Apostasy

Apostasy

It is a sad statement concerning the fickleness of humanity but unfortunately, the Bible is full of examples of apostasy. Here are only a few of the many that could have been selected.

Exodus 32:1 HCSB When the people saw that Moses delayed in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said to him, "Come, make us a god who will go before us because this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt--we don't know what has happened to him!"
Deuteronomy 13:12-13 HCSB "If you hear it said about one of your cities the LORD your God is giving you to live in, that wicked men have sprung up among you, led the inhabitants of their city astray, and said, 'Let us go and worship other gods,' which you have not known,
Judges 2:17 HCSB but they did not listen to their judges. Instead, they prostituted themselves with other gods, bowing down to them. They quickly turned from the way of their fathers, who had walked in obedience to the LORD's commands. They did not do as their fathers did.
Nehemiah 9:26 HCSB But they were disobedient and rebelled against You. They flung Your law behind their backs and killed Your prophets who warned them to turn them back to You. They committed terrible blasphemies.
Ezekiel 36:20 HCSB When they came to the nations where they went, they profaned My holy name, because it was said about them: These are the people of the LORD, yet they had to leave His land in exile.
Acts 7:39 Our forefathers were unwilling to obey him, but pushed him away, and in their hearts turned back to Egypt.
2 Timothy 4:10 HCSB for Demas has deserted me, because he loved this present world, and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia.
Hebrews 6:6 HCSB and who have fallen away, because, to their own harm, they are recrucifying the Son of God and holding Him up to contempt.
1 John 2:19 HCSB They went out from us, but they did not belong to us; for if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. However, they went out so that it might be made clear that none of them belongs to us.

Even God’s chosen people, who had witnessed numerous miracles and God’s sovereign power over other foreign gods, often became apostate.

Hosea 1:9-10 HCSB Then the LORD said: Name him Not My People, for you are not My people, and I will not be your God. Yet the number of the Israelites will be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or counted. And in the place where they were told: You are not My people, they will be called: Sons of the living God.

The Master predicted that this problem would not only not go away, but would actually increase!

Matthew 24:10-12 HCSB Then many will take offense, betray one another and hate one another. Many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. Because lawlessness will multiply, the love of many will grow cold.

In direct contradiction, not only to the testimony of the prophetic Scriptures, but also to hundreds of witnesses, the Jewish priests and the Sadducees rejected the proclamation of the resurrection of the Messiah.

Acts 4:1-4 HCSB Now as they were speaking to the people, the priests, the commander of the temple guard, and the Sadducees confronted them, because they were provoked that they were teaching the people and proclaiming in the person of Jesus the resurrection from the dead. So they seized them and put them in custody until the next day, since it was already evening. But many of those who heard the message believed, and the number of the men came to about 5,000.

Stephen tried to summarize the people of Israel’s entire history in his defense of the Gospel. It was useless. They had made their decision and preferred stoning him to death rather than change their ways.

Acts 7:1-60

Unfortunately, humans are susceptible to philosophy and empty deceit based on tradition.

Colossians 2:8 HCSB Be careful that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit based on human tradition, based on the elemental forces of the world, and not based on Christ.

We are instructed to hold on to the faith as taught by the Messiah and His apostles.

1 Timothy 1:18-19 HCSB Timothy, my child, I am giving you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies previously made about you, so that by them you may strongly engage in battle, having faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and have suffered the shipwreck of their faith.
Hebrews 3:12-13 HCSB Watch out, brothers, so that there won't be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart that departs from the living God. But encourage each other daily, while it is still called today, so that none of you is hardened by sin's deception.

The Gospel, as presented in the Scriptures, is simple. However, it is not simplistic. There are many deep and mysterious truths to be found in the Word of God. Clever liars will take these passages, twist them and use these to create false doctrine. The good disciple, to avoid these false teachers, will not only have to grow in GRACE but in KNOWLEDGE.

2 Peter 3:15-18 HCSB Also, regard the patience of our Lord as an opportunity for salvation, just as our dear brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you. He speaks about these things in all his letters, in which there are some matters that are hard to understand. The untaught and unstable twist them to their own destruction, as they also do with the rest of the Scriptures. Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard, so that you are not led away by the error of the immoral and fall from your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

Apostasy must be actively guarded against. Even the Ransomed are susceptible to this pernicious sin.

2 Timothy 1:11-15 HCSB For this gospel I was appointed a herald, apostle, and teacher, and that is why I suffer these things. But I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to guard what has been entrusted to me until that day. Hold on to the pattern of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Guard, through the Holy Spirit who lives in us, that good thing entrusted to you. This you know: all those in Asia have turned away from me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes.
Hebrews 3:12-13 HCSB Watch out, brothers, so that there won't be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart that departs from the living God. But encourage each other daily, while it is still called today, so that none of you is hardened by sin's deception.

The truth must be completely accepted and consumed – become an integral part of us. We must be careful to not merely taste of the truth and then reject it. To do so would leave us in a worse state than we were before. We actually run the risk of hell!

Hebrews 6:4-8 HCSB For it is impossible to renew to repentance those who were once enlightened, who tasted the heavenly gift, became companions with the Holy Spirit, tasted God's good word and the powers of the coming age, and who have fallen away, because, to their own harm, they are recrucifying the Son of God and holding Him up to contempt. For ground that has drunk the rain that has often fallen on it, and that produces vegetation useful to those it is cultivated for, receives a blessing from God. But if it produces thorns and thistles, it is worthless and about to be cursed, and will be burned at the end.

Those who go away, who move away from sound doctrine, reveal themselves to have been false brothers.

1 John 2:19 HCSB They went out from us, but they did not belong to us; for if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. However, they went out so that it might be made clear that none of them belongs to us.

We must actively contend for the true faith because our enemy, the devil, will send his minions among us. They will be stealthy, having the appearance of godliness, but they will slowly and insidiously attempt to ensnare us in doctrines that make allowance for sin. Be warned! Those who do not follow God’s ways are doomed to destruction.

Jude 1:3-5 HCSB Dear friends, although I was eager to write you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write and exhort you to contend for the faith that was delivered to the saints once for all. For certain men, who were designated for this judgment long ago, have come in by stealth; they are ungodly, turning the grace of our God into promiscuity and denying our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. Now I want to remind you, though you know all these things: the Lord, having first of all saved a people out of Egypt, later destroyed those who did not believe;

It is possible for a church to be apostate. It may have the appearance of works but be spiritually dead, nevertheless.

Revelation 3:1 HCSB "To the angel of the church in Sardis write: "The One who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars says: I know your works; you have a reputation for being alive, but you are dead.

The underlying motivation of apostasy is a rejection of authority. The people of Israel wanted no God, no priest and no law. God promised to abandon those who abandon Him.

2 Chronicles 15:2-3 HCSB So he went out to meet Asa and said to him, "Asa and all Judah and Benjamin, hear me. The LORD is with you when you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you abandon Him, He will abandon you. For many years Israel has been without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without law,
Psalms 2:1-3 HCSB Why do the nations rebel and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers conspire together against the LORD and His Anointed One: "Let us tear off their chains and free ourselves from their restraints."
Isaiah 1:2-7 HCSB Listen, heavens, and pay attention, earth, for the LORD has spoken: "I have raised children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against Me. The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master's feeding-trough, but Israel does not know; My people do not understand." Oh--sinful nation, people weighed down with iniquity, brood of evildoers, depraved children! They have abandoned the LORD; they have despised the Holy One of Israel; they have turned their backs on Him. Why do you want more beatings? Why do you keep on rebelling? The whole head is hurt, and the whole heart is sick. From the sole of the foot even to the head, no spot is uninjured--wounds, welts, and festering sores not cleansed, bandaged, or soothed with oil. Your land is desolate, your cities burned with fire; before your very eyes foreigners devour your fields--a desolation overthrown by foreigners.

If we reject God’s Word and Way, the end result will be an inability to even recognize objective truth.

Jeremiah 7:25-28 HCSB Since the day your ancestors came out of the land of Egypt until this day, I have sent all My servants the prophets to you time and time again. However, they wouldn't listen to Me or pay attention but became obstinate; they did more evil than their ancestors. "When you speak all these things to them, they will not listen to you. When you call to them, they will not answer you. You must therefore declare to them: This is the nation that would not listen to the voice of the LORD their God and would not accept discipline. Truth has perished--it has disappeared from their mouths.

We must be very careful to be wise in choosing our shepherds. If they don’t seek the Lord, we will not prosper and will soon find ourselves scattered.

Jeremiah 10:21 HCSB For the shepherds are stupid: they don't seek the LORD. Therefore they have not prospered, and their whole flock is scattered.
Jeremiah 23:10-16 HCSB For the land is full of adulterers; the land mourns because of the curse, and the grazing lands in the wilderness have dried up. Their way of life has become evil, and their power is not rightly used because both prophet and priest are ungodly, even in My house I have found their evil. This is the LORD's declaration. Therefore, their way will be to them like slippery paths in the gloom. They will be driven away and fall down there, for I will bring disaster on them, the year of their punishment. This is the LORD's declaration. Among the prophets of Samaria I saw something disgusting: They prophesied by Baal and led My people Israel astray. Among the prophets of Jerusalem also I saw a horrible thing: They commit adultery and walk in lies. They strengthen the hands of evildoers, and none turns his back on evil. They are all like Sodom to Me; Jerusalem's residents are like Gomorrah. Therefore, this is what the LORD of Hosts says concerning the prophets: I am about to feed them wormwood and give them poisoned water to drink, for from the prophets of Jerusalem ungodliness has spread throughout the land. This is what the LORD of Hosts says: "Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They are making you worthless. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the LORD's mouth.
Zephaniah 1:4-6 HCSB I will stretch out My hand against Judah and against all the residents of Jerusalem. I will cut off from this place every vestige of Baal, the names of the pagan priests along with the priests; those who bow in worship on the rooftops to the heavenly host; those who bow and pledge loyalty to the LORD but also pledge loyalty to Milcom; and those who turn back from following the LORD, who do not seek the LORD or inquire of Him.

We can identify these false prophets, these apostate teachers, these wolves in sheep’s clothing, by their works.

Matthew 12:33-35 HCSB "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. Brood of vipers! How can you speak good things when you are evil? For the mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart. A good man produces good things from his storeroom of good, and an evil man produces evil things from his storeroom of evil.

They may be “weeds in the wheat”, meaning they are sometimes difficult to spot, but rest assured in the end God will clearly identify and appropriately discipline them.

Matthew 13:24-30 HCSB He presented another parable to them: "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while people were sleeping, his enemy came, sowed weeds among the wheat, and left. When the plants sprouted and produced grain, then the weeds also appeared. The landowner's slaves came to him and said, 'Master, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Then where did the weeds come from?' "'An enemy did this!' he told them. "'So, do you want us to go and gather them up?' the slaves asked him. "'No,' he said. 'When you gather up the weeds, you might also uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At harvest time I'll tell the reapers: Gather the weeds first and tie them in bundles to burn them, but store the wheat in my barn. '"

Though apostasy has always occurred…

Romans 1:18-19 HCSB For God's wrath is revealed from heaven against all godlessness and unrighteousness of people who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth, since what can be known about God is evident among them, because God has shown it to them.
Titus 1:10-14 HCSB For there are also many rebellious people, idle talkers and deceivers, especially those from Judaism. It is necessary to silence them; they overthrow whole households by teaching for dishonest gain what they should not. One of their very own prophets said, Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons. This testimony is true. So, rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith and may not pay attention to Jewish myths and the commandments of men who reject the truth.

…the end of the age will be particularly characterized by apostasy.

1 Timothy 4:1 HCSB Now the Spirit explicitly says that in the latter times some will depart from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons,
2 Timothy 3:6-9 HCSB For among them are those who worm their way into households and capture idle women burdened down with sins, led along by a variety of passions, always learning and never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so these also resist the truth, men who are corrupt in mind, worthless in regard to the faith. But they will not make further progress, for their lack of understanding will be clear to all, as theirs was also.
2 Timothy 4:3-4 HCSB For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, will accumulate teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear something new. They will turn away from hearing the truth and will turn aside to myths.
2 Thessalonians 2:3 HCSB Don't let anyone deceive you in any way. For that day will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction.
2 Peter 3:3 HCSB First, be aware of this: scoffers will come in the last days to scoff, following their own lusts

Many will turn from Christ and turn on those they had previously called “brother…sister.”

Matthew 24:10-13 HCSB Then many will take offense, betray one another and hate one another. Many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. Because lawlessness will multiply, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be delivered.

We must serve God with our whole heart.

1 Chronicles 28:9 HCSB "As for you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands the intention of every thought. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever.

Turning from God leads to death

Ezekiel 18:24-26 HCSB But when a righteous person turns from his righteousness and practices iniquity, committing the same abominations that the wicked do, will he live? None of the righteous acts he did will be remembered. He will die because of the treachery he has engaged in and the sin he has committed. "But you say: The Lord's way isn't fair. Now listen, house of Israel: Is it My way that is unfair? Instead, isn't it your ways that are unfair? When a righteous person turns from his righteousness and practices iniquity, he will die for this. He will die because of the iniquity he has practiced.

It is the duty of the Ransomed to warn those who are turning away from God and toward their destruction.

Ezekiel 3:17-21 HCSB "Son of man, I have made you a watchman over the house of Israel. When you hear a word from My mouth, give them a warning from Me. If I say to the wicked person: You will surely die, but you do not warn him--you don't speak out to warn him about his wicked way in order to save his life--that wicked person will die for his iniquity. Yet I will hold you responsible for his blood. But if you warn a wicked person and he does not turn from his wickedness or his wicked way, he will die for his iniquity, but you will have saved your life. Now if a righteous person turns from his righteousness and practices iniquity, and I put a stumbling block in front of him, he will die. If you did not warn him, he will die because of his sin and the righteous acts he did will not be remembered. Yet I will hold you responsible for his blood. But if you warn the righteous person that he should not sin, and he does not sin, he will indeed live because he listened to your warning, and you will have saved your life."

Live or die – it’s our choice. God is entirely just because He has not only given us a free will but also adequate warning as to the consequences of each choice.

Ezekiel 33:11-20 HCSB Tell them: As I live"--the declaration of the Lord GOD--"I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked person should turn from his way and live. Repent, repent of your evil ways! Why will you die, house of Israel? "Now, son of man, say to your people: The righteousness of the righteous person will not save him on the day of his transgression; neither will the wickedness of the wicked person cause him to stumble on the day he turns from his wickedness. The righteous person won't be able to survive by his righteousness on the day he sins. When I tell the righteous person that he will surely live, but he trusts in his righteousness and commits iniquity, then none of his righteousness will be remembered, and he will die because of the iniquity he has committed. "So when I tell the wicked person: You will surely die, but he repents of his sin and does what is just and right-- he returns collateral, makes restitution for what he has stolen, and walks in the statutes of life without practicing iniquity--he will certainly live; he will not die. None of the sins he committed will be held against him. He has done what is just and right; he will certainly live. "But your people say: The Lord's way isn't fair, even though it is their own way that isn't fair. When a righteous person turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, he will die on account of this. But when a wicked person turns from his wickedness and does what is just and right, he will live because of this. Yet you say: The Lord's way isn't fair. I will judge each of you according to his ways, house of Israel."

Do not be carried away by error.

2 Peter 3:17-18 HCSB Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard, so that you are not led away by the error of the immoral and fall from your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

Do not turn from God

Hebrews 3:12 Watch out, brothers, so that there won't be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart that departs from the living God.