APOSTASY %u2014 a falling away from the faith. The nation of Israel fell into repeated backslidings (Jer. 5:6, NRSV). The prophet Jeremiah predicted the judgment of God upon such disloyalty: %u201CYour wickedness will chasten you, and your apostasies will reprove you%u201D (Jer. 2:19, NRSV).

Some of the noted apostates in the Bible are: King Saul, who turned back from following the Lord (1 Sam. 15:11); Hymenaeus and Alexander, who %u201Csuffered shipwreck%u201D of their faith (1 Tim. 1:19%u201320); and Demas, who forsook the apostle Paul because he loved this present world (2 Tim. 4:10).

In Acts 21:21 Paul was described falsely as one who taught the Jews living among the Gentiles to commit apostasy (forsake, NKJV). Second Thessalonians 2:3 declares that the Day of Christ %u201Cwill not come unless the apostasy comes first%u201D (NASB). This great apostasy will be the time of %u201Cthe final rebellion against God, when wickedness will be revealed in human form%u201D (2 Thess. 2:3, REB).

Apostasy is generally defined as the determined, willful rejection of Christ and His teachings by a Christian believer (Heb. 10:26%u201329; John 15:22). This is different from false belief, or error, which is the result of ignorance. Some Christian groups teach that apostasy is impossible for those persons who have truly accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord.

Youngblood, Ronald F. ; Bruce, F. F. ; Harrison, R. K. ; Thomas Nelson Publishers: Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Nashville : T. Nelson, 1995

Share

Tweet