WEDNESDAY March 5, 2025

Shipwrecked

...having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck, of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I delivered to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.
1 Timothy 1:19-20

Some believers sat under good teaching; they heard good doctrine. What caused them to walk away and reject it? Somehow, deception took root and caused them to fall away from their faith in Christ. Allowing themselves to hear and embrace false doctrine had caused them to become shipwrecked; they were no longer Christians.

Paul took the liberty to name two of these men. He named them to Timothy––Alexander and Hymenaeus. They began spreading their false doctrines among the brethren. As they rejected Christ, Hymenaeus and Alexander suffered shipwreck. The verb here means “to break in pieces.” It gives the picture of a ship at sea heading for shore, but as the ship went into the shallows, it hit the rocks. Suddenly, the ship began to break apart until it sank. This is what had happened to Alexander and Hymenaeus––their lives were completely shattered.

People’s lives can become shattered if they embrace people spreading false doctrines in the church. You may ask me, “How can such a thing be?” Sadly, it happens. I know people who were in ministry, preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ for over 20 years, and today, they are no longer walking with Christ. They were deceived by a false doctrine.

What can you and I do to help restore believers who have gotten caught up in deception? There are two scriptural things you can do. First of all, you can pray for them––that God will touch their hearts and lead them to repentance. Second is the action that Paul took. He turned them over to Satan for the destruction of their flesh so that, in the end, their souls could be saved. I know that this is a difficult teaching, but sometimes it is necessary if they are to be reached.

Of all forms of deception self-deception is the most deadly, and of all deceived persons the self-deceived are the least likely to discover the fraud.
~A. W. Tozer~

For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!