them with the sanction of his teachers and with the belief that they are all a part of the Christian way, how is he to be rescued?” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- Christians must check their conduct before it's too late to avoid slipping back into unbelief.
- Repentance is necessary to avoid perpetuating a facing-both-ways attitude in Christianity.
- Teachers have a responsibility to teach and model Christian conduct, and to correct unchristian acts when they occur.