The Story of Demas

Imagine being mentioned by name in one of the epistles written by Paul. Exciting right?! Not only was Demas mentioned, but he was mentioned twice. First Paul wrote in Philemon, "Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends you his greetings. So do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my co-workers" (1:23–24). Then Paul mentioned him a second time: "Demas has deserted me because he loves the things of this life and has gone to Thessalonica" (2 Timothy 4:10).

So why would Demas leave Paul? From the text we gather that it was because he loved this present world. He loved the things of this life the scripture states. What does that mean? He made a choice. He basically chose this world over God's love. The Bible says, "Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world." (1 John 2:15–16).

When the Bible speaks of the world, it is speaking of a culture, a mentality that is hostile to God. Sometimes it is quite subtle in its hostility, but the world is always trying to lure us away. Thus goes the story of Demas. And thus goes the story of many Christians today who fall more in the love with what this world has to offer.