Truth Magazine

By Daniel H. King

One of the marvels of the great book that we call the “Bible,” and which gives us the clear impression that it comes from God, is its ability to rise above the false theories and foolish ideas that characterized the people who lived when it was written. This is a unique quality. It is singularly difficult even for Christians today to avoid being tarnished by the sophisticated-sounding “science that is falsely so-called” which places all kinds of question marks around the faith that we cherish and hold dear.

Yet the Bible possesses that quality and exhibits it in a number of ways. One very important and fascinating doctrine of the Old Testament is the concept of creatio ex nihilo, or “creation out of nothing.” Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was shapeless and void. And darkness was upon the face of the deep.” The use of the word bara in the Kal form “always means to create, and is only applied to a divine creation, the production of that which had no existence before” (Delitzsch). The philosophical depth of this doctrine is incredible and completely inexplicable under any evolutionary and developmental hypothesis of ideas. It appears in Gen. 1:1 without precedent and without parallel in the ancient world. In fact, examination of texts from Babylonia, Assyria, and Egypt evince quaint and curious notions of creation. Yet they all possess a common feature: creation is always “out of something” rather than “out of nothing.” In other words, matter of one type or another is always pre-existent. Pagan theologians could never divorce their gods from the physical realm long enough to answer the question regarding the origin of matter itself: “Where did it come from?”

In the Babylonian creation epic Enuma Elish, the world is said to have arisen out of pre-existent water. Apsu the fresh water and the Tiamat the salt water divinity are said to have mingled the waters and the result was the creation of all that is. In Egypt, Atum, the primal god of the Heliopolitan pantheon, after self-gratification took his own seed into his mouth and spewed forth the first pair of gods, from whence derived the rest of creation. At Memphis in Egypt, Ptah created all things by the “mouth which named all things.” But the word of creation is in all Egyptian religion a fluid substance emanating from the mouth of the god. Thus there is, in reality, no creation in our sense but an emanation whgreby one material is changed into another.

The biblical doctrine of creation from nothing stands as convincing testimony of the inspiration and authority of Holy Scripture. The penman of Genesis 1:1 rose above the reprehensible conceptions of heathen idolatry only because the artificer of the universe and man’s own maker lifted him to that great height.

Truth Magazine XXIV: 18, p. 289
May 1, 1980

By Mike Willis

Having previously defined apathy, shown how it manifests itself in a local congregation, and discussed its causes, we are now prepared to consider what is the cure for apathy. If a person is looking for profound cures, he will not find them in this article. There are no shortcuts to spirituality; there are no glamourous methods of curing it. Rather, what is required is plainly revealed on the pages of God’s word in simple terms for everyone to understand. As I understand the word of God, these are the cures to apathy.

Repentance

That repentance is the first cure to apathy is seen by the. two examples in the book of Revelation. When John wrote to the church in Ephesus, a church which had left its first love, he revealed God’s word to them in these terms: “Nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen; and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place except thou repent” (Rev. 2:4-5) .. Later, he wrote to the church in Laodicea which was described as lukewarm. Here are his words to that church:

I know thy works, that thou are neither cold nor hot. I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eye salve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent (Rev. 3:15-19).

John admonished both groups of brethren who were filled with apathy to repent.

No major changes in one’s conduct will occur without repentance. The process of repentance is simple: (1) one must recognize that his present conduct is sinful and will result in eternal damnation; (2) he must hate the sin in his life and resolve to put it behind him; and (3) he must follow this resolution through with action. With reference to the religious apathy which is manifesting itself in the congregations, a man must realize that absenting himself from the assemblies of the church, failing to study God’s word, neglecting prayer, and omitting good works from his life will result in eternal damnation. He must learn to hate these things as sinful conduct in his life and resolve to change them. This must then be followed through with action.

A person might not always have a warm feeling in his heart as he is doing the work of God. I should not expect that I will live my entire life of service to God on “cloud nine.” Hence, God never conditioned acceptability before Him on some warm, syrupy feeling in a man’s heart. One must simply accept his responsibility before God and do what God commanded him: He must discipline his life to worship God through good times and bad times, to study his Bible day in and day out regardless of the external circumstances, to habitually pray to God and to be active in good works.

If a man can so conduct himself with reference to temporal responsibilities, he can also conduct himself that way with reference to ‘his responsibility before God. A man does not go to work only when he has a warm feeling toward his work; a man does not provide for his family only when the kids are conducting themselves as little angels; he does not love his wife only when she is dressed like a gorgeous model. He realizes his responsibilities before God and fulfills them at all times. He should act in a similar manner with reference to his responsibilities before God.

Resolve in your heart that you are going to change your conduct before God. Be present at every service; if you feel well enough to go to work on a given day, normally you should feel well enough to worship God. Study your Bible every day; if you can find time to read the daily newspaper, you should be able to find time to read God’s word. Pray daily; if you have the time to talk to your earthly friends, you should be able to find time to talk to your heavenly Father. Abound in good works (1 Cor. 15:58).

Reaffirm Your Priorities In Life

A Christian must be a man who has his priorities in life straight. He must put God first (Matt. 6:33; 22:34-40), his family second (Eph. 5:22-6:4), the needs of others third (Matt. 20:26-28), and himself last. Satisfying one’s personal lusts cannot take priority over service to God, service to one’s family, or service to others.

When I consider why members are missing worship services, neglecting Bible study at home, failing to pray, and omitting good works, I am forced to the conclusion that this is being done because members are more concerned about personal gratification than the worship and service of God. I do not find members of the church missing worship in order to care for the needy, to provide for their families, and otherwise discharge obligations imposed on them through God’s word. When the rare occasions occur when this must be done, everyone is understanding toward such a person. However, what I see occurring is that members are neglecting worship and other responsibilities in order to stay at home and watch TV, to go to recreational outings, to work a second job in order to accumulate more wealth, and such like things. This plainly shows that God has taken a subordinate place in one’s life to some other activity.

God’s attitude toward such people is plainly revealed. Consider the statement made in Philippians 3:18-19.

For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is their shame, who mind earthly things.

Consider the things said about these people. (1) They are enemies of the cross of Christ. (2) Their eternal destiny is damnation in hell. (3) Their god is their belly (i.e., any earthly thing which gives them pleasure). (4) Their glory is their shame. (How many times have you heard men brag about things of which they should be ashamed? For example, a man might forsake the Lord in order to work overtime because he is covetous; then, he buys a shiny, new car with his additional income. He then glories in his raw car whereas he ought to be ashamed of having forsaken the Lord in order to obtain such a material item.) (5) They mind earthly things. These men were enemies of the cross of Christ because they had their affections set upon things of this world.

Later Paul described another group of men as “lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof?” (2 Tim. 3:4-5). From such men, Paul warned that Christians should stay away.

Christians need to go to God’s eternal word to establish a system of values in life. That word will tell them that one’s obedience to God is more important than any temporal matter. All that one does in life is vain, with the exception of what he does for God (Ecc. 12:13-14). There is no profit in gaining the entire world and losing one’s soul (Mt. 16:26).

A high priority must be placed on communicating this idea to our children. We must bring up our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. (Eph. 6:4). I must communicate a knowledge of Christ to my children (2 Tim. 3:14-17). I must teach them how to pray, trust in God, lay up treasures in heaven, and otherwise place God first in their lives. If I rear a child with a good education, making loads of money, who is popular among his peers, and who participates in every form of legitimate recreation but who has no time or appreciation for God, I will have failed as a parent. I want to make the beauty of holiness attractive enough to him that he will desire to live in holiness himself.

Brethren, we need to re-evaluate where we are placing our priorities in life.

Be Devoted To The Lord

The foremost commandment in all the Bible is that a man should love God. Jesus was asked, “What is the great commandment in the law?” To this question, He responded, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment” (Matt. 22:36-37). One’s love for God is based on his knowledge of God; one cannot love one whom he does not know. One can know God through the revelation of Jesus Christ (Jn. 14:7-9). Hence, to know God better, one needs to know more about Jesus. Only as one comes to a deeper knowledge of the life of Christ and what God hays done for us through Christ can he increase his loye for, God and Christ.

In love to God, one must present his body as a living sacrifice to the God who gave His only begotten Son for our sins (Rom. 12:1-2; Jn. 3:16). Hence, he must make a personal commitment to serve God. Many know right from wrong without being committed to doing that which is right. It is one thing to teach our children the difference between right and wrong; it is another thing to rear our children to be devoted to that which is right. Similarly, we need to not only know God but to be devoted to His service. You and I need to make a personal commitment of ourselves to the Lord.

One Must Labor In His Vineyard

In order to overcome apathy, you need to be involved in the work of the Lord. Teach your neighbor the gospel of Christ (2 Tim. 2:2). Volunteer to teach a Bible class on Sunday morning or Wednesday night. Check on the people who are not attending regularly as they should. Visit the sick in the congregation to see what you can do to help them through this troubled time in life (Jas. 1:26-27).

As you become involved in the work of the Lord, you will develop a better appreciation of the church as a body in which every individual member has a work which it does to enable the body to function properly. The whole body works when it is “fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part” (Eph. 4:16; cf. 1 Cor. 12:12-20).

People are involved in those things in which they are interested. Hence, if you have any interest in Christ, you will want to be involved in His work. If you want to see people converted, you will support gospel preaching and gospel preachers as well as being actively involved in the work of teaching others. Hence, you need to personally be involved in the work which the church is trying to do. Instead of making noble resolutions which never result in positive action, become involved in the work which is being done in your community. Volunteer for every work project which you can.

Be Other-Worldly Minded

Think of heaven. I am afraid that most of us are so content with life on this earth that we think very little of heaven. Let us be reminded of the beauties and blessings reserved for us in heaven. The Lord has gone away to prepare a mansion for us in order that we might be with Him (Jn. 14:1-2). I am anxiously awaiting that inheritance which is “incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth riot away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith” (1 Pet. 1:4-5). The beautiful description of heaven makes me long for it. I long for that time when “God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away” (Rev. 21:4). Although the description of heaven in the book of Revelation might be figurative, I am appalled at the beauty of that place (Rev. 21:10-27). I certainly want to go to heaven when I die. I do not want to miss heaven.

Long for the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. The early saints wanted the Lord to return to take them with Him into heaven (Rev. 22:20; 1 Cor. 16:22). They realized that when He returned, the wicked would be punished and the righteous would be rewarded (2 Thess. 1:6-10). As saints, they had a good hope in Christ (2 Thess. 2:16; 1 Thess. 4:13-17). The hope which one has in Christ needs to be understood; hope is simply desire plus expectation. Having hope in Christ, I desire heaven and expect to receive it when Jesus returns. Therefore, I should long for the return of the Lord. What other things do we hope for but do not desire to see come to us?

Setting my mind on these things will help me to keep matters pertaining to this temporal life in focus. I certainly would not entangle myself (2 Tim. 2:4) in anything which would jeopardize my salvation. Therefore, this would be another cure for apathy.

Conclusion

Are you genuinely concerned about apathy in the church? If so, will you join me in personally striving to eradicate apathy toward spiritual things from our own lives? Then, will you join me in working to help others root it out of their lives? Help me to talk to those who are forsaking the assembly, neglecting Bible study and prayer, and otherwise acting indifferently toward the Lord and His cause. Our own salvation depends upon it! Let us be concerned about our spiritual attitudes.

Questions

1. Define “repentance.” What mental steps does one take in order to repent?
2. Should one expect to have warm feeling about everything he does in service to God?
3. Can one be faithful to God while doing the following:

a. Allowing a headache to keep him from worship services but not from work?

b. Going all week without studying his Bible other than when at worship?

c. Neglecting the needs of others?

d. Assembling just on Sunday morning?

e. Taking a second job which causes one to miss mid-week worship services?

1. What is the most important thing in your life? Second most important? Third most important?
2. Does your life reflect the order of priorities which you just named?
3. What percentage of the Sunday morning attendance is present for Sunday evening and mid-week worship services? Why is there a difference in these attendances?
4. What kind of. person is described in Phil. 3:18-19 and 2 Tim. 3:4-5?
5. What is the difference in teaching your children the difference in right and wrong and teaching them to do right? How can you accomplish the latter?
6. How does one increase his love for God?
7. What can you do in service to the Lord? How many of these things are you now doing?
8. How will working for the Lord help overcome apathy?
9. What is “other-worldly mindedness”?
10. What is “hope”? Do we hope for the return of the Lord if we do not want it to happen now?

Truth Magazine XXIV: 17, pp. 285-287
April 24, 1980

By Mike Willis

Recognizing that apathy is a problem which confronts each of us, we need to be aware of things which cause us to become apathetic. So long as we only treat the symptoms, the disease will rage as more and more of us become infected. Consequently, we need to seek out the causes of apathy in order to better overcome the spiritual disease. The material suggested below is not intended to be exhaustive; I am certain that other causes of spiritual apathy could be suggested by others; however, it is intended to be suggestive – to encourage us to look around us to see what is causing so many among us to become spiritually apathetic. Here are some causes of spiritual apathy:

Affluence

There are particular dangers in poverty and affluence. The wise man said, “. . . give me neither poverty, nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the word? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain” (Prov. 30:8-9). The poor person is sometimes more tempted to steal for his needs more than an affluent person is. Similarly, the affluent in this world’s goods need to be reminded that there are certain dangers which accompany an abundance of wealth.

1. Tendency to forget God. Shortly before Moses’ death, he warned the children of Israel as follows:

And it shall be, when the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildest not, and houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full; then beware lest thou forget the Lord, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage (Deut. 6:10-12).

The danger of becoming preoccupied with the things of this world to the neglect of spiritual things was also mentioned by Amos.

Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came . . . . Ye that put far away the evil day, and cause the seat of violence to come near; that lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall; that chant to the sound of the viol, and invent to themselves instruments of music, like David; that drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief ointments: but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph (Amos 6:1-6).

Notice the prosperity of the Israelites (lie upon beds of ivory, stretch themselves out on their couches, eat the lambs and calves, enjoy the instruments of music, drink wine from the bowls, anoint themselves with ointments, etc.). Yet, they were not grieved for the affliction of Israel (i.e., the spiritual problems of Israel were of no interest to them). In our abundance, we also must be careful not to forget God or so neglect Him as to sever our relationship with Him.

2. The temptation to over-indulge. The parable of the rich man who tore down his barns to build greater barns (Lk. 12:16-21) shows the danger of affluence in the direction of over-indulging. Our affluence is presenting us with a set of problems which many of our ancestors never faced. For example, I conducted a gospel meeting in a northern city recently in which I began the meeting by preaching on the Christian’s need to put Christ first in his life. During the course of the sermon, I emphasized the need of the members of the local church to put their support of the meeting before secular activities. One older Christian woman came out expressing disagreement with one point which I made during the lesson. I had said that a Christian should not let his bowling league interfere with supporting the meeting. She said that she disagreed with that statement. So, on her bowling night, two Christian couples neglected the gospel meeting to go bowling.

That particular temptation did not present itself to my parents when I was younger because they did not have the money to spend on such luxuries. There are a whole host of spiritual temptations directly related to our affluence, such as long week-end trips which result in people not attending services anywhere, winter or summer homes which allow the member to be away from service in a local area nearly half of the year (sometimes this is made worse by attending a liberal congregation while away), and other similar problems. Some people travel so much that they cannot be depended upon to teach a class, lead singing, or anything else in a local church.

3. Trusting in riches. Paul told Timothy, “Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high-minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy” (1 Tim. 6:17). David said, “And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved” (Psa. 30:6). This is certainly another danger of an affluent society.

Many among us have large savings accounts and/or assets totaling huge amounts. Nearly every financial reverse possible is protected by some form of insurance (life, health, and unemployment insurance). We are protected from poverty in our old age by social security (although even this is insufficient to protect us very well) and welfare. Consequently, some people begin to trust in these things rather than in God.

We need to be reminded that money cannot do some things. It cannot save us from death; the psalmist wrote.

They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; none of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him: (for the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:) that he should still live for ever, and not see corruption (49:6-9).

In the day of death, all of the money in the world cannot help us to live any longer. Money cannot give us the “peace that passeth all understanding” (Phil. 4:7). Money cannot give us eternal security, salvation from our sins. Hence, we should not trust in wealth.

4. Neglect of God to chase after increased prosperity. A friend of mine who has a very successful business related a temptation which they face. He told me how often his phone rings telling him of some good deal in which he could make a large sum of money with little effort. 5However, his time is already so fully taken that to add more to his load would be to neglect his family, the church, teaching the poor, or visiting the sick. He has the spiritual maturity to turn this opportunity down. Some do not have that much wisdom.

I see brethren take second jobs in order “to get ahead.” The result is that they quit attending on Wednesday night; they never visit anyone or receive Christians into their home. Furthermore, I have never seen one of them “get ahead” sufficiently to say, “I will not do this anymore.” They never get enough. Brethren, covetousness is not a sin confined to the first century saints or to the super rich (Col. 3:5).

Affluence certainly does produce a lot of temptations. However, lest we be one-sided, let me mention that it also presents many opportunities to serve (helping the poor, supporting gospel preachers, free time to teach others and visit members, etc.). However, we would be naive if we did not see that our affluence society is presenting a number of temptations which are drawing people away from God and are causing us to become apathetic toward Christ and His work. Unlike Paul, some of us have not learned how to properly handle our abundance (Phil. 4:12).

Second-Generation Christians

Another cause of spiritual apathy is second-generation Christians. Inasmuch as I am from a family of Christians, I am among those tempted with this problem. Unlike those who have searched for and found the truth from a denominational background, many of us were raised by Christian parents. Those who found the truth from a denominational background recognize the preciousness of truth (Jn. 8:32) because they know the soul-damning influence of false doctrine. They appreciate the simplicity of truth as compared with the maze of denominational dogmas which they formerly accepted. However, some of the second-generation Christians lack appreciation for these aspects of the truth because they were never exposed to denominational error personally and have had little acquaintance with those who were.

Furthermore, some second-generation Christians were never genuinely converted in the first place. I have met more than one who was baptized to please his parents, because his friends were being baptized, or because it just seemed like a good thing to do. These people never felt genuinely convicted of their sinful condition (Eph. 2:1, 11-12). They never had a personal faith resting on the revelation of God’s word. They never had a burning desire to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ (1 Pet. 2:1-2; 2 Pet. 3:18). Consequently, they were never genuinely converted. Their interests in Christ and the church are, at best, rather nominal. This is another cause of spiritual apathy in the local church.

Forgetfulness of the Judgment

Others are admittedly apathetic but have no present desire to cease their conduct before God because they think that they have plenty of time to be faithful later in life. The wicked have always put off the day of the Lord. Amos said that those in his day “put far away the evil day” (Amos 6:3). The psalmists wrote.

He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten: he hideth his face; he will never see it (10:11).

The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes (36:1).

And they say, How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the most High? (73:11).

The wicked willfully forget that God will judge the wicked and condemn them to damnation (2 Pet. 3:3-14).

Others live as though they have forever to get ready for the judgment with the full intention of someday obeying the Lord’s commandments. They are like Felix in that they look for a convenient season (Acts 24:25). They are like the rich man in the Lord’s parable who thought that he had many days but found that the Lord said, “This night” (Lk. 12:13-21). They ignore the Lord’s warning to always be prepared for the Lord’s coming (Matt. 24:42-25:13; Lk. 12:41-48).

If every member of the church were convinced that the Lord was coming back tomorrow, how many would be present at the evening services or mid-week services? How many would pass through this day without personally praying to God? How many would pass through this day without checking on the sick of the congregation and seeing what could be done to relieve them? How many would attempt to contact those who are unfaithful to the Lord?

Surely we can see that one cause of spiritual apathy is our failure to be constantly reminded of the judgment, the reward of the righteous and the punishment of the wicked.

Temporal Pleasures

Another cause of spiritual apathy is the lure of temporal pleasures. Some are like Demas who forsook Paul “having loved this present world” (2 Tim. 4:10). Just recently, one of my friends talked with an unfaithful member of the church who related the conversation to me. He said that the man just quit coming because there were too many things in this world which were sinful which he wanted to do. Since he was not going to give them up, he simply quit worshiping the Lord. There are not a few just like him, although some are not quite so honest with us. They would prefer to go dancing, to go mixed bathing, to social drink, to smoke their cigarettes, to commit fornication, etc. than to be faithful to the Lord. Indeed, they love this world more than they love the Lord (1 Jn. 2:15-17).

They remind me of Esau. The author of Hebrews used him as a warning to Christians; he wrote.

Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; lest there be any fornication, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. Fo ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears (Heb. 12:15-17).

How unfortunate that so many will be like Esau! At judgment, will they consider the temporal pleasure which sin gave to them (Heb. 11:24-25) worth eternal damnation in hell and separation from God? Is one moment of sin worth such an awful price? Yet, we see the number of men who are falling victim to this increasing temptation increasing every day. This is certainly one reason that brethren among us are becoming apathetic toward Christ.

Wrong Doctrine

Some are becoming less concerned about sin in their lives and less concerned with doing what Christ commands them to do because of wrong doctrine. Baptists have taught their members the damnable doctrine “once saved, always saved” for years. More than once, I have talked with Baptists admittedly guilty of horrible sins who thought that they would go to heaven when they die.

Since some have begun to teach loose views of sin among us, some are becoming less and less concerned about sin. The doctrine of the imputation of the perfect obedience of Christ is one such doctrine. The grace-unity heresy has also contributed to a loose view of sin. The result is that some who believed the use of instrumental music in worship to be sinful have found that they will go ahead and participate with those who use instruments of music in worship, despite the fact that they still say that they believe the usage to be wrong. Some have ceased worrying about whether or not church support of human institutions is wrong, whether church supported recreation is wrong, and whether or not the sponsoring church method of church organization is wrong. These loose views of sin have infected some among us and is contributing to their spiritual sickness.

Conclusion

Though you can probably think of some other things which are causing brethren where you worship to be less concerned about faithfulness to God than they should be, these are some of the things which I have seen as causes of spiritual apathy. May the Lord help us to overcome the temptations associated with each of them.

Questions

1. Why do we need to be concerned with the causes as well as the symptoms of apathy?
2. Name several temptations which come to us because of poverty and affluence. Name several opportunities which come to us because of poverty and affluence.
3. What problems do you see in others around you related to affluence? What particular temptations do you face because of your affluence?
4. How many children of Christians in the local church of which you are a member have become unfaithful to the Lord in the last five years? What are some causes of their unfaithfulness?
5. How does one’s attitude toward the Lord’s second coming affect one’s faithfulness? When was the last time you heard a sermon on the judgment day, heaven or hell?
6. What does the phrase “for a season” tell us about the pleasures of sin in Heb. 11:25? What should be our attitude toward the temptation to become worldly because of this?
7. How many people have been lost to worldliness from your home congregation in the past several years? How much preaching has been done on these subjects during that time? Has anyone been disfellowshipped for worldliness during this time?
8. What are your beliefs about social drinking, mixed bathing, dancing, and smoking? Can one be a faithful Christian while engaging in these activities?
9. What other causes of apathy than those discussed in this lesson can you name?

Truth Magazine XXIV: 17, pp. 282-284
April 24, 1980

By Mike Willis

Having previously defined apathy and shown what is wrong with it, we now become concerned with finding out whether or not we are guilty of apathy toward our Lord. Paul wrote, “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” (2 Cor. 13:5). Christians need to constantly be sure that they are not separated from God through sin. Furthermore, because of the prevalence of apathy in the world around us and the general acceptance given to those who are spiritually apathetic, we especially need to be careful to examine ourselves regarding whether or not we are personally guilty of showing apathy toward God and His word.

The Subtlety Of The Spiritual Disease

There are some sins which are committed so blatantly that one can have no question in his mind regarding whether or not he is guilty of sinning before God. Fornication, adultery, theft, murder, and a number of other sins are of such a nature that one can, at any given moment in time, definitely state whether or not he has been guilty of doing these things.

Other sins pertain to general dispositions in one’s heart. They are the kinds of sins which gradually pull one away from God. Although each of us would readily admit that these are sins, we are not able to spot them in our lives quite so easily as the ones mentioned above. For example, covetousness is a sin, as all of us would admit (Col. 3:5); yet, who have you known who ever confesses being guilty of covetousness? Conceit and arrogance are so subtle that some people actually become proud of their humility! Who have you known who openly confessed that he was conceited and arrogant (Phil. 2:3)? Sins which affect us so subtly as these sins are those which we must be extremely careful to avoid.

Apathy certainly falls into the second of these categories. It smites the heart first of all and later manifests itself in outward acts. The subtlety of apathy lies in the gradual manner in which it hits a man. A man does not wake up one morning apathetic toward Christ; rather, he drifts away from Him gradually. Consequently, as we study the sin of apathy, our attitude should be that of the eleven apostles when Jesus announced that one of them would betray Him; they asked, “Lord, is it I?” (Matt. 26:22).

How do I know whether or not I am becoming apathetic toward Christ? How does apathy manifest itself to us? Let us see how apathy afflicts the Christian.

Manifestations of Apathy

1. Loss of zeal. The New Testament Christians were a zealous bunch! As Paul described the traits of one who had given himself as a living sacrifice to God, he mentioned that he was “fervent in spirit” (Ram. 12:11). Indeed, the first Christians were fervent in spirit! They “continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers” (Acts 2:42). When some among them lacked the physical necessities of life, others among them “sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need” (Acts 2:44-45). Throughout this period, they continued “daily with one accord in the temple” listening to the word of life being preached to them (Acts 2:46).

This spiritual zeal lived for a long time after Pentecost. As the number of the disciples continued to grow, the physical needs of the members grew. Yet, “neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, and laid them down at the apostles’ feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need” (Acts 4:34-35). The record specifically mentions the fine example of Barnabas in this regard (Acts 4:36-37).

Not even persecution could extinguish the burning zeal of the early disciples. When Stephen was stoned to death, there began a great persecution against the church which was in Jerusalem which resulted in the scattering of the early disciples throughout Judea and Samaria. One would think that such a persecution would have dampened the spirits of those early Christians, cooling their burning zeal. Instead, “they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word” (Acts 8:4).

Those among the early Christians who did not manifest this same zeal for the Lord were soundly rebuked. The author of Hebrews wrote,

But, beloved, we persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak. For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end: that ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises (Heb. 6:9-12).

Christians of the first century were not expected to be slothful with reference to their service to Christ; they were expected to be diligent in their labors.

Yet, the first place that apathy strikes is the heart of man. The burning zeal, which might properly be called “one’s first love” (Rev. 2:4-5), is assaulted by the devil. A good description of how this occurs is found in Screwtape’s instructions to Wormwood (from The Screwtape Letters, a fictional account of one devil’s instructions to another devil on how to destroy a Christian); C. S. Lewis wrote as follows:

In the first place I have found that the Trough periods of the human undulation provide excellent opportunity for all sensual temptations, particularly those of sex. . .

But there is an even better way of exploiting the Trough; I mean through the patient’s own thoughts-about it. As always, the first step is to keep knowledge out of his mind. Do not let him suspect the law of undulation. Let him assume that the first ardors of his conversion might have been expected to last, and ought to have lasted, forever, and that his present dryness is an equally permanent condition. Having once got this misconception well fixed in his head, you may then proceed in various ways. It all depends on whether your man is of the desponding type who can be tempted to despair, or of the wishful-thinking type who can be assured that all is well. The former type is getting rare among the humans. If your patient should happen to belong to it, everything is easy. You have only got to keep him out of the way of experienced Christians (an easy task nowadays), to direct his attention to the appropriate passages in Scripture, and then to set him to work on the desperate design of recovering his old feelings by sheer will power, and the game is ours. If he is of the more helpful type, your job is to make him acquiesce in the present low temperature of his spirit and gradually become content with it, persuading himself that it is not so low after all. In a week or two you will be making him doubt whether the first days of his Christianity were not, perhaps, a little excessive. Talk to him about “moderation in all things.” If you can once get him to the point of thinking that “religion is all very well up to a point,” you can feel quite happy about his soul. A moderated religion is as good for us as no religion at all – and more amusing (pp. 26-28).

Having succeeded in persuading Christian to this form of religion, Wormwood was complimented by Screwtape. He wrote,

Obviously you are making excellent progress. My only fear is lest in attempting to hurry the patent you awaken him to a sense of his real position. For you and I, who see that position as it really is, must never forget how totally different it ought to appear to him. We know that we have introduced a change of direction in his course which is already carrying him out of his orbit around the Enemy; but he must be made to imagine that all the choices which have effected this change of course are trivial and revocable. He must not be allowed to suspect that he is now, however, slowly, heading right away from the sun on a line which will carry hi into the cold and dark of utmost space.

For this reason I am almost glad to hear that he is still a church-goer and communicant. I know there are dangers in this; but anything is better than that he should realize the break he has made with the first months of his Christian life. As longa s he retains externally the habits of a Christian he can still be made to think of himself as one who has adopted a few new friends and amusements but whose spiritual state is much the same as it was six weeks ago. And while he thinks that, we do not have to contend with the explicit repentance of a definite, fully recognized, sin, but only with his vague, though uneasy feeling that he hasn’t been doing well lately.

This dim uneasiness needs careful handling. If it gets too strong it may wake him up and spoil the whole game. On the other hand, if you suppress it entirely – which, by the by, the Enemy will probably not allow you to do – we lose an element in the situation which can be turned to good account. If such a feeling is allowed to live, but not allowed to become irresistible and flower into real repentance, it has one invaluable tendency. It increased the patient’s reluctance to think about the Enemy. All humans at nearly all times have some such reluctance; but when thinking of Him involves facing and intensifying a whole vague cloud of half-conscious guilt, this reluctance in increased tenfold. They hate every idea that suggest Him, just as men in financial embarrassment hate the very sight of a bankbook. In this state your patient will not omit, but he will increasingly dislike, his religious duties. He will think bout them as little as he feels decently can beforehand, and forget them as soon as possible when they are over. A few weeks ago you had to tempt him to unreality and inattention in his prayers; but now you will find him opening his arms to you and almost begging you to distract his purpose and benumb his heart. He will want his prayers to be unreal, for he will dread nothing so much as effective contact with the Enemy (Ibid., pp. 36-37).

Though this account is thoroughly fictional, I am certain that one of-the Devil’s first assaults on the newly converted Christian is to attack his zeal for the Lord. If he can destroy the Christian’s zeal for the Lord and let him become apathetic toward Christ, the battle is won, although the complete and final apostasy might be years in the future! Hence, the first sign of apathy is loss of zeal for the Lord.

2. Loss of spiritual interests. The loss of zeal for the Lord is followed by a general loss of interest in spiritual things. The dramatic change which has occurred in a Christian when he has lost his zeal for the Lord is evident in the number of things of a spiritual nature which once held his interest which are now boring to him.

A change is immediately noticed in one’s desire to learn the word of God. The person who is about to be converted to the Lord manifests the attitude of those gathered at the house of Cornelius who said, “Now therefore are we all here present before God, to hear all things that are commanded thee of God” (Acts 10:33). He will desire someone to preach to him about the Christ (cf. Acts 13:42-44). After becoming converted, he will be like the newborn babe who “desires the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby” (1 Pet. 2:1-2). He will give heed to reading (1 Tim. 4:13) and will “study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15). When the burning zeal for the Lord is destroyed, a change will be immediately noticed in one’s study habits of God’s word. Rather than constantly turning to study God’s word, rebukes will need to be given for failure to study God’s word. Comments, such as the author of Hebrews made, will need to be given to the man who is apathetic toward Christ. “For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat” (Heb. 5:12; see vs. 13-14 as well). He will need to be admonished to become stabilized in the faith that he not be tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine (Eph. 4:14-16). Indeed, one of the manifestations of apathy is the loss of interest in studying the revealed word of God.

Another sign of apathy which manifests itself in a loss of interests in spiritual things is diminished prayer. The early Christians were a praying people. They “continued steadfastly” in prayer (Acts 2:42). When Jewish authorities threatened the apostles and forbade them to preach Christ, they resorted to prayer (Acts 4:23-31). The early apostles would not forsake prayer in order to care for tables (Acts 6:4). When Peter was arrested, the church prayed fervently for his release (Acts 12:5). Yet as apathy sets in, one’s interest in praying to God is diminished. Whereas a man was one who engaged in regular fervent prayer, his prayer life will change. Fervent prayer will be replaced by formal prayer on a regular basis; soon this will get old and his regular formal prayers will become irregular until finally he simply quits praying. Apathy has destroyed him.

Another sign of a loss of interest in spiritual things which comes with apathy is lack of conversation about spiritual matters. One must recognize that one talks about what his heart is full of (Matt. 12:34). This is the reason that the early church went everywhere preaching the word (Acts 8:4-5). The spirit of these early Christians resembled that of Jeremiah, “But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay” (20:9). Similarly, when Paul was in Athens, he was “pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ” (Acts 18:5). Yet, as our interests change from spiritual matters to secular matters, our conversations change as well. The apathetic person will be more interested in Dow-Jones than Jesus Christ, the Olympics than the race that is set before him (1 Cor. 9:24), and the prize fight than in buffeting his body (1 Cor. 9:27).

3. Consumed with secular interests. As the heart turns from total love and commitment to Jesus Christ, it be ins to become more and more consumed with secular interests. Though I recognize that a Christian cannot live in this world without some interest in secular matters, even these must be tempered. The things of this world have a tendency to entangle us (2 Tim. 2:4) and choke out the word of God (Lk. 8:14). In contrast to being entangled in the affairs of this life, the Christian is to look upon his period of time on this earth as a “pilgrimage” or “sojourneying” (1 Pet.. 2:11). His true citizenship is in heaven (Phil. 3:20-21, NASB); his time spent on this earth is spent as a foreigner passing through a country which is not his own. He is searching for his true home in heaven. The writer of Hebrew described this attitude with reference to Abraham as follows:

By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: for he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God . . .These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seem them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefor God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city (Heb. 11:9-10, 13-16).

This was the attitude which early Christians had and all Christians are expected to have with reference to their lives on this earth beneath. It has been described as other-world mindedness.

Yet, the Christian smitten with apathy loses this attitude. He is consumed with the interests of this world. The apathetic family is the family which hurries to get their Bible lessons minutes before leaving for worship, rushes into the building at the last minute, goes through the motions of worship, and departs from worship to lay their Bibles aside until they once again must rush to worship. This is the secular Christian! His life is spent rushing his daughter to Brownie scouts, his son to peewee baseball, his wife to crafts, and himself to the football or baseball games. No time is left for the worship and service of God!

4. Hardness of heart. The result of this spirit toward the Lord is hardness of heart. The basic meaning of the word “apathy” is “without emotion.” Soon the message of Jesus Christ leaves such a person without emotion. He can sit through a sermon on the death of Christ, anxiously watching his watch to see when the preacher is going to be through. At the drop of the word “Baptism,” the songbook is jerked from the racks on the back of the pew. In some places, it is dangerous to use the word “baptism” after preaching 20-25 minutes; the invitation song might be begun before the preacher is finished!

At any rate, as the message ceases to penetrate the recesses of the heart, the heart becomes grossed, the ears become dull, and the eyes are closed (Matt. 13:15). When this happens, full apostasy gets in. Excuses are found for not attending worship; the family misses Wednesday nights and Sunday nights. Soon they are never seen in worship anymore.

Conclusion

Apathy is a dreadful disease afflicting Christians. Are you afflicted with apathy? Perhaps a more realistic question would be, “How seriously are you afflicted with apathy?” Before we go too far down this road which leads to total separation from Christ, let us repent and return to the way of the Lord.

Questions

• How does the culture in which we live affect us? What instances of its effects can you see in our attitudes toward God and the church, our dress, morals, etc.?
• Why is apathy such a subtle sin?
• Describe the zeal of New Testament Christians. Has it been restored in the congregation where you worship? Has it been restored in your life?
• What does a loss of zeal for service to God reflect as having occurred in the life of a Christian?
• Should one expect to always feel just exactly as he felt when coming out of the waters of baptism? Is zeal for God totally dependent upon warm emotions?
• What things reflect a loss of interest in spiritual things?
• How do legitimate secular activities draw one away from Christ?
• What is the significance of a Christian being known as a “pilgrim” or “sojourner”?
• What kinds of things are included in “world” in 1 Jn. 2:15-17?
• How does one’s heart become hardened?

Truth Magazine XXIV: 17, pp. 278-281
April 24, 1980