Apostasy is essentially a falling away, withdrawal, or abandonment of Christianity. Apostasy is seen as a withdrawal from faith and trust in God.
Although it is not found in the English versions of the Bible, the translation of the term is used twice in the New Testament in the Greek original, to expressed abandonment of faith.
An apostle Paul was falsely accused of teaching, the Jewish people apostasy from Moses in Acts 21:21. He also predicted the great apostasy from Christianity, foretold, by Jesus in Matthew 24:10-12 which would precede “ The day of the Lord” in 2 Thessalonians 2;2.
You’ve probably heard recent examples of prominent authors, band leaders, and Christian philosophers, leaving the faith. So what does apostasy mean for us.
The definition of apostasy includes two senses of the term:
1. An act of refusing to continue to follow, obey, or recognize religious faith.
2. The abandonment of previous royalty: Defection
Now that we have the worldly definition, let’s look at the biblical definition.
The Bible meaning of apostasy.
Before we look into this question, whether people were believers on the start or fail, we were never believers to begin with we have to highlight some verses that describe the act of apostasy.
John 6: 60-66 shows many disciples leaving Jesus after they cannot detest some of His more difficult teachings. This was before the Holy Spirit dwelled in believers.
Galatians 1:6 describes believers who are eagerly, abandoning Christ, and their faith.
1 Timothy 4:1 says many will fall away in the end times, going after the teachings of demons.
2 Peter 3:17 warns us to stay on guard against wall seeking that can cause us to fall away from our faith.
In these verses, relearn apostasy has always been a problem within the Kirk, and will continue to be an issue into the end days.
There are plenty of examples in the Bible of people who appear to be saved, who eventually walked away from the faith. This does not mean they could never return to it.
Always Saved – vs – Never Saved
This article cannot cover the debate of this, not even close. This debate struggles with the question, “ If a believer falls away, were they a believer to begin with?” Were they saved or either lost their salvation or lost their way for a brief time? Or were they never Christians to begin with.
Both sides of the argument have scriptural support.
Hebrews 6:4-6 May indicate that if a person falls away from Christianity, committing apostasy, they may lose their salvation.
Others point to 2 Timothy 2:13 seems to indicate that God is still faithful, even when we are faithless.
So, what is belief versus saving belief? Even the demons believe, but that does not save them (James 2:19). Theologians often will point to the differences in belief in the heart and the head. Showing a cognitively in Jesus isn’t enough, it requires a different kind of belief.
Part of what apostasy mission from is a lack of deep kind of belief, only having a surface level kind of faith, there is an example of this, in the parable of the sower in Matthew 13:1-23). That’s why many Christians where are you go to leave the faith never had a true faith to begin with.
But that does bring up difficulty with Christian, who appear to be very strong leaders in the faith. Did they truly have no real faith or are we just missing something.
Scripture makes it clear we need to study the Word without ceasing, so as not to be swayed from kicking that could pause away from our faith.
Here are a few ways you can detect someone who is falling away:
- They will question scripture, or pervert the truth to fit an agenda
- They live a life counter to the ideals, set place for Christianity
- They’re often marked by pride, flattery, cause division, and are more focused on things of this world than things from above.
Although we may have spiritual mentors and teachers, who guide us in the faith, we have to remember that salvation comes from God alone. Many walk far away in the end times, including some people who we believe who is strong Christians have great faith.
Here are some Bible verses about Apostasy if you would like to learn more about this.
- 1 Timothy 4:1
- 2 Thessalonians 2:3
- 2 Peter 2:20-22
- Hebrews 3:12
- hebrews 6:4-8
- 2 Peter 3:17
- Luke 8:13
- Galatians 1:8-9
From Pity to Praise 