Introduction:

A. We are aware of several different kinds of unbelief and unbelievers:

1. The atheist believes there is no God.

2. The skeptic doubts there is a God.

3. The agnostic says we cannot know there is a God.

B. These are all very dangerous, and certainly we would not wish to be identified with any of them. However, there is a worse kind of unbelief than any of these.

C. We will consider the worst kind of unbelief: that of one who once believed, but no longer does. There are those who once had a genuine faith in Christ, but who now no longer have faith at all, or their faith is not genuine. There are reasons for calling this the worst kind of faith:

1. Concerning this kind of unbelief, Peter says it places one in the situation where it is better if he had never believed! (2 Pet. 2:20-22).

2. Jesus describes a situation which suggests it will be more difficult in eternity for the one who knew his Master's will and did not do it (Luke 12:47-48).

3. The book of Hebrews asserts that some who have turned away from Christ and the truth are impossible to renew to repentance (Heb. 6:4-6).
 

1. The Bible Gives Several Portraits of This Kind of Unbelief, in Different Stages
1. The Israelites in the wilderness had seen God's goodness and power, and still refused to believe (Heb. 3:12-19). Their unbelief showed up in their disobedience, and they were warned and punished by God!
2. Asaph and Job were struggling with various aspects of their relationship with God, and were in danger of falling prey to this kind of unbelief (Job 9:16-17; Psalm 73: 2-3, 13).
3. Some who were identified as Jesus' disciples turned back from following Him (John 6:66).
4. Paul bluntly addresses the problem of some who had become estranged from Christ and had fallen from grace (Gal. 5:4).

 
2. There are Several Reasons for the Unbelief of Believers
1. The world rekindles its old allure with us. This seems to have been the case with Demas (2 Tim. 4:10).
1. The world will always welcome back those who have left it for the Lord. In this sense, it is much easier to be a part of the world than to be conformed to Christ (cf. Rom. 12:1-2).
2. Jesus spoke of the danger of entering the kingdom, all the while looking back (Luke 9:62).
2. The challenges become too great for us. This is what happened with many who were following Jesus in John 6.
1. Sometimes the challenge is in the difficulties we face, and the thought that the burden has become too heavy.
2. The doctrines of Christ become overly challenging to some. This is the situation with those who turned away from Jesus in John 6. Verse 60 tells us that the things he had been teaching were "hard" (cf. vv. 53-58). God has revealed His expectations to us, and often they are challenging.
3. We become disappointed with something about God; either God himself, or His people, or His will, etc.
1. Asaph, Job and others have suffered from this kind of disappointment.
2. There are reasons for this disappointment. In his book, Disappointment With God, Philip Yancey explores three questions which seem to be behind the disappointment people have with God:
1. Is God fair? This was the more fundamental issue behind Aspah's struggle. He was concerned with the fairness of God.
2. Is God Silent? Sometimes people ask God to speak to them, to give them some sign of His existence, or some clear answer to a problem -- if they don't receive the answer in the way they seek it, they become disappointed.
3. Is God hidden? Why does God not directly intervene in some situations where His people are hurting and struggling?
3. There will always be those who believe that, in one way or another, God has let them down.
4. There are those who become unfaithful because of false teaching.
1. Those who had fallen in Galatia did so because of the false teaching of the Judaizers (Gal. 5:1-4).
2. This was also the case with those dealt with in 2 Pet. 2:1-2, 18.
3. Often, this is a kind of disappointment with God. Some become disillusioned with the teachings of God and look for something else. In times of persecution, some of the Jewish Christians of the first century were returning. This problem was addressed in the book of Hebrews.

 
3. There Is a Solution:
1. Count the cost -- go in with your eyes open. Living for Christ is not as easy as living for self, or living for the world! (Luke 14:25-33; cf. John 7:6).
2. Trust God -- this is the essence of faith. Faith is not faith if God gives us all the answers and solves every problem for us right before our eyes! (Heb. 11:1ff; 2 Cor. 5:7).
3. Look at the past -- God has intervened! God has spoken! Do we believe He has ceased to act, just because He does not always act outwardly or immediately?
4. Consider the alternatives. What is better than Christ and His way, even if we don't always comprehend it? Peter realized this, in answer to Jesus' question, "will you also go away?" (John 6:68-69). The world, false religion, etc., might make this life more comfortable for us, but they will not grant us eternal life!