In brief
Demas is a coworker of the apostle Paul. In the letters written during Paul's imprisonment, he is listed among his fellow workers and sends greetings to the Colossians. But in the last letter to Timothy, Paul writes that Demas deserted him, in love with this present world, and went to Thessalonica. His name appears in three letters, and Scripture says nothing more about the rest of his life. He has become the example of a servant who did not persevere.
What does the name Demas mean?
Demas is generally considered a shortened form of a longer Greek name, such as Demetrius, but this remains a guess. The Bible gives no explanation of this name.
The world of Demas
Demas lived in the first century, among the coworkers of the apostle Paul. The New Testament names him three times: in the letter to Philemon, in the letter to the Colossians and in the second letter to Timothy. The first two are written while Paul is in bonds: he asks the Colossians to remember his bonds and calls himself a prisoner of Christ Jesus in Philemon. Around him are companions such as Luke, Mark, Aristarchus, Epaphras and Tychicus. The second letter to Timothy is Paul’s last: he writes that the time of his departure has come and asks Timothy to come soon. According to tradition, Paul is then imprisoned in Rome, but these verses do not say so. Staying beside a man in chains is nothing glorious, and the letters show companions who remained faithful, others sent on missions, and a single one whose departure is explained by a severe motive. Without giving Demas a biography, Scripture thus offers three snapshots of the same man, first close, then gone.
The story of Demas
Paul a prisoner, surrounded by companions
Colossians 4:7-14At the end of the letter to the Colossians, Paul passes on a series of greetings. He sends Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful servant, together with Onesimus. Aristarchus, his fellow prisoner, greets them, along with Mark, the cousin of Barnabas, and Jesus who is called Justus. Paul says that these men have been a comfort to him. Epaphras, a servant of Christ, is always striving for them in his prayers. Then comes a short line: “Luke the beloved physician and Demas greet you.” For Demas, Paul gives neither praise nor reproach: he is present in the apostle’s circle, and at this point in the account that is enough.
A fellow worker
Philemon 1:23-24In the short letter to Philemon, Paul pleads for Onesimus, a slave who has become useful to both of them. At the end he passes on greetings from Epaphras, “my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus,” and from “Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers.” Demas is thus placed on the same level as Luke and Mark. He belongs to the team around Paul while the apostle is in chains for the gospel. The title of fellow worker is no small thing: it describes a man who shares the work of the gospel alongside the apostle.
An apostle at the end of his course
2 Timothy 4:6-8In his second letter to Timothy, Paul speaks as a man who sees the end: “I am already being offered, and the time of my departure has come.” He sums up his life: “I have fought the good fight. I have finished the course. I have kept the faith.” He awaits “the crown of righteousness,” which the Lord will give him on that day, and not to him only, but also to “all those who have loved his appearing.” This last phrase defines what matters to Paul: loving the appearing of the Lord. It prepares the contrast with what he will write about Demas a little further on.
Demas left me
2 Timothy 4:9-12Paul asks Timothy to come soon, then explains his loneliness: “Demas left me, having loved this present world, and went to Thessalonica.” Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia, and Tychicus has been sent to Ephesus. For these other departures, the text gives no reason for reproach. Only that of Demas is explained: love of this present world. Paul adds, “Only Luke is with me,” and asks Timothy to take Mark and bring him, “for he is useful to me for service.” The emptiness around the apostle is real.
No one came to help me, but the Lord stood by me
2 Timothy 4:16-18Paul recalls his first defense: “no one came to help me, but all left me.” He adds at once, “May it not be held against them.” He nurses no bitterness and does not curse those who left him alone. But he recalls another presence: “But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, that through me the message might be fully proclaimed, and that all the Gentiles might hear.” He speaks of being delivered “out of the mouth of the lion” and states that the Lord will deliver him from every evil work and preserve him for his heavenly Kingdom.
An ending left open
2 Timothy 4:19-22Demas disappears from the biblical account at verse 10. Scripture does not say what became of him in Thessalonica, nor whether he returned. This silence is instructive: the text gives only three moments of a path, a fellow worker, a greeted companion, then a man who left. It invites each reader to examine his or her own heart rather than to judge the heart of Demas. The letter continues with greetings to Prisca, Aquila and the house of Onesiphorus, then ends not on a verdict but on a prayer: “The Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Grace be with you. Amen.”
What Demas teaches us
- Having served alongside a great servant of God does not guarantee perseverance: we must watch over our own heart.
- Love of the present world can pull us away from service and from the Lord, even after years of faithfulness.
- The desertion of some must not discourage those who remain: Paul testifies that the Lord stood by him when people left him.
- Every believer is called to finish the race and keep the faith, with the hope of the crown of righteousness.
Key verses
Paul notes that Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas send greetings to the Colossians. This verse shows Demas as a close associate of the apostle, long before the sad statement of the last letter.
Paul writes that Demas deserted him, in love with this present world, and went to Thessalonica. The reason given is attachment to the present age, and not persecution or a mission.
Paul affirms that he has fought the good fight, finished the race and kept the faith, then awaits the crown of righteousness. He offers a model of perseverance, which the Lord promises to those who love his appearing.
Bible verses to meditate on
Sermons about Demas
Frequently asked questions
Who was Demas in the Bible?
Demas is a coworker of Paul, listed among his fellow workers in Philemon 24 and greeted in Colossians 4:14. In 2 Timothy 4:10, Paul writes that Demas deserted him, in love with this present world, and went to Thessalonica.
Why did Demas desert Paul?
The only reason the Bible gives is his love for this present world (2 Timothy 4:10). The text does not say more about what that meant in practice. It does not say what became of Demas afterward either: any speculation goes beyond what Scripture states.
Where can I find the story of Demas in the Bible?
Demas is named in three letters of Paul: Colossians 4:14, Philemon 24 and 2 Timothy 4:10. He does not appear in the book of Acts. These three brief mentions are enough to trace his path, from coworker of the apostle to the one who deserted him.
Did Demas lose his salvation?
The Bible does not say. Second Timothy 4:10 states a fact: Demas left Paul, having loved this present world, and went to Thessalonica. The text says nothing about his salvation, about a denial of the Lord or about a return. It would be rash to go further: God alone knows “the hearts of all men” (Acts 1:24). What Scripture recalls elsewhere is that the believer does not stand by his own strength, for God is the one able to keep them from stumbling (Jude 1:24). The case of Demas therefore calls for vigilance, not for a verdict.
What does “this present world” mean in 2 Timothy 4:10?
The phrase refers to the world as it is now, with its values, attractions and cares, as opposed to the appearing of the Lord that Paul mentions in verse 8. In Galatians 1:4, Paul writes that Christ “gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us out of this present evil age.” In the parable of the sower, Jesus speaks of “the cares of this age and the deceitfulness of riches” that choke the word (Matthew 13:22). The text does not say which specific attraction held Demas, and it is better to suppose nothing.
Why did Demas go to Thessalonica?
The Bible does not say. Paul writes only that Demas left him, “having loved this present world,” and “went to Thessalonica” (2 Timothy 4:10). Thessalonica is a city of Macedonia, and other people connected with Paul come from there, such as Aristarchus (Acts 20:4). But the text establishes no link between them and Demas, and it does not say that Demas was going home. No explanation of his motives or of his life in that city rests on Scripture, and one must refrain from inventing one.
Was Demas the only one to leave Paul?
No. In the same passage, Paul writes that Crescens went to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia, and that he sent Tychicus to Ephesus (2 Timothy 4:10-12). These departures carry no reproach. Only Demas is said to have left the apostle because he loved this present world. Further on, Paul recalls that at his first defense “no one” came to help him and “all” left him (v. 16), yet he asks that it not be held against them. The text thus distinguishes several situations and does not put all the absent on the same level.
Which other coworkers of Paul are mentioned with Demas?
In Colossians 4:7-14, Paul names Tychicus, Onesimus, Aristarchus, Mark, Jesus called Justus, Epaphras, Luke and Demas, and he asks that Archippus be told to take heed to the ministry he has received (v. 17). In Philemon 23-24, Epaphras is called a fellow prisoner, and Mark, Aristarchus, Demas and Luke are his fellow workers. In the second letter to Timothy we find Luke, who stays alone with Paul, and Mark, considered useful for service. These lists show how much Paul worked as part of a team, and how much each name matters in the work of the gospel.
How can we avoid doing what Demas did?
Scripture gives no recipe, but it gives landmarks. Paul asks the Colossians to continue steadfastly in prayer, watching in it with thanksgiving (Colossians 4:2). He describes those who will receive the crown of righteousness as “all those who have loved his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:8), which stands opposed to loving this present world. Jude urges believers to keep building up themselves on their most holy faith, to pray in the Holy Spirit and to keep themselves in God’s love (Jude 1:20-21), then reminds them that God is able to keep them from stumbling (v. 24). Perseverance comes from this love for Christ, sustained by God.