The final greetings sent by Paul to Philemon reveals a tragic scene. Paul is concluding his letter when he offers a sendoff from those he considered “fellow workers.” These were apostles, preachers, and fellow prisoners of Christ. They were among the elite of their time. Phil. 1:23-24 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends you greetings. And so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas and Luke, my fellow workers.
Epaphras may have spent time with Paul in prison for preaching the name of Jesus. Mark, known as John Mark, is now called profitable to Paul. Aristarchus was the faithful man standing with Barnabas . . . and then Demas. In this last salutation, Paul will reference these men as companions in the faith. They were important to the Gospel and to him. They were the stalwarts of the Apostolic movement of the first century.
The tragedy is that somewhere in between Philemon 1:24 and 2 Timothy chapter 4, Demas left the faith. 2 Tim 4:10 For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica . . .”
Demas turned his back on truth and it cut Paul to the core. The loss was felt by the great apostle. Demas once stood with Paul preaching the Gospel. But now the love of the world has overtaken him. I submit that none would have predicted his departure. We do not know what happened or why, only that Demas was mentioned with the faithful and then was lost to the world.
The truth is that it could happen to any one of us. It has happened to people I thought were strong in the faith. I have watched long-standing church members walk away from truth. While they may have experienced an offense, nonetheless, they backslid from the doctrine.
How is it that when people leave the church, they also abandon outward holiness? Why do they suddenly shrug off the revelation of the Oneness of God and join themselves to trinitarian churches? Or why do they give themselves to ministries which minimize baptism in Jesus’ name? I too am saddened when people turn away from the Apostolic doctrine. Paul saw it and said “Demas hath forsaken me.”
The pressing of the world combined with the daily struggles, offenses, and disappointments will test our resolve. Perhaps the only word left is found in the admonition of Jesus Christ:
Mat 10:22 “…but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.”