May 2006 Songtime Q&A

by Dr. Bob Burrelli

I’ve heard about apostasy in the church. What is this exactly? Should I be concerned about it and, if so, what should I do?

Webster’s’ Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary defines apostasy as the “abandonment of a previous loyalty”. In the context of Christianity, that may refer to someone who departs from the doctrines of the Christian faith. Since the Bible is quite clear that a genuine believer is not only saved by the work of Jesus Christ alone but kept secure by it as well (John 6:37; Romans 8:31-39; Ephesians 1), those who depart from the faith were never truly believers to begin with. John speaks of them this way in his first epistle, explaining,

“They went out from us, but they were not of us; for it they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us” (1 John 2:19).

Perhaps the classic New Testament passage on apostasy is Hebrews 6, where verses 4 to 6 teach us that individuals may share a number of experiences unique to the Christian faith and still be apostate, as in the case of Judas Iscariot, the classic apostate.

Scripture presents two kinds of apostates, one more dangerous than the other. There are apostates who depart from the faith and are proud of it. They claim in no uncertain terms to want nothing more to do with Christianity and promptly leave the church. Those mentioned in 1 John clearly are of this kind (as was Demas, 1 Timothy 4:9). The other kind of apostate departs from the faith without knowing it, such as those Paul warned Timothy of in 1 Timothy 4:1-2: “Now the Spirit says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose conscience are seared.” These people don’t openly denounce the truth; they simply redefine it and remain in the church to propagate in the name of truth, as verses 3 shows: “They forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.” They surface again in Paul’s second letter to Timothy: “For a time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myth” (2 Timothy 4:3 and 4). This kind of apostate is clearly more dangerous than the other, especially if he is well liked and well received by the local assembly, because his departure from truth is in his redefining of it, and that takes place in the name of practicality, or relevancy, or spirituality. He, himself being self-deceived, will succeed in deceiving anyone not mature in the faith. No wonder Paul calls men who fit this description “savage wolves”, when he cautions the Ephesian elders. He tells them that apostates will rise up from among their own ranks (Acts 20:29 and 30)!

Should apostasy concern Christians? Jude thought so. He begins his postcard epistle to the churches of his day:

“Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain people have crept in unnoticed . . . ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.”

The grammatical structure of this verse in Greek reveals a troubled Jude who, in light of the apostate invasion of the second kind (see above), wrestled heavily and for some time over whether or not he should preempt his letter about “our common salvation” by a warning to contend for the faith. Jude is like the proverbial writer, whose desk is surrounded by scads of crumpled-up paper that he tossed over his shoulder in frustration, not satisfied with what he was writing. Jude likewise tried hard to stick with his initial topic, but finally settled on another when the burden over the outbreak of apostasy became too heavy. His epistle is short, to the point, and exudes great concern.

What should we do about apostasy? Jude says to contend for the faith. Apostasy is going to come. Jude says it must (vv. 4, 14, 17-18). We can no more prevent that from happening, than we can tares among the wheat. Our job is firmly and lovingly to contend with apostates or those who behave like them, in our churches. This calls for strict, spiritual discipline. You’ll find that God has provided us with a regimen to follow in Jude 20 to 23:

You, beloved, build yourselves up in your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of God . . . have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stated by the flesh.

May you find God’s grace sufficient to contend.