 Does 1 Timothy 4-1 prove that you can lose your salvation? Well, if it does, then we have a contradiction in the Bible. Many people believe that 1 Timothy 4-1 states that you can lose your salvation. And at first glance, I can see why someone would think that. So let's go there. In 1 Timothy 4-1 he says, But the Spirit explicitly says that in the latter times, some will fall away from the faith paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons. We'll just stop right there for a second because I want you to look at what's actually being stated. I don't want you to just look at it because sometimes we look at things from the idea, from our own standpoint, believing already that you can lose your salvation. And if you believe that and you want to prove that, you'll go looking for what you think are obvious clues. But this is not a clue. This is not anything that points to saying that you can lose your salvation. As a matter of fact, let's go to it. He says, In the last times, people will fall away, this word, fall away. This is where we get this word apostasy. This is the Greek word for apostisontae, which is, again, to fall away. But when we look at what the word actually means, it is an intention. As a matter of fact, this is in the middle voice. So this is future middle. So it's going to happen. But it's you doing it to yourself. This is you, an intentional, a willful revolt or departure. Well, Corey, that doesn't mean anything. Of course, they will willfully and intentionally depart. But is that the case? We've got a problem. I'm going to come back to that point in just a second. But I also want to look at this other part of the passage where it says they will fall away from the faith. Now it needs to be understood. There's a difference between a verb and a noun. If this passage were a verb, it would say they will fall away from believing, from having faith. That's not what it says because this is a noun. They will fall away from the faith, from the tenets of the faith, from the belief, the things that we believe. Let's look at it again. We'll fall away from the faith. This is a noun, taste, pisteos. And so this is clearly an object that they move away from or a thing, not them actually having. This is not anyone nor is there any passage in the Bible where we can find anyone moving away or falling away from having faith or from believing. As a matter of fact, there's a reason why the Bible always or almost always refers to us believers as believing in this current active state. We enter into one time and it's a continual state of believing. That's what John 3.16 says. That's what John 6 tells us. John 10, everywhere would you look and find where the Bible, where Jesus is talking about believers, he's using us in the present active participle. That means a lot guys. Don't miss that point. But I want to go back to this other point where it says the lot of times it will fall away, this willful departure. Here's how you can understand that this would be an absolute contradiction of the Bible. First of all, we're told in the Old Testament in Ezekiel 36 that he will put his spirit in us, that he will remove our heart of stone and give us a heart of flesh. This is Ezekiel 36, 25 through 27 that he will take our heart out and put a new heart in. He will put his spirit in us. This is what we call regeneration, washing our heart. And then he says in 27 that he will cause us to walk in his teachings. In other words, he will cause us and it's not mean that he will enable us, he will cause, he will make, he will produce in us, he will, we will, and if you want to use the word force, that's fine. I have no problem with that because that's what the word means. He will cause us to walk in his teachings and then notice this in Jeremiah 32. This is where this could be a contradiction. If a person can fall away having one had the spirit in them and fall away or depart to leave, this is where it's a contradiction because in Jeremiah 32 40, let's start in 39 as a matter of fact, he says that I will give them one heart, kind of piggybacking on what he also says in Ezekiel, give them one heart and one way that they may fear me always for their own good and for the good of their children after them. I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them to do them good and I will put the fear of me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from me. So got a problem then. If a person can turn away from them, as some would say 1 Timothy 4 says, if that means that you can turn away from him, well then that is in direct contradiction to Jeremiah 32 40, which says they will never turn away from him. And there's many other passages that says that also as a matter of fact, that's the promise that God has made in the Old Testament that at some point in time in the future that he will put his spirit in man and they will not turn away from them. And then one other passage to also kind of make my point even stronger. Recall what Paul says in Romans 8 28, one of the most famous quoted passages in Romans. He says, and we know that God causes all things to work together for the good or for good to those who love God to those who are called according to his purpose. Here's the issue. If God is going to cause, as he says, all things, well, what are all things? What would all things include? Well, you name it. Maybe some sort of interaction with someone who's not saved, someone hearing a different gospel, some sort of sin, whatever it is, God would cause whatever is happening. All things, the word all is in the Greek, all panta, all things will be caused. He will work with all things for the good to those who love God. So if you are a Christian, that's if you are a Christian, that means you love God. You cannot be a Christian if you do not love God. And if you love God, he will cause all those things to work for the good. If that means a person can walk away, well, then God did not cause that to work for the good to those who love him. So not only this passage, but other passages make the case that a true Christian, an actual Christian, not one who someone may think is a Christian or may look like, because there are a lot of people who think that they are and even look like they're Christians, but may not be, which is why Paul says to examine yourself. But in this case, if a true Christian could turn away, it would contradict Jeremiah 32. If a Christian would walk away, then it would also say that God is not causing those things to work for their good. Whatever those things may be, you name it, everything fits in the category of all. And so my friends know, 1st Timothy, 4-1 is not saying that you can depart if you are a Christian. Now a person can depart, a non-believer can depart from the tenets of the faith, from what we believe, and don't we see that? We see people departing from the faith, departing from what we understand to be the Trinity, this triune, this is of God, that Jesus is God. We see people moving away from that. We see people moving away from having faith in Christ being enough for salvation. We see people moving away from a lot of different core tenets of Christianity. And that's what he's speaking of. So no, you cannot lose your salvation, not even according to this passage. Amen.