Truth Magazine

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

By Mike Willis

Each of us has been appalled at the disastrous effect which various false doctrines have had on the Lord’s church. However, the local church of which you are a member is probably not presently fighting over a doctrinal issue which threatens its very existence as being faithful to the word of God. However, each of us is a member of a church which is fighting for its very existence in a war against apathy.

 

The general public in America has recently taken a rather apathetic approach toward religious matters. More and more Americans are becoming secularists; they are pragmatically accepting a view which rejects any form of religious faith and worship, whether consciously adopting that belief or not. The percentage of Americans who have totally ceased to assemble to worship God increases yearly; the number who assemble only occasionally also continues to rise. From a practical standpoint, if not from a doctrinal standpoint, most Americans are secularists who are apathetic toward religion and ethical matters.

This has spilled over into the church. That attitude which is beginning to permeate our whole society is beginning to affect local congregations all over the United States. One former editor of the religious periodical among us stated that he thought that apathy was posing the greatest threat to the church today. I do not know who could doubt the truthfulness of the statement.

What Is Apathy?

Webster defines “apathy” as “I. lack of emotion; 2. lack of interest; listless condition; indifference.” Some of the synonyms of the word are impassiveness, indifference, lethargy, unconcern. When I am speaking of apathy, I am speaking of the lack of interest which many Christians are showing toward spiritual things such as the church, study of the word of God, prayer, heaven and hell, etc.

To demonstrate that apathy is a problem to congregations among us, one only needs to compare the Sunday morning attendance of any congregation with that of Wednesday or Sunday night. The difference between the two attendances approaches 50% in some congregations. The evidence of apathy is even greater when one compares the gospel meeting attendances with that of Sunday morning. Furthermore, many Christians show up for Bible classes without having done any preparation for that period of Bible study. There appears to be little interest among the greater majority of most congregations in visiting the sick, contacting visitors, teaching home Bible studies, etc.

Apathy is an attitude of indifference and unconcern toward spiritual things. It generally ignores spiritual matters in order to place a greater emphasis on material things.

What Is Wrong With Apathy?

Having defined what apathy is, most Christians will immediately recognize the sinfulness of it. However, in case someone is so afflicted with apathy that he does not recognize what is wrong with it, let me explain why apathy is sinful.

1. It destroys a church. We recognize, with reference to physical pings, the principle that slothfulness destroys. The wise an stated, “By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through” (Eccl. 10:18). Again, he wrote, “He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster” (Prov. 18:9). We recognize that a man does not have to tear down a house to destroy it; all that he has to do is just fail to repair the things which need repairing and soon the house will collapse. We recognize that a man does not have to burn a field to destroy its crop; all that he must do is to fail to plow it, weed it, and fertilize it to produce the same effect. The wise man’s inspired comments regarding slothfulness are easily verified by observation.

What we recognize as true in the physical realm is also true with reference to the church. When brethren become apathetic and allow the work of the Lord to go undone, the church will be destroyed. Here are some things which occur when apathy sets in which destroys the church: (1) neglecting the services (this discourages the weak members and causes them to also neglect the services, compounding the problem); (2) failing to visit those who visit our services, the sick and the discouraged, and (3) neglecting home Bible studies. The result of this negligence is that few home Bible studies are conducted and fewer are converted; the weak become weaker until they eventually just completely apostatize. As the stronger members die, brethren move away, and the children of half-converted Christians decide not to be faithful to the Lord, the church in a given area dies.

The Lord warned brethren about destroying the church, the temple of God; Paul wrote, “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are” (1 Cor. 3:16-17). Although the context is primarily discussing the destruction which occurs to the Lord’s temple through sinful division, the application would extend to anything which destroys the temple of God. Apathy results in destruction of the Lord’s church and is wrong for that reason.

2. It causes spiritual needs to go unmet. When apathy afflicts a congregation, spiritual needs are unmet. Each of us recognizes that the gospel is God’s saving power (Rom. 1:16); one cannot be converted without being taught the gospel of Christ (Mk. 16:15-16). This is the only means which God uses to draw men to Him (Jn. 6:44-45). However, when apathy sets in, the work of taking the gospel to the lost people of the world almost comes to a halt. How many home Bible studies have been conducted by the members of the church where you worship in the last month? Six months? Year? Is there any wonder that there are so few conversions? Who can doubt that apathy is afflicting us?

The same might be said of those who are weak among us. The weak need special attention (1 Thess. 5:14 – support the weak; comfort the feebleminded). Those who are caught up in sin need spiritually minded men to take the time to work to restore them (Gal. 6:1; Jas. 5:19-20). However, when apathy sets in, this need goes unmet. Frequently what happens is that the congregation neglects the needs of these members until they completely quit attending; then, the congregation withdraws (or is it “washes its hands” of the matter?) from them for forsaking the assembly. Surely we can see why apathy is sinful!

3. It destroys the quality of worship. In order for worship to be acceptable to God, it must be offered from the heart of man. Mere outward ceremonies have never been acceptable to the Lord (Mic. 6:6-8). In our worship today, every item demands our fullest concentration and attention. During the preaching of God’s word, every member has an obligation to strive to be learning all that he can, examining the Scriptures to be certain that what is taught is what God revealed (Acts 17:11; 1 Jn. 4:1). During the singing, the Christian is expected to “make melody in his heart” (Eph. 5:19), “singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Col. 3:16). During the prayer, we are to listen in order to say “Amen” (1 Cor. 14:16), being exceedingly careful not to merely offer vain repetitions (Matt. 6:7). To properly observe the Lord’s supper one must remember Christ’s death (1 Cor. 11:24-29). Even our giving must be done purposely (2 Cor. 9:6-7).

Yet, when apathy afflicts members, the quality of worship is destroyed! Members day-dream during the lesson, if they do not altogether fall asleep. Notes are passed, fingernails are clipped, and whispering occurs. These things destroy the quality and acceptability of our worship; they are the fruits of apathy.

4. It puts God second. Spiritual indifference occurs because something has taken priority over God in one’s life. The seed of the kingdom is choked out by the care of this world and the deceitfulness of riches (Matt. 13:22). Something other than God has first priority in the life of that person who is apathetic.

God will not take second place in one’s life! Christ commanded, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness . . .” (Matt. 6:33). Again, He stated, “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me” (Matt. 10:37-38). (Be sure to study Lk. 14:15-35 for other Scriptures pertaining to putting something else above one’s service to God.)

If God will not even allow one to put his father, mother, son or daughter before Him in reference to priorities, He certainly will not tolerate a man putting a football, baseball, or some other kind of game before Him. Neither will He tolerate being placed second to anything on television, shopping, dining out, etc. Apathy is sinful because it manifests that one’s priorities have been misplaced.

5. It damns the soul. Because apathy does all the things mentioned above, we can easily see that it damns the soul. The letters to the seven churches of Asia manifests this. (One cannot help but notice that three of the seven churches of Asia were instructed regarding something pertaining to the problem of apathy. This sin is not new.) Here are the comments made by the Lord concerning this problem:

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).

. . . I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee (Rev. 3:1-3).

I know thy works, that thou art 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 (Rev. 3:16-17).

These quotations certainly show God’s disapproval of apathy. We simply must accept the conclusion that an apathetic attitude toward Christ and toward service in His kingdom will damn one’s soul in hell. Hence, that is what is wrong with apathy – it will damn one’s soul in hell.

Questions

1. What is the current attitude of most Americans toward religion and how it is affecting the church in your area?
2. What is “apathy”?
3. What are some evidences of its existence in the local congregation which you attend?
4. How does apathy destroy a congregation?
5. How does it cause spiritual needs to go unmet?
6. How does apathy affect one’s worship?
7. What are the proiorities in your life?
8. How can you tell where your priorities lie?
9. What is one’s “first love” as used in Rev. 2:4-5?
10. How would a congregation have a name that it was alive but be dead (Rev. 3:1-3)?
11. Why would the Lord prefer one to be “cold” rather than “lukewarm” (Rev. 3:16-17)?

Truth Magazine XXIV: 17, pp. 276-278
April 24, 1980

By Mike Willis

The May 1979 issue of Bible Truth contained the results of a survey taken by the paper among members of the church (predominantly, if not exclusively, among liberal brethren). In response to the survey regarding what brethren thought were “major problems facing Christians today,” the following six problems were listed in their order of importance as follows: (1) apathy/indifference; (2) divorce/remarriage; (3) liberalism/modernism; (4) church as social club; (5) evangelism; (6) legalism. Though it is interesting to see that the liberals have themselves become concerned about the liberalism which they spot among themselves (two out of the first six major problems confronting these brethren pertain to liberalism), one cannot seriously doubt that one of the major problems confronting all Christians in the 1980’s is apathy.

The Stark Statistics

Recent-studies have shown that church attendance in general is declining. The Dayton Journal Herald (29 December 1979) reported the results of a Gallup Poll which showed that, on a national average, only four out of ten Americans attend a church or synagogue in a given week. Not surprisingly, the percentage is even lower among our youth. The survey is given in more detail below:

Results of the study

ATTEND CHURCH

National 40%

Protestants 40

Catholics 52

Jews 20

New England 35

Mid Atlantic 39

East Central 44

West Central 49

Southeast 40

Southwest 44

Rocky Mountain 32

Pacific 33

Summary

East 38

Midwest 46

South 41

West 33

BY AGE

18 34

19 34

20 35

21-24 26

25-29 20

30-34 38

35-39 41

40-44 42

45-49 47

50-59 46

60-69 48

70 and up 46

Summary

18-29 29

30-49 42

50 and older 47

BY EDUCATION

College

Complete 43

Incomplete 40

Technical, trade, business school 42

12th grade 40

9-11 33

8th 43

5-7 47

Less than 5 43

Summary

College 41

High school 38

Grade school 44

Men 35

Women 45

White 40

Non-white 45

Married 43

Single 28

Divorced 29

Separated 29

Widowed 49

Parents 42

Non-parents 39

TREND SINCE 1955

1955 49

1956 46

1957 47

1958 49

1959 47

1960 47

1961 47

1962 46

1963 46

1964 45

1965 44

1966 44

1967 43

1968 43

1969 42

1970 42

1971 40

1972 40

1973 40

1974 40

1975 40

1976 42

1977 41

1978 41

1979 40

The problem of lack of interest in religion has been felt in almost every section of the country. After having a socalled “revival of religion” in the 1950s and 1960s (I lived through both of these periods and did not even know that we had one), since the mid 1960s, things have taken a rather abrupt turn downward.

. . . For example, in 1958, approximately 49 per cent of the population reported having attended church during an average week. For Catholics, the percentage attending reached 74 per cent, and Protestant attendance was 44 per cent. Giving to the churches rose considerably, and new church development had high priority in an attempt to minister to the growing suburban population.

Since the mid 1960s, beginning about 1964 or 1965, things have taken a rather abrupt downturn. Membership declines that are unprecedented in the religious history of the United States has beset mainline Protestant denominations . . . . Catholicism did not lose members during this period; however, there were sharp declines in Catholic church attendance. From the 74 per cent in 1958, Catholic attendance was down to 56 per cent by 1975. Protestant attendance began to decline from its 44 per cent high in the late SOs, and has hovered around 37 per cent since 1964. Giving has also declined in mainline churches, though not so sharply as has membership. And new church development has slowed almost to a halt (Jackson W. Carroll, “The Church in the World: Understanding Church Growth and Decline,” Theology Today XXXV:70-80, April 1978).

Certainly the trends toward religious apathy can be seen in the following chart reflecting membership in selected denominations from this same article:

Inclusive Membership In Selected Denominations, 1965-1975
	1965	1975	Percentage Change
American Baptist	1,538,988 *a	1,603,033	4.2
Assemblies of God	572,123	785,148	37.3
Church of the Nazarene	343,380	441,093	28.4
Episcopal	3429153 *a	2,857,513	-16.7
Lutheran Church of America	3,106,844	2,986,078	-3.9
Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod	2,692,889	2,763,545	2.6
Presbyterian, U.S.	950,139	878,126	-8.6
Roman Catholic Church	46,246,175	48,881,872	5.7
Seventh Day Adventist	364,666	495,699	35.9
Southern Baptist Convention	10,770,573	12,733,124	18.2
United Church of Christ	2,070,413	1,818,762	-12.1
United Methodist Church	11082024 *b	9,975,710	-10.0
United Presbyterian Church, U.S.A.	3,034,321	2,657,699	-12.4
*a 1966   * b 1965 figure includes Evangelical United Brethren members who merged with the Methodist Church in 1968. Source: Yearbook of American Canadian Churches, 1977.

The one bright spot in these reports is the statistic which indicated’ that churches which are theologically conservative are growing in contrast with churches which are theologically liberal which are declining. In most cases, the rate of growth has not kept up with the population increase; however, they have not actually been losing members through these years.

In a religious poll conducted by Gallup for Christianity Today (21 December 1979), the following rather astounding results were found to be true:

Almost half – 69 million people 18 and over – are hoping to go to heaven only because of their personal faith in Jesus Christ.

More than eight of every ten persons believe Jesus Christ is divine. A whopping 84 percent – more than eight of every ten people believe the Ten Commandments are valid today.

What one might expect from these statistics is that Americans are a Bible believing and Bible reading people. However, these statistics were also a part of Gallup’s survey:

Only 11 percent read the Bible every day, compared to 10 percent who read it weekly and 7 percent monthly. Thirty-seven million adults never read the Bible.

Fewer than half (42 per cent) can name at least five of the Ten Commandments.

This basically says that a number of Americans know what the truth is or have some basic idea that the Bible contains the truth but do not care enough to search the Bible to find out what it says! That, my dear brethren, is religious apathy!

It is not only a major problem in religious denominations in America, it is also a major problem in the local church. If you doubt my word, compare your Sunday morning attendance with your mid-week attendance. In most cases, my point will have been ,proven by this simple comparison. If you would like more evidence, check to see how many students are attending their Bible classes unprepared; check to see how many students act interested in their Bible classes. How long has it been since someone other than the preacher conducted a home Bible study in your congregation? How many families are trying to have some kind of Bible instruction at home each night? These and a number of other similar questions testify to the tremendous problem of apathy which is presently facing us.

In this issue of Truth Magazine, I would like to consider the problem of apathy as it affects the local church. Let us face the temptation which the adversary is putting in front of us and overcome his subtle attempts to lead us to Hell. With the hope that these articles will help us overcome these problems, this material is presented.

Truth Magazine XXIV: 17, pp. 274-275
April 24, 1980