THE DEVOLUTION OF FAITH

The term "devolution" is apparently rarely used in our culture because I do not believe I have ever heard it before. Of course, everyone has heard of "evolution," true evidence that Satan is better at communication than is the Church. While evolution is the false belief that inanimate material changed into living matter, which in turn, changed over time into progressively more advanced plant and animal life, devolution describes the opposite effect of time on something. Within what man worships as "science" (1 Timothy 6:20), there is no law that supports the concept of evolving to a higher degree of complexity, while there is a law that contradicts the idea of evolution: the Second Law of Thermodynamics. The First Law says that matter can neither be created nor can it be destroyed (which necessitated the theory of the Big Bang). The Second says that everything that exists is in the process of decay, or becoming less complex. It seems that Science doesn't play by its own rules.

The devolution of faith describes how, over time, the Word of God has become almost powerless due to several factors. Satan, with his minions of demons and unbelieving men, has continually attacked the validity of the Bible to the point that a recent survey showed that over fifty percent of "conservative Christians" believe there is more than one way to go to heaven. That proves, if nothing else, that the Word of God is being rejected as absolute truth by well over half of Christendom as a whole (John 14:6; 17:17). Along with "scientific" challenges, clergy committing atrocities, and hundreds of denominations declaring theirs is the only true church, there has been a large number of Bible "versions" published which disagree on the text. And even if a local church picks a version that it believes is the most accurate, the preacher continually says that it is a mistranslation from the original language, and that he is competent to correct it. There is little wonder that the world has become so hardened toward the truth.

Well, be of good cheer my brothers and sisters. None of this has caught the Lord off guard. In fact, He tells us through Timothy that this is to be expected. In 1 Timothy 3:16, the Lord says that the truth of the Gospel "is without controversy." When Paul wrote this passage, the Church was in agreement concerning the Deity of Christ and the truth of His Gospel. However, in the next five verses, he describes the expected devolution of faith. "In the latter times" refers to just before Christ returns. False interpretations of doctrine, coupled with a neutralized conscience, will not only hinder evangelism to a lost world, it will destroy churches from within. (So much for the Post-Millennial and Amillennial views.) So don't let resistance to your witness surprise or deter you. Be found faithful in sharing God's Word when He comes for you.