A good start means little if we don’t finish faithful.
“…For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world…”
— 2 Timothy 4:10
For time and eternity, the name Demas is forever linked with a believer who backslid and dishonorably disengaged from the work of God. His story is brief — but its warning is loud. Every believer carries the same potential danger in the heart. May God help us resolve this truth early: we don’t want to be a Demas.
Scripture shows us three realities in Demas’ life that pushed him backward over the fence of following God.
DEMAS HAD A TITLE HE DID NOT UPHOLD
Colossians 4:14 — “Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas, greet you.”
Demas was not an outsider. He was counted among faithful servants. He was a Christian. A servant. A child of God. His name stood beside men who finished well.
For Demas to walk away, he had to first devalue who he was. When a believer forgets their identity in Christ, compromise soon follows. Titles don’t keep us right — but forgetting them will pull us wrong.
DEMAS HAD A TASK HE DID NOT UNDERTAKE
Philemon 1:24 — “…Demas, Lucas, my fellowlabourers.”
Demas wasn’t just saved — he was called. He had purpose. He had work assigned to him by God. He was labeled a fellow labourer.
Backsliding doesn’t usually begin with scandal — it begins with neglect. When we stop doing what God has called us to do, our hearts grow cold toward the One who called us.
DEMAS HAD A TEMPTATION HE UNDERESTIMATED
2 Timothy 4:10 — “…having loved this present world…”
Demas didn’t just see the world — he loved it. He likely believed he could walk close to the edge without falling. But affection precedes action. What we love will eventually lead us.
Temptation is never harmless. Demas didn’t fall because temptation was strong — he fell because he thought he was.
As Bob Jones Sr. once said,
“Being a backslider is just like having bad breath. It bothers everyone around you, but no one wants to tell you about it.”
