Apostasy, from the Greek word “apostasia,” means “a defiance of an established system or authority; a rebellion; an abandonment or breach of faith.” In the first-century world, apostasy was a technical term for political revolt or defection. And just like in the first century, apostasy threatens the Body of Christ today.
With respect to apostasy, it is critical that all Christians understand:
Forms of Apostasy
As to the forms of apostasy, there are two main types: (1) a falling away from key and true doctrines of the Bible into heretical teachings that proclaim to be “the real” Christian doctrine, and (2) a complete renunciation of the Christian faith, resulting in a full abandonment of Christ.
The Characteristics of Apostasy and Apostates
The dangers of apostasy were warned about in the book of Jude, which serves as a handbook for understanding the characteristics of apostates, strongly urging those in the body of Christ to contend earnestly for the faith (v 3). The Greek word translated “contend earnestly” is a compound verb from which we get the word “agonize.” It is in the present infinitive form, which means that the struggle will be continuous, serious, difficult and dependent upon every believer’s discernment skills so that they can recognize and prevent apostasy in their midst.
After urging his readers to contend earnestly for the faith, Jude highlights the reason: “For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ” (v 4). In this one verse, Jude provides Christians with three traits of apostasy and apostate teachers:
- First, apostasy can be subtle. The word “crept” (found in no other book of the Bible) is likened to the cunning craftiness of a lawyer who, through clever argumentation, infiltrates the minds of courtroom officials and corrupts their thinking. The word literally means “slip in sideways; come in stealthily; sneak in; hard to detect.” It is rare that apostasy begins in an overt and easily detectable manner. The apostle Paul also speaks to the outwardly pleasing behavior of apostates and their teaching in 2 Corinthians 11:13-14. In other words, every lie has an element of truth to make it believable…and devastating. In fact, understandably, God ‘hates” this (Proverbs 6:16–19).
- Second, Jude describes eighteen unflattering traits of apostates so his readers can more easily identify them: ungodly (v 4), morally perverted (v 4), denying Christ (v 4), ones who defile the flesh (v 8), rebellious (v 8), people who revile angels (v 8), who are ignorant about God (v 8), those who proclaim false visions (v 10), self-destructive (v 10), grumblers (v 16), fault finders (v 16), self-satisfying (v 16), people who use arrogant words and false flattery (v 16), mockers of God (v 18), those who cause divisions (v 19), worldly minded (v 19), and finally (not surprisingly), devoid of the Spirit/unsaved (v 19).
- Third, Jude says apostates “deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.” How do apostates do this? Paul tells us in his letter to Titus, “To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled. They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed” (Titus 1:15-16). In contrast, true believers have been delivered out of spiritual darkness into light (Ephesians 5:8) and therefore will not deny core truths of Scripture.
Ultimately, the sign of an apostate is that he eventually falls away and departs from the truth of God’s Word and His righteousness: “They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us” (1 John 2:19).
God, Apostates and Consequences
That God takes apostasy and false teaching seriously is evidenced by the fact that every New Testament book except Philemon contains warnings about false teaching.
The great tragedy is, whether knowingly or unknowingly, the apostate teacher dooms his unsuspecting followers. One of the most frightening verses in all of Scripture comes from the lips of Jesus. Speaking to His disciples about the religious leaders of His day, He said, “Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit” (Matthew 15:14). This verse is alarming because Jesus affirms that it is not only the false teachers that go to destruction, but their disciples also follow them.
Falling Away; Hallow Religion
Scripture says apostasy will only get worse as Christ’s return approaches. “At that time [the latter days] many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another” (Matthew 24:10). Paul echoes Jesus in his inspired writings as well. The apostle told the Thessalonians that a great falling away would precede Christ’s second coming (2 Thessalonians 2:3) and that the end times would be characterized by tribulation and hollow religious charlatans: “But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be . . . holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; avoid such men as these” (2 Tim. 3:1-2, 5).
Scripture and history are filled with examples of people who made an initial positive response to Christ only to fall away later. In the parable of the sower and the seed, some of the seed sprung up quickly, only to wither away or be choked out by weeds. “As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful” (Matthew 13:20–22). But the seed (the gospel) sown on good soil brings forth fruit for harvest. In the initial stages, it might be very difficult to tell which plants will make it or not. Time reveals the truth.
In John 6, Jesus calls himself the Bread from Heaven and makes some statements that were very hard to understand. Verse 66 says, “After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.” There were people who had identified themselves as followers of Jesus, but they turned back when Jesus said something they disliked. It was not that they lost salvation; they never had it to begin with, and this incident is what showed their true colors.
Next in John 6, Jesus comments on Peter and Judas Iscariot. “Jesus said to the twelve, ‘Do you want to go away as well?’ Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.’ Jesus answered them, ‘Did I not choose you, the twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.’ He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray him” (Vv 67–70). At the time Jesus spoke those words, Peter and Judas looked very much alike—both were disciples. On the night that Jesus was arrested, Peter and Judas looked very much alike—both denied the Lord. A few days later, however, they showed themselves to be very different. Judas, overcome with remorse, did not seek repentance and forgiveness but committed suicide (Matthew 27:5). Peter was filled with shame and wept (Matthew 26:75). Three days later Peter is still with the disciples and becomes an apostle of the Risen Lord.
Responding to Apostasy
1. Examine yourself first. We are called to humility, not pride. “If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” (1 Corinthians 10:12). Each of us bears a responsibility to be serious about the state of his relationship with God: “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?” (2 Corinthians 13:5). Are we truly in the faith, or are we only paying lip service to Christ and pretending to follow Him?
2. Pray for the apostate. The decision of someone to “fall away” from the faith should break our hearts. Pray that he or she would come to know the Lord in truth. Pray for everyone in the apostate’s sphere of influence: family members, church members, and others who are sure to be devastated by the news.
3. Look to Jesus. He alone is the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). Right now, it may be a certain pastor or best-selling author who holds the headlines. Tomorrow, it may be someone else. But our focus should be Jesus as He never changes (Hebrews 13:8). His love, His purity, and His truthfulness are constant. This is the headline of our hearts; focus of our lives.
4. Remember that the gospel is not affected by the actions of fallible men. The decision of an apostate to leave the faith says exactly nothing about who Jesus is or the truth of the Bible. It does say much about the apostate, though. Drawing a window shade does not cause the sun to go away, and the choice of someone to reject the truth does not change the truth. The gospel remains unsullied: repentance and faith in the death and resurrection of Christ will result in the Holy Spirit’s supernatural transformation of a person from Satan’s child to God’s own.
5. Look for the good that true followers of Christ are doing every day. Jesus said to His followers, “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
6. Put on the whole armor of God. This spiritual battle we are in is real. Our enemy is active and seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). But God has given us protection (Ephesians 6:10–18) that we would be wise to wear.
7. Stay connected to the believers in your church. We have a great asset in fellow believers who can exhort, encourage, and edify us. We can hold each other accountable and help guard against the subtle encroachment of sin. “See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called ‘Today,’ so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness” (Hebrews 3:12–13). Encouragement is a medicine that helps counter sin poisoning and spiritual hardening. A dose of it is prescribed daily.